Questions tagged [mandarin]

Question specifically about the Mandarin dialect. (Not for arbitrary questions that happen to involve Mandarin.)

Filter by
Sorted by
Tagged with
3 votes
2 answers
419 views

二 Mandarin pronunciation vs. other dialects and Japanese

Since I started learning Japanese a while ago, I always found the onyomi pronunciation of 二, being 'ni', unusual compared to the Mandarin pronunciation of 'èr'. The Old and Middle Chinese ...
Serv the Dev's user avatar
3 votes
3 answers
408 views

What is the difference between 电视 and 电视上?

In the following two sentences: 电视说今天很晴朗,不过下午下雨了。 电视上说今天的天气会很晴朗,今天一整天都很晴朗。 Why does the first sentence not use 上 but the second sentence does? Is there any difference between 电视 and 电视上? I think ...
Blaszard's user avatar
  • 5,434
3 votes
4 answers
391 views

Does 上嗨 work as a pun for 上海?

While riding the subway in Shanghai last week, I glanced at the TV playing some commercials and saw what looked like a slightly off spelling of the city's name (上海). I could not get a very good look (...
Dave's user avatar
  • 133
3 votes
4 answers
1k views

Does Chinese have idiomatic equivalents of "a regular" and "the usual"?

In English there is an idiomatic noun sense of "regular" for a regular customer. Somebody who regularly dines/drinks/etc at the same café/restaurant/bar/etc: That guy is a regular, he comes ...
hippietrail's user avatar
  • 4,025
3 votes
2 answers
323 views

When you first meet someone, sometimes they say (for example): " 我是小朋...“

。。。 “小时的小,朋友的朋。” I think Chinese people will say that because you may not know how their name is written, so you get a better description of what their name is. But... does the word have to be the ...
Em 玲菲's user avatar
3 votes
4 answers
200 views

Mandarin equivalent to 話事?

In Cantonese, people often say 話事 to indicate someone is "the boss" (e.g., 你話事) or can decide some matter (e.g., what to eat, what to watch). This page says the Mandarin equivalent is 作主, but 作主 ...
Crashalot's user avatar
  • 2,131
3 votes
5 answers
1k views

Mandarin: when to use 面 (mian) or 臉 (lian)?

In Cantonese, you usually use 面 to mean face. However, it seems like in Mandarin, people use 臉 (e.g., 我的臉很紅) sometimes and other times use 面 (e.g., 面對面). What are the guidelines around using 面 or 臉?
Crashalot's user avatar
  • 2,131
3 votes
3 answers
1k views

Hanzi pronunciation by radicals

I got into learning Chinese recently and since I already speak Japanese I find myself in a weird spot of being fairly familiar with a writing system, yet barely being able to read more than 30 ...
BluNova897's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
392 views

Why does the `请` take two duplicate words on its verb occasionally (e.g. `请洗洗你的袜子`)

I've read these sentences in my Rosetta Stone courses: 请洗洗你的袜子 请洗一下楼梯 However, why does the first sentence use two 洗 consecutively before taking the object? Also, how can I tell when to use one verb ...
Blaszard's user avatar
  • 5,434
3 votes
3 answers
236 views

Does 一个 mean *exactly* one? Or can it mean *at least* one?

If someone (truthfully) says "I have a car" then they have at least one car. If someone says "I have one car" then they have exactly one car. How does this idea work for "我有一辆汽车" ? Could someone say ...
ebrahim's user avatar
  • 135
3 votes
3 answers
2k views

Empathy and Sympathy use same characters in Chinese 同情?

Any alternative characters to clarify the difference, as the English words and their Greek roots have different meaning. Thanks!
Supamu's user avatar
  • 45
3 votes
3 answers
3k views

Is 家婆 the term for a woman's "mother in law" in Mandarin too?

In Cantonese, a woman would call her mother in law her "家婆" or her "奶奶", and address her only as "奶奶". My understanding of the same terms in Mandarin is, a woman would call her mother in law her "婆婆" ...
Tang Ho's user avatar
  • 78.6k
3 votes
2 answers
557 views

Does Taiwanese Mandarin have the neutral tone?

So I'm trying to learn Taiwanese Mandarin, and apparently they don't really use the neutral tone, but if that's the case how do you say things like 子,了, and 的?
hazz's user avatar
  • 133
3 votes
2 answers
70 views

Why is 就 needed in 美國國務院稱華府仍未就卡舒吉案下定論? If it's needed, shouldn't it precede 仍未?

This news article contains the following title: 美國國務院稱華府仍未就卡舒吉案下定論 1) Why is the 就 needed? If it's needed, shouldn't it precede 仍未? 2) Is 仍 the literary version of 還? In other words, if you were to ...
Crashalot's user avatar
  • 2,131
3 votes
2 answers
877 views

How to express psychological insecurity (not physical insecurity)?

