How to say “instead of” in Chinese
instead of, for (someone)
“Instead of” in Chinese is 替, tì: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
替 is read tì. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
On top, two 夫; below, 日.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “替”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 替. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 我代替王经理参加会议wǒdàitìWángjīnglǐcānjiāhuìyìI'm going to the meeting in place of Manager Wang.
- 机器人能代替人做危险的工作jīqìrénnéngdàitìrénzuòwēixiǎndegōngzuòRobots can do dangerous work in place of people.
- 你能替我去开会吗？nǐnéngtìwǒqùkāihuìmaCan you go to the meeting instead of me?
- 替我谢谢你妈妈tìwǒxièxienǐmāmaThank your mom for me.
More characters by topic — happiness, luck, strength, nature — on the page “Chinese characters with meanings”.
More words from the lesson “By yourself or for someone”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “instead of” in Chinese?
“Instead of” in Chinese is 替, pinyin tì.
What does 替 mean?
替 (tì) means “instead of, for (someone)”.
How do you write 替?
替 is 1 character. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 替?
替 is read tì. Tones: tì — fourth tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“instead of” in the lesson “By yourself or for someone”
This word is from the topic “More precise, more specific” of HSK 5. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
Start for free