Meaning of 替代
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to substitute for
- to replace
- to supersede
How to use 替代
替代 is a fairly formal verb used when one thing takes the place of another, often in writing, news, or technology topics. A common pattern is A 替代 B, or the noun phrase 替代品 (tìdàipǐn, substitute product). Example: 机器不能完全替代人。(Jīqì bù néng wánquán tìdài rén.) Machines cannot completely replace people.
Both halves mean taking someone's place. 替 (tì) has two 夫 (fū, man) side by side over 日, like one man stepping in for another, and 代 (dài) is the same 代 you see in 代表 (dàibiǎo, representative), someone who stands in for others.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 替 (tì) with 赞 (zàn) or 潜 (qián) because of the similar double top part, and some read 替 with a second tone. Also, do not use 替代 for 'on behalf of' in everyday speech. For 'do something for someone' use 替 or 帮, as in 我替你去 (wǒ tì nǐ qù).
替代 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.
替 tì · to substitute for · 12 strokes
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代 dài · to be a substitute for · 5 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 替代.
| 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 |
| 代替 | dàitì | to replace; to take the place of |
| 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 替代
What does 替代 mean?
替代 (tìdài) means "to substitute for; to replace" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 替代?
替代 is made of 2 characters: 替 (12 strokes), 代 (5 strokes). That is 17 strokes in total.
Is 替代 an HSK word?
Yes. 替代 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 替代 and 代替?
They mean almost the same thing and are often interchangeable. 代替 (dàitì) is more common in everyday speech, while 替代 sounds a bit more formal and appears often in compounds like 替代品 and 不可替代 (bù kě tìdài, irreplaceable).
How is 替代 different from 取代 (qǔdài)?
取代 suggests one thing pushes out the other and takes over permanently, like new technology replacing old. 替代 can be temporary or partial, such as using one ingredient in place of another.