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˨˩˨]

Adjective

hiện đại

1. modern

   Hiện đại cái nỗi gì? Có mà hại điện thì có!

   Modern my ass!

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.

See also

• cổ đại
• trung đại
• cận đại