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黄金时代 (huáng jīn shí dài) — golden age, golden era

Definition

noun
golden agegolden era

Examples

  • 黄金时代。
    Táng cháo shì zhōng guó lì shǐ shàng de yí gè huáng jīn shí dài.
    The Tang Dynasty was a golden age in Chinese history.
  • 黄金时代。
    Èr shí shì jì bèi rèn wéi shì diàn yǐng de huáng jīn shí dài.
    The 20th century is considered the golden age of cinema.
  • 黄金时代。
    Zhè ge shí qī shì kē jì de huáng jīn shí dài.
    This period is the golden age of technology.

Origin

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.

黄金gold
黄huángyellow金jīngold
偏正Modifier + head
时代era
时shítime代dàiera
联合Coordinate

A golden period is imagined as an era made of precious yellow metal.

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 黃; 黄 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
田田tiánfield
Sound part声符shēngfú
炗
炗guāng黃huáng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 黃 pairs 田 (field) with 炗 (light), which gives the sound; the simplified 黄 is a shorthand and its parts are not historical components.

Open 黄 →

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

金 was drawn with marks for two pieces of metal, along with a part that gave its sound; it first meant copper, then metals and gold.

Open 金 →

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.

Open 时 →

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
Idioms & Set PhrasesTime (Abstract)

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