{"id":1751,"date":"2021-11-29T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-29T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/?p=1751"},"modified":"2025-09-15T12:59:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T19:59:18","slug":"dai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2021\/11\/29\/dai\/","title":{"rendered":"d\u00e0i"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3>\n\t\t\t<span onclick=\"plus(this)\">d\u00e0i<\/span><span class=\"plusinfo a\" onclick=\"minus(this)\">\n(<span class=\"mt\">{take the place of}; replace; subsitute | <span class=\"lit\">replacing; substituting \u2192<\/span> [acting; substitute | generation [\u2192 [period; era; age]]]<\/span>\n\u4ee3)<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"color: hsl(100, 85%, 40%);\"> \u2190 Tap\/click to show\/hide the \u201cflashcard\u201d<\/span><\/h3>\n\n<p>This week\u2019s MEotW, \u201c<span onclick=\"plus(this)\"><i>d\u00e0i<\/i><\/span><span class=\"plusinfo\" onclick=\"minus(this)\">\n(<span class=\"mt\">{take the place of}; replace; subsitute | <span class=\"lit\">replacing; substituting \u2192<\/span> [acting; substitute | generation [\u2192 [period; era; age]]]<\/span>\n\u4ee3)<\/span>\u201d, basically literally means&nbsp;\u201ctake the place of\u201d or \u201creplace\u201d. Why, then, is it used to mean \u201cgeneration\u201d? This tweet briefly explains:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">g\u01d4d\u00e0i<br \/>\n(g\u01d4\u00b7d\u00e0i ancient \u00b7 {replacings \u2192 [generations] \u2192 [period; era]} \u53e4\u4ee3)<\/p>\n<p>Why \u201creplacings\u201d to mean \u201cgenerations\u201d? Among mortal humans, new generations replace older generations.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/P%C4%ABny%C4%ABnPlus?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#P\u012bny\u012bnPlus<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Troubadour WW (@troubadourww) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/troubadourww\/status\/1464403661568630787?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 27, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Yes, the Chinese concept of a \u201cgeneration\u201d is that it is something that takes the place of or replaces what was there before\u2014the emphasis seems to be on <em>continuation<\/em>, and a new generation is viewed as having done well if it lived up to or maintained what came before it. In contrast, in the English-speaking world, a \u201cgeneration\u201d is something new that is generated\u2014the emphasis seems to be more on <em>innovation, progress<\/em>, and a new generation is viewed as having done well if it improved upon what came before it, and moved things ahead. For example, the English expression \u201cnext generation\u201d indeed implies innovation and progress compared to previous generations, such as when applied to vehicles, computers, and other technology.<\/p>\n<h4>The Case of <i>Star Trek: The Next Generation<\/i><\/h4>\n<p>Fans of <i>Star Trek<\/i> also generally naturally accept that of course in many aspects the world of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation\" title=\"Star Trek: The Next Generation - Wikipedia\"><i>Star Trek: The Next Generation<\/i><\/a> is more advanced than the world of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Star_Trek:_The_Original_Series\" title=\"Star Trek: The Original Series - Wikipedia\"><i>Star Trek: The Original Series<\/i><\/a>\u2014the ships are faster and more powerful, the special effects are better, etc. (Note that <i>Star Trek: The Original Series<\/i> was just called <i>Star Trek<\/i> when it first came out. \u201c<i>Star Trek: The Original Series<\/i>\u201d is a <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Retronym\" title=\"Retronym - Wikipedia\">retronym<\/a> that was applied to the show after other shows based on it began to appear.)<\/p>\n<p>However, some <i>Star Trek<\/i> fans prefer <i>Star Trek: The Original Series<\/i> to <i>Star Trek: The Next Generation<\/i>, and do not view <i>Star Trek: The Next Generation<\/i> as better in every way compared to the original show. For example, many fans view original series characters like Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and Dr. McCoy as their favourite characters in all the <i>Star Trek<\/i> shows. Indeed, some would say <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Spock\" title=\"Spock - Wikipedia\">Mr. Spock<\/a> is the most iconic <i>Star Trek<\/i> character of them all.