Meaning of 世纪
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- century
How to use 世纪
世纪 is a measure of time like 年 (nián), so it combines directly with numbers and with 个 (gè) when counting. To name a specific century, use 第 plus a number before it, often in the pattern 二十一世纪 without 第. Example: 我们生活在二十一世纪。(Wǒmen shēnghuó zài èrshíyī shìjì.) We live in the twenty-first century.
世 (shì) means a generation or the world, and 纪 (jì) means a period or record of time. Put them together and you get a long stretch of recorded generations: a century.
Common mistake: Learners often write 纪 with the wrong right side, such as 己 (jǐ) confused with 已 (yǐ) or 巳 (sì). The right part of 纪 is 己, fully open at the top left, just as in 年纪 (niánjì).
世纪 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
世 shì · generation · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
纪 jì · discipline · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 世纪.
| 世界 | shìjiè | world |
| 去世 | qùshì | to pass away; to die |
| 年纪 | niánjì | age |
| 纪念 | jìniàn | to commemorate; to honor the memory of; memento; keepsake; souvenir |
| 纪录 | jìlù | variant of 記錄|记录[ji4 lu4]; (Note: In mainland China, 纪录 is preferred for the sense "record |
| 世界杯 | shìjièbēi | World Cup |
| 纪律 | jìlǜ | discipline |
| 全世界 | quán shìjiè | worldwide; entire world |
| 世代 | shìdài | for many generations; generation |
| 纪念日 | jìniànrì | day of commemoration; memorial day |
| 纪录片 | jìlùpiàn | newsreel; documentary (film or TV program) |
| 纪念碑 | jìniànbēi | monument |
Questions about 世纪
What does 世纪 mean?
世纪 (shìjì) means "century" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 世纪?
世纪 is made of 2 characters: 世 (5 strokes), 纪 (6 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.
Is 世纪 an HSK word?
Yes. 世纪 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 世纪 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 世纪 is written 世紀.
How do you say 'the 1990s' or 'the last century' in Chinese?
The 1990s is 二十世纪九十年代 (èrshí shìjì jiǔshí niándài), often shortened to 九十年代. The last century is 上个世纪 (shàng ge shìjì), and this century is 本世纪 (běn shìjì).
Can 世纪 be used to mean something rare or huge, like 'the wedding of the century'?
Yes. 世纪 can modify a noun to stress that something is historic or once in a lifetime, for example 世纪婚礼 (shìjì hūnlǐ), the wedding of the century. This is common in news and advertising.