年迈
nián mài · HSK 7
aged
👴 年迈 = 年 year + 迈 to advance — advanced in years, far along the road of life
年 means year and 迈 means to stride or advance, so 年迈 is literally being far advanced in years. Note mài (迈) carries the sense of stepping forward, matching someone who has walked a long way through life.
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.
迈 — walk radical 辶 + 万 (wàn)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The 辶 radical signals motion or walking, while 万 supplies the sound (wàn → mài). The character originally meant to stride or take a long step, and from there extended to 'go forward,' 'advance in age,' and the modern sense of surpassing or exceeding.