27
votes
11answers
2k views
Resources for learning Mandarin Chinese
This is a specifically created Community Wiki which gathers resources for learning Mandarin Chinese and it has been approved by the Community itself.
It should be clear that the resources are not ...
19
votes
7answers
663 views
Is there a lot of value in learning to write Chinese characters?
I have noticed that a lot of my friends that study Chinese at university spend a lot of their time learning to write Chinese. I would estimate more than 50% of their chinese study time is spent on ...
18
votes
7answers
522 views
Why is 有 (yǒu) the only verb that requires 没 while other verbs can use 不?
To negate something, we use 不 (bù) before the verb, such as in this short dialogue:
A: 你是老师吗？ = Are you a teacher?
B: 不是。 = I'm not.
However, the verb 有 (yǒu) is the only one that requires 没 ...
17
votes
3answers
518 views
How many characters do I need to learn?
How many Chinese characters would I generally need to learn to be able to handle most text in typical every day circumstances?
How many would be required to be considered fluent?
Are there any good ...
16
votes
6answers
667 views
的-地-得, when do you use which?
So the age old question of 的-地-得, when do you use which? When spoken, it all sounds the same, but on paper it depends on if it's a verb, noun, adjective. But I don't quite remember if that is all that ...
16
votes
3answers
321 views
What is the difference between 作 and 做?
作 and 做 are both translated as "do" or "make"; how can I tell when I should use one or the other?
15
votes
6answers
475 views
Techniques for improving pronunciation
Are there any recommended resources or methodologies to improve your Chinese pronunciation?
Besides having a native speaker at your disposal, are there any tools that can help to correct ...
15
votes
5answers
301 views
How to differentiate between “On Top” and “Above”
If I wanted to translate the prepositional phrase "on the bed" to Chinese, I know to say "床上", but I don't know what the translation would be for saying "above/over the bed".
From what I can gather, ...
14
votes
5answers
521 views
Can native Chinese speakers distinguish tones in songs?
I already have a hard time distinguishing tones in normal speech. This gets significantly worse when I listen to Chinese songs, since the melody masks tones even further.
Yes, I understand that ...
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 ...
14
votes
5answers
345 views
How can one determine the radical for a given character?
Many times, when reading Mandarin, I will happen across a character that I don't know. Usually, the radical along with some context will clue me into the meaning, but if I can't determine the ...
14
votes
9answers
744 views
Chinese input on Windows based on pinyin and tones
What is the best way for me to type pinyin using a keyboard on Windows?
I've tried the built-in IMEs, but... they don't feel very intuitive to me. For example, if I want to get wǔ, I need to type wu, ...
13
votes
10answers
4k views
How to describe differences between Cantonese and Mandarin?
When I tell people I speak Cantonese I'm often asked, "What's the difference between that and Mandarin?". This inevitably leads to a very poor explanation that includes references to the differences ...
13
votes
2answers
273 views
How did 葉 (leaf as in vegetation) become 叶 when it was simplified?
This is a spin-off question from this one "Determine radicals for simplified characters that lost their traditional form completely" where radicals for simplified characters were discussed.
Now, the ...
13
votes
2answers
287 views
How do I decide whether to use 還是/还是 or 或者
還是/还是 (háishì) and 或者 (huòzhě) seem to have very similar meanings:
還是/还是: or; still; nevertheless
或者: or; possibly; maybe
When I want to say 'or', how to I choose which to use, and are there ...
13
votes
5answers
395 views
What is a good technique for remembering tones?
I find it a great struggle to try and remember tones for all the new vocab I learn, and aside from gradually picking up tones by listening and talking with native speakers, I can't really remember ...
13
votes
4answers
250 views
Where to practice speaking Chinese?
Living in Utah, I find it quite difficult to find places to practice speaking Chinese, especially Cantonese. Apart from accosting people in stores and other public places when I happen to hear them ...
13
votes
1answer
177 views
What is the difference in use between 以及, 和 and 与?
I have a book with the following lesson titles:
中文以及中国
聚会和饮食
交通与环境
Why are these terms connected with 以及 / 和 / 与, why not always use 和 for example?
Are there any rules for proper use of these ...
12
votes
7answers
3k views
Is it easier to learn Chinese after learning Japanese or vice versa?
For those who speak both Chinese and Japanese, would first learning Chinese make it easier to learn Japanese?
Knowing that Japanese Kanji are derived from Chinese characters, how hard is it to do the ...
12
votes
4answers
200 views
Is this an exception in the use of 的?
I know that, when expressing possessives, we add 的 to the usual personal pronouns, such as 我的.
However, in a question in my grammar textbook I saw:
你爸爸忙吗？ = Is your father busy?
Why not ...
12
votes
6answers
608 views
Why is 的 (de) sometimes pronounced “di” even though it is used as a possessive particle?
I've noticed sometimes the word 的 is pronounced as "di" rather than "de".
I'm aware that there is a valid use of 的 with pronunciation "di", which means "really and trully".
However for the sentence: ...
12
votes
2answers
313 views
Words referring to the shape of Chinese characters
Some words in English use (capital) letters to describe the shape of the object to which they refer:
A-frame, C-clamp, I-beam, O-ring, T-shirt, T-intersection, T-bone, U-turn, V-neck
Chinese ...
12
votes
2answers
218 views
Tense and use of 了
I struggle a bit to get my head around tense in Mandarin, and in particular when I need to use 了 (le).
Do you have any tips, examples or resources to help me out with this?
12
votes
3answers
185 views
但是, 可是 and 不过 - how to know which one to use?
According to my dictionary, 但是, 可是 and 不过 all mean "but/however"? However is there any difference between them? Are there some cases, where one can be used but not another?
