中年
zhōngnián · HSK 2
middle age
中 = middle + 年 = year(s); middle of one's years = middle age
中 marks the center or middle of something, and 年 means year or age. Stacking them gives the span of years in the middle of a lifetime — middle age, roughly 40s to 50s in common Chinese usage.
中 — vertical stroke 丨 through enclosure 口
Pictograph of a banner or pole piercing the center of a target or territory, depicting the idea of 'middle' or 'center'. The horizontal frame represents boundaries, and the vertical line marks the central axis. The meaning extended from spatial center to 'middle, central, China' (中国, the Middle Kingdom).
年 — grain 禾 over person 人 (oracle bone)
Originally a pictograph of a person carrying a bundle of harvested grain on their back, representing the yearly grain harvest. Because harvests came once a year, the character shifted from meaning 'harvest' to meaning 'year.' The modern form 年 obscures the original 禾 (grain) + 人 (person) structure.