六十而耳顺

六十而耳順

liùshíérěrshùn

phrase

Meanings

1 at sixty, the ear is attuned
2 at age sixty one hears all opinions without resistance — Confucius's description of the age 60 (hence 耳顺之年)

Characters

compliant; in harmony

Examples

他过了六十岁，真的到了六十而耳顺的境界。

Tā guò le liùshí suì, zhēn de dào le liù shí ér ěr shùn de jìngjiè.

Past sixty, he truly reached the state of 'ears in harmony with what he hears.'

孔子说六十而耳顺，七十而从心所欲。

Kǒngzǐ shuō liù shí ér ěr shùn, qī shí ér cóng xīn suǒ yù.

Confucius said 'at sixty my ear was attuned; at seventy I could follow my heart's desires.'

Tips

history

From 《论语·为政》 — Confucius's autobiographical milestones: 吾十有五而志于学，三十而立，四十而不惑，五十而知天命，六十而耳顺，七十而从心所欲不逾矩. Each age gave Chinese a stock name: 而立之年 (30), 不惑之年 (40), 知命之年 (50), 耳顺之年 (60).

usage

耳顺 literally 'the ear is compliant' — meaning one no longer reacts defensively to contrary opinions. 耳顺之年 is the standard poetic term for age 60 in modern obituaries and birthday speeches.

Stroke Order

六 liù

十 shí

而 ér

耳 ěr

顺 shùn