All Questions
1
vote
4answers
327 views
how to say ”(尤为)难得“ in English?
How would you say "难得“ and ”尤为难得“ in English?
For example,
他在自己生活困难的情况下，资助老弱病残，尤为难得。
Thanks！
4
votes
2answers
187 views
How can I skip characters I can't read when reading aloud?
As an example, I was at the cinema and I wanted to buy tickets for a film named
北京遇上西雅图
However, I can't read all of the characters.
In English I'd say;
Can I get a ticket for that film ...
3
votes
4answers
298 views
How would one say “my computer died”?
I know 关掉 to mean "turn off" but it doesn't seem to convey the sudden-ness or unwelcome connotation of "died". 突然关掉 is more precise but still seems to lack the negitivity. Also, as this is a common ...
6
votes
2answers
842 views
Why do the names of some Chinese companies consist of “repeated” words?
I'm referring to the repetition of names such as "Dangdang" and "Renren." Why is this the case?
3
votes
3answers
230 views
Translating the idiom “thinking outside the box”
I normally hate overused catchphrases in English, like "paradigm shift" and "out of the box thinking". But I was recently chatting (in Chinese) with a friend about an earlier situation in which ...
1
vote
3answers
192 views
Is it possible to use the verb particle 过 for future events?
I know it's possible to the use perfective aspect particle 了 for future events, eg:
你家少爷长大了准能当个二流子。
I have yet to find example of similar occurrences with 过. Is it even possible to use it in ...
1
vote
3answers
155 views
Translating the word “feelings” for conversational use
When I look for a dictionary translation of "feelings", I see two translations: 情怀 and 情面.
Which of these two would be better suited to translate the following sentence
The woman rhetorically ...
2
votes
3answers
131 views
Proper translation of the word “confidence”
What would be the proper way of translating
I don't have confidence in myself to dance on stage.
I understand that this isn't a translation service, but my difficulty arises from the many ...
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 ...
5
votes
2answers
241 views
Why does 首饰的饰 have the 饣radical?
According to my sources 饣 means "food" or "eat". Since when do people eat jewelry?
0
votes
0answers
234 views
What are the English words used to address oneself like “爷”, “老娘” and “哥/姐”? [closed]
There are so many interesting Chinese appellations to call oneself, for example:
不要跟哥比，哥只是个传说。
This is used to boast oneself about his great ability/talent in something, and the word 哥 refers to ...
4
votes
6answers
577 views
Could you explain the structure of this sentence?
The sentence 我吃饭的时候看了一本书。 apparently has two verbs (吃 and 看), but I can’t see how the two actions are correlated. Could anyone explain that?
4
votes
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 ...
4
votes
5answers
334 views
What is that use of 得?
I have read the sentence: 你还记得我吗？
But I can’t understand the meaning of 得, here. I don’t think it belongs to the rules explained here
3
votes
1answer
116 views
Measure Words and their English Analogue
I was taught that the closest analogue in English of Chinese measure words are 'units', e.g. "a pile of wood", "a cup of water", etc.
What strikes me as a bit odd about this analogy is that the units ...
3
votes
9answers
487 views
How can I pronounce 绿 (lü4 - green)?
My wife gave up trying to correct me on how to pronounce green.
I find it very hard to get a distinct sound from the word for 绿 (lü4 - green), Lu, and, Liu (as in Liu Bei). Obviously, Lu is exactly ...
5
votes
1answer
132 views
How to say the term “招” and “式” in English?
It's used as a classifier, like this:
"亢龙有悔"是"降龙十八掌"中的*一招*.
and
*一招一式*他都记得清清楚楚.
So how to say it in English?
1
vote
2answers
470 views
American movies and TV shows dubbed in Chinese?
I've been studying Mandarin Chinese for a year now.
To improve my listening skills and to have fun at the same time I thought of watching famous american movies and famous american TV shows (such as ...
2
votes
2answers
127 views
Cantonese jyutping Tone 4 question “throat should be vibrating”
I was wondering whether anyone could help me distinguish how to pronounce tone 4 (mostly low flat) and tone 3 (mid flat).
I read in tone 4, you should feel your throat vibrate. Honestly, I have my ...
6
votes
3answers
275 views
我也住在這裡 or 我也住這裡
I'm quite confused with using 在 in a sentence. I learned that it usually indicates a place or a location. I'm trying to say "I also live here". I thought that since I'm referring to a place, maybe I ...
7
votes
2answers
241 views
What's a precise definition of 人家
I've gathered from context, that “人家” can be used like “我” with the following differences:
"人家" seems more immature/cute. I often hear it in cartoons or children's shows or said by children in ...
4
votes
4answers
371 views
What is the equivalent of “make sense” in Chinese?
I am trying to explain the phrase "make sense" to my cousin, who is learning English. The dictionary suggests "有意义", but I believe that "有意义" is "meaningful" and that "make sense" should be "讲得通", ...
3
votes
4answers
190 views
央行行长会: Is the second 行 necessary?
央行行长会 - A Meeting of the Heads of Central Banks.
Is the second 行 necessary? If not why not? Does 央行长 mean "Head of a Central Bank" or is it necessary to say the equivalent of "Bank-Head of a Central ...
6
votes
2answers
324 views
Why does 三八 mean gossip?
I've heard in 广东 (guangdong) the term 三八 to mean "gossip", particularly for a woman who gossips.
Is this common throughout China,
and why does it have this meaning?
4
votes
2answers
220 views
What is the classical Chinese meaning of 或?
