老千

Chinese

FWOTD – 11 August 2022

		old; aged; venerable old; aged; venerable; outdated; experienced; (affectionate prefix)	to swindle; to defraud
trad. (老千)		老	千
simp. #(老千)		老	千

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): lǎoqiān

  (Zhuyin): ㄌㄠˇ ㄑㄧㄢ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): lou⁵ cin¹

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: lǎoqiān
    • Zhuyin: ㄌㄠˇ ㄑㄧㄢ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: lǎocian
    • Wade–Giles: lao³-chʻien¹
    • Yale: lǎu-chyān
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: laochian
    • Palladius: лаоцянь (laocjanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: lou⁵ cin¹
    • Yale: lóuh chīn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: lou⁵ tsin¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: lou⁵ qin¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /lou̯¹³ t͡sʰiːn⁵⁵/

Noun

老千

1. (chiefly Cantonese, dialectal Hakka) con man; cheat; swindler (Classifier: 個／个 c; 隻／只 c)

   • 但係唔見咗咁耐，你點知我變成咩啊？或者我變成係老千，或者我變成係一個走私販毒嘅壞人。 [Cantonese, trad.]
     但系唔见咗咁耐，你点知我变成咩啊？或者我变成系老千，或者我变成系一个走私贩毒嘅坏人。 [Cantonese, simp.]

     From: 1959, 歡喜冤家 [The Quarrelsome Couple], 14:35 from the start, spoken by 謝賢 [Patrick Tse]

     daan⁶ hai⁶ m⁴ gin³ zo² gam³ noi⁶, nei⁵ dim² zi¹ ngo⁵ bin³ seng⁴ me¹ aa³? waak⁶ ze² ngo⁵ bin³ seng⁴ hai⁶ lou⁵ cin¹, waak⁶ ze² ngo⁵ bin³ seng⁴ hai⁶ jat¹ go³ zau² si¹ faan³ duk⁶ ge³ waai⁶ jan⁴. [Jyutping]

     But you haven't met me for so long, so how would you know what I've become? Maybe I became a con man, or maybe I became a bad guy who smuggles and sells drugs.

   • 被通緝的三個老千中，最倒楣的熊笹時次郎在神户市的藏身處被兵庫縣警發現，逮了個正著。 [MSC, trad.]
     被通缉的三个老千中，最倒楣的熊笹时次郎在神户市的藏身处被兵库县警发现，逮了个正着。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 1996 February 15, 和久峻三, 古錢幣的證言（中）, in 月旦法學 [The Taiwan Law Review], number 10, page 137

     Bèi tōngjī de sān ge lǎoqiān zhōng, zuì dǎoméi de Xióngshì Shícìláng zài Shénhù Shì de cángshēnchù bèi Bīngkù xiànjǐng fāxiàn, dǎi le ge zhèng zháo. [Pinyin]

     Out of the three con artists, the unluckiest Tokijiro Kumazasa was discovered at the hideout in Kobe City by the Hyogo Prefectural Police and was caught red-handed.

   • 你班死蠢老千　你咁渣點去千 [Cantonese, trad.]
     你班死蠢老千　你咁渣点去千 [Cantonese, simp.]

     From: 2019, 尹光 [Wan Kwong], 荷里活有個大老千 [I Bet Your Pardon]

     nei⁵ baan¹ sei² ceon² lou⁵ cin¹, nei⁵ gam³ zaa² dim² heoi³ cin¹ [Jyutping]

     You stupid swindlers, you suck so bad, how are you going to swindle?

