Old National Pronunciation

English Etymology en zh 老國音, from zh 老 old; venerable honorific + zh 國音 national pronunciation. The term en old does not refer to it being a historical standard, but was instead used contemporaneously as a way to promote the standard's legitimacy. Proper noun Old National Pronunciation ~ en historical The national standard for the pronunciation of Mandarin Chinese as used by the Republic of China from 1913 to 1932.