Chinese word

一代

Pronunciation

Pinyinyī dài

Meaning

  • noungeneration

Example

我们一代人更习惯用手机。wǒ men yí dài rén gèng xí guàn yòng shǒu jī

Our generation is more accustomed to using smartphones.

Illustration for 一代 (generation)

More examples

年轻一代更注重生活方式和价值观。nián qīng yí dài gèng zhù zhòng shēng huó fāng shì hé jià zhí guān

The younger generation places more emphasis on lifestyle and values.

Core concept

A stretch of history treated as one unit, defined either by the people shaped by it or by the years it covers.

Common phrases

  • 一代人yí dài rén

    a generation of people

  • 年轻一代nián qīng yí dài

    younger generation

  • 新一代xīn yí dài

    new generation

Similar words

世代shì dài: A set of people seen as belonging to the same age group within a family or society.
年代nián dài: A period of one year or several years used when recording or grouping dates.
时代shí dài: A period of history shaped by particular social conditions and features.

Definition in Chinese

一代 指在同一时期出生或成长的一群人，共享生活经历与价值观。yí dài zhǐ zài tóng yì shí qī chū shēng huò chéng zhǎng de yì qún rén gòng xiǎng shēng huó jīng lì yǔ jià zhí guān

Word origin

一 (yī, "one") + 代 (dài, "generation") forms the idea of one succession of people or one historical period.

Usage tips

  • The word usually refers to a broad cohort rather than a mathematically fixed ten-year block, so it is useful for social change but less precise for dates.

Other meanings

  • eranoun
  • decadenoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 新一代xīn yí dàinew generationnoun
  • 一代人yí dài réngeneration of peoplenoun

Word lists with this word