四十不惑

sìshí búhuò
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 at forty, free from doubt
  2. 2 traditional name for the age of forty

Examples

HSK 7-9
Tā yǐjīng sìshí búhuò de niánjì le.
He is already at the 'no more doubts' age of forty.
HSK 7-9
Kǒngzǐ shuō sìshí búhuò, wǒ kuài sìshí le què yuèláiyuè mímáng.
Confucius said 'forty brings clarity', but as I near forty I feel more lost than ever.

Tips

history
From the Analects 《论语·为政》: 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 - Confucius's autobiography of his inner life by decade. 不惑 means he was no longer confused about how to live.

Stroke Order

shí
huò