Questions tagged [topolect]
Questions regarding regional variants of the Chinese language
246
questions
19
votes
9
answers
8k
views
Why Cantonese is considered as a dialect of Chinese?
Can someone explain why Cantonese is considered as a dialect of Chinese, instead of a language? It is also for any language exist in China, both land and Taiwan (Cantonese, Hunanese, Fujianese, ...
- 477
15
votes
4
answers
7k
views
Useful resources for learning Taiwanese?
My girlfriend is from Fujian and speaks 闽南语, so I am trying to learn so I can communicate with her family better.
The struggle is finding any useful resources (even in Chinese), so I'm wondering if ...
14
votes
5
answers
1k
views
麻油Q米血 on a menu in Taipei
For lunch today in Taipei I found a small street food place near my hostel.
On the menu was this item:
麻油Q米血
Here's a photo of the relevant part of the menu:
麻油 is sesame oil, 米 is rice, and 血 ...
- 4,025
14
votes
9
answers
2k
views
Resources for learning Cantonese
I'd like to learn Cantonese. Does anyone know some good resources (books, websites) that provide a thorough introduction into the language? I know that the pronunciation is a lot harder than in ...
14
votes
7
answers
3k
views
What is the status of 什么来的 and 什么来着 in standard and colloquial Mandarin Chinese?
When I first moved to the south of China, I was surprised to hear the phrase "什么来的" used to mean "what," as in
这是什么来的？: "What is this?"
As far as I could tell, in many cases there was no ...
- 3,233
13
votes
3
answers
7k
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 ...
- 395
12
votes
3
answers
1k
views
How is the 儿 ending pronounced outside Beijing?
When Beijingers use words like 一点儿, the ending syllable will be very pronounced as far as I understand, and I'm aware that this is a typical feature of the Beijing dialect. But how is it pronounced in ...
- 123
11
votes
9
answers
12k
views
Is 師奶 (see lai) strictly a Cantonese word? Is it a neutral word or does it have a negative connotation?
I had heard a husband refer to his wife in Cantonese as 師奶 (pronounced "see lai"). The way he said it sounded like an insult but I was told it's not a bad word.
How would 師奶 be described in English? ...
- 1,058
11
votes
3
answers
304
views
Which regions use 计算机 for computer?
Where is 计算机 used for "computer", and where does it mean "calculator". In regions where it means "calculator" what is the word for "supercomputer" (assuming that 超级计算机 is not used there)?
- 3,455
11
votes
2
answers
5k
views
Are the Cantonese word 係 and the Japanese word はい related?
The Cantonese word meaning "to be", written as 係 (Jyutping: hai6) sounds similar to the Japanese word はい ("hai" in various Romanizations). Both words are used to answer "yes" or "it is correct" to yes-...
- 485
11
votes
2
answers
567
views
Is there a "Peking Opera dialect"?
Peking Opera has a distinct pronunciation, that is at first similar to Mandarin, but to astute listeners, certain characters appear to have alternate or even non-Mandarin pronunciations.
Take certain ...
- 8,567
11
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Questions on a Hakka song and its particular Hakka dialect
Warning, General Background, Table of Contents
This is going to be a very long post, just like my work on this video was very long. This is why I am breaking it down into sections. It is also going to ...
- 2,310
10
votes
5
answers
7k
views
Which IMEs (input method editors) are actually most used in each of PRC, ROC, and Hong Kong?
Because there are many kinds of input method and many implementations of each kind of input method, it's not really practical to learn many.
PRC, mainland China uses simplified Chinese characters, as ...
- 4,025
10
votes
2
answers
723
views
Are there some greetings or phrases particular to the Hui people?
I'm in Yunnan and have noticed lots of Chinese muslims and ate at one of their restaurants today. I was aware of Turkic-speaking muslim ethnic minorities in the far west of China but now I know those ...
- 4,025
10
votes
2
answers
854
views
Help translating 海南鸡饭 - 2
I've come across Zhang Shaolin's Hoi-nam kai-fan (characters 海南鸡饭, lyrics only in subtitles), a song in Hakka. It is split into three parts. This question concentrates on part 2, part 1 being here and ...
- 2,310
9
votes
5
answers
1k
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 ...
- 4,626
8
votes
9
answers
5k
views
Is Cantonese Chinese? 【广东话属于中文吗】
I recall an incident that occurred once in (Mainland) China, which I found puzzling and intriguing.
It was in Zhengzhou, I think. There was some kind of sales activity where people were being given ...
- 488
8
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Cantonese sandhi
In Mandarin, there is limited tone sandhi, mainly about third tones and the tone variations of yi1 (one) and bù (not). By contrast, Min has sandhi rules for all tones, as illustrated by this diagram. ...
