“八零后”成为媒体和公众热烈讨论的词汇后，关于“八零后”的研究也成为国内外学术界的一个焦点。本文旨在解决两个最基本的问题：“八零后”是否构成了一个新的时代？如果是的话，其构成基础是什么？本文的主要内容包括：“代”这一社会学概念的理论基础，对中国“八零后”所面临的特殊社会进程及其反应的具体讨论。通过分析，本文认为，中国“八零后”是伴随着改革开放所引发的剧烈的社会变迁而成长起来的，并且展现出独特的时代属性。因此，中国“八零后”构成了一个在实践和现实意义上经得起推敲的新时代。

Having emerged as a catch phrase in the media and among the general public in China,the ‘post-1980s generation’ has also become a subject of concern and discussion by academics both domestically and abroad. In order to answer the most basic questions of whether or not the ‘post-1980s’ constitute a generation, and what has founded this generation, the present paper starts with a discussion of the theoretical foundation of the concept of ‘generation’, followed by a specific discussion of the Chinese ‘post-1980s generation’, including the social forces they confront and their corresponding reactions. It is concluded that the post-1980s generation in China has grown up with and responded to the abrupt social changes incurred by reform and opening-up, and displays a distinctive generational entelechy. It therefore constitutes a generation in a practical and theoretical sense.