近代

jìndài

noun HSK 4 #32,045

Meanings

1 modern times; the modern era
2 recent history

Characters

era; generation

The 'near era' — modern times, but not the very recent past.

Examples

近代中国经历了很多变化。

Jìndài Zhōngguó jīnglì le hěn duō biànhuà.

Modern China went through many changes.

这是一本关于近代历史的书。

Zhè shì yī běn guānyú jìndài lìshǐ de shū.

This is a book about modern history.

近代科学发展很快。

Jìndài kēxué fāzhǎn hěn kuài.

Modern science has developed rapidly.

Tips

culture

In Chinese historiography, 近代 specifically refers to 1840–1949 (from the Opium War to the founding of the PRC). 现代 (xiàndài) covers 1949 to present, and 当代 (dāngdài) is more recent/contemporary.

Stroke Order

近 jìn

代 dài