岁月峥嵘 歲月崢嶸 suì yuè zhēng róng eventful years / momentous times 几年 幾年 jǐ nián a few years / several years / how many years? 最近几年 最近幾年 zuì jìn jǐ nián the last few years / last several years / recent years 多事之秋 duō shì zhī qiū (idiom) troubled times / eventful period 多事 duō shì meddlesome / eventful syn 颐养天年 頤養天年 yí yǎng tiān nián lit. to nurture one's years (idiom) / fig. to enjoy one's later years 十年树木，百年树人 十年樹木，百年樹人 shí nián shù mù , bǎi nián shù rén It takes ten years to nurture a tree, but a hundred years to train a man (idiom). A good education program takes a long time to develop. 十年树木，百年树人 十年樹木，百年樹人 shí nián - shù mù , bǎi nián - shù rén (idiom) it takes ten years to grow trees, but a hundred years to cultivate people 多年 duō nián many years / for many years / longstanding syn 年间 年間 nián jiān in the years of / during those years / period (of dynasty or decade) syn 历年 歷年 lì nián over the years / bygone years syn 数年 數年 shù nián several years / many years 往年 wǎng nián in former years / in previous years syn 早年 zǎo nián many years ago / in the past / in one's early years syn 连年 連年 lián nián successive years / over many years syn 昔年 xī nián former years / previous years syn 经年累月 經年累月 jīng nián lěi yuè for years / over the years syn 只不过几年前 只不過幾年前 zhǐ bù guò jǐ nián qián only a few years ago / just a few years ago 沈阳故宫 瀋陽故宮 shěn yáng gù gōng Mukden Palace, aka Shenyang Imperial Palace, the main imperial palace during the early years of the Qing dynasty (1625-1644), a secondary palace in subsequent years, now a museum 三十年河东，三十年河西 三十年河東，三十年河西 sān shí nián hé dōng , sān shí nián hé xī the river flows thirty years to the East, thirty years to the West (proverb) / change is the only constant 韶华 韶華 sháo huá (literary) prime years / youthful years syn 有生之年 yǒu shēng zhī nián (idiom) during one's lifetime / while one is on this earth / in one's remaining years syn 长年累月 長年累月 cháng nián lěi yuè year in, year out (idiom) / (over) many years syn 老当益壮 老當益壯 lǎo dāng yì zhuàng old but vigorous (idiom) / hale and hearty despite the years syn 三十而立 sān shí ér lì thirty years old and therefore independent (idiom, from Confucius) 后生可畏 後生可畏 hòu shēng kě wèi the young will be redoubtable in the years to come (idiom) / the younger generations will surpass us in time syn 一年被蛇咬十年怕井绳 一年被蛇咬十年怕井繩 yī nián bèi shé yǎo shí nián pà jǐng shéng bitten by a snake in one year, fears the well rope for ten years (idiom) / once bitten twice shy 百年树人 百年樹人 bǎi nián shù rén (idiom) it takes many years to raise children to be upstanding citizens 长夜难明 長夜難明 cháng yè nán míng lit. many nights under a harsh moon / long years of oppression (idiom) 隔年皇历 隔年皇曆 gé nián huáng lì lit. almanac from years back (idiom) / obsolete practice / old-fashioned principle 积年累月 積年累月 jī nián lěi yuè year in, year out (idiom) / (over) many years syn 年复一年 年復一年 nián fù yī nián (idiom) over the years / year after year syn 年高德劭 nián gāo dé shào to be advanced in both years and virtue (idiom) syn 一日不见，如隔三秋 一日不見，如隔三秋 yī rì bù jiàn , rú gé sān qiū one day apart seems like three years (idiom) 五百年前是一家 wǔ bǎi nián qián shì yī jiā five hundred years ago we were the same family (idiom) (said of persons with the same surname) 似水年华 似水年華 sì shuǐ nián huá fleeting years (idiom) 台上一分钟，台下十年功 臺上一分鐘，臺下十年功 tái shàng yī fēn zhōng , tái xià shí nián gōng ten years of practice for one minute on the stage (idiom) 君子报仇，十年不晚 君子報仇，十年不晚 jūn zi bào chóu , shí nián bù wǎn lit. for a nobleman to take revenge, ten years is not too long (idiom) / fig. revenge is a dish best served cold 日久岁深 日久歲深 rì jiǔ - suì shēn (idiom) for a long period of time / for a number of years 青年 qīng nián youth / youthful years / young person / the young syn 当年 當年 dāng nián in those days / back then / in those years / to be in the prime of life syn 三年 sān nián three years 近年来 近年來 jìn nián