---
title: "Age-and-Term Norms Definition | Model Diplomat"
description: "Age-and-term norms are informal rules in the Chinese Communist Party that limit the age and tenure of leaders, ensuring orderly succession and turnover."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/age-and-term-norms"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- Age-and-term norms are informal Chinese Communist Party rules capping the tenure and entry age of senior leaders to institutionalize elite turnover and orderly succession.
- What does the convention \*qishang baxia\* mean?
- How does the term limit differ from the age norm?
- What was the significance of the 2018 constitutional amendment?
- Why are these norms associated with Deng Xiaoping?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

Age-and-term norms are informal Chinese Communist Party rules capping the tenure and entry age of senior leaders to institutionalize elite turnover and orderly succession.

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At the 20th CCP National Congress in October 2022, Xi Jinping secured a third term as General Secretary, breaking the informal "seven up, eight down" age convention that had governed Politburo Standing Committee succession since the 1990s.

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