时代 (shí dài) — era; age; epoch; period (in one's life) | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

时代 refers to a broad historical or cultural era (e.g. the internet age). Don't confuse with 年龄, which is a person's age in years, or 年代, which names a specific decade.

noun

eraageepochperiod (in one's life)

Measure word · 个

Examples

时代。
Zhè ge shí dài yǒu hěn duō wěi dà de fā míng.
This era had many great inventions.
时代。
Qīng nián shí dài shì yí gè rén zuì zhòng yào de shí qī.
Youth is the most important period in a person's life.
时代。
Wǒ men shēng huó zài hù lián wǎng shí dài.
We live in the internet age.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

时 and 代 both refer to a stretch of time, making the idea of an era.

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 時; 时 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

日日rìsun; day

Sound part声符shēngfú

之

之zhī時shí

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 時 pairs 日 (sun/day) with 之 as the part that gives the sound; the simplified 时 is not the form described.

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

亻弋代

Meaning part形符xíngfú

亻Written in full as人rénperson

Sound part声符shēngfú

弋

弋yì代dài

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 代, 亻 shows a person, and 弋 gives the sound.

Appears in

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