他当时三十岁都不到
“He wasn't even thirty yet.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
对啊 就是他
“Yeah, that's him!”
他当时 三十岁都不到
“He wasn't even thirty yet.”
Direct spoken expression in this communicative setting.
Turning thirty ('San Shi Er Li') is traditionally viewed as a major milestone of maturity and establishment in China, so achieving status or looking striking before thirty is often highlighted.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
at that time; back then
Use to refer to a specific time in the past that has already been established in the conversation.
not even (reaching a certain amount or age)
Placed after a number or quantity to emphasize that the actual amount is surprisingly lower than that threshold.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“She was only 26 years old.”
“It'll be too late when she is 30 years old.”
“I am in my thirties, not eighteen.”
“There's a guy that I know. He's actually over 30, and quite childish.”
“This guy is young but talks big”
“She's only 21.”