代

dài
#174 most
frequent character
substitute, replace, take the place of
verb

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

代 joins 亻 person with 弋 yì as a sound part, though the sound link is not clear today. It first meant 'to replace'. From that came 'replacement', 'succession', and 'time period'.

代 as a component in other characters

sound5 characters
袋贷黛岱玳

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Example Sentences

我可以代你去找他的。
wǒ kěyǐ dài nǐ qù zhǎo tāde 。
I can go to find him on your behalf.
她用别的颜色代替这个颜色。
tā yòng biéde yánsè dàitì zhègè yánsè 。
She replaced this color with another color.
你能代我做这个任务吗？
nǐ néngdài wǒ zuò zhègè rènwù ma ？
Can you take my place to do this task?

Words with similar meanings

替tì
to replace
More commonly used in everyday conversation for substituting something or someone.
代理dàilǐ
to act on behalf of
More formal, often used in contexts where someone acts as a representative or agent.

Words Starting With 代

代替dài tì
"instead; to replace; to substitute (X for Y, or a number in an algebraic expression)"
代表dài biǎo
"representative; delegate
代价dài jià
price; cost; consideration (in share dealing)
代理dài lǐ
to act on behalf of sb in a responsible position; to act as an agent or proxy; surrogate

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