三十而立 sān shí ér lì At thirty, one stands firm

Explanation

这句出自《论语·为政》，意思是说人在三十岁前后应该有所成就，有自己的立身之本，能够自立于社会，成为一个有责任、有担当的人。

This sentence comes from the „Analects of Confucius“ and means that around the age of thirty, one should have established oneself in life and be able to stand on one's own two feet in society. One should be a responsible and accountable person.

Origin Story

孔子周游列国多年，始终未能找到一个推行他仁政思想的君主。有一次，他来到蔡国，和弟子们谈起自己的经历，感慨地说：“我十五岁立志于学习，三十岁时就决心要弘扬仁义之道，如今已经快七十岁了，却始终未能实现自己的理想。”听到孔子的感慨，弟子宰予安慰他说：“老师您不要灰心，您三十而立，四十不惑，五十知天命，六十耳顺，七十从心所欲，不逾矩，您的思想一定会得到认可的。”孔子听了宰予的话，脸上露出欣慰的笑容，继续带着弟子们周游列国，继续弘扬仁政之道。

kǒng zǐ zhōu yóu liè guó duō nián, shǐ zhōng wèi néng zhǎo dào yī ge tuī xíng tā rén zhèng sī xiǎng de jūn zhǔ. yǒu yī cì, tā lái dào cài guó, hé dì zǐ men tán qǐ zì jǐ de jīng lì, gǎn kǎi de shuō : “wǒ shí wǔ suì lì zhì yú xué xí, sān shí suì shí jiù jué xīn yào hóng yáng rén yì zhī dào, rú jīn yǐ jīng kuài qī shí suì le, què shǐ zhōng wèi néng shí xiàn zì jǐ de lǐ xiǎng.” tīng dào kǒng zǐ de gǎn kǎi, dì zǐ zǎi yǔ ān wèi tā shuō : “lǎo shī nín bù yào huī xīn, nín sān shí ér lì, sì shí bù huò, wǔ shí zhī tiān mìng, liù shí ěr shùn, qī shí cóng xīn suǒ yù, bù yú jǔ, nín de sī xiǎng yī dìng huì dé dào rèn kě de.” kǒng zǐ tīng le zǎi yǔ de huà, liǎn shàng lù chū xīn wèi de xiào róng, jì xù dài zhe dì zǐ men zhōu yóu liè guó, jì xù hóng yáng rén zhèng zhī dào.

Confucius traveled around the states for many years, but never found a ruler who would implement his ideas of benevolence. Once, he came to Cai and talked to his disciples about his experiences, sighing: “I decided to study at fifteen and at thirty I was determined to promote the way of benevolence. Now I am almost seventy years old, but I still haven’t realized my dream.” Hearing Confucius’ sigh, his disciple Zai Yu comforted him, saying: “Teacher, don’t be discouraged. You have established yourself in life at thirty, you are not confused at forty, you know the Mandate of Heaven at fifty, your ears are obedient at sixty, and you can follow your heart’s desires without transgressing the bounds at seventy. Your ideas will surely be recognized.” Confucius smiled with relief and continued to travel around the states with his disciples, continuing to promote the way of benevolence.

Usage

这个成语主要用来形容一个人在三十岁前后已经有了稳定的生活和事业，并能够独立承担责任。

zhè ge chéng yǔ zhǔ yào yòng lái xíng róng yī ge rén zài sān shí suì qián hòu yǐ jīng yǒu le wěn dìng de shēng huó hé shì yè, bìng néng gòu dú lì chéng dān zé rèn.

This idiom is mainly used to describe a person who has a stable life and career around the age of thirty and is able to independently take responsibility.

Examples

• 三十而立，四十不惑，五十知天命，六十耳顺，七十从心所欲，不逾矩。

  sān shí ér lì, sì shí bù huò, wǔ shí zhī tiān mìng, liù shí ěr shùn, qī shí cóng xīn suǒ yù, bù yú jǔ.

  At thirty, one stands firm; at forty, one is free from confusion; at fifty, one knows the Mandate of Heaven; at sixty, one hears with his ears; at seventy, one can follow his heart's desires without transgressing the bounds.

• 他今年三十而立，事业已经有了很大的起色。

  tā jīn nián sān shí ér lì, shì yè yǐ jīng yǒu le hěn dà de qǐ sè

  He is thirty this year and his career has already made great strides.

Related Idioms

• 四十不惑

• 五十知天命

• 六十耳顺

• 七十从心所欲

Opposite Idioms

• 不思进取

• 无所事事