lái for the past few years syn 岁月 歲月 suì yuè years / time syn 百年 bǎi nián hundred years / century / lifetime syn 四年 sì nián four years 多年来 多年來 duō nián lái for the past many years syn 近几年 近幾年 jìn jǐ nián in recent years 常年 cháng nián all year round / for years on end / average year syn 几十年 幾十年 jǐ shí nián several tens of years / several decades 老年 lǎo nián elderly / old age / autumn of one's years syn 年限 nián xiàn age limit / fixed number of years syn 年来 年來 nián lái this past year / over the last years 管制 guǎn zhì to control / to restrict / (PRC law) non-custodial sentence with specified restrictions on one's activities for up to 3 years (e.g. not to participate in demonstrations) syn 一世 yī shì generation / period of 30 years / one's whole lifetime / lifelong / age / era / times / the whole world / the First (of numbered European kings) syn 年华 年華 nián huá years / time / age syn 逐年 zhú nián year after year / with each passing year / over the years syn 晚年 wǎn nián one's later years syn 十五年 shí wǔ nián fifteen years 千秋 qiān qiū a thousand years / your birthday (honorific) 前些 qián xiē a few (days, years etc) ago 岁数 歲數 suì shu age (number of years old) syn 蝉联 蟬聯 chán lián to continue in a post / (to hold a post) several times in succession / (to win a title) in successive years / to stay at number one / to defend a championship syn 末年 mò nián the final years (of a regime) syn 清末 qīng mò the final years of the Qing dynasty 清朝[Qing1 chao2] / late Qing 四年前 sì nián qián four years previously 年岁 年歲 nián suì years of age / age syn 余生 餘生 yú shēng the remaining years of one's life / survival (after a disaster) syn 十一年 shí yī nián eleven years 十九岁 十九歲 shí jiǔ suì 19 years old 初年 chū nián early years 侏罗纪 侏羅紀 zhū luó jì Jurassic (geological period 205-140m years ago) 芳华 芳華 fāng huá young years / youth 壮年 壯年 zhuàng nián lit. robust years / prime of life / summer / able-bodied (fit for military service) / mature (talent, garden etc) syn 经年 經年 jīng nián for years / year after year 全国代表大会 全國代表大會 quán guó dài biǎo dà huì national general congress / Communist party national congress, in recent times every five years 早死 zǎo sǐ to die while still relatively young / to have been dead (for some years) 往届 往屆 wǎng jiè former sessions / former years 英年 yīng nián the prime of one's life / youthful years 年事 nián shì years of age / age syn 八旬 bā xún eighty years 终老 終老 zhōng lǎo to spend one's last years 死缓 死緩 sǐ huǎn deferred death sentence / commuted death sentence with forced labor and judicial review after two years (PRC) (legal) syn 不惑 bù huò without doubt / with full self-confidence / forty years of age syn 十万八千里 十萬八千里 shí wàn bā qiān lǐ light-years (apart) / a million miles (apart) / (i.e. indicates a huge difference or a huge distance) syn 属相 屬相 shǔ xiàng colloquial term for 生肖[sheng1 xiao4] the animals associated with the years of a 12-year cycle syn 纪年 紀年 jì nián to number the years / calendar era / annals / chronicle 古稀 gǔ xī seventy years old 有年 yǒu nián for years syn 故知 gù zhī a close friend over many years 豆蔻 dòu kòu cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) / fig. a girl's teenage years / maidenhood / a budding beauty 二十六岁 二十六歲 èr shí liù suì 26 years old 大总统 大總統 dà zǒng tǒng president (primarily used during the early years of the Republic of China, 1912-1928) 超龄 超齡 chāo líng too old / overage / (of a young person's behavior or attributes) beyond one's years / adultlike 暮年 mù nián one's declining years / one's old age syn 百年不遇 bǎi nián bù yù only met with once every hundred years (drought, flood etc) syn 教龄 教齡 jiào líng years of teaching experience / teaching experience 彭祖 péng zǔ Peng Zu (legendary figure of Taoism who lived 800 years) 中生代 zhōng shēng dài Mesozoic (geological era 250-65m years ago, covering Triassic 三疊紀|三叠纪, Jurassic 侏羅紀|侏罗纪 and Cretaceous 白堊紀|白垩纪) 