Dictionary🇨🇳 Chinese → 🇺🇸 English
代
dài
Description
"代"这个字有很多意思，可以说"代替"别人做事，也可以指历史上的一个"时代"。
The character "代" has many meanings; it can mean to "replace" someone or refer to a historical "era".
我们还常用"代"来说一个人的年龄，比如"二十几代"，或者家里的"一代人"。
We also often use "代" to talk about a person's age, like "twenty-something代," or a "generation" in a family.
Meanings
代dài
to do something on behalf of someone
我今天代他去上班。
I went to work for him today.
代dài
generation (of a family or people)
我们家三代人住在一起。
Three generations of our family live together.
代dài
era, period, dynasty
这是唐代的画。
This is a painting from the Tang dynasty.
Related words
Notes
- Nuance
代 means "on behalf of"; 替 is close but more colloquial for substituting.
- Etymology
originally meant "to replace/succeed," extended to "generation" and "era."
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