GENERATION    世代世

PERIOD EQUAL to that of the LIFE of a HUMAN.
AGEAGE GROUPPEER GROUP
Old Chinese Criteria
1. The dominant general word for a generation is shì 世, and this word has strong temporal connotations referring to the period of one generation, and the word has a certain syntactic flexibility. Sān shì 三世 refers to three generations. 2. Dài 代 refers to the length of a whole dynasty comprising several generations, and the word in this meaning has little syntactic flexibility. Sān dài 三代 refers to three dynasties Xià, Shāng, and Zhōu. See DYNASTY 3. Jì 紀 refers to a cycle of 12 years, sān jì 三紀 refers to a period of thirty-six years, but from Later Han times, the reference is often more generally to a generation. 4. Tiān xià 天下 "all under Heaven" often refers generally to all people alive at a certain time. 5. Shí rén 時人 refers specifically and prosaically to the people of the time.
Modern Chinese Criteria
世代 時世 年頭兒 年月 紀元 世 rough draft to BEGIN TO identify synonym group members for analysis, based on CL etc. 18.11.2003. CH ／
Hypernym
  • PERIOD　TIME CONSISTING of a LIMITED SEQUENCE of MOMENTS. (anc: 4/0, child: 20)
  • TIME　ABSTRACT OBJECT that all EVENTS ARE-IN. (anc: 3/0, child: 11)
  • OBJECT　[NO HYPERNYM.] WHAT one CAN NAME:refer to. (anc: 2/0, child: 6)
  • 古代文化詞異集類辨考 Gudai wenhua ci yi ji lei bian kao ( HUANG JINGUI 1995) p. 240

  • 古辭辨 Gu ci bian ( WANG FENGYANG 1993) p. 10

  • 王力古漢語字典 ( WANG LI 2000) p. 17

    1. Whereas da4i 代 is rigidly nominal, shi4 世 is currently adverbial and has some other usages.

  • 古漢語常用詞同義詞詞典 ( HONG CHENGYU 2009) p. 13

  • New Dictiornary of the History of Ideas, 6 vols. ( HOROWITZ 2005) p.

    • Words (11 items)

    世  shì OC: lʰebs MC: ɕiɛi 92 Attributions

    The dominant general word for a generation is shì 世, and this word has strong temporal connotations referring to the period of one generation, and the word has a certain syntactic flexibility. Sān shì 三世 refers to three generations.

      Word relations
    • Epithet: 後/LATE The current general word for lateness is hòu 後 (ant. xiān 先 "earlier"), and this word refers to anything that comes later in time than something else.
    • Epithet: 亂/CHAOS The very dominant word in this group is luàn 亂 (ant. zhì 治 "state of good government, state of good order") which refers to all kinds of reprehensible lack of order.
    • Epithet: 治/ORDERLY
    • Epithet: 衰/DECLINE
    • Epithet: 學/LEARN Xué 學 is conative and means "try to learn". See STUDY.
    • Epithet: 學/KNOW
    • Contrast: 代/GENERATION Dài 代 refers to the length of a whole dynasty comprising several generations, and the word in this meaning has little syntactic flexibility. Sān dài 三代 refers to three dynasties Xià, Shāng, and Zhōu. See DYNASTY
    • Assoc: 後/LATE The current general word for lateness is hòu 後 (ant. xiān 先 "earlier"), and this word refers to anything that comes later in time than something else.

      Syntactic words
    • ncpost-V1{NUM}. zhī V2adnominalV2-ed for V1 number of generationsCH
    • none's own time; our own time; (e.g. the present) age, historical period; historical conditions; specifically: a period of thirty years.
    • n(post-N)the generation of the contextually determinate N, the contemporaries of the contextually determinate NCH
    • n.red:adVfor generations on end; for generations to come
    • n[post-N]contemporaryone's own generation, one's own epoch; the contemporary world
    • n[post-N]pluralthe continuous line of generations of humans
    • nabthe current state of affairs in the worldCH
    • nabtime span of one generationCH
    • nadNof the (present) generationCH
    • nadVtimefrom generation to generation, from one generation to the next; for generations on end
    • ncpost-V1{NUM}:postadV2for generations 數世
    • npluralpersons of a generationCH
    • npost-N1[.adN2]humanthe people of the  generation of NCH
    • npost-V{NUM}NUM generations
    • vi0a generation passes
    天下  tiān xià OC: lʰiin ɢraaʔ MC: then ɦɣɛ 10 Attributions

    Tiān xià 天下 "all under Heaven" often refers generally to all people alive at a certain time.

      Syntactic words
    • NPpluralmankind at a given time
    時人  shí rén OC: ɡljɯ njin MC: dʑɨ ȵin 3 Attributions

    Shí rén 時人 refers specifically and prosaically to the people of the time.

      Syntactic words
    • NP{N1adN2}nonreferentialpeople of the time
    代  dài OC: lɯɯɡs MC: dəi 2 Attributions

    Dài 代 refers to the length of a whole dynasty comprising several generations, and the word in this meaning has little syntactic flexibility. Sān dài 三代 refers to three dynasties Xià, Shāng, and Zhōu. See DYNASTY

      Word relations
    • Contrast: 世/GENERATION The dominant general word for a generation is shì 世, and this word has strong temporal connotations referring to the period of one generation, and the word has a certain syntactic flexibility. Sān shì 三世 refers to three generations.

      Syntactic words
    • ngeneration
    • n.red:adVREDUP: generation after generation, through successive generations
    時  shí OC: ɡljɯ MC: dʑɨ 2 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • nchanging times and conditions
    奕世  yì shì MC: yek -- OC: k-laɡ lʰebs 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • NPadVfor many generations; from one generation to the other oneDS
    世人  shì rén OC: lʰebs njin MC: ɕiɛi ȵin 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • NPpluralcontemporaries
    世代  shì dài MC: -- dojH OC: -- lɯɯɡs 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • NPpluralgenerationsCH
    行  háng OC: ɢaaŋ MC: ɦɑŋ 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • nabsocialorder of members of a clan in one generation
      Click here to add pinyin MC:  OC: 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • NPpluralgenerationsCH
    紀  jì OC: kɯʔ MC: kɨ 0 Attributions

    Jì 紀 refers to a cycle of 12 years, sān jì 三紀 refers to a period of thirty-six years, but from Later Han times, the reference is often more generally to a generation.

      Syntactic words
    • nperiod of twelve years GY: 蓄力一紀