Meaning:
“抱团,” which literally means “a group of people hugging together,” is a metaphor for “helping and supporting each other.” “养老” means “taking care of the aged.” First appearing in media reports early last year, this term talks about the phenomenon of a group of senior citizens, often retirees young enough to take care of themselves in daily life and know each other, choose to live close together in a self-started commune and help take care of each other. These people don’t want to live with their children, neither are they ready to be confined to a nursing home for older people, and therefore embrace this alternative lifestyle.
Example:
A: 你父母在家乡好吗？
Nǐ fùmǔ zài jiāxiāng hǎo ma？
How are your parents back in hometown?
B: 日子轻松自在，但是有点寂寞，他们打算和几个老同学一起在郊区租两栋别墅抱团养老。
Rìzǐ qīngsōng zìzài，dànshì yǒudiǎn jìmò，tāmen dǎsuàn hé jǐge lǎo tóngxué yīqǐ zài jiāoqū zū liǎngdòng biéshù bàotuán yǎnglǎo。
They live leisurely and carefree, but feel a bit lonely. They are planning to rent two villas in the suburbs, move in with a couple of old schoolmates, and start a retiree’s commune of their own.