These two dictionaries seem to offer translations for insecurity that capture the physical sort, not the psychological sort (i.e., insecurity about your looks, weight, smarts, etc.). http://www....
Crashalot's user avatar
  • 2,131
3 votes
1 answer
315 views

How do I join more than one adjective together?

I've seen "敦厚老实", where the two adjectives are simply put together, but I've also seen things like "x而x", "x又x" and "又x又x". What do these mean, are there any other ways, and which are the most ...
Henny's user avatar
  • 401
3 votes
2 answers
1k views

Taiwanese Mandarin vs Mainland Mandarin [closed]

A reference request. Is there any good source of the differences word choice/meaning between Taiwan and Mainland Chinese? Not asking about Chinese Characters, but usage. Spain have different ...
MaoYiyi's user avatar
  • 509
3 votes
3 answers
2k 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 ...
user459's user avatar
  • 195
3 votes
2 answers
131 views

How to say "Hopefully we can treat each other with more X"

Is there a general template for translating, "hopefully we can treat each with more X" where X is some noun. Examples: Hopefully we can treat each other with more consideration. Hopefully we can ...
Crashalot's user avatar
  • 2,131
3 votes
1 answer
1k views

Is referring to Mandarin as just "Chinese" problematic?

I am living in Taiwan learning Mandarin Chinese (with traditional characters). When speaking in English I try to refer to the language as Mandarin both for clarity, and because I imagine people who ...
taciteloquence's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
455 views

Translation of 追番

What would 追番" translate to? It was displayed next to a heart icon on bilibili. From consulting a dictionary I believe hui in this context is pursue and fan is a measure word? I assume it means ...
roldrold's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
515 views

Why is Húnán pronounced with an F?

I traveled to Hunan province and stumbled across something interesting. I was speaking to a taxi driver and asked him, 'where are you from'? He responded, 'Funan'. I then realized he actually meant '...
udidosa's user avatar
  • 913
3 votes
3 answers
413 views

質: when to pronounce in 2nd tone or 4th (Mandarin)?

In Mandarin, sometimes 質 is pronounced with the 2nd tone (e.g., 質地, 特質) and other times it's pronounced with the 4th tone (e.g., 質疑, 質量, 品質). Here are two words pronounced with the 2nd tone: 質地 http:...
Crashalot's user avatar
  • 2,131
3 votes
2 answers
241 views

How to interpret a sentence with two clauses but no conjunction?

In macOS' Dictionary app, the result of 允许 shows the following example sentence: 不得到领导的允许,你不能走。 You can’t go without the permission of the leaders. However, I wonder how the sentence can be valid ...
Blaszard's user avatar
  • 5,434
3 votes
2 answers
4k views

How to say "here you go" when giving a gift?

I believe you can informally say "gěi" when handing something over like the soy sauce during dinner, right? But what can you say when you give a gift? Like "Here you go" instead of just "Here". Or ...
Aaron's user avatar
  • 33
3 votes
2 answers
1k views

Confusion when words are combined

Hello I have been learning Mandarin for only a few weeks, although an issue has been bugging me. It concerns combining words together to make a sentence. For example I have heard that a correct ...
Robert6239's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
159 views

meaning of "然後三個三個分成小組"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n38D7DCDtbk http://southworks.com/blog/2009/06/21/the-cookie-experiment/ So,when Liu Anting refers to "然後三個三個分成小組" does she mean something along the lines of "And ...
Ian's user avatar
  • 182
3 votes
1 answer
122 views

Does “些” Work As A Suffix (Ever) In Mandarin Similar To “们”?

些 xiē 【名】 [方言]:们〖-s〗——表示复数的词缀。如:婆娘些;娃儿些;老师些 Although marked as dialect (read: topolect), I'm curious to know if this usage is ever acceptable or found in MSM (Modern Standard Mandarin).
Mou某's user avatar
  • 36k
3 votes
4 answers
5k views

What is the difference between 日 and 号?

Right now I am taking Mandarin 1 in Brooklyn Tech. From my understanding, 号 and 日 both mean "day." I took it upon myself to check Google Translate and find out what they both mean for confirmation. I ...
Scribblenautical's user avatar
3 votes
6 answers
415 views

What's the word for 'human quality'?

For example when someone jumps the queue, I might tell them they lack good manners / human quality, what's the word in Chinese (Mandarin)?
möter's user avatar
  • 133
3 votes
1 answer
718 views

How would you translate 细腻 into English?

My Chinese coworkers were describing Korean drama TV shows & said that the actors faces are "细腻" xi4ni4. When I look this up in my dictionary, I get 2 definitions "fine & smooth" or "exquisite"...
aelephant's user avatar
  • 1,160
3 votes
3 answers
3k 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 listening ...
3 votes
5 answers
506 views

What is the difference between 没 and 不 when used with 又?

