dǎ lāo
to salvage
to dredge
to fish out (person or object from the sea)
bǔ lāo
to fish for (aquatic animals and plants)
to catch
lāo qián
lit. to dredge for money
to make money by reprehensible means
to fish for a quick buck
lāo qǔ
to fish for
to seek profit (by improper means)
dà hǎi lāo zhēn
lit. to fish a needle from the sea
to find a needle in a haystack (idiom)
lāo yī bǎ
to profiteer
to gain some underhand advantage
hǎi dǐ lāo yuè
to fetch the moon from the seabed (idiom); a hopeless illusion
Shā lāo yuè
Sarawak, state of Malaysia in northwest Borneo 婆羅洲|婆罗洲
shuǐ zhōng lāo yuè
to fetch the moon out of the sea (idiom); a hopeless illusion
jiù lāo jú
sea rescue service
lifeboat service
lāo běn
to get one's money back (esp. gambling)
to recoup one's losings
yú lāo
fishing (as a commercial activity)
lāo shí zi
encumbrance
burden
that awful thing (colloquial)
nuisance
lāo dào cǎo
to fish for a straw
futile attempt to gain profit
lāo yóu shuǐ
(coll.) to gain profit (usu. by underhand means)
hǎi dǐ lāo zhēn
see 大海撈針|大海捞针[da4 hai3 lao1 zhen1]