下一代

• Pinyin: xià yī dài
• Hanzi breakdown: 下 = next, following; 一 = one; 代 = 人 + 弋 (person + a marker — a generation or era)

Meaning

The next generation; one's children; those who come after. Refers to the generation that will succeed the current one in familial, societal, or technological succession.

Used both in personal (children/grandchildren) and broader societal or technological contexts: 下一代互联网 (next-generation internet), 下一代领导人 (next generation of leaders). Carries a sense of continuity, responsibility, and future inheritance. Often appears in discussions of education, sustainability, technology, and social legacy.

Examples

1. 为下一代创造良好的教育环境和生态条件，是当今社会最重要的长远责任之一。 Creating a strong educational environment and healthy ecological conditions for the next generation is one of society’s most important long-term responsibilities.
2. 科技公司正在大力研发下一代芯片架构，力求在性能和能效方面实现跨越式突破。 Tech companies are investing heavily in developing next-generation chip architectures, aiming for breakthrough gains in performance and energy efficiency.
3. 这位老艺术家将毕生收藏的数百件珍贵文物捐赠给国家，希望下一代能够从中汲取文化滋养。 The elderly artist donated hundreds of precious cultural relics from a lifetime of collecting to the state, hoping the next generation can draw cultural nourishment from them.

Usage Guide

Context: family, education, technology, society

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 气候变化让如何为下一代留下宜居地球成为全球议题，这牵涉环境科学，也牵涉代际公平与资源分配。(Climate change has made the question of how to leave a livable Earth for the next generation a global issue, involving both environmental science and intergenerational fairness and resource allocation.)
• 研究显示，企业想传给下一代，接班成功率取决于继承人是否受过系统教育并在公司历练过，而不只是血缘。(Research shows that if a company wants to pass to the next generation, succession success depends on whether the heir has received systematic education and practical experience in the company, not just blood ties.)

Don't Say

• 下一代 when referring specifically to one's own children in casual family contexts — 孩子 or 子女 is more natural and warm; 下一代 implies a broader generational concept and is more societal or formal in register, rather than immediately personal

Origin & History

下 (next, following) + 一 (one) + 代 (generation — 人 + 弋, person + a stake planted in the ground — a period, era, or generation)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal