Mandarin is a group of Chinese dialects that use as standard pronunciation the dialect of Beijing.
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1answer
70 views
Role of 在 in this sentence
I was using a text editor in Chinese, when I tried to exit without saving the currently opened file it showed me this sentence:
您要在关闭文件前保存吗？
What is the role of 在 here? Is it related to the ...
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votes
2answers
258 views
What is the difference between yǐqián (以前) and zhīqián (之前)?
I'd like to have some way to differentiate between yǐqián (以前) and zhīqián (之前), in order to help with memorising them both. Referring to Modern Mandarin Grammar (Claudia Ross, Routledge 2006), it ...
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vote
3answers
117 views
Is 菜心 used in Mandarin?
Is the vegetable 菜心 (Choy Sum - English rendering of Cantonese) called 菜心 in Mandarin? Is it pronounced "cài xīn" or is it pronounced as it would be in Cantonese?
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votes
1answer
2k views
Chinese riddles / 中文谜语? [closed]
Today my teacher introduced us to a couple of Chinese riddles or 谜语 (mi2yu3).
1st
什么是快乐一个星期？
（暗示：两个字）
（暗示: 饮料的牌子)
2nd
什么是十五天?
(暗示:一个字)
(暗示:一个要锻炼身体的人可以叫什么?)
回答:
1st
七喜 (qi1xi3) Chinese name for ...
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votes
3answers
84 views
What is the difference between 演奏, 弹 and 奏?
There are several words that seem to be related to playing musical instruments (specifically 演奏, 弹 and 奏), and I would appreciate an elaboration on the nuances between them. Are some used in specific ...
4
votes
3answers
205 views
What is an idiomatic way to say “This is not good” in Mandarin?
The title mostly covers the question, but some elaboration might help. In English, there is a common construction of ideas whereby the speaker makes a statement about an action or event, and follows ...
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vote
2answers
93 views
Meaning of the word 腳
According to CC-CEDICT, this means both "foot" and "leg". How does one know when this word refers to either foot or leg? It is difficult to discern when CC-CEDICT does not include sample sentences.
3
votes
4answers
76 views
Can 偷工减料 be used to describe the intentional and open purchasing of somewhat inferior product?
I know that 偷工减料 is frequently used to describe intentionally (and perhaps secret) shoddy construction. When I translate it, I usually say "Cut corners". However, I think 偷工减料 has a very negative ...
0
votes
1answer
267 views
How are the words “engineering” or “engineer” translated in Cantonese? [closed]
I've been looking for the words "engineering" or "engineer" in Cantonese, and also in Mandarin, but less. Most of my family members describe them by their physical expectations, like "they make ...
3
votes
2answers
509 views
Characteristics of Northern and Southern accents
My first language is Cantonese. I learned Mandarin as a second language. Native speakers of Mandarin often understand me with no major issues. Of course, they recognize the Southern accents right ...
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votes
2answers
143 views
Is there a comprehensive list of vocabulary differences between 台湾国语 and 大陆普通话？
I've found many articles about differences in certain sentence structures regarding 台湾国语 and 大陆普通话, but does anyone have a large list of commonly-used vocabulary that are different? I spend a lot of ...
3
votes
2answers
138 views
一起 vs 一块 - what's the difference?
一起 vs 一块, are these two expressions the same in Chinese, or is there a certain situation where one is more appropriate than the other? Can anyone explain what the difference might be?
For example, ...
2
votes
2answers
202 views
What is the English equivalent of 拜托, and what is it's proper usage in Chinese?
I quite like the expression 拜托, but I've never been 100% sure of what exactly it means in English, and I'm not quite sure how to use it properly in Chinese. Little help?
2
votes
2answers
114 views
What is the meaning and proper usage of 凭什么？
I was watching a TV show and heard them using the expression 凭什么 to say 'why' - I hadn't heard it with this exact meaning before, so I'm wondering what the proper meaning is in English, and what the ...
6
votes
3answers
180 views
了解 vs 明白 vs 知道 - what is the difference, and when should I use each one?
了解, 明白, and 知道 seem to be fairly synonymous in Mandarin, but there does seem to be some subtle differences between them.
What exactly is the difference? When should I use each one? Could you give me ...
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votes
2answers
1k views
What is the exact meaning of 吃豆腐, and where does the expression come from?
