年龄 (nián líng) — age (of a person) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Age of a person, used in formal contexts like IDs, applications, and official records. 年纪 is the more colloquial choice for everyday talk; 高龄 refers to advanced/elderly age.

noun

age (of a person)

Measure word · 把, 个

Examples

年龄？
Nǐ zhī dào tā de nián líng ma?
Do you know his age?
年龄。
Hái zi dào le shàng xué de nián líng.
The child has reached school age.
年龄1830。
Zhè ge huó dòng de cān jiā nián líng shì 18 dào 30 suì.
The age requirement for this activity is 18 to 30.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

年 and 龄 both refer to age, naming how old someone is.

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

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.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 齡; 龄 is its simplified writing.

齒令齡

Meaning part形符xíngfú

齒齒chǐtooth

Sound part声符shēngfú

令

令lìng齡líng

Same sound today

The traditional form 齡 shows 齒, a tooth, associated with age, and 令 for the sound; simplified 龄 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

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