Chinese word

近代

Pronunciation

Pinyinjìn dài

Meaning

  • nounmodern era

Example

近代建筑很漂亮。jìn dài jiàn zhù hěn piào liàng

Architecture from the modern era is beautiful.

Illustration for 近代 (modern era)

More examples

近代文学反映了社会的变迁。jìn dài wén xué fǎn yìng le shè huì de biàn qiān

Modern literature reflects social changes.

Core concept

The historical bridge from traditional society to a world shaped by factories, new institutions, and social change.

Common phrases

  • 近代文学jìn dài wén xué

    modern literature

  • 近代史jìn dài shǐ

    modern history

  • 近代社会jìn dài shè huì

    modern society

Similar words

现代xiàn dài: The current era, including present-day society and everyday life.
当代dāng dài: The era of the current generation and its way of life.
古代gǔ dài: A very old historical period from the distant past.

Definition in Chinese

表示近代史或近代时期，常用于学术和文化语境，指工业化、社会变革开始并逐步影响人们生活的时代。biǎo shì jìn dài shǐ huò jìn dài shí qī cháng yòng yú xué shù hé wén huà yǔ jìng zhǐ gōng yè huà shè huì biàn gé kāi shǐ bìng zhú bù yíng xiǎng rén men shēng huó de shí dài

Word origin

近代 (jìndài, "modern era") is formed from 近 (jìn, "near") and 代 (dài, "era"), a compact way to name a relatively recent historical age.

Usage tips

  • In conversations about buildings or cultural works, this word helps identify their historical period and does not by itself describe their style as fashionable or technologically advanced.

Opposites

Related words

  • 近代化jìn dài huàmodernizationnoun
  • 近代史jìn dài shǐmodern historynoun

Word lists with this word