2
votes
2answers
159 views
Pronunciation of 比较
On a CCTV 9 show shot in Shanghai, a couple of people who were certainly speaking Putonghua have made comparisons and if I heard right they were pronouncing 比较 as "biao." Am I wrong? Is that a common ...
-2
votes
1answer
45 views
Help translating [closed]
Not sure this is the correct forum for this post as I'm not a student, but I need help translating this a error message I keep getting. I'm hoping it's Chinese.
...
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?
5
votes
4answers
272 views
Any difference between 早安 and 早上好?
Is there any difference in meaning, formality, tone, or otherwise between the "good morning" greetings 早安 and 早上好? Or just regional preferences? (I'm thinking perhaps the former may be more common in ...
1
vote
1answer
116 views
Where can I find sample Simplified Chinese mailing address data? [closed]
I need to populate a database with Simplified Chinese mailing addresses. Where can I find some test data?
Edit
Since I'm trying to work with these addresses in a computer program, it would be nice ...
6
votes
4answers
231 views
Pronounce ellipsis 《●●● ●●●》 in Mandarin
When I'm reading ellipses in English out loud I usually say et cetera or and so on. What should I say in Mandