Mandarin is a group of Chinese dialects that use as standard pronunciation the dialect of Beijing.
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154 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?
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4answers
202 views
How to pronounce 儿 in conjunction with other characters
The textbook I'm reading now has liberal sprinklings of the 儿 character suffixing words that I have not previously seen suffixed.
For example: 空儿。
How should this be pronounced? Are there any rules ...
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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 ...
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2answers
199 views
Errors and Unnatural Language in a Translation Challenge
I was recently challenged to translate the following sentence from English into Chinese:
You should stay away from that bar. A friend of mine went there before, and he ended up in the hospital after ...
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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 ...
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3answers
219 views
What's the main difference between 为 and 是?
It seems like both 为 and 是 mean "to be". In which cases is one used but not the other? Is it something like the difference between "estar" and "ser" in Spanish and Portuguese? (In the sense that one ...
4
votes
1answer
76 views
Difference between 更好 and 比较好?
I'm confused about the difference between 更好 and 比较好. Since both seem to mean "better", how are these used differently? In what cases would you use them?
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4answers
162 views
For all I know
There is an expression in English:
"For all I know, ...."
The following clause often has a modal expressing uncertainty or the hypothetical nature of the assertion, like "might", "may", "could", ...
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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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5answers
199 views
What was this online dictionary's name with ancient traditional and simplified characters and etymology?
I once found a Mandarin Chinese dictionary which for each character listed the ancient, the traditional and the simplified Chinese characters. For each it described its meaning and how it developed ...
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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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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 ...
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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 ...
4
votes
1answer
169 views
The development of rhotic vowels in Mandarin
Schuessler's reconstruction of the Old Chinese reading of 二 is *ńźi. It seems there is a correspondence between OC syllables beginning in *ń or *ńź and Mandarin syllables romanised as er.
However, ...
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2answers
266 views
How to differentiate moods, characters, temperaments, etc?
It seems like there are way more words for these things than in English, and I am having a hard time figuring out the difference between them. Some adjectives can only be used to describe mood, while ...
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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 ...
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4answers
199 views
Pronunciation of 那个
I'm surprised this question hasn't been asked yet!
The pinyin for 那个 is nà gè, but in conversation, Chinese people often pronounce it more like nee-guh than nah-guh. I asked my teacher and she says ...
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5answers
580 views
Origin of 呆在 vs 待在
Both 呆在 and 待在 are acceptable ways of writing dai1 zai4 meaning "stay at/in". For instance, a couple sentences from iciba:
我们因天气寒冷呆在家里。 Because of the cold weather, we stayed at home.
...
3
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5answers
222 views
What does “整块的时间” mean?
I have a sentence in my textbook I've mostly translated, but I can't piece this part together.
"交通不是很便利不说，还需要整块的时间"
Google translate spits out:
"Traffic is not very convenient, you also need the ...
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votes
5answers
516 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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4answers
274 views
Learning Traditional first with the goal of learning both
I found this in the Mandarin wikibook:
"It is considered easier for people who learn Traditional to read both sets than people who learn Simplified only, but Simplified characters are less ...
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1answer
123 views
Tone of 竟 and 境 in Mandarin and Cantonese
竟 and 境 are both read ging2 in Cantonese, which usually corresponds to a third tone syllable in Mandarin (as is the case for 警, which is ging2 in Cantonese and jing3 in Mandarin).
However, both of ...
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2answers
217 views
Are there differences in writing between Chinese languages, such as Mandarin and Shanghainese
There are already many questions about the different spoken languages that can be called Chinese. This question on the other hand asks about the written one(s?).
Well, to start, is the written ...
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4answers
223 views
That mystical 就 again
Here is a sentence:
厨房壁炉架上的那面镜子就把哈利吓了一跳
Below are my translation variants. Bold letters should be a 'jiu' english analog here.
The mirror on top of the kitchen's fireplace scared Harry the ...
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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 ...
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votes
2answers
214 views
What is the correct pronunciation of 垃圾?
The word 垃圾 is sometimes pronounced laji, but other times I've seen it pronounced as lese, which pronunciation is deemed to be more correct? Are they both interchangeable?
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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, ...
3
votes
2answers
510 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
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 ...
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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 ...
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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
122 views
What is the Mandarin equivalent for the Shanghai term for dirty?
In the Shanghai dialect dirty is pronounced something like "o co" with the o pronounced like the "o" in cot and the "c" pronounced like the usual c in pinyin (kinda like an 'ts' sound).
Which ...
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votes
2answers
214 views
留学: Why the use of “留”?
I'm sure like many students of Chinese, my first encounter with the character 留 was in the word 留学, meaning "to study abroad".
Some time later I encountered 留 as an independent word, meaning "to ...
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2answers
192 views
The use of 上 (shàng) “on/above/over” in Mandarin and English
I'm interested in the the differences between English and Mandarin when they are talking about spatial preposition.
Can i assume that in Mandarin, they use the preposition 上 for most of the times ...
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votes
1answer
159 views
How to ask someone to take a photo?
Recently on vacation I wanted to ask a Chinese tourist if they would mind taking a photo of my wife and I - but I didn't know how, so just asked 你可以吗? (nǐ kěyǐ ma?) while pointing to my camera.
How ...
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4answers
323 views
Writing Chinese Characters is Sloppy
Since learning Mandarin through Rosetta Stone, Youtube videos, and friends, I've begun to keep a journal of mandarin characters and phrases.
I first draw the character, along with the pinyin and ...
2
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3answers
626 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 ...
2
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 ...
2
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 ...
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votes
3answers
255 views
Why do native speakers often say a character has “no meaning”?
Many times I will know all the characters in a name but one & I'll ask what that one character means. 9 times out of 10 the response is, "That character has no meaning".
While it might be true ...
2
votes
1answer
71 views
Usage of 感动 (active/passive?)
According to mdbg.net 感动 means both 'to move (emotionally)' and 'moving'.
But from what I understand from some texts I have '邻居们都很感动' implying a more passive meaning for 感动.
Can someone shed some ...
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?
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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 ...
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votes
1answer
314 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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2answers
307 views
Benefits of Learning a Chinese Dialect in Addition to Standardized Mandarin
Edit: This is now cross-posted to linguistics.
Studies have shown that learning more than one language helps people of all ages learn each one of the languages. For a nice mainstream media piece on ...
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2answers
201 views
Language Learning Software That Teaches Mechanics (Not Phrases)
I've tried out various language learning software (Rosetta Stone, Tell Me More, Transparent), and I've been severely disappointed by the fact that not one of them actually teaches you the LANGUAGE, ...
2
votes
1answer
240 views
The origin of 鸡贼
I speak Mandarin Chinese, but it is the first time that I stumbled upon the word 鸡贼. According to 百度百科 (Baidu wiki), it means being stingy. The wiki page also says that it comes from the Beijing ...
2
votes
2answers
152 views
Advice on Mandarin Chinese passive learning
What are the best Chinese online tv channels with english subtitles for passive Mandarin learning. I find Chinese a rather musical language and would love to watch subbed tv (news, documentaries, ...
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1answer
116 views
Expressions that have no meaning (什么/来着）
I know that these two expression, in certain circumstances, have no meaning and are optional. I'm trying to figure out how to use them, even though they have no meaning.
什么
This has a meaning, ...
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3answers
230 views
国家 vs. 国, when can 国 be used alone?
In the Chinese book for beginners by Bellassen, it is stated that 国 cannot be used alone: it doesn't have a meaning on its own, and thus the word country/fatherland is 国家 and not 国.
However... I am ...
