近代 meaning in English
the not-very-distant past; modern times, excluding recent decades
Meaning of 近代
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- the not-very-distant past
- modern times, excluding recent decades
- (in the context of Chinese history) the period from the Opium Wars until the May 4th Movement (mid-19th century to 1919)
- capitalist times (pre-1949)
How to use 近代
近代 is mostly used in history, academic writing and set phrases like 近代史 (jìndàishǐ, modern history). In Chinese history it usually means the period from the Opium Wars to the May 4th Movement, roughly 1840 to 1919. Example: 他研究中国近代史。(Tā yánjiū Zhōngguó jìndàishǐ.) He studies modern Chinese history.
近 (jìn) means near, and 代 (dài) means a generation or era, as in 时代 (shídài). Put them together and 近代 is the era that is near to us, but not quite today.
Common mistake: Learners often treat 近代 and 现代 (xiàndài) as the same word. In Chinese history 近代 ends around 1919, while 现代 covers the period after that, so calling smartphones 近代技术 sounds wrong. Use 现代技术 instead.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
近 jìn · near · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
代 dài · to be a substitute for · 5 strokes
- 1
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- 4
- 5
Related words
Words that share a character with 近代.
| 最近 | zuìjìn | recently; soon |
| 代表 | dàibiǎo | representative; delegate |
| 接近 | jiējìn | to approach; to get close to |
| 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 |
| 将近 | jiāngjìn | almost; nearly |
| 近期 | jìnqī | near in time; in the near future |
| 现代化 | xiàndàihuà | modernization |
| 代表团 | dàibiǎotuán | delegation |
| 附近 | fùjìn | nearby; neighboring; (in the) vicinity (of); neighborhood |
Questions about 近代
What does 近代 mean?
近代 (jìndài) means "the not-very-distant past; modern times, excluding recent decades" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 近代?
近代 is made of 2 characters: 近 (7 strokes), 代 (5 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 近代 an HSK word?
Yes. 近代 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can I use 近代 to say something happened recently?
No. For recent events use 最近 (zuìjìn), as in 我最近很忙 (Wǒ zuìjìn hěn máng), I have been busy lately. 近代 refers to a historical period, not the last few weeks or years.
What is the difference between 近代, 现代 and 当代?
In the Chinese view of history, 近代 is about 1840 to 1919, 现代 is roughly 1919 to 1949, and 当代 (dāngdài) is from 1949 to the present. In everyday speech, 现代 is also used loosely to mean modern in general.