养老院

• Pinyin: yǎng lǎo yuàn
• Hanzi breakdown: 养 = 羊 + 食 (to nourish); 老 = pictographic (bent elderly figure with staff); 院 = 阝(mound/enclosure) + 完 (complete — a fully enclosed compound, then an institutional building)

Meaning

Nursing home; old people's home; care home for the elderly. A residential facility providing accommodation and care for elderly people who require assistance.

A growing sector in China due to rapid population ageing. Ranges from basic government-run facilities to premium private care residences. The decision to place a parent in a nursing home can carry significant social and cultural weight, given traditional Confucian expectations of filial piety (孝道) — family care is still the norm for most households.

Examples

1. 她的父亲患有阿尔茨海默病，家人在多方权衡之后，决定将他送入一家设施齐全、专业护理水平较高的养老院。 Her father has Alzheimer’s, and after weighing their options, the family decided to place him in a nursing home with complete facilities and strong professional care.
2. 随着空巢老人数量持续增加，社会对高质量养老院的需求日益旺盛，相关行业的投资和建设规模也在快速扩大。 As the number of elderly people living alone continues to rise, demand for high-quality nursing homes has grown rapidly, and investment and construction in the sector are expanding quickly as well.
3. 这家养老院每逢节假日都会邀请附近学校的学生前来表演文艺节目，为老人们带来欢乐和陪伴，深受老人们的喜爱。 On holidays, this nursing home invites students from nearby schools to perform, bringing joy and companionship to the residents, who love it.

Usage Guide

Context: social welfare, healthcare, demographics, family

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 政府近年来大力推进养老院建设，出台了一系列扶持政策，鼓励社会资本进入养老服务行业，以满足快速增长的老龄化人口的照护需求。(In recent years the government has vigorously promoted the construction of nursing homes and introduced a series of supportive policies to encourage private capital to enter the elderly care sector, in order to meet the care needs of the rapidly growing ageing population.)
• 她每个周末都会去养老院探望独居多年的外祖母，陪老人聊聊天、散散步，尽力让老人感受到家人的温暖与关怀。(Every weekend she visits her grandmother, who has lived alone for many years, at the nursing home — chatting with her and going for walks, doing her best to make the old woman feel the warmth and care of family.)

Don't Say

• 老人家 — 老人家 is a respectful term of address for an elderly person, not a place; for the facility itself always use 养老院 or 敬老院 (literally 'respect-the-elderly institution,' a slightly more formal variant)

Origin & History

养老 (care for the elderly) + 院 (courtyard/institution — 阝mound + 完 complete, enclosure — a walled compound; extended to institutional buildings)

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal