奔三

bènsān
verb

Meanings

  1. 1 to be pushing 30
  2. 2 approaching one's thirties

Examples

HSK 3
Wǒ dōu bènsān le, hái méi jiéhūn.
I'm pushing thirty and still not married.
HSK 7-9
Bènsān de rén jiù gāi kǎolǜ mǎifáng le ma?
Should people pushing thirty be thinking about buying a house?

Tips

usage
Internet-era colloquialism. (bèn, 'to head toward / approach a target') + age decade. By extension: 奔四 (pushing 40), 奔五 (pushing 50). The standard reading is bèn ( in the 'approaching an age' sense, per 现代汉语词典); bēn is widely heard colloquially. Carries a wry, slightly anxious tone about adulthood milestones.

Stroke Order

bēn
sān