花甲之年

huājiǎzhīnián

idiom

Meanings

1 the age of sixty
2 one's sixtieth year

Characters

flower; (here) intricate/interwoven

first; (here) the sexagenary cycle

of (classical possessive)

Examples

爷爷已到花甲之年，身体依然硬朗。

Yéye yǐ dào huā jiǎ zhī nián, shēntǐ yīrán yìnglǎng.

Grandpa has reached sixty, but he's still hale and hearty.

花甲之年的她决定重新学钢琴。

Huā jiǎ zhī nián de tā juédìng chóngxīn xué gāngqín.

At sixty, she decided to take up the piano again.

他虽已过花甲之年，仍坚持每天跑步。

Tā suī yǐ guò huā jiǎ zhī nián, réng jiānchí měitiān pǎobù.

Though past sixty, he still jogs every day.

Tips

culture

花甲 refers to the 六十甲子 — the sixty-year cycle formed by pairing the ten Heavenly Stems (天干) with the twelve Earthly Branches (地支). One full cycle = sixty years, so 花甲之年 = age 60. Related milestones: 而立 30, 不惑 40, 知天命 50, 花甲 60, 古稀 70.

register

Formal and respectful. Use for elders or in writing; colloquially people just say 六十岁 or 六十多岁.

Stroke Order

花 huā

甲 jiǎ

之 zhī

年 nián