<\/p>\n<p>By the way, the Mandarin translation of \u201c<i>Star Trek: The Next Generation<\/i>\u201d in mainland China is apparently \u201c<i><span onclick=\"plus(this)\">X\u012bngj\u00ec L\u01dax\u00edng: Xi\u00e0-Y\u00ed-D\u00e0i<\/span><span class=\"plusinfo a\" onclick=\"minus(this)\">\n((X\u012bng\u00b7j\u00ec\n<span class=\"lit\">Stars \u00b7 {Boundaries \u2192 [Among]} \u2192 [Interstellar]<\/span>\n\u661f\u9645\n<span class=\"trad\">\u661f\u969b<\/span>)\n(L\u01da\u00b7x\u00edng\n<span class=\"lit\">Travelling \u00b7 Going \u2192 [Journeying]<\/span>\n\u65c5\u884c):\n(Xi\u00e0\n<span class=\"lit\">Below \u2192 [Next]<\/span>\n\u4e0b)-(Y\u00ed\n<span class=\"lit\">One<\/span>\n\u4e00)-(D\u00e0i\n<span class=\"lit\">Replacing \u2192 [Generation]<\/span>\n\u4ee3)\n<span class=\"lit\">\u2192<\/span> <span class=\"mt\">[Star Trek: The Next Generation (mainland China translation)]<\/span>)<\/span><\/i>\u201d, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/zh.wikipedia.org\/zh-cn\/\u9280\u6cb3\u98db\u9f8d\" title=\"\u661f\u9645\u65c5\u884c\uff1a\u4e0b\u4e00\u4ee3 - \u7ef4\u57fa\u767e\u79d1\uff0c\u81ea\u7531\u7684\u767e\u79d1\u5168\u4e66\">mainland Chinese<\/a> version of Wikipedia. In contrast, \u201c<i>Star Trek: The Next Generation<\/i>\u201d is apparently called \u201c<i><span onclick=\"plus(this)\">Y\u00edn H\u00e9 F\u0113il\u00f3ng<\/span><span class=\"plusinfo a\" onclick=\"minus(this)\">\n(((Y\u00edn\n<span class=\"lit\">Silver<\/span>\n\u94f6\n<span class=\"trad\">\u9280<\/span>)\n(H\u00e9\n<span class=\"lit\">River<\/span>\n\u6cb3)\n<span class=\"lit\">\u2192 [Milky Way]<\/span>)\n(F\u0113i\u00b7l\u00f3ng\n<span class=\"lit\">Flying \u00b7 Dragon [\u2192 [Pterosaur]]<\/span>\n\u98de\u9f99\n<span class=\"trad\">\u98db\u9f8d<\/span>)\n<span class=\"lit\">\u2192<\/span> <span class=\"mt\">[Star Trek: The Next Generation (Taiwan translation)]<\/span>)<\/span><\/i>\u201d (obviously not a literal translation) <a href=\"https:\/\/zh.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/\u9280\u6cb3\u98db\u9f8d\" title=\"\u9280\u6cb3\u98db\u9f8d - \u7ef4\u57fa\u767e\u79d1\uff0c\u81ea\u7531\u7684\u767e\u79d1\u5168\u4e66\">in Taiwan<\/a>. While Wikipedia is of course not always right, in this case I have not been able to find any better source.<\/p>\n<p>However, in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.startrek.com\/article\/chinese-building-is-an-enterprise-replica\" title=\"Chinese Building Is An Enterprise Replica\">article<\/a> on the official <i>Star Trek<\/i> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.startrek.com\/\" title=\"Star Trek (Official Site)\">website<\/a>, I did find out about a big (literally) Chinese connection to <i>Star Trek<\/i>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\nThe building, according to <a title=\"go to http:\/\/mashable.com\/2015\/05\/19\/enterprise-building-star-trek\/#:eyJzIjoiZiIsImkiOiJfM3JxYW13aGpyeXA4cDRnM3ZxZmdia18ifQ\" href=\"http:\/\/mashable.com\/2015\/05\/19\/enterprise-building-star-trek\/#:eyJzIjoiZiIsImkiOiJfM3JxYW13aGpyeXA4cDRnM3ZxZmdia18ifQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mashable.com<\/a>, is the headquarters of NetDragon Websoft, a Chinese gaming and mobile Internet company. And the site notes, &#8220;Company Chairman Liu DeJian is reportedly an uberTrekkie, licensing from CBS the rights to build an Enterprise replica. Construction began in 2008 and was finished in 2014; the project cost $160 million total. The building is the only officially licensed <em>Star Trek<\/em> building on the planet.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4>The Case of <span onclick=\"plus(this)\"><i>P\u012bny\u012bn<\/i><\/span><span class=\"plusinfo\" onclick=\"minus(this)\">\n(P\u012bn\u00b7y\u012bn\n<span class=\"lit\">{Piecing Together} \u00b7 Sounds \u2192<\/span> <span class=\"mt\">[Pinyin]<\/span>\n\u62fc\u97f3)<\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Speaking of generations of technology, and of replacings, it\u2019s good for us Mandarin field language learners to remember that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/gunsgermssteel\/variables\/writing.html\" title=\"Guns Germs &amp; Steel: Variables. Writing | PBS\">writing systems are technologies<\/a>, and technologies are known to sometimes get replaced by newer generations of technologies. Also, with regard to <span onclick=\"plus(this)\"><i>P\u012bny\u012bn<\/i><\/span><span class=\"plusinfo\" onclick=\"minus(this)\">\n(P\u012bn\u00b7y\u012bn\n<span class=\"lit\">{Piecing Together} \u00b7 Sounds \u2192<\/span> <span class=\"mt\">[Pinyin]<\/span>\n\u62fc\u97f3)<\/span> specifically, the original plan for modern-day China was for <span onclick=\"plus(this)\"><i>P\u012bny\u012bn<\/i><\/span><span class=\"plusinfo\" onclick=\"minus(this)\">\n(P\u012bn\u00b7y\u012bn\n<span class=\"lit\">{Piecing Together} \u00b7 Sounds \u2192<\/span> <span class=\"mt\">[Pinyin]<\/span>\n\u62fc\u97f3)<\/span> to one day replace Chinese characters. As the article \u201c<span onclick=\"plus(this)\"><i>P\u012bny\u012bn<\/i><\/span><span class=\"plusinfo\" onclick=\"minus(this)\">\n(P\u012bn\u00b7y\u012bn\n<span class=\"lit\">{Piecing Together} \u00b7 Sounds \u2192<\/span> <span class=\"mt\">[Pinyin]<\/span>\n\u62fc\u97f3)<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/articles\/Pinyin_Was_Plan_A%E2%80%94Article.html\" title=\"P\u012bny\u012bn Was Plan A\">Was Plan A<\/a>\u201d says:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\n<i>P\u012bny\u012bn<\/i> was actually Plan A for modern-day China, but Plan A has not been fully followed through on, largely because of old-fashioned selfish pride, nationalism\/\u201cculturalism\u201d, and traditionalism, with some intellectual self-indulgence thrown in there for good measure. <em>As Jehovah\u2019s people, we have been trained to recognize that these are very bad reasons for doing something, or for not doing something.