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当今 (dāng jīn) — the present time; nowadays

Definition

A written/formal word for 'nowadays' or 'the present era', often used to talk about society or trends. More literary than 现在; use 当代 for the broader contemporary period, not a single moment.

noun
the present timenowadays

Examples

  • 当今。
    dāng jīn Shè huì jìng zhēng hěn jī liè.
    Today's society is very competitive.
  • 当今。
    dāng jīn De rén men gèng jiā guān zhù jiàn kāng.
    People nowadays pay more attention to health.
  • 当今。
    dāng jīn Yǒu hěn duō nián qīng rén xǐ huan lǚ yóu.
    Nowadays many young people like to travel.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

当dāngcurrent
今jīnnow

The part “当” means 'current', and “今” means 'now', together referring to the present time.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 當; 当 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
田田tiánfield
Sound part声符shēngfú
尚
尚shàng當dāng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 當 combines 田 (field) with 尚; the evidence describes fields facing each other.

Open 当 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

One explanation sees the shape as an upside-down mouth with a line below it, giving the idea of not speaking.

Open 今 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Time (Abstract)

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