一 代 不 如 一 代

yī dài bù rú yī dàidictionary entry

to be getting worse with each generation

Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-9970daff06338350. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

一代不如一代一代不如一代 [yi1 dai4 bu4 ru2 yi1 dai4] /to be getting worse with each generation/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

一
yī
one / single / a (article) / as soon as / entire / whole / all / throughout / "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) / also pr. [yāo] for greater clarity when spelling out numbers digit by digit
代
dài
to be a substitute for / to act on behalf of / to replace / to substitute / generation / dynasty / age / period / (historical) era / (geological) eon
不
bù
no / not so / (bound form) not / un-
如
rú
as / as if / such as
一
yī
one / single / a (article) / as soon as / entire / whole / all / throughout / "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) / also pr. [yāo] for greater clarity when spelling out numbers digit by digit
代
dài
to be a substitute for / to act on behalf of / to replace / to substitute / generation / dynasty / age / period / (historical) era / (geological) eon

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.