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 騙子 (“cheat; trickster”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		騙子, 騙徒
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	騙子, 騙子手
	Taiwan	騙子
	Chengde	騙子, 騙子手
	Chifeng	騙子
	Hulunbuir (Hailar)	騙子
	Heihe	騙子, 騙子手
	Qiqihar	騙子, 拐子
	Harbin	騙子, 騙子手
	Jiamusi	騙子, 騙子手
	Baicheng	騙子, 騙子手
	Changchun	騙子手
	Tonghua	騙子手
	Shenyang	騙子, 騙子手
	Jinzhou	騙子, 騙子手
	Singapore	騙子
Jilu Mandarin	Tianjin	騙子
	Tangshan	騙子, 騙子手
	Cangzhou	騙子
	Baoding	騙子, 騙子手
	Shijiazhuang	騙子
	Lijin	騙子, 騙子手
	Jinan	騙子, 騙子手
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Dalian	騙子
	Dandong	騙子, 騙子手
	Yantai	騙子, 騙子手
	Yantai (Muping)	騙子手
	Qingdao	騙子
	Zhucheng	騙子, 騙子手
Central Plains Mandarin	Luoyang	騙子
	Lingbao	騙子, 騙子手
	Jining	騙子
	Wanrong	騙子手
	Linfen	騙子手
	Shangqiu	騙子, 騙子手, 撇子手
	Yuanyang	騙子手, 撇子
	Zhengzhou	騙子
	Xinyang	騙子
	Baihe	騙子, 騙子手
	Xi'an	騙子, 騙子手
	Baoji	騙子, 騙子手
	Tianshui	騙子
	Xining	騙子, 騙騙 derogatory
	Xuzhou	騙子, 撇子
	Fuyang	騙子
Lanyin Mandarin	Yinchuan	騙子, 騙子手
	Lanzhou	騙子手, 撇家拐子
	Dunhuang	騙子
	Hami	騙子
	Ürümqi	騙子, 騙子手, 拐子, 撇家拐子
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	騙子, 編編匠
	Nanchong	騙子
	Dazhou	騙子, 騙子手
	Hanyuan	騙子, 拐子
	Xichang	騙子
	Zigong	騙子
	Chongqing	騙子
	Wuhan	騙子
	Yichang	騙子
	Xiangyang	騙子, 標子
	Tianmen	騙子, 騙子手, 白撮子
	Guiyang	騙子, 騙子手, 拐子手
	Zunyi	騙子
	Bijie	騙子, 騙子手
	Liping	騙子
	Zhaotong	騙子
	Dali	騙子手
	Kunming	騙子
	Mengzi	騙子
	Guilin	騙子
	Liuzhou	騙子, 拐子, 拐子佬
	Jishou	騙子
	Changde	騙子手
	Hanzhong	騙子, 騙子手
	Dagudi (Maliba)	騙子
	Reshuitang (Longling)	大騙子
	Mae Salong (Lancang)	騙子
	Mae Sai (Tengchong)	騙子
Jianghuai Mandarin	Nanjing	騙子
	Yangzhou	騙子, 拐子
	Lianyungang	騙子
	Lianshui	騙子
	Nantong	騙子
	Anqing	騙子
	Wuhu	騙子
	Hefei	騙子
	Hong'an	騙子, 白撮子
Cantonese	Guangzhou	光棍, 撞棍, 老千, 千友, 滾友
	Hong Kong	老千, 撞棍, 拆白黨 dated
	Hong Kong (San Tin Weitou)	拐子佬
	Hong Kong (Ting Kok)	呃人個
	Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau)	傻人個
	Jiangmen (Xinhui)	呃人
	Kaiping (Chikan)	老千
	Dongguan	撞棍, 光棍佬, 滾友, 老千
	Hepu (Lianzhou)	騙子
	Hepu (Shatian)	騙仔
	Beihai	騙子
	Beihai (Nankang)	呃人嘅
	Beihai (Yingpan)	騙子
	Beihai (Qiaogang - Cô Tô)	騙子
	Beihai (Qiaogang - Cát Bà)	騙子
	Fangchenggang (Fangcheng)	騙子
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	老千
	Sarikei (Xinhui)	老千
	Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu)	老千
	Móng Cái	欺騙人
Gan	Nanchang	騙子
	Lichuan	騙子
Hakka	Meixian	騙仔, 撮仔賊
	Dabu (Xihe)	騙子
	Huizhou (Huicheng Bendihua)	呃人精, 老千
	Huizhou (Shuikou Bendihua)	呃人咧
	Huizhou (Hengli Bendihua)	呃人唉
	Huidong (Pingshan Bendihua)	撮仔
	Boluo (Bendihua)	騙仔
	Heyuan (Bendihua)	撮咧
	Longchuan (Tuocheng Bendihua)	騙依
	Longchuan (Sidu Bendihua)	騙哎
	Yudu	騙子
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	騙仔, 落仔
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	騙個
	Pingtung (Wuluo, Ligang; S. Sixian)	諞仙仔
	Kaohsiung (Meinong; S. Sixian)	虎𡳞王
	Kaohsiung (Shanlin; S. Sixian)	騙子
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	落仔
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	落人個
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	落仔
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	落子
	Hong Kong	撮仔
	Kuala Lumpur (Dabu)	騙子
	Senai (Huiyang)	老千
Huizhou	Jixi	騙子, 騙鬼
	Shexian	騙子
Jin	Taiyuan	騙子, 騙子手
	Yangyuan	騙子, 撇子
	Datong	騙子手
	Xinzhou	騙子, 騙子手
	Lüliang (Lishi)	騙子, 騙子手
	Changzhi	騙子
	Linhe	騙子, 騙子手
	Jining	騙子手
	Hohhot	騙子, 騙子手
	Erenhot	騙子, 騙子手
	Pingshan	騙子, 騙子手
	Zhangjiakou	騙子, 騙子手
	Handan	騙子, 騙子手
	Linzhou	騙了
	Suide	騙子, 騙子手
Northern Min	Jian'ou	騙仔
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	光棍
Southern Min	Xiamen	佬仔, 甪仔, 大佬, 白賊七, 白賊七仔
	Quanzhou	佬仔, 甪仔, 白賊七
	Jinjiang	甪仔
	Zhangzhou	佬仔, 甪仔, 白賊七, 白賊七仔
	Taipei	諞仙仔
	New Taipei (Tamsui)	諞仙仔
	New Taipei (Sanxia)	術仔, 諞仙仔
	New Taipei (Pingxi)	術仔, 諞仙仔
	Kaohsiung	諞仙仔
	Kaohsiung (Cijin)	諞仙仔
	Kaohsiung (Hongmaogang, Siaogang)	諞仙仔
	Kaohsiung (Dalinpu, Siaogang)	諞仙仔
	Kaohsiung (Tianliao)	諞仙仔
	Yilan	佬仔, 諞仙仔
	Yilan (Toucheng)	諞仙仔
	Changhua (Lukang)	諞仙
	Taichung	諞仙仔
	Tainan	諞仙仔
	Tainan (Anping)	諞仙仔
	Hsinchu	諞仙仔
	Penghu (Magong)	諞仙, 騙子
	Penghu (Xiyu)	諞仙
	Shantou	騙囝
	Jieyang	佬囝, 騙囝
	Johor Bahru (Teochew)	騙儂個
	Leizhou	光棍
	Haikou	光棍
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	騙子, 拐子佬
Wu	Shanghai	騙子
	Shanghai (Chongming)	拐子
	Suzhou	騙子
	Danyang	騙子, 騙鬼郎中
	Hangzhou	騙子
	Ningbo	騙子, 拐子, 騙賊拐子
	Wenzhou	拐兒
	Jinhua	騙子, 拐子兒
Xiang	Changsha	辵巴子
	Loudi	騙子手, 拐子

Derived terms

• 耍老千