I am reading a text that uses the following phrase:
或謂鄭相曰
I understand it generally to mean that
someone told to the prime minister of Zheng saying
However, I don't understand exactly ...
4
votes
1answer
153 views
Pronunciation of 和 in Taiwan
This is something that I noticed in Taiwanese Mandarin TV series and films. It seems that they pronounce this character as hàn instead of the commonly accepted hé.
For example, 我和你 is pronounced wǒ ...
3
votes
4answers
291 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 ...
3
votes
3answers
166 views
Where can I find Chinese IPA transcriptions?
Since I have some experience of using IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet), I thought Standard Chinese transcriptions could be a good resource for practicing my pronunciation. Is such a resource ...
4
votes
4answers
156 views
How do I practise grouping characters into words? At which stage of learning should one expect to be good at this?
I just got the following sentence in a newsletter:
请问我可以跟你借支笔吗？
Being a beginner that I am, I read it as "Can I please get one pay-check in advance?" because I saw this in my dictionary:
借支 = ...
3
votes
2answers
96 views
Differentiating “to do a burnout” and “burning tyres”
"To do a burnout" is 烧胎, so I assume a reasonable sentence would be:
昨天晚上我在停车场烧胎。
How would one distinguish this activity from piling up tyres and setting fire to them, for example in this news ...
5
votes
6answers
429 views
Which fonts show the stroke order of all characters?
For academic purposes, I need to print out some pages of characters with stroke orders shown. Which computer fonts (e.g. TrueType or OpenType) are available which show the stroke order of each ...
1
vote
4answers
148 views
Better translation for 春节联欢晚会 than New Year's Gala
On the night of New Years Eve in China many people watch the annual New Year's Gala. This in Chinese is called 春节联欢晚会 in English this is translated as New Year's Gala.
So what exactly is a 联欢晚会? Can ...
1
vote
1answer
111 views
What's the difference between 蝦 and 鰕?
I found there are two characters for "xia1" (ghra as in Middle Chinese), 蝦 and 鰕.
Could someone explain what the difference is?
4
votes
3answers
119 views
What does 嘞 mean
I actually suspect that this character may be a typo for ”了“, but I'll ask nevertheless. What is the second character in this snippet?:
I managed to write it into my pocket dictionary, it simply ...
4
votes
1answer
124 views
Is the traditional character for 雪 the same as itself?
Is the traditional character for ?
Or are both and considered the same character (汉字) with simply different font styles?
4
votes
5answers
200 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 ...
4
votes
3answers
122 views
Early childhood Chinese language immersion accent exposure
Is it important for young children (4 or 5 years old) in a Chinese language immersion program to be exposed to more than one type of Mandarin accent? If the child only hears one accent (and one that ...
4
votes
2answers
223 views
Who exactly is a 干妈
This dictionary translates 干妈 as "Godmother", and my pocket dictionary also gives "nominal mother".
In English, "Godmother" and "Godfather" are very specific titles - Your Godparents are the people ...
0
votes
3answers
140 views
Chinese tattoo help [closed]
I want a tattoo saying 時間 (time). However I was told this is not suitable for a tattoo. I wanted to know how to say time in chinese with a deep meaning. Is there a way to add a character so that it ...
4
votes
1answer
178 views
What is the etymology of 放我一马？
I've heard this a couple times now and most recently in a movie "钢的琴". It's an idiom that means "cut me some slack"; "let me off the hook". I couldn't make sense of the Baidu encyclopedia so I'm ...
2
votes
2answers
167 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, ...
5
votes
1answer
95 views
Chinese for “patch” in the sense of “software patch”
The dictionary lists many words for "patch" but none that explicitly state they mean patch in the software sense of the word.
EDIT: Dictionary has now been updated
6
votes
2answers
339 views
How will translate “谁让你” into English?
How will translate "谁让你" into English? For example,
我不得不服从你的安排。 谁让你是我的老板呢？
3
votes
1answer
79 views
馅饼 in Cantonese
In the Dim Sum place I usually go to (in the U.S), they call the pan-fried bun stuffed with Chinese chive and shrimp 韭菜馅饼. I came from Northern China and the shape and size of that bun are, by any ...
3
votes
3answers
242 views
Why is Economic translated to “經濟”?
I know that it's a translation from Japanese, but I do not know why it becomes this. Could someone explain it in detail?
3
votes
1answer
94 views
Is the expression 学识渊博 usually used in a pejorative sense?
For example, as a sarcastic remark in the sense of "pedantic" or "know-it-all"?
2
votes
2answers
104 views
Could 恭喜发财 sound inappropriate?
I sent new year greetings to my Chinese teacher last week, writing "新年快乐! 恭喜发财!". When I saw her today she thanked me, but said I should never write 恭喜发财 to a teacher, because it's a greeting only ...
6
votes
5answers
223 views
What is the meaning of 真是的
What is a meaning of 真是的. I heard for many times in context something like 你真是的！ And yet I have doubts about proper meaning of this expression.
5
votes
2answers
140 views
Is the character 年 (or its etymology) related to the mythical beast in Chinese mythology?
Premise: According to the mythology related to the Chinese New Year, a creature called 年 (also referred to as 年兽 — pinyin: nián shòu — 年獸 in Traditional chinese) was a mythical beast that "lived under ...
2
votes
1answer
71 views
Is 级 necessary in 优先级
From the dictionary I gather that 优先 by itself means "priority" and so 优先级 means "level of priority".
In a phrase such as 高优先级，or 最高优先级，is the 级 necessary to sound correct, or is it an optional ...
