"come of age"并不是说“人老了,年纪到了”,而是指成年,满法定年龄。这包括年轻人在法律上对自己的行为负责的成年年龄,也指一个人或事物获得重要地位、获得认可、变得成熟或得到尊重。例如,小明在18岁那年终于come of age,父母给了他一辆车作为成年礼,并告诉他从此需要为自己的行为承担责任。
例句
When she came of age, she took over the family business.
当她成年后,她接管了家族企业。
When she came of age, she inherited her grandmother's estate.
当她成年时,她继承了她祖母的遗产。
The young eagle has finally come of age and is ready to leave the nest.
这只年轻的鹰终于成熟了,准备离开巢穴。
With the release of their latest product, the company has truly come of age.
随着他们最新产品的发布,这家公司真正地成熟起来了。
He couldn't wait to come of age and gain the freedom to make his own decisions.
他迫不及待地想成年并获得自己做决定的自由。
As the festival comes of age, it attracts more international visitors each year.
随着这个节日的逐渐成熟,每年它吸引了更多的国际游客。
起源
短语come of age的起源可以追溯到1916年首次使用。这个短语的意思是成为成年人,达到成年状态;达到成熟;达到法律上对自己行为负责的成年年龄;获得显赫、认可、成熟或尊重。如果某事物已经come of age,意味着它已经达到了成熟截断,成为了一个成年人并且在法律上对自己的行为负责。