当代

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. 他是当代著名的作家。▶ —
   He is a famous contemporary writer.
2. 当代社会变化很快。▶ —
   Contemporary society changes very fast.

Collocations

Mnemonic

当 dāng "to face, the very" + 代 dài "age, era": the very age we face, i.e. the contemporary age, today. Same as the Korean word dang-dae (當代). It points to the very era we are living in now (当代社会 contemporary society, 当代艺术 contemporary art). It is distinct from the earlier 近代 and largely overlaps with 现代. 当 means "to face, the very" (当时 at that time, 当今 nowadays); 代 means "era".

Related

Quick check

1. What period does 当代 indicate?

   • the very era we live in now
   • the past just before the modern era
   • the distant ancient past
   • a future not yet come