老朋友
lǎo péng you · HSK 2
old friend
👴🤝 老 (old) + 朋友 (friend) = old friend; slang for monthly period
老 means old/long-standing, 朋友 means friend. Together: a long-time friend. The slang sense (menstruation) plays on the idea of a regular monthly visitor — your 'old friend' who shows up every month.
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.