代 (dài) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

代

dài[dai4]Tone 4

to replace, generation, dynasty

HSK 3

Guru Deep Dive

English · to replace, generation, dynasty

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:5

Writing Balance Rule: The left component (亻) should be narrow and positioned higher, while the right component (弋) takes up the main vertical and horizontal span with a sweeping hook stroke.

1. Meaning

to substitute or replace; a generation or historical era

to act on behalf of someonedynasty or historical periodgeological eon

Verb / NounNeutral#time#action#history

Sample Usage

我替他去开会。
Wǒ tì tā qù kāihuì.
I will go to the meeting on his behalf.
现代社会发展很快。
Xiàndài shèhuì fāzhǎn hěn kuài.
Modern society develops very quickly.

2. Sound

/[taɪ̯⁵¹]/Tone: 51

代

dàidai4

`(51)

=dài

Initial Consonant

Type: Unaspirated Alveolar

Sounds like: English d sound

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: No puff of air. Tissue remains still (sounds like English 't' in 'stop').

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip pressed against the alveolar ridge behind the upper front teeth.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -a vowel group

Sounds like: ai rhymes with eye or high

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'eye'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T4 (51)

5 → 1 (51)

4th Tone (High-Falling)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and drops sharply to the bottom, much like shouting a firm 'No!' in English.

Sandhi: Follows standard tone 4 sandhi rules when followed by another tone 4, slightly shortening the peak.

👂

Listening trap: Often confused with dai2 (rising tone) if the pitch contour is not dropped sharply enough.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp, decisive downward karate chop matching the falling pitch of Tone 4.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 5 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left component (亻) should be narrow and positioned higher, while the right component (弋) takes up the main vertical and horizontal span with a sweeping hook stroke.

4. Components

Radical 亻 · Person radical (human, person)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 亻 (indicates human action or human generations)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 弋 (original sound: dai)

A person (亻) steps up with a stake or halberd (弋) to take over guard duty, replacing the previous sentinel.

亻 person
弋 stake, arrow with a cord

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

7· Phonetic Root: 代 (dài)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally, 弋 represented a stake or a shoot with a cord attached. Combined with 亻 (person), it originally referred to changing shifts of guards or taking turns.

Semantic Evolution: From taking turns or spelling someone off duty, it broadened to meaning 'to replace' or 'substitute', and by extension, a cohort of people in turn (a 'generation' or 'dynasty').

In historical texts, it frequently designates imperial dynasties like the Tang Dynasty or Song Dynasty.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: ダイ (dai), タイ (tai) / Kun: 代.わる (ka.waru), 代.わり (ka.wari), し代 (shiro)

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

대

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

A person (亻) takes hold of a wooden stake (弋) to stand guard, officially replacing the older generation on duty.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

袋

dàibag, sackAdds the clothing/cover radical (衣) at the bottom to mean a fabric bag or pouch.

贷

dàito lend, borrowAdds the shell/money radical (贝) at the bottom, linking it to financial loans.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

伐(fá)

Has the weapon radical (戈) on the right instead of 弋, meaning to fell trees or attack.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

智能手机已经成为了[___]人生活必不可少的一部分。

Clue: xiàn dài

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the right-side component 弋 with 戈 (fá), which alters the character entirely into a different phonetic and semantic family.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does 代 mean when used in words like 现代 (xiàndài) or 朝代 (cháodài)?

Production: How do you write the character for 'generation' or 'to replace' with 5 strokes?

代dàito replace, generation, dynasty

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