Abstract
This study explores what subjective age means in Chinese workplace teams and how it may relate to age-discrimination climate. Prior work often measures subjective age with a four-item approach, yet its dimensionality and cultural fit remain debated. Using a qualitative design and constructivist grounded theory, the study conducted semi-structured, one-to-one interviews (60–90 minutes) with eight participants from two administrative teams in one Chinese university (one manager, seven staff). Most participants could state a specific felt age and explain why, suggesting alignment with self-perceived age. However, the main cues differed from common Western measures. High-frequency cues focused on tenure-graded competence expectations, thorough thinking, energy and recovery capacity, and eldercare and parenting responsibilities, while appearance and interests were less central. These findings suggest the need to unpack cue-specific logic before using subjective age to explain age-discrimination processes.