HSK 5 · Time

现代 xiàndài “modern times” in Chinese

Traditional 現代

What 现代 means

  1. modern times
  2. modern age
  3. modern era

How to say 现代

  • Pitch chart of the fourth tone: falls from high to low, 5 to 1 on the five-level scale现xiàn4th 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

现代 in a sentence

  1. 我对现代艺术不感兴趣。

    Wǒ duì xiàndài yìshù bù gǎn xìngqù.

    Modern art doesn’t interest me.

    Sentence #10188069 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

  2. 现代科学技术让我们的生活更加舒适。

    Xiàndài kēxué jìshù ràng wǒmen de shēnghuó gèngjiā shūshì.

    Modern science and technology have made our lives more comfortable.

    Sentence #8690292 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

  3. 现代的人想法不同。

    Xiàndài de rén xiǎngfǎ bùtóng.

    People today think differently.

    Sentence #6452010 from Tatoeba

How 现代 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 现 (xiàn) with each of its parts in a different colour
现xiànto appear
  • 王king · wáng
  • 见to see · jiàn

Memory aid王 here is jade 玉, and 见 gives the sound (it was once also read xiàn, “to appear”). Picture jade catching the eye: to appear, now.

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 现代

现 8 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.

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

Words related to 现代

Words with 现

现在xiànzài · now发现fāxiàn · discover出现chūxiàn · to appear现金xiànjīn · cash表现biǎoxiàn · to show实现shíxiàn · to achieve体现tǐxiàn · to embody现实xiànshí · reality现象xiànxiàng · phenomenon现场xiànchǎng · scene

Words with 代

古代gǔdài · ancient times近代jìndài · modern times (roughly 1840 to 1919 in China)年代niándài · a decade of a century (e.g. the Sixties)时代shídài · age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

时代shídài · age时刻shíkè · time时期shíqī · period未来wèilái · future夜yè · night一辈子yíbèizi · (for) a lifetime元旦Yuándàn · New Year’s Day至今zhìjīn · so far

FAQs

现代 (xiàndài) means “modern times” or “modern age”. It is an HSK 5 word.
Say it xiàndài: xiàn 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.
In Traditional characters, used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, 现代 is written 現代. The pronunciation is the same.
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type xiandai with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 现代 from the suggestions. Typing xiandai into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
现代 is an HSK 5 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.

Turn words into conversations

A dictionary gives you the words. A native teacher shows you how to use them. Start with a free 30-minute intro call.

Book a free intro call

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 from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.