Table of Contents

Lao Pigu

老屁股 · Lǎo pìgǔ

Definition

名詞名词 NOUN

Literally meaning “old butt,” this playful and slightly sarcastic Taiwanese slang refers to someone who has been in a company, organization, or group for a long time.

An “old butt” knows all the office politics, understands how the system works, and has mastered the art of surviving comfortably—often by letting newer employees handle the heavy lifting.

Examples

例句例句

你nǐ才cái刚gāng进来jìnlai，最好zuìhǎo多duō观察guānchá一下yíxià那些nàxiē老屁股lǎopìgǔ是shì怎么zěnme生存shēngcún的de

You just got here. You better watch how those old-timers survive first.

他tā是shì我们wǒmen部门bùmén的de老屁股lǎopìgǔ了le，连lián经理jīnglǐ都dōu不太bú tài敢gǎn管guǎn他tā

He’s been in our department forever. Even the manager doesn’t really mess with him.

这些zhèxiē老屁股lǎopìgǔ最zuì会huì混hùn了le，事情shìqíng永远yǒngyuǎn落luò到dào新人xīnrén头上tóu shàng

Those old-timers are pros at slacking. The work always ends up on the newbies.

Dialogue

對話对话

我们wǒmen每天měitiān加班jiābān这样zhèyàng对duì吗ma？

Is it really okay that we work overtime every day?

问wèn办公室bàngōngshì里的lǐ de那些nàxiē老屁股lǎopìgǔ啊a！如果rúguǒ他们tāmen愿意yuànyì分担fēndān一点yìdiǎn工作gōngzuò，我们wǒmen根本gēnběn就jiù不bù需要xūyào加班jiābān

Ask the old-timers in the office! If they were willing to share some of the workload, we wouldn’t even need to stay late.

那nà公司gōngsī不bù考虑kǎolǜ请qǐng新人xīnrén吗ma？根本gēnběn忙máng不bù过来guòlái

Isn’t the company thinking about hiring more people? There’s clearly too much work.

老屁股lǎopìgǔ没méi走zǒu，哪里nǎlǐ来lái的de位子wèizi？

As long as the old-timers don’t leave, where’s the room for new hires?

Don’t mix these up

辨析辨析

People often confuse different ways to talk about experienced members or senior colleagues. Here is how they compare:

Term	What it actually means	Tone
老屁股lǎo pìgǔ	A seasoned veteran who knows all shortcuts and how to slack off (Taiwan slang)	Casual, playful, or slightly sarcastic
老鳥老鸟 lǎoniǎo	An experienced person or veteran in a workplace or field	Common, neutral to casual
資深員工资深员工zīshēn yuángōng	A senior employee with tenure and experience	Formal, professional

The quick test: 老屁股老屁股 is colorful Taiwan slang with a cheeky vibe about office veterans, 老鳥老鸟 is the standard term for a veteran, and 資深員工资深员工 is strictly formal.

Flashcards

快閃卡快闪卡

Tap a card to flip it.

老屁股

lǎo pìgǔ

Office veteran / old-timer — knows how to slack off comfortably

老鸟

lǎoniǎo

Old bird / veteran — someone with lots of experience

新人

xīnrén

Newbie / newcomer — fresh to the team

菜鸟

càiniǎo

Greenhorn / rookie — inexperienced beginner

Beyond Chinese

跨語言跨语言

The concept of office veterans or seasoned old-timers exists vividly in Korean and Japanese workplace culture.

Korean · 고참

고참 (gocham)

저 선배는 회사에서 완전히 고참이라서 눈치 안 보고 다녀요.
That senior is a total veteran in the company and moves around without caring what others think.

Japanese · 古株

古株 (furuhabu)

あの古株たちがちょっとでも手伝ってくれたらいいのに。
I wish those old-timers would help out just a little bit.

Etymology fact

The term “lǎo pìgǔ” combines “lǎo” (old) with “pìgǔ” (butt/bottom). It vividly pictures someone who has sat in their office chair for so long that their “bottom” has become old and anchored to that spot, symbolizing a veteran employee who is deeply entrenched in their position.

Do you like it? 🙂

老屁股 lǎo pìgǔ