(líng) — (bound form) age, years (used in compounds)

Definition

龄 is a bound morpheme meaning 'age' or 'years' — it only appears inside compounds like 年龄 (age), 工龄 (years of service), or 高龄 (advanced age). It never stands alone; pair it with a prefix to specify what kind of age you mean.

bound form
(bound form) ageyears (used in compounds)

Examples

  • Nǐ de nián líng shì duō shǎo?
    What is your age?
  • Tā de gōng líng yǐ jīng yǒu sān shí nián le.
    He has already had thirty years of work experience.
  • Yǎng lǎo yuàn zhào gù le hěn duō gāo líng lǎo rén.
    The nursing home cares for many elderly people of advanced age.

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