及笄之年
jí​jī​zhī​nián

hairpin age

  1. 及笄 jí​jī
    to turn fifteen
    (literary) to reach the age of fifteen, the traditional marriageable age for a girl; in ancient China, girls at fifteen would tie up their hair and pin it with a 笄 jī to mark becoming an adult
  2. 之 zhī particle
    [possessive]
    Connects a describing word or phrase to the noun it describes, similar to 的 de but used in formal or literary writing.
  3. 年 nián noun
    age
    a person's age or a specific stage in a person's life