高龄
gāo líng · HSK 7
elderly
👴 高 = tall/high + 龄 = age; literally 'high age' = elderly
高 means high and 龄 means age (years lived), so 高龄 is 'advanced age'. The 齿 radical in 龄 originally meant teeth — ancient Chinese counted age by teeth, like rings on a tree.
高 — pictograph of a tall building/tower
高 is a pictograph of a tall structure, likely a watchtower or multi-story gate, with a roof on top, an upper chamber, and a base below. From this concrete image of height it extended to the general meanings 'tall,' 'high,' and figuratively 'lofty' or 'noble.'