I'm not talking about eating tofu, but the expression that means something more like taking advantage of someone. What exactly does 吃豆腐 mean, and where does this expression come from?
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votes
3answers
208 views
What is the difference between 通常，经常，and 常常？
What is the difference between 通常，经常，and 常常？
I hear them a lot in conversational Chinese, but I can't pick out the difference in meaning. The dictionaries I've checked don't seem to agree on their ...
3
votes
5answers
180 views
What is the most common way to say 'indecisive' in Mandarin?
I have heard a range of different terms meaning 'indecisive' in Chinese - I'm not sure if they were in dialect, or there are several options for saying it in Mandarin, and so I'm curious to learn what ...
4
votes
1answer
115 views
What does 触控 mean in this sentence?
I was busy reading about Apple's new textbook announcement on Engadget China, and I came across the following sentence:
使用者将可轻松地以触控的方式浏览教科书内容.
What is the meaning of 触控 in this sentence? (My ...
3
votes
5answers
513 views
What is the correct way to write 'niu bi', and how did it get its meaning in Chinese?
'niu bi' (牛逼? like the bees knees in English) is one of the more amusing expressions I learnt in my time in China. The literal meaning in English is quite colourful, so I won't describe it here, but ...
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votes
3answers
199 views
What is the meaning of 当仁不让?
I was browsing the Chinese internet looking for a bank that supports Mac OS when I came across this site. They list a range of different banks under a range of different headings, the first of which ...
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vote
1answer
201 views
Is the cantonese expression 五福臨門 present in Mandarin too?
A recent question prompted me to look for expressions related to the Chinese New Year and, among them, I found one that particularly stroke me as interesting:
五福臨門 = according to the poster it ...
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votes
3answers
611 views
Does 危机 really mean both crisis and opportunity?
A lot of people, mostly those who haven't studied Chinese, like to claim something along the lines of
"In Chinese, the word for crisis 危机, also bears the meaning of opportunity."
This is usually ...
3
votes
1answer
141 views
What is the exact meaning and etymology of 拜年？
Since Chinese New Year is on the way (and thanks to Xiaohouzi's great suggestion), I've been thinking all about the new year. One term the sticks out is 拜年.
I'm very curious to know the exact ...
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votes
3answers
389 views
Is there a traditional Chinese New Year greeting?
I know people often say 新年快乐 to mean happy new year, but is there a traditional greeting used in Chinese to express your good wishes for the new year? If so, what, and how did it originate?
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votes
3answers
361 views
What Chinese podcasts are available to improve my listening skills? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Resources for learning Mandarin Chinese
I'm a big podcast fan, and I think listening to Chinese podcasts would be a great way to improve my listening skills. I enjoy ...
3
votes
4answers
106 views
What good resources are available to assist first time travellers to learn basic Chinese? [closed]
I'm moving back to China again in a few weeks, and I've already got a few friends planning visits - this brings me to my problem: I can't always be around to translate, and I find people have a more ...
4
votes
2answers
238 views
What are the rules of writing a 对联 (chinese couplet)?
I have looked at the wikipedia article "Couplet (Chinese Poetry)", but I think it poses more questions than answers.
So a 对联 (duì lián) is a "Chinese Couplet".
it is composed of two lines
each line ...
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votes
4answers
221 views
What does 厉害 mean, and in what context does it mean what?
This has to be one of the more ambiguous words I have struggled with.
厉害 can be:
very well performed = 玩得很厉害;
harsh = 骂得很厉害;
severe = 生病得很厉害;
probably a bunch of other stuff...
Can anyone give a ...
5
votes
3answers
134 views
What's the difference between 遇到 and 碰到?
Both 遇到 and 碰到 can be translated to "come across/run into" in those sentences:
遇到大学同学了。
碰到大学同学了。
What's the difference between 遇到 and 碰到?
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votes
1answer
144 views
Meaning of 这么多好吃
I want to get the correct meaning of this sentence:
我恨不得一下子把这么多好吃的都吃完。
I understand this sentence as "I wish to eat up all those delicious things, all at once". I don't fully understand the ...
5
votes
2answers
175 views
How can I improve the speed of my spoken Chinese?
I'm currently trying to learn '听妈妈的话' on SingChineseSongs, and I'm having trouble keeping up with the fast parts. I also have trouble trying to speak terribly fast in Mandarin anyway.
