成人 chéngrén to reach adulthood
to reach adulthood; an adult
How to remember 成人: 成 to become + 人 person = to reach adulthood.
Characters
How it is used
- An adult - 成人票 (chéngrén piào) adult ticket; 未成年人 minors vs 成人.
- Also verb-like 'reach adulthood'. Beware the euphemism: 成人内容/成人电影 (chéngrén...) means 'adult (18+/explicit) content', so context matters.
- Near 成年人 (chéngniánrén), which is the neutral legal 'adult'; 成人 can carry that extra connotation.
Example sentences
- 你儿子现在成人了。 Nǐ érzi xiànzài chéngrén le.Your son has come of age.
- 只有成人可以看那种电影。 Zhǐyǒu chéngrén kěyǐ kàn nàzhǒng diànyǐng.Only adults may watch that film.
- 有时候成人表现得像儿童。 Yǒushíhòu chéngrén biǎoxiàn de xiàng értóng.Sometimes adults behave like children.