Wǒ yìzhí duì zìjǐ shuō, nánrén sānshí yì zhī huā, zhège niánlíng yīnggāi dàibiǎo
我 一直 对 自己说， 男人 三十 一 枝 花， 这个 年龄 应该 代表
lìng yì zhǒng kāishǐ.
另 一 种 开始。
I tell myself all the time: a thirty-year-old man is like a blossom; this age should stand for a new beginning.
—From “姚明 (Yáo Míng)Yao Ming,” a famous Chinese NBA player.
Since many men have a successful career in their thirties, they become very attractive in other people’s eyes, especially women. “花 (huā) blossom” stands for beauty. So Chinese people often use the phrase “一枝花 (yì zhī huā) a blossom” to describe men who are in their thirties.
花 (huā): n. flower; blossom
年龄 (niánlíng): n. age
代表 (dàibiǎo): v. to stand for
A quote from Kobe Bryant on Sept. 07, 2010
A quote from Liu Xiang on Jan.31, 2011
Wow, what an interesting quote from my idol Yao Ming! How do you say “women” in Chinese? Can you tell me some other easy Chinese expressions like “男人?” Thanks!