prefix used before the surname of a person or a numeral indicating the order of birth of the children in a family or to indicate affection or familiarity / old (of people) / venerable (person) / experienced / of long standing / always / all the time / of the past / very / outdated / (of meat etc) tough
老
=
⺹
+
匕
:
Lancelot (l) is showing his respect to grandpa (老) in the aorta's living room (ao3). He's bowing deep and offering a crown (⺹), but grandpa refuses by hitting Lancelot on the head with a ladle (匕).
太
=
丶
+
大
:
Mnemonic symbol: from 太后 [tai4 hou4], the empress dowager. The empress dowager prepares for her reign in the airplane's bathroom (ai4) and has a big robot (大) as well as Tecumseh (t) fan her fresh air with petal leaves (丶).