同时代 (tóng shí dài) — contemporary (people or things from the same er…

Definition

noun

contemporary (people or things from the same era)

同时代，。
Zhè liǎng wèi zuò jiā shì tóng shí dài, dàn fēng gé wán quán bù tóng.
These two writers are contemporaries, but their styles are completely different.
同时代。
tóng shí dài De yì shù wǎng wǎng néng fǎn yìng nà ge shí dài de shěn měi.
The art of the same era often reflects that era's aesthetic.
同时代，。
Tā hé ài yīn sī tǎn shì tóng shí dài, yě dōu duì kē xué zuò chū le jù dà gòng xiàn.
He and Einstein were contemporaries, and both made great contributions to science.

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.

时代era

联合Side by side

同 means 'same' and 时代 means 'era', together referring to people or things from the same era.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

同 originally drew a pipe. It is the old form of 筒.

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

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.