---
title: "Gulao Meaning: 古老 (gǔlǎo) Means “ancient”"
description: "古老 (gǔlǎo) means “ancient; old”. Hear its tones, see what 古 and 老 each mean and a real sentence that uses it."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/gulao"
published: "2026-10-21"
updated: "2026-11-06"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[What does it mean in Chinese?](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning)

# What does 古老 mean?

猫头鹰māotóuyīngowl

古老 gǔlǎo

## ancient; old

## Its characters

1. 古 gǔ ancient
2. 老 lǎo old

## In a sentence

这是一座古老的城市。 This is an ancient city.

今天，赵州桥被认为是世界上现存最**古老**的敞肩石拱桥。

From [赵州桥 · Zhaozhou Bridge, the world's oldest open-spandrel arch](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/zhaozhou-bridge-oldest-open-spandrel-arch#library-word-482-484)

[More about 古老](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%8F%A4%E8%80%81)

## More words with 古 or 老

- [古代 gǔdài](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/gudai)
- [古典 gǔdiǎn](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/gudian)
- [古人 gǔrén](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/guren)
- [考古 kǎogǔ](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/kaogu)
- [老百姓 lǎobǎixìng](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/laobaixing)
- [老板 lǎobǎn](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/laoban)
- [老大 lǎodà](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/laoda)
- [老公 lǎogōng](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/laogong)
- [老虎 lǎohǔ](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/laohu)
- [老化 lǎohuà](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/laohua)

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