What's the difference between these sentences: 他又没来上课 他又不来上课() Here: https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_%22again%22_in_the_past_with_%22you%22#Negative_Form it says both 没 ...
Rosencrantzisalive's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
187 views

Are there any Mandarin dialects with three tones?

有只有三个声调的官话方言吗?东干语有四个音素的声调,但是在没有变调的上下文只有三个不同的声调, 例如在短语的末尾。有没有在每个上下文都用三个声调的方言? Are there any Mandarin dialects with three tones? Standard Dungan has four phonemic tones, but only has three in contexts ...
Greg Nisbet's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
1k views

What's the meaning of "刀不长眼"? Is it proverb or something like that?

I was watching the movie "fearless (2006)" starring Jet Li and the character said to his friend "After all these years of friend ship, you still don't know me?" and then he goes with this phrase : "...
Ashkan's user avatar
  • 107
3 votes
1 answer
190 views

Touch: difference between 碰,碰觸,觸碰, and 觸

There appear to be multiple ways to say touch according to YellowBridge. 1) Is there a difference between 碰,碰觸,觸碰, and 觸, or are they interchangeable? 2) In Cantonese, 點 seems to be the right way to ...
Crashalot's user avatar
  • 2,131
3 votes
3 answers
340 views

Difference between 必 and 一定

Both words kinda mean “must, necessarily, certainly”. Can someone explain the differences between the two?
user20590's user avatar
  • 931
3 votes
4 answers
1k views

How do I say "Why not both" in Mandarin?

Specifically, how would I say "Why not (choose) both?" or "Why not (do) both?" Ex. "Do you want to go to the park or go watch a movie?" "Why not both?" I tried ...
Sneakymist's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
871 views

Appropriate responses to unexpected gift?

I have been on the receiving end of an unexpected gift. Actually I was in a restaurant and the owner (who knows I am learning Cantonese/Mandarin), just gives me some dong gua tong (soup). I didn't ...
Tommie C.'s user avatar
  • 2,324
3 votes
2 answers
511 views

Correct use of 惹人心烦: is 然而我不要惹人心烦 a suitable way to say you don't want to be a pain in the neck?

I am not sure if I used the idiom 惹人心烦 correctly. This is the sentence I used: 好啊,然而我不要惹人心烦。 Would that be a good use of it or is there a better way of saying you don't want to be a pain in the ...
CodeNeko's user avatar
  • 115
3 votes
2 answers
1k 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 ...
user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
651 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 ...
Paul Praet's user avatar
3 votes
4 answers
195 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 ...
Ciaocibai's user avatar
  • 4,616
3 votes
1 answer
160 views

Use of 儿话 in Mandarin

I've noticed recently that the use of 儿 differs depending on the dialect but I'm not too sure why. It is present in 普通话 (Standard Chinese) and some gov docs, as well as taught to L2 learners, but ...
user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
137 views

Please help me change these sentences using 不止

I'm not sure if what I changed below was correct or not. 我看陳太太那麼老,恐怕不會只有70歲吧? -> 我看陳太太那麼老,恐怕不止70歲吧? 愛闖紅燈的,並不是只有騎摩托車的,開車的也一樣。 -> 愛闖紅燈的,不止是騎摩托車的,開車的也一樣。 王小姐家不但她能幹,她兩個姐姐也是女強人。 -> 王小姐家不止她能幹,...
JungJoon Kil's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
218 views

What tone for retroflex r?

The retroflex r is not the consonant r in a word (pinyin) like in 人 rén. The retroflex is added as a suffix in the Beijing area, or as a diminutive suffix. Would it be pronounced with the second tone,...
faure's user avatar
  • 540
3 votes
1 answer
111 views

What are the differences between 违犯 and 违反?

Both 违犯 and 违反 share the meaning "to violate". What are the differences between these two?
user20590's user avatar
  • 931
3 votes
2 answers
456 views

The use of 部 as a classifier in Mandarin

So I’ve read that 部 is used for machines, films and literature. So does that mean I can use 部 for words like 书,词典, etc even though they usually go with 本?
user20590's user avatar
  • 931
3 votes
1 answer
91 views

Do Mandarin people use 補鑊 as slang to represent fence-mending or damage control?

Cantonese people often use 補鑊 to mean fence-mending or damage control. Do Mandarin people use this phrase as well? If not, what phrase would be the Mandarin equivalent?
Crashalot's user avatar
  • 2,131
3 votes
1 answer
278 views

Is there any way to make a Chinese speech transcribed to written format?

Here is my situation: I have learned Mandarin mostly from reading news articles and chatting with friends, as well as reading a grammar book and memorizing vocabulary. That makes only my reading and ...
Blaszard's user avatar
  • 5,434

1
4 5
6
7 8
15