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/img\/Mao-basic-reform-letter-1200-60.jpg\" alt=\"Letter from Mao Zedong re a \u201cbasic reform\u201d of Chinese writing, involving a transition from Chinese characters to alphabetic writing\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/p>\n<p>(The above picture is from near the beginning of the book <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Chinese-Language-Fact-Fantasy\/dp\/0824810686\/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&amp;keywords=john+defrancis&amp;qid=1586994573&amp;sr=8-3\" title=\"Amazon.com: The Chinese Language: Fact and Fantasy (9780824810689): DeFrancis, John: Books\"><i>The Chinese Language: Fact and Fantasy<\/i><\/a>, by John DeFrancis.)<\/p>\n<h4>Nostalgia, Progress, and Generations<\/h4>\n<p>While humans of different cultures and generations disagree as to whether new generations are necessarily better, whether in technology, <i>Star Trek<\/i>, writing systems, or life in general, God\u2019s Word helps us to understand his view of passing generations of humans and human activity.<\/p>\n<p>Here are a few scriptures that come to mind in that regard:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\nA generation is going, and a generation is coming,<br \/>\nBut the earth remains forever.<br \/>\n\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/wol.jw.org\/en\/wol\/b\/r1\/lp-e\/nwtsty\/21\/1#study=discover&amp;v=21:1:4-21:1:4\" title=\"Ecclesiastes 1 \u2014 Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY\">Ecclesiastes 1:4<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>\nDo not say, \u201cWhy were the former days better than these?\u201d for it is not out of wisdom that you ask this.<br \/>\n\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/wol.jw.org\/en\/wol\/b\/r1\/lp-e\/nwtsty\/21\/7#study=discover&amp;v=21:7:10\" title=\"Ecclesiastes 7 \u2014 Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY\">Ecclesiastes 7:10<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>\nJesus said to him: \u201cNo man who has put his hand to a plow and looks at the things behind is well-suited for the Kingdom of God.\u201d<br \/>\n\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/wol.jw.org\/en\/wol\/b\/r1\/lp-e\/nwtsty\/42\/9#study=discover&amp;v=42:9:62\" title=\"Luke 9 \u2014 Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY\">Luke 9:62<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>\nBrothers, I do not yet consider myself as having taken hold of it; but one thing is certain: Forgetting the things behind and stretching forward to the things ahead,<br \/>\n\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/wol.jw.org\/en\/wol\/b\/r1\/lp-e\/nwtsty\/50\/3#study=discover&amp;v=50:3:13\" title=\"Philippians 3 \u2014 Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY\">Philippians 3:13<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>\n\u201cIn the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed. And this kingdom will not be passed on to any other people. It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it alone will stand forever,<br \/>\n\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/wol.jw.org\/en\/wol\/b\/r1\/lp-e\/nwtsty\/27\/2#study=discover&amp;v=27:2:44\" title=\"Daniel 2 \u2014 Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY\">Daniel 2:44<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>\nFurthermore, the world is passing away and so is its desire, but the one who does the will of God remains forever.<br \/>\n\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/wol.jw.org\/en\/wol\/b\/r1\/lp-e\/nwtsty\/62\/2#study=discover&amp;v=62:2:17\" title=\"1 John 2 \u2014 Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY\">1 John 2:17<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This week\u2019s MEotW, , basically literally means&nbsp;\u201ctake the place of\u201d or \u201creplace\u201d. Why, then, is it used to mean \u201cgeneration\u201d? This tweet briefly explains: g\u01d4d\u00e0i (g\u01d4\u00b7d\u00e0i ancient \u00b7 {replacings \u2192 [generations] \u2192 [period; era]} \u53e4\u4ee3) Why \u201creplacings\u201d to mean \u201cgenerations\u201d? Among mortal humans, new generations replace older generations.