- 2,310
8
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Is Hakka spoken the same in Guangdong and Taiwan?
In Taiwan Hakka is the 3rd most popular language, and the MRT in Taipei makes all announcements in 4 languages; Mandarin, Minnan, Hakka, and English.
It is also a minority language in Hong Kong and ...
- 2,111
8
votes
6
answers
881
views
Regional variations on 三更半夜
A couple years ago, I was at a Chinese(-American) gathering and the topic of 成语 came up. One of them was 三更半夜. My family is from Hangzhou, and previously I had always known of it as 深更半夜. On the other ...
- 233
8
votes
2
answers
282
views
Are "身份证" and "身分证" totally interchangeable?
When wanting to learn the word for "ID card" I seem to find both "身份证" and "身分证".
They both have the same pronunciation "shēnfèn zhèng".
I don't think they differ by being traditional vs simplified?
...
- 4,025
7
votes
5
answers
3k
views
Chinese views on Erhua
I'm already well acquainted with erhua (儿化) in putonghua, essentially appending 儿 to the ends of words (or reading it when 儿 isn't written, as sometimes people do with 花 or 八点 etc). Many of these ...
- 1,445
7
votes
3
answers
10k
views
Difference between learning Mandarin Chinese and Taiwanese Hokkien for visiting Taiwan
I'm planning on visiting Taiwan as a tourist for about one week next year. Both Wikipedia and Wikivoyage say that Mandarin Chinese and Taiwanese Hokkien are common languages there.
What advantages ...
- 723
7
votes
2
answers
590
views
Character and meaning for the 四川话 sentence-ending particle 'ga'?
Scholars of Chinese will have a lot of work to do in the next 100-200 years, because eventually academics will take notice and want to document the self-emergent standardization of orthography for ...
- 1,207
7
votes
2
answers
3k
views
How similar are Hakka and Cantonese?
I refer to this map (also shown below), which depicts that Yue and Hakka variants of Chinese are geographically very close to each other.
If we take Hong Kong for example, how similar would the ...
- 913
7
votes
1
answer
19k
views
The slang meaning of "Seven/七" in Cantonese
I have heard a few Hongkongers saying seven in a similar, likely identical, context. I assume they are addressing a person because when they say it, they make the L hand gesture. I could be wrong, but ...
- 3,297
7
votes
1
answer
412
views
Why is "小小" pronounced as "xué xiǎo"?
In the classic 相声《卖马》, near the beginning is a line that goes:
在下王老好的便是，就在这潞州天堂县开了一个*小小*的店房
but in that line, "小小" was pronounced as "xué xiǎo". Here's a clip: http://youtu.be/cB391VthT4Q?t=1m11s
...
- 8,567
7
votes
1
answer
372
views
List of classifiers for Cantonese?
There are many resources listing classifiers for Mandarin, but do any pages exist that document classifiers for Cantonese?
- 2,131
6
votes
6
answers
2k
views
Looking for very common dialect words that have no Standard Mandarin Chinese hanzi characters
I'm basing this question on several assumptions, so if they are wrong please say so as an answer:
Written Chinese is mainly used for Standard (Mandarin) Chinese.
Mostly other Chinese languages and/or ...
- 4,025
6
votes
3
answers
282
views
What does "liam" mean in this song's lyrics?
深深的爱（詹雅雯）
Min Nan lyrics (spelling and romanization from twblg.dict.edu.tw, video here)
想起行过的路： | Siūnn-khí kiânn-kuè ê lōo:
阮的跤步， | Gún ê kha-pōo,
虽然经过风雨， | Sui-liân king-kuè hong-hōo,
毋惊寂寞， | M̄ ...
- 2,310
6
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Is the number 4 really considered unlucky because it sounds similar to the word for "death"?
From what I've Googled so far, there are lots of claims that the number 4 is considered unlucky in Chinese. 四 is understandably considered unlucky in Japanese and Korean because it sounds identical to ...
- 330
6
votes
2
answers
479
views
ㄍ一ㄥ? What dialect? What character?
I know ㄍ一ㄥ[gīng] is used extensively in Taiwan and in Taiwanese media, but my question is what dialect/topolect does this come from and what exactly is the character for this word?
I know a lot of ...
Mou某♦
- 36k
6
votes
4
answers
7k
views
Resources for learning Shanghainese
I'm surprised a question like this hasn't been asked yet. It seems Shanghainese is a dying language and it's rarely spoken. I'd like to know about resources and ways to learn the language by myself.
...
6
votes
4
answers
714
views
How did 贼 come to mean "extremely"?
