in one's prime：正值某人巅峰，黄金年代

名词prime源自拉丁语prima hora，后者指罗马日历中的日出后第一个时段第一个小时，大体相当于6点。后来在英语中引申为“白天的第一时段”，即早上6点到9点。

伟人曾经有“早晨八九点钟的太阳”之说，也就是在这个时段超期蓬勃。有“白天的第一时段”英语单词prime也有此义。再后来，prime也指“生命中最具活力的时期”。再再后来也指“事物处于最佳、最高、最完美的状态”。

品读例句，

【例句1】She's now 40 and still in her prime. （她如今 40 岁，依旧正值盛年。）[朗文当代英语词典]

【例句2】She was in her intellectual prime. （她当时处于思维能力的巅峰状态。）[柯林斯高级学者辞典]

【例句3】This is a dancer in her prime.（这是一位正值黄金时期的舞蹈家。） [剑桥高级学者辞典]

【例句4】She was cut off in her prime, and never lived to see the poems published. （她在人生巅峰期猝然离世，从未活着看到这些诗出版。）[牛津高级学者辞典]

【例句5】Maybe I'm just coming into my prime now. （或许我现在才刚迎来自己的巅峰。） [柯林斯高级学者辞典]

“过了巅峰期”用past one's prime，如

【例句6】He is now past his prime. (他现在巅峰期过了。)[朗文当代英语词典]

【例句7】We've had a series of athletes trying to come back well past their prime. （我们已经见过很多运动员早已过了巅峰期，却仍试图复出。）[柯林斯高级学者辞典]

【例句8】These flowers are long past their prime. (这些花早已过了全盛期。)[牛津高级学者辞典]

【例句9】I suspect this cheese is past its prime. （我估计这奶酪已经不新鲜了。）[剑桥高级学者辞典]

也可以用in the prime of life, 如

【例句10】He was barely 30 and in the prime of (his) life. (他年仅30，正值壮年。)[牛津高级学者辞典]

【例句11】You're still in the prime of life. (你还处于壮年。)[牛津高级学者辞典]

【例句12】Middle age can be the prime of life if you have the right attitude. （如果你有正确的态度，中年可能是人生的黄金时期。） [剑桥高级学者辞典]