11
votes
5answers
264 views
Number two in chinese: 二 vs 两
I always knew, from my studies of Japanese, that the number two is 二 (èr). I am not sure about the actual etymology, but looking at the character, it's understandable why it represents the number "2".
...
11
votes
5answers
224 views
How do we know what characters correspond to Chinese names?
Recently I've asked "How do we choose the correct characters for a westerner name?", and now, I'm facing a similar, yet kind of different problem, which I think applies to any westerner or Chinese ...
11
votes
3answers
144 views
Character Pronunciation Clues
Is there any way to know what a character's pronunciation or tone is, based on the strokes or radicals that make up characters?
11
votes
4answers
149 views
How to Find Characters in a Dictionary?
In English we would look words based on their alphabetical order.
But how are Chinese dictionaries ordered to allow you to find what you are looking for - is it based on the radicals, number of ...
11
votes
4answers
373 views
Character and word frequencies
I'm trying to build some automated tools for processing Chinese text. I'd like to know the relative frequencies of different characters and character combinations. Are there any web sites with this ...
11
votes
4answers
699 views
Are 明白 and 懂 synonymous?
Are 明白 and 懂 synonymous? If not, could anyone please elaborate on the difference along with some examples of usage?
11
votes
6answers
275 views
Are children's books a good starting place for beginners?
I was wondering if Chinese children's books might be a good starting place for adult Chinese language newbies (regardless of whether it be Mandarin, Cantonese, Wu, whatever), in particular westerners ...
11
votes
1answer
452 views
Different names for each of the fingers
In English we have different names for each of the fingers:
Thumb, index, middle, ring and pinky fingers.
Are there special names for each of these in Chinese and if necessary what are the ...
11
votes
4answers
189 views
Are there any online etymological dictionaries of Mandarin (not for characters but for spoken words)
tl;dr Are you aware of any dictionaries that explain word etymologies (not merely character etymologies)? Some links/references would be useful.
This is actually a collection of related questions, ...
10
votes
7answers
296 views
Sheep or goat? 一只羊跑过来
In the sentence:
一只羊跑过来
Would a Chinese person typically assume this is a goat or a sheep?
10
votes
6answers
273 views
Do all schools in China teach in Standard Chinese (普通话)?
When I went to China, it was apparent that many (sometimes most) people still spoke their local dialects instead of Standard Chinese/Putonghua (also known as "Mandarin" in English). I was told that ...
10
votes
6answers
1k views
Why is stroke order important when writing Chinese characters?
I often see people having a big focus on correct stroke order for writing Chinese characters.
My question is, for most learners, is it important to know the stroke order, and if so, why is it ...
10
votes
3answers
387 views
What is the difference between 狗 and 犬?
狗 (gǒu) and 犬 (quǎn) both mean "dog" and both seem relatively common, but is there any difference between them? When should I use one and when should I use the other?
10
votes
1answer
214 views
Why use 非 and 亚 for continent names?
Why was 非 chosen for 非洲 (Africa) and 亚 chosen for 亚洲 (Asia)?
I can't find a particular reason to use these characters.
10
votes
2answers
142 views
How do I decide whether to use 可以, 会 or 能?
According to every dictionary I've seen so far, there is a big overlap in these:
可以 = can, may, be able to
会 = can, be able to, able
能 = can, may, able, capable
How do I properly choose which one ...
10
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 ...
10
votes
2answers
156 views
What is the difference between 总是 and 一直?
I've always (no pun intended) wondered what the difference is between the 2 words. I thought they both meant always, but I've never quite grasped in what context they should be used.
Could anyone ...
10
votes
4answers
345 views
Etymology of 他妈的
I've seen mention of this word a few time. In English it is clear how certain words became swear words; f..., sh.. and damn all have very strong meanings in their literal sense; the former two being ...
10
votes
2answers
204 views
Reading handwriting
How can I get better at reading handwriting? Are there fonts that look like it, or web sites with examples for practice? Are there some common shortcuts that people take when writing by hand?
10
votes
2answers
261 views
Informal ways of beginning/ending an e-mail
I have been writing quite a few e-mails recently and I feel that I want to expand my vocabulary regarding acceptable phrases to use both at the beginning and end of an e-mail. When I say informal, I ...
10
votes
2answers
413 views
How did 黃 (yellow) come to mean “pornographic”?
In my dictionary it defines
黃 (Huáng)
- yellow
- pornographic
- to fall through
- surname Huang or Hwang
Imperial China and the robes of the emperor are commonly associated with the colour yellow.
...
9
votes
5answers
183 views
Why isn't 到 (dào) used in this sentence?
Earlier while chatting, I wrote a sentence and a native speaker told me it was correct. The sentence was:
某天我去北京。= Someday I'll go to Beijing.
(mǒu tiān wǒ qù Běi jīng)
I noticed that no ...
9
votes
5answers
419 views
How offensive is 他妈的?
How offensive is the expression 他妈的? What is an English expression with a similar degree of offensiveness? In what situations is this expression appropriate / not appropriate?
9
votes
6answers
338 views
When is it appropriate to address a lady as 先生？
Chairman Mao addressed Soong Ching-ling as 宋庆龄先生. Yang Jiang was also addressed as 杨绛先生 by the public. My dad used to tell me to address some of his female colleagues as 先生 too.
I wonder why a lady ...
9
votes
3answers
321 views
血: xuè , xiě, what's the difference?
Is there some sort of logical rule for when 血 is xuè and when it is xiě?
9
votes
5answers
298 views
How do we choose the correct characters for a westerner name?
Since there are many characters that share a common pronunciation and sometimes also the same tone, how do we properly choose which character best represents our name? Is it totally arbitrary or are ...
