天年

tiānnián
noun #44,996

Meanings

  1. 1 natural lifespan
  2. 2 one's allotted years

Examples

Lǎorén xiǎng jìn tiānnián, ānxiáng líshì.
The old man lived out his full natural span and passed away peacefully.
Xīwàng tā néng jìn qí tiānnián.
May he live out his natural lifespan.

Tips

usage
Literary register. The two stock collocations are 天年 (xiǎngjìn tiānnián, 'enjoy to the end one's natural span') and 天年 (jìn qí tiānnián, 'reach the end of one's allotted years') — both euphemistic ways of saying someone died of old age, not from violence or illness.

Stroke Order

tiān
nián