Definitions

láo (verb) to chat; to gossip
lào (verb) to chat; to gossip (dialect)

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Simplified form of .

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "唠" originates from its traditional form "嘮", which is structured with the mouth radical (口) on the left and the component "勞" on the right, where "勞" acts primarily as a phonetic element but historically contributed a sense of continuous or repetitive action, reflecting the character's early association with talk that is protracted or insistent. Over time, the meaning evolved from denoting verbose or wearisome speech to encompassing more general acts of chatting, gossiping, or engaging in idle conversation. The simplified form "唠" retains the mouth radical while substituting "勞" with "劳", a streamlined component that continues to provide phonetic guidance without altering the character's core semantic field.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他总爱叨叨。

Tā zǒng ài lāolāodāodāo.

He always loves to chatter incessantly.

妈妈叨我房间太乱。

Māmā lāodao wǒ fángjiān tài luàn.

Mom nagged me about my room being too messy.

老人们喜欢在一起嗑。

Lǎorénmen xǐhuān zài yīqǐ làokē.

Old folks like to chat together.

咱们有空再好好

Zánmen yǒu kòng zài hǎohāo làolao.

Let's have a good chat when we have time.

她和我工作的烦恼。

Tā hé wǒ lào le lào gōngzuò de fánnǎo.

She and I chatted about the troubles at work.

叨了,我这就去做。

Bié lāodao le, wǒ zhè jiù qù zuò.

Stop nagging, I'll go and do it right now.

他跟我足足了两个小时。

Tā gēn wǒ zúzú lào le liǎng gè xiǎoshí.

He chatted with me for a full two hours.

几个邻居正在楼下家常呢。

Jǐ gè línjū zhèngzài lóuxià lào jiācháng ne.

Several neighbors are downstairs chatting about everyday things.