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

and; thereupon (classical)

to stand; to establish oneself

of (classical particle)

Examples

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.

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