他才多大呀 十七 马上就十八了 你说周岁
“How old is he? Seventeen, almost 18. His real age.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
赵凯我见过
“I've met Zhao Kai.”
他 才多大 呀 十七 马上 就十八了 你说 周岁
“How old is he? Seventeen, almost 18. His real age.”
户口本上是写的十五 但是他个头大呀 说十七十八
“His ID says 15. But he's tall. Everyone would”
“He is practically just a child, why are we expecting him to act like a full-grown adult?”
In China, people often distinguish between formal chronological age (zhousui) and traditional nominal age (xusui), which can create discrepancies in spoken descriptions.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
how old can he possibly be / still so young
A rhetorical phrase used to underline that someone is too young for a particular role, task, or blame.
full years of age / completed years of age
Refers to chronological age based on birth date, distinct from nominal age (xusui) in Chinese culture.
Softens the rhetorical question 'how old is he', giving it a conversational, wondering tone.
Marks an approaching state in '马上就十八了' (about to turn eighteen).
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“You're so young. Why are you sighing? This street didn't use to look like this.”
“How old were you back then?”
“Do you know how old he is? He's almost sixty.”
“How old were you? How old are you now?”
“And how old is she?”
“Hey! How old are you? So rude!”