代
dài · HSK 3
generation
⏳ 代 dài: a person 亻 standing in for another — one generation replaces the last
代 combines 亻(person) with 弋 (a stake, here phonetic). Core sense: substitute or take the place of. From 'standing in for' it extends to a period or generation — each generation stands in for the one before.
代 — person radical 亻 + 弋 (stake/dart, phonetic)
代 is a semantic-phonetic compound: 亻 (person) gives the meaning and 弋 supplies the sound. The original sense was one person taking the place of another, which broadened to 'substitute,' 'replace,' and then 'generation' or 'era' — successive groups of people replacing the previous.