HSK 5 · Time

近代 jìndài “modern times (roughly 1840 to 1919 in China)” in Chinese

Same in Traditional

What 近代 means

  1. modern times (roughly 1840 to 1919 in China)
  2. the not-very-distant past
  3. modern times, excluding recent decades
  4. (in the context of Chinese history) the period from the Opium Wars until the May 4th Movement (mid-19th century to 1919)

How to say 近代

  • Pitch chart of the fourth tone: falls from high to low, 5 to 1 on the five-level scale近jìn4th tone, falling
  • Pitch chart of the fourth tone: falls from high to low, 5 to 1 on the five-level scale代dài4th tone, falling

近代 in a sentence

  1. 这个博物馆介绍了这座城市的近代历史。

    Zhè ge bówùguǎn jièshào le zhè zuò chéngshì de jìndài lìshǐ.

    This museum covers the city’s modern history.

    Sentence by WillyChina

  2. 他在大学里研究中国近代文学。

    Tā zài dàxué li yánjiū Zhōngguó jìndài wénxué.

    At university he researches modern Chinese literature.

    Sentence by WillyChina

How 近代 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

The character 近 (jìn) with each of its parts in a different colour
近jìnnear
  • 斤axe · jīnSound part
  • 辶walking form of 辵 · chuòMeaning part

辶 hints at the meaning (walking); 斤 (jīn) hints at the sound. Compare it with jìn.

The character 代 (dài) with each of its parts in a different colour
代dàito be a substitute for
  • 亻person form of 人 · rén
  • 弋shoot · yì

How to write 近代

近 7 strokes · 代 5 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

近代 (jìndài) stroke order chart: each stroke of the characters in the order you write them
Stroke order chart for 近代 (jìndài). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 近代

Words with 近

近jìn · near最近zuìjìn · recently附近fùjìn · nearby接近jiējìn · to approach近来jìnlái · recently就近jiùjìn · nearby将近jiāngjìn · nearly急功近利jígōngjìnlì · eager for quick results and profit

Words with 代

古代gǔdài · ancient times年代niándài · a decade of a century (e.g. the Sixties)时代shídài · age现代xiàndài · modern times代表dàibiǎo · representative代替dàitì · to replace后代hòudài · descendants朝代cháodài · dynasty当代dāngdài · contemporary历代lìdài · successive dynasties

More words: Time & Sequence

公元gōngyuán · CE (Common Era)古代gǔdài · ancient times国庆节Guóqìngjié · PRC National Day (October 1st)阶段jiēduàn · stage空闲kòngxián · free time连续liánxù · continuous立即lìjí · immediately立刻lìkè · immediately

FAQs

近代 (jìndài) means “modern times (roughly 1840 to 1919 in China)” or “the not-very-distant past”. It is an HSK 5 word.
Say it jìndài: jìn with a 4th tone, then dài with a 4th tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
Yes. 近代 is written the same way in Simplified and Traditional characters.
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type jindai with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 近代 from the suggestions. Typing jindai into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
近代 is an HSK 5 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.

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Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences written by WillyChina. Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.