#P\u012bny\u012bnPlus \u2014 Troubadour WW (@troubadourww) November 27, 2021 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,98,16],"tags":[22,25,37,56,31,29,199,101,102,277,89,39],"class_list":["post-1751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-culture","category-history","category-names","tag-china","tag-chinese-characters","tag-chinese-culture","tag-different-perspectives","tag-john-defrancis","tag-pinyin","tag-pinyin-was-plan-a","tag-retronyms","tag-star-trek","tag-taiwan","tag-the-chinese-language-fact-and-fantasy","tag-western-culture"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>d\u00e0i - Mandarin Expression of the Week<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2021\/11\/29\/dai\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"d\u00e0i - Mandarin Expression of the Week\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This week\u2019s MEotW, , basically literally means&nbsp;\u201ctake the place of\u201d or \u201creplace\u201d. Why, then, is it used to mean \u201cgeneration\u201d? This tweet briefly explains: g\u01d4d\u00e0i (g\u01d4\u00b7d\u00e0i ancient \u00b7 {replacings \u2192 [generations] \u2192 [period; era]} \u53e4\u4ee3) Why \u201creplacings\u201d to mean \u201cgenerations\u201d? Among mortal humans, new generations replace older generations.#P\u012bny\u012bnPlus \u2014 Troubadour WW (@troubadourww) November 27, 2021 [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2021\/11\/29\/dai\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mandarin Expression of the Week\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-11-29T15:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-15T19:59:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/img\/Mao-basic-reform-letter-1200-60.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"tiandi\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@TiandiLinksNews\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@TiandiLinksNews\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"tiandi\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/2021\\\/11\\\/29\\\/dai\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/2021\\\/11\\\/29\\\/dai\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"tiandi\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/86583c7b099e090dfeb296aa818abb57\"},\"headline\":\"d\u00e0i\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-11-29T15:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-15T19:59:18+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/2021\\\/11\\\/29\\\/dai\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1052,\"commentCount\":2,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/2021\\\/11\\\/29\\\/dai\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/img\\\/Mao-basic-reform-letter-1200-60.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"China\",\"Chinese Characters\",\"Chinese Culture\",\"Different Perspectives\",\"John DeFrancis\",\"P\u012bny\u012bn\",\"P\u012bnyin Was Plan A\",\"Retronyms\",\"Star Trek\",\"Taiwan\",\"The Chinese Language: Fact and Fantasy\",\"Western Culture\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Culture\",\"History\",\"Names\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/2021\\\/11\\\/29\\\/dai\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/2021\\\/11\\\/29\\\/dai\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/2021\\\/11\\\/29\\\/dai\\\/\",\"name\":\"d\u00e0i - Mandarin Expression of the Week\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/2021\\\/11\\\/29\\\/dai\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/2021\\\/11\\\/29\\\/dai\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/img\\\/Mao-basic-reform-letter-1200-60.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-11-29T15:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-15T19:59:18+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/86583c7b099e090dfeb296aa818abb57\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/2021\\\/11\\\/29\\\/dai\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/2021\\\/11\\\/29\\\/dai\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/2021\\\/11\\\/29\\\/dai\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/img\\\/Mao-basic-reform-letter-1200-60.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/img\\\/Mao-basic-reform-letter-1200-60.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/2021\\\/11\\\/29\\\/dai\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"d\u00e0i\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/\",\"name\":\"Mandarin Expression of the Week\",\"description\":\"Discussions for Mandarin field language learners about Mandarin expressions and related topics\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/86583c7b099e090dfeb296aa818abb57\",\"name\":\"tiandi\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/41e5dbf8837b5e9fcf710d3fed3bc0f3816a1b9803f861c9e97d0c0f52190c29?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/41e5dbf8837b5e9fcf710d3fed3bc0f3816a1b9803f861c9e97d0c0f52190c29?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/41e5dbf8837b5e9fcf710d3fed3bc0f3816a1b9803f861c9e97d0c0f52190c29?