Definition

1. Adjective phrase:
   • Advanced in years; having a certain age: Used to describe a person who is no longer young, typically middle-aged or elderly. It emphasizes the state of having lived for a considerable number of years, often implying maturity, experience, or the physical effects of aging.
   • Of a certain age: A more neutral phrase indicating that someone is not young, without specifying an exact age. It can be a polite or indirect way to refer to someone's maturity.

Usage Examples

• Adjective phrase:
  • Ông ấy đã có tuổi rồi, nên sức khỏe không còn như trước. (He is advanced in years now, so his health is not what it used to be.)
  • Bà ấy là một nghệ nhân có tuổi và rất giàu kinh nghiệm. (She is an experienced craftswoman of a certain age.)
  • Anh ấy trông còn trẻ nhưng thực ra cũng đã có tuổi. (He looks young but is actually getting on in years.)

Advanced Usage

• "Đã có tuổi": This common collocation adds the sense of completion or a change of state, strongly emphasizing that the person is already in the stage of being older. It translates to "already advanced in years" or "already getting on."

  • Cha tôi đã có tuổi nên đi lại chậm hơn. (My father is already advanced in years, so he moves more slowly.)

• Used to politely acknowledge someone's seniority or experience without directly stating "old."

  • Vị khách mời là một học giả có tuổi. (The guest is a scholar of a certain age.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lớn tuổi (adj): Older, elder. Often used interchangeably with "có tuổi" but can be slightly more direct.

  • Người lớn tuổi cần được quan tâm. (Elderly people need care.)

• Cao tuổi (adj): Advanced in age, elderly. Stronger and more formal than "có tuổi," explicitly indicating old age.

  • Chính sách dành cho người cao tuổi. (Policies for the elderly.)

• Tuổi tác (n): Age (as a general concept).

  • Anh ấy không quan tâm đến tuổi tác. (He doesn't care about age.)

Synonyms

• Nhiều tuổi: Having many years (of age).
• Đứng tuổi: Middle-aged.
• Già dặn: Mature, seasoned (often in terms of experience or demeanor).

Related Phrases (Không phải Phrasal Verb)

• "Có tuổi có tác": An idiom meaning that with age comes capability, wisdom, or effectiveness. It highlights the value of experience.

  • Đừng coi thường cụ, có tuổi có tác đấy. (Don't underestimate the elder, with age comes capability.)

• "Tuổi già": Old age.

  • Chăm sóc sức khỏe cho tuổi già. (Taking care of health in old age.)

Related Idioms

• "Gừng càng già càng cay": Literally "The older the ginger, the spicier it is." Similar to the English "With age comes wisdom," praising the value of experience that comes with age. This idiom relates conceptually to the respect implied by "có tuổi."
  • Giáo sư ấy càng về già càng uyên bác, đúng là gừng càng già càng cay. (That professor becomes more erudite as he ages, truly, like ginger, the older, the spicier.)

1. Advanced in years