老家
lǎojiā · HSK 4
native place
🏠 老家 = old + home → the original family home
老 (lǎo) means old or venerable; 家 (jiā) means home or family. Together they name the ancestral home or hometown — the place a family traces its roots to, not just where someone currently lives.
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.
家 — roof 宀 + pig 豕
Originally a pictograph of a pig under a roof, since domesticated pigs were kept in or under the home in ancient China. Over time the meaning broadened from 'household' to 'family,' and by extension 'home' or a specialist (as in 专家, 'expert').