Meaning of 代替
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to replace; to take the place of
How to use 代替
代替 is used when one person or thing takes over the role of another, often in the pattern A 代替 B. It can also appear as 用 A 代替 B, meaning to use A in place of B. Example: 我可以代替他去开会。(Wǒ kěyǐ dàitì tā qù kāihuì.) I can go to the meeting in his place.
代 (dài) means to stand in for, and 替 (tì) also means to take someone's place. Two words for substitute stacked together make 代替: one thing steps in where another used to be.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 代替 with 代表 (dàibiǎo). 代表 means to represent a group, while 代替 means to actually replace or substitute for someone or something. Also, 替 is fourth tone (tì), not tí.
代替 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.
代 dài · to be a substitute for · 5 strokes
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替 tì · to substitute for · 12 strokes
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- 2
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Related words
Words that share a character with 代替.
| 代表 | dàibiǎo | representative; delegate |
| 时代 | shídài | age; era |
| 年代 | niándài | a decade of a century (e.g. the Sixties); age |
| 现代 | xiàndài | modern times; modern age |
| 古代 | gǔdài | ancient times |
| 现代化 | xiàndàihuà | modernization |
| 代表团 | dàibiǎotuán | delegation |
| 替代 | tìdài | to substitute for; to replace |
| 近代 | jìndài | the not-very-distant past; modern times, excluding recent decades |
| 代价 | dàijià | price; cost |
| 代理 | dàilǐ | to act on behalf of sb in a responsible position; to act as an agent or proxy |
| 交代 | jiāodài | to transfer (duties to sb else); to give instructions; to tell (sb to do sth) |
Questions about 代替
What does 代替 mean?
代替 (dàitì) means "to replace; to take the place of" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 代替?
代替 is made of 2 characters: 代 (5 strokes), 替 (12 strokes). That is 17 strokes in total.
Is 代替 an HSK word?
Yes. 代替 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 代替 and 替?
替 alone is more colloquial and is often used as a preposition meaning for or on behalf of, as in 我替你说 (wǒ tì nǐ shuō), I will say it for you. 代替 is a full verb meaning to replace, and it sounds a bit more formal.
Can 代替 be used for things, not just people?
Yes. It works for objects, materials, and methods too. For example, 电脑不能完全代替老师 (diànnǎo bù néng wánquán dàitì lǎoshī) means computers cannot fully replace teachers.