安享晚年 (ān xiǎng wǎn nián) — to spend one's remaining years in peace and happiness

Definition

Set phrase meaning to spend one's final years in peace and happiness — '安' (peacefully) plus '享' (enjoy), '晚年' (later years). Common in writing when wishing elders a comfortable old age.

verb
to spend one's remaining years in peace and happiness

Examples

  • 安享晚年。
    Tā tuì xiū hòu huí dào xiāng xia ān xiǎng wǎn nián.
    After retiring, he returned to the countryside to enjoy his old age in peace.
  • 安享晚年。
    Wǒ men xī wàng fù mǔ néng ān xiǎng wǎn nián.
    We hope our parents can spend their later years peacefully and happily.
  • ，安享晚年。
    Zhè wèi lǎo rén xīn kǔ le yí bèi zi, zhōng yú kě yǐ ān xiǎng wǎn nián le.
    This elderly person worked hard all their life and can finally enjoy their old age in peace.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

安享enjoy peacefully
安ānpeacefully享xiǎngenjoy
偏正Modifier + head
晚年later years
晚wǎnlate年niányears
偏正Modifier + head

安享 joins 安 for peaceful and 享 for enjoying, while 晚年 joins 晚 for late and 年 for years.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
女
女nǚ安ān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 安, 宀 sits above a seated 女 on a cushion; 宀 is the meaning part, 女 is the sound part, and the character originally meant sitting at ease.

Open 安 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

享 was a drawing of an ancestral shrine.

Open 享 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
日日rì
Sound part声符shēngfú
免
免miǎn晚wǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

晚 pairs 日, the sun part, with 免, which supplies the sound.

Open 晚 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
禾禾héwheat; grain
Sound part声符shēngfú
人
人rén年nián
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

年 pairs 禾 (grain) with 人, which gives the sound. Its original meaning was harvest, and it later came to mean a year.

Open 年 →

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