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"tiandi\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/author\\\/tiandi\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"d\u00e0i - Mandarin Expression of the Week","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2021\/11\/29\/dai\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"d\u00e0i - Mandarin Expression of the Week","og_description":"This week\u2019s MEotW, , basically literally means&nbsp;\u201ctake the place of\u201d or \u201creplace\u201d. Why, then, is it used to mean \u201cgeneration\u201d? This tweet briefly explains: g\u01d4d\u00e0i (g\u01d4\u00b7d\u00e0i ancient \u00b7 {replacings \u2192 [generations] \u2192 [period; era]} \u53e4\u4ee3) Why \u201creplacings\u201d to mean \u201cgenerations\u201d? Among mortal humans, new generations replace older generations.#P\u012bny\u012bnPlus \u2014 Troubadour WW (@troubadourww) November 27, 2021 [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2021\/11\/29\/dai\/","og_site_name":"Mandarin Expression of the Week","article_published_time":"2021-11-29T15:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-09-15T19:59:18+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/img\/Mao-basic-reform-letter-1200-60.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"tiandi","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@TiandiLinksNews","twitter_site":"@TiandiLinksNews","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"tiandi","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2021\/11\/29\/dai\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2021\/11\/29\/dai\/"},"author":{"name":"tiandi","@id":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/#\/schema\/person\/86583c7b099e090dfeb296aa818abb57"},"headline":"d\u00e0i","datePublished":"2021-11-29T15:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-15T19:59:18+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2021\/11\/29\/dai\/"},"wordCount":1052,"commentCount":2,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2021\/11\/29\/dai\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/img\/Mao-basic-reform-letter-1200-60.jpg","keywords":["China","Chinese Characters","Chinese Culture","Different Perspectives","John DeFrancis","P\u012bny\u012bn","P\u012bnyin Was Plan A","Retronyms","Star Trek","Taiwan","The Chinese Language: Fact and Fantasy","Western Culture"],"articleSection":["Culture","History","Names"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2021\/11\/29\/dai\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2021\/11\/29\/dai\/","url":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2021\/11\/29\/dai\/","name":"d\u00e0i - Mandarin Expression of the Week","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2021\/11\/29\/dai\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2021\/11\/29\/dai\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/img\/Mao-basic-reform-letter-1200-60.jpg","datePublished":"2021-11-29T15:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-15T19:59:18+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/#\/schema\/person\/86583c7b099e090dfeb296aa818abb57"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2021\/11\/29\/dai\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2021\/11\/29\/dai\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2021\/11\/29\/dai\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/img\/Mao-basic-reform-letter-1200-60.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/img\/Mao-basic-reform-letter-1200-60.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2021\/11\/29\/dai\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"d\u00e0i"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/#website","url":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/","name":"Mandarin Expression of the Week","description":"Discussions for Mandarin field language learners about Mandarin expressions and related topics","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/#\/schema\/person\/86583c7b099e090dfeb296aa818abb57","name":"tiandi","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/41e5dbf8837b5e9fcf710d3fed3bc0f3816a1b9803f861c9e97d0c0f52190c29?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/41e5dbf8837b5e9fcf710d3fed3bc0f3816a1b9803f861c9e97d0c0f52190c29?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/41e5dbf8837b5e9fcf710d3fed3bc0f3816a1b9803f861c9e97d0c0f52190c29?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"tiandi"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw"],"url":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/author\/tiandi\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1751","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1751"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1751\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6890,"href":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1751\/revisions\/6890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1751"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1751"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}