而立之年

érlìzhīnián

idiom #51,318

Meanings

1 the age of thirty
2 age at which one stands on one's own feet
3 the age of establishing oneself

Characters

to stand; to establish oneself

Examples

HSK 3

他刚到而立之年，事业就已经小有成就。

Tā gāng dào érlìzhīnián, shìyè jiù yǐjīng xiǎo yǒu chéngjiù.

He had just reached the age of thirty, and his career was already showing some success.

HSK 4

而立之年的他开始思考人生的方向。

Érlìzhīnián de tā kāishǐ sīkǎo rénshēng de fāngxiàng.

Now at the age of thirty, he began to contemplate the direction of his life.

Tips

history

From 《论语·为政》: 吾十有五而志于学，三十而立，四十而不惑. Confucius lists life milestones - at 15 he committed to learning, at 30 he 'stood firm' (established himself). 而立 literally means 'and thus established'.

culture

One of a set of Confucian age-idioms: 而立之年 (30), 不惑之年 (40), 知命之年 (50), 耳顺之年 (60), 古稀之年 (70). Often used in biographies, birthday speeches, and formal writing.

Stroke Order

而 ér

立 lì

之 zhī

年 nián