中年 zhōngnián middle age
How to remember 中年: 中 middle + 年 year = middle age.
Characters
How it is used
- 中年 (zhōngnián) means middle age, roughly the 40s-50s, and is used as a noun or attributively: 中年人 (zhōngnián rén) - a middle-aged person.
- It sits between 青年 (qīngnián, youth) and 老年 (lǎonián, old age) in the standard Chinese three-stage life division, a set that's useful to learn together.
- Common collocation: 人到中年 (rén dào zhōngnián) - when a person reaches middle age - a set phrase often used to introduce reflections on life.