代替
dàitì · HSK 4
replace
🔄 代 (substitute) + 替 (replace) = replace/substitute
Both characters mean to replace, stacked for emphasis. 代 also shows up in 代表 (represent) and 时代 (era/generation); 替 carries the swap-out sense. Together: one thing taking the place of another.
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.
替 — two 夫 (man) over 曰 (say)
Originally written with two 立 (stand) over 白, depicting two people side by side, suggesting replacement or alternation. The form evolved to two 夫 over 曰. The core meaning shifted from 'decline/abolish' to 'replace, substitute for'.