hiện đại
Vietnamese
Etymology
Sino-Vietnamese word from 現代, composed of 現 (“now”) and 代 (“age; period”).
Pronunciation
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [hiən˧˨ʔ ʔɗaːj˧˨ʔ]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [hiəŋ˨˩ʔ ʔɗaːj˨˩ʔ]
- (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [hiəŋ˨˩˨ ʔɗaːj˨˩˨]
Usage notes
- hiện đại (post-1917) does not really correspond well with modern in the sense of "modern period", similarly to Japanese 現代 (gendai, post-1945). In historical classifications, it is usually preceded by cận đại, roughly "pre-modern" (in textbooks, generally from the late 16th century to 1917), which could also translate to "modern", similarly to Japanese 近代 (kindai, late 19th century to 1945).
- hại điện (literally “harmful for electrical use”) is a common jocular phrase to ridicule things that are said to be "modern", as in "new and technologically advanced." It is a result of nói lái.
- Do not confuse with hiện tại.
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