While watching a tv show, I heard the presenter, a Beijinger, say 贼好. In that particular context, the only possible meaning was 很好.
Later I did some research and, as a matter of fact, it turns out 贼 ...
- 5,452
6
votes
2
answers
575
views
Chinese [Topolectical] IPA Placeholder: Ẓ
I've asked this elsewhere before but without much luck so I'm just gonna paste what I wrote before:
I ran across "Ẓ" use some what in some old texts used as a sort-of "IPA"
then to ...
Mou某♦
- 36k
6
votes
7
answers
316
views
"醡" and "炸" in "醡醬麵" and "炸醬麵"
I've just noticed that the English Wikipedia gives these spellings for "Zhajiangmian":
Simplified Chinese 炸酱面
Traditional Chinese 醡醬麵
Whereas the English Wiktionary gives these:
炸酱面 (...
- 4,025
6
votes
1
answer
219
views
The readings of 栅
What is the deal with the readings of 栅 (柵) and how do they appear?
According to modern dictionaries (such as the 漢語大字典 2nd Ed.), there are three readings for 栅?
zhà, in the meaning of "fence, ...
- 1,031
6
votes
1
answer
594
views
Strange pronunciations in Hakka song
I have stumbled upon Zhang Shaolin's Hoi-nam kai-fan. I asked three translation questions about it: 1, 2 and 3. THere you find the lyrics and a link to a video, and my translation attempt. This ...
- 2,310
6
votes
3
answers
25k
views
How can I get a Cantonese keyboard on an iPhone?
Like Pinyin, but I need something that can recognize Cantonese instead of Mandarin. The only Chinese keyboards recognize Mandarin.
- 2,131
6
votes
1
answer
177
views
What were the court/administrative languages of various dynasties?
It's called "Mandarin" (and 官话) precisely because it was the language of courtly officials at a time when there was no unified national language of China. This was the case in both the Ming ...
- 6,854
5
votes
5
answers
2k
views
“哩勒公蝦毀” what does this mean?
What does “哩勒公蝦毀” mean? A Taiwanese guy said that to me after I had, accidently, mistyped two words in an idiom I used on him.
He also used an expression of surprise (I presume) which went like “蛤？！” ...
- 361
5
votes
3
answers
2k
views
What qualities does Hong Kong Mandarin have?
With Mandarin making more and more in-roads into Cantonese speaking Hong Kong, I'm wondering what characteristics set it apart from Standard Mandarin or other regional Mandarin dialects and/or accents....
- 4,025
5
votes
5
answers
2k
views
In Sichuanese does 日本人 mean “fuck me”?
I found a very interesting entry on Pleco:
日本人
(Sichuanese expletive) fuck me (日 here means cào [肏])
I have never heard it but is this explanation correct? What is the etymology of this usage and ...
- 5,434
5
votes
4
answers
927
views
Is there a politically neutral Chinese term for Greater China that is acceptable to all Chinese speakers?
By "China," I am referring to the Mainland, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan collectively, without regard to geopolitics. Is there a word that refers to this entire region that would not offend any ...
- 283
5
votes
3
answers
2k
views
When do you use 唄 instead of 吧 to end a sentence?
I hear a lot of people in mainland China use the former (never from Taiwanese Mandarin) when saying a phrase as a sort of command, but I'm still not sure about why someone would say it.
- 236
5
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Which dialect of Chinese has the fewest tones?
Standard Cantonese has six tones, Minnan, spoken primarily in Taiwan and Fujian, has five to seven; and so on down to Mandarin, based on the Beijing dialect, which has only four. (I don't count ...
- 4,355
5
votes
1
answer
500
views
How are "vernacular" and "literary" readings of characters chosen and used outside of Mandarin?
There are other posts that mention the relationship between classical Chinese vis-a-vis Mandarin (e.g., this one and this one), but what defines the use of "literary" and "vernacular" readings in ...
- 143
5
votes
3
answers
2k
views
In Cantonese, which is correct: 淨係 or 剩係?
Both phrases are listed in CantoDict (http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/3497/).
It seems like 剩係 makes more sense, but which is actually correct?
- 2,131
5
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Is it correct to say the standard for written Chinese is Mandarin, regardless of dialect (e.g. Cantonese)?
I've looked for this question on the site but can't seem to find it. I'm interested in learning Chinese, well, Cantonese specifically, and I want to focus on both the written and spoken components. ...
- 153
5
votes
2
answers
226
views
"便利商店" (biànlì shāngdiàn) vs "便利店" (biànlì diàn)
Earlier when I was in China I learned "便利店" (biànlì diàn) to mean "convenience store". I think from looking it up in the English Wiktionary.
But now that I'm in Taiwan when I used it people didn't ...
- 4,025