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世代 (shì dài) — generation (in family lineage; often implies 'for many generations'); era, age (historical or cultural period)

Definition

世代 emphasizes a family line stretching across many generations ('for generations'), while 时代 focuses on a historical era or age. Use 世代 for ancestry/lineage, 时代 for time periods.

noun
generation (in family lineage; often implies 'for many generations')eraage (historical or cultural period)

Examples

  • 世代。
    Wǒ men jiā zú shì dài jū zhù zài zhè ge xiǎo zhèn shàng.
    Our clan has lived in this small town for generations.
  • 世代。
    Jì suàn jī de fā míng gǎi biàn le zhěng zhěng gè shì dài.
    The invention of computers changed an entire era.
  • 世代。
    Nà ge shì dài de rén shēng huó fēi cháng jiān kǔ.
    People of that era lived a very hard life.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

世shìgeneration/era
代dàigeneration

世代 puts 世 (generation or era) and 代 (generation) together to stress successive generations or a long era.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 世 →

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

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.

Open 代 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6HistoryLife Stages & Age

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