现代 (xiàndài) is a broad, neutral term for 'modern times' or 'modern' — it covers the general present era and its characteristics, used both as a noun (e.g. 在现代) and an adjective (e.g. 现代城市). It differs from 近代 (jìndài), which in Chinese history refers to a specific earlier period (mid-19th c. to 1919), and from 当代 (dāngdài), which emphasizes 'the very current, contemporary age'. Unlike 现在 (xiànzài 'now'), 现代 refers to an era, not the immediate moment.