is a literary "at" or "as": after a noun for an age, a stage or an
attempt, it marks the point at which something remarkable happened. It goes
straight after the noun.
。
He founded a company at the age of twenty.
。
It was on the third attempt that I finally passed the exam.
。
She competed in the Olympics at the age of fifteen.
The sentence carries surprise: at only twenty, or not until the third time.
The old saying , "at forty, one is free from doubt", has
the same shape. In conversation, say or .
にして or にしては
means "for a": the result is not what the noun would lead you
to expect. にして only marks the point when something happened.
。
He entered university at just ten.
。
He is tall for a ten-year-old.
Usage notes
These go beyond a point in time.
にして初めて
With , にして means "only": only at that point, or only someone of
that standing.
。
It was at this age that I went abroad for the first time.
。
This is a technique only a master like him can pull off.
Even X
After a person of standing, with a negative or a difficulty after it, にして
means "even X".
、。
Even a genius like him could not solve this problem.
、。
If it's this difficult even for a professional, it would be impossible for an amateur.
Both A and B
Between two nouns, にして joins two roles held by one person or thing.
。
He is both a poet and a painter.
Fixed phrases
is "in an instant",
"overnight", and
"looking back now".
。
The earthquake reduced the town to a pile of rubble in an instant.
、。
Looking back now, that decision was the right one.
Lingaku