How common it is
时代 appears often in everyday Chinese, so it is worth practicing early and reviewing often.
Guest access
Guests can browse all words. Sign in or create an account to save progress and unlock more practice.
Pronunciation focus
Say shí dài slowly first, then repeat it in a short phrase. Listen for the tone shape.
Usage note
“时代”指一段很长的时间，比如古代、现代，或者我们生活的这个时代。
“shí dài” zhǐ yī duàn hěn cháng de shí jiān, bǐ rú gǔ dài, xiàn dài, huò zhě wǒ men shēng huó de zhè gè shí dài.
"Era" refers to a long period of time, such as ancient times, modern times, or the era we live in.
Context note
每个时代都有不同的东西，比如古代没有手机，现在这个时代有很多科技。
Měi gè shí dài dōu yǒu bù tóng de dōng xī, bǐ rú gǔ dài méi yǒu shǒu jī, xiàn zài zhè gè shí dài yǒu hěn duō kē jì.
Each era has different things, for example, ancient times had no phones, and the current era has a lot of technology.
5 examples
恐龙生活在很久以前的时代。
kǒng lóng shēng huó zài hěn jiǔ yǐ qián de shí dài。
Dinosaurs lived in an era long ago.
我们现在生活在数字时代。
wǒ men xiàn zài shēng huó zài shù zì shí dài。
We now live in the digital era.
古代的时代没有电灯。
gǔ dài de shí dài méi yǒu diàn dēng。
The ancient era had no electric lights.
这个时代有很多新发明。
zhè ge shí dài yǒu hěn duō xīn fā míng。
This era has many new inventions.
爷爷说他的时代和现在不一样。
yé ye shuō tā de shí dài hé xiàn zài bù yí yàng。
Grandpa says his era is different from now.
5 mini stories
小明喜欢看关于恐龙时代的书。
xiǎo míng xǐ huan kàn guān yú kǒng lóng shí dài de shū。
Xiaoming likes to read books about the dinosaur era.
他想象自己生活在那个时代，和恐龙做朋友。
tā xiǎng xiàng zì jǐ shēng huó zài nà ge shí dài， hé kǒng lóng zuò péng yǒu。
He imagines himself living in that era and being friends with dinosaurs.
小红听奶奶讲她年轻时的时代。
xiǎo hóng tīng nǎi nai jiǎng tā nián qīng shí de shí dài。
Xiaohong listens to her grandma talk about her younger era.
那个时代没有电视，但大家很开心。
nà ge shí dài méi yǒu diàn shì， dàn dà jiā hěn kāi xīn。
That era had no TV, but everyone was happy.
小华觉得现在的时代很精彩。
xiǎo huá jué de xiàn zài de shí dài hěn jīng cǎi。
Xiaohua thinks the current era is wonderful.