Chinese word

时代

Pronunciation

Pinyinshí dài

Meaning

  • nounera

Example

我们生活在和平的时代。wǒ men shēng huó zài hé píng de shí dài

We live in a peaceful era.

Illustration for 时代 (era)

More examples

我们正在进入信息时代。wǒ men zhèng zài jìn rù xìn xī shí dài

We are entering the information age.

Core concept

A large slice of history recognized by a common way of living, thinking, and organizing society.

Common phrases

  • 信息时代xìn xī shí dài

    information age

  • 进入时代jìn rù shí dài

    enter an era

  • 新时代xīn shí dài

    new era

Similar words

年代nián dài: A period counted by particular years, often covering one year or a span of ten years.
时期shí qī: A usually shorter stretch of time during which an event or condition continues.
世代shì dài: A group of people born around the same time who share a similar age and life experience.
朝代cháo dài: The period when a particular dynasty rules a country or region.

Definition in Chinese

表示在历史或社会发展中具有共同特征的一段时间，通常指人们生活、思想、制度等方面相似的时期。biǎo shì zài lì shǐ huò shè huì fā zhǎn zhōng jù yǒu gòng tóng tè zhēng de yí duàn shí jiān tōng cháng zhǐ rén men shēng huó sī xiǎng zhì dù děng fāng miàn xiāng sì de shí qī

Word origin

时代 (shídài, "era") is formed from 时 (shí, "time") plus 代 (dài, "generation or period"), expressing time as a distinct human period.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, this noun often describes the society people live in rather than serving as a precise calendar label.

Other meanings

  • timesnoun

Word lists with this word