Definition
时代 means 'era/age' and is the broadest word for any historical or life period (e.g. the internet age, one's youth). It is more general than 年代 (nián dài), which usually refers to a specific decade (the 1960s) or a defined historical period within a century. 代 (dài) forms parts of these words but alone means 'generation' or 'dynasty'.
noun
eraageepochperiod (in one's life)
Measure word · 个
Easily confused
- 世代shì dàisound-alikegeneration (in family lineage; often implies 'for many generations')
Examples
- 时代。Zhège shí dài yǒu hěnduō wěidà de fāmíng.This era had many great inventions.
- 时代。Qīngnián shí dài shì yí gè rén zuì zhòngyào de shíqī.Youth is the most important period in a person's life.
- 时代。Wǒmen shēnghuó zài hùliánwǎng shí dài.We live in the internet age.
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