三十而立

sānshí'érlì

idiom

Meanings

1 to stand firm at thirty
2 to be established in life by age thirty

Characters

to stand, be established

Examples

HSK 3

他三十而立，已经有了自己的事业。

Tā sānshí'érlì, yǐjīng yǒule zìjǐ de shìyè.

By thirty he was 'established' - already running his own business.

HSK 7-9

古人说三十而立，我还差得远呢。

Gǔrén shuō sānshí'érlì, wǒ hái chà de yuǎn ne.

The ancients said one should be established at thirty - I'm still far from it.

Tips

history

From 《论语·为政》 - Confucius's autobiographical arc: 'At fifteen I set my heart on learning; at thirty I stood firm; at forty I had no doubts...' Still a cultural benchmark for 30-year-olds in China.

Stroke Order

三 sān

十 shí

而 ér

立 lì