Meaning of 当代
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- the present age
- the contemporary era
How to use 当代
当代 is a formal noun often placed before another noun to mean "contemporary," as in 当代文学 (dāngdài wénxué, contemporary literature) or 当代艺术 (dāngdài yìshù, contemporary art). It is common in academic writing, news, and museum or book titles. Example: 他是当代最有名的作家之一。(Tā shì dāngdài zuì yǒumíng de zuòjiā zhī yī.) He is one of the most famous writers of our time.
当 (dāng) means "right at" or "current," as in 当时 (dāngshí), and 代 (dài) means a generation or era, as in 时代 (shídài). Put them together and you get "the current era," the age we are living in right now.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes read 当 with the fourth tone dàng, as in 上当 (shàngdàng), but in 当代 it is first tone: dāngdài. Also, do not use 当代 for a specific decade like the 1990s; that is 年代 (niándài), as in 九十年代.
当代 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.
当 dāng · to be · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
代 dài · to be a substitute for · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Related words
Words that share a character with 当代.
| 当时 | dāngshí | then; at that time |
| 当然 | dāngrán | only natural; as it should be |
| 代表 | dàibiǎo | representative; delegate |
| 相当 | xiāngdāng | equivalent to; appropriate |
| 时代 | shídài | age; era |
| 年代 | niándài | a decade of a century (e.g. the Sixties); age |
| 当中 | dāngzhōng | among; in the middle |
| 当地 | dāngdì | local |
| 当初 | dāngchū | at that time; originally |
| 现代 | xiàndài | modern times; modern age |
| 应当 | yīngdāng | should; ought to |
| 古代 | gǔdài | ancient times |
Questions about 当代
What does 当代 mean?
当代 (dāngdài) means "the present age; the contemporary era" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 当代?
当代 is made of 2 characters: 当 (6 strokes), 代 (5 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.
Is 当代 an HSK word?
Yes. 当代 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 当代 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 当代 is written 當代.
What is the difference between 当代 and 现代?
现代 (xiàndài) means "modern" and can cover a longer period, often from the late 1800s or early 1900s onward, and it also describes modern things like technology. 当代 is narrower and means the present day, roughly our own lifetime. In Chinese history, 现代 and 当代 are often treated as two separate periods.
Can 当代 be used by itself as a time expression, like "nowadays"?
Yes, but it sounds formal, for example 在当代社会 (zài dāngdài shèhuì, in contemporary society). In everyday speech, people usually say 现在 (xiànzài) or 如今 (rújīn) for "nowadays" instead.