Does anyone ...
7
votes
2answers
116 views
Using 一样 instead of 同一 for “the same school”
In my study software, I recently had the following sentence:
我想我们会上一样的学校.
The context (a girl speaking to another girl who had just moved into the neighborhood) made it seem like the correct ...
7
votes
2answers
155 views
Why does 有机 as in 有机食品 mean organic?
有 and 机 are some of the first characters we learn in Chinese, but I only recently found out that they mean "organic" when put together. Can anyone explain why this is?
7
votes
6answers
455 views
Which website/service can give good example sentences in Chinese? [closed]
Often when learning new words, I want to see them in context. It helps my learning process, and understanding how to properly use new vocab makes it stick in my mind that much more.
Does anyone have ...
4
votes
4answers
2k views
How to say “hope you'll have a great day”?
I was writing a card to a friend and wanted to finish with "Hope you'll have a great day" but realised what I could think of wasn't quite the same meaning, or just sounded odd/weird.
What I wrote in ...
6
votes
2answers
185 views
Are these two form of “I live in…” both correct?
When studying I came across a useful expression to say "I live in..." which is "...在...住" such as in this sentence:
我在意大利住。= I live in Italy.
Wǒ zài Yìdàlì zhù.
But then I saw a different one ...
6
votes
3answers
151 views
When is the spelling and the pronunciation different?
I noticed that sometimes certain finals in Chinese sound differently when combined with different initials. For e.g., what is spelled "u" sometimes is pronounced "ü". Other times, I think the final ...
4
votes
4answers
628 views
How to convert from hanyu pinyin to IPA?
Where can I find a table showing the relation between hanyu pinyin spelling and IPA for all phonemes in Mandarin?
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votes
3answers
208 views
When do the tones change?
Sometimes, in certain combinations of tones or words, the tones change. Where can I find a complete list of all tone changes that occur in Mandarin?
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votes
5answers
489 views
What software can correct pronunciation?
What software is available which can record my voice and warn me about problems with my pronunciation and tones?
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votes
1answer
312 views
What cartoons are available in Chinese? [closed]
To practice my listening and reading, I like to buy cartoons films and TV shows. What cartoons which available with Mandarin pronunciation and suitable for an intermediate student?
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votes
2answers
104 views
How did 舆论 come to represent Public Opinion?
How did the word 舆论 come to represent the concept of Public Opinion? I know the meanings of the individual characters but I just don't quite see how the combination of these two meanings leads to the ...
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votes
2answers
56 views
Do 衣服 and 衣饰 carry different connotations or are they synonyms?
衣服 and 衣饰 both mean "clothing"; but are they truly synonymous or is the use of each term confined to its own specific context? Or is it simply a difference between colloquial and formal speech or ...
7
votes
3answers
154 views
Asking “what's the pinyin/character for X?”
How do we ask someone to "translate" a character or some pinyin into the other one? The expressions I'm referring to are:
What's the pinyin for this/that (character)/... ?
What's the ...
6
votes
5answers
1k views
Tips for pronouncing X vs SH in Mandarin?
I'd like to think my Mandarin pronunciation is generally pretty reasonable, but I often get tripped up with X and SH - for example words like 雪 and 水, or 虾 and 莎. Even with different tones, I find ...
14
votes
6answers
391 views
How polite is too polite?
I've noticed in China that people don't tend to use as many 'polite' words as we do in western languages, like 'please' or 'thank you'. I want to make it clear that I'm not complaining about this; I ...
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votes
3answers
185 views
Why are 成语 (idioms) four characters long? Are there 成语 with more or less than four characters?
I really enjoying learning 成语 (chéng yǔ) in Chinese, and I'm curious to know why they are often or always four characters long? Where does this tradition stem from?
And are there 成语 with more or ...
5
votes
2answers
187 views
Answering yes/no questions
I was a bit surprised at first when I discovered that Chinese doesn't have single words or expressions for "yes" or "no", and that instead we must use the verb from the question to either confirm or ...
4
votes
2answers
153 views
What is the proper usage of 而已 in Chinese?
I always hear Chinese people making sentences using 而已 - but I've never quite 100% how to use this in sentences myself. What is the correct way to apply it, and what is the English equivalent?
