Definitions

thirty

Etymology

Three vertical lines, representing three sets of ten ().

About

The character "卅" serves as a numeral for thirty, with its etymology stemming from the aggregation of three instances of the character "十" for ten, leading to an ideographic form that condensed this concept into a single unit. Structurally, it developed into a configuration of three horizontal strokes often linked by a vertical line, visually summarizing the three tens. While its core meaning of thirty has persisted, its usage has narrowed over time, shifting from general enumeration to more classical or formal contexts such as historical dates and literary texts. The traditional form "卅" remains the standard, and its components are understood as a direct compositional representation of three tens.

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他今年岁了。

Tā jīnnián sà suì le.

He is thirty years old now.

这本书有页。

Zhè běn shū yǒu sà yè.

This book has thirty pages.

今天是五月日。

Jīntiān shì wǔ yuè sà rì.

Today is May 30th.

那个事件发生在年前。

Nàgè shìjiàn fāshēng zài sà nián qián.

That event happened thirty years ago.

我们学校有个教室。

Wǒmen xuéxiào yǒu sà gè jiàoshì.

Our school has thirty classrooms.

他用了分钟完成作业。

Tā yòngle sà fēnzhōng wánchéng zuòyè.

He used thirty minutes to complete his homework.

如果每天存元,一个月就能存九百元。

Rúguǒ měi tiān cún sà yuán, yī gè yuè jiù néng cún jiǔbǎi yuán.

If you save thirty yuan every day, you can save nine hundred yuan in a month.

经过年的努力,他终于实现了梦想。

Jīngguò sà nián de nǔlì, tā zhōngyú shíxiàn le mèngxiǎng.

After thirty years of effort, he finally realized his dream.