老乡
lǎo xiāng · HSK 6
fellow townsman
🏘️ 老 old + 乡 village = someone from your old village
When two people discover they grew up in the same town, they call each other 老乡. The 老 here conveys familiarity rather than age, like saying old pal from the homeland.
老 — old man 耂 + 匕 (bent figure)
Originally a pictograph of an elderly person with long hair leaning on a cane. The top 耂 depicts the hair and stooped body, while 匕 at the bottom represents the cane or a bent figure. The core meaning 'old' has remained stable since oracle bone script.
乡 — simplified form of 鄉; right side 阝(city/region)
Originally depicted two people facing each other across food vessels, showing a communal feast in a village. The meaning shifted from 'shared meal' to 'home village' and 'countryside.' The simplified form 乡 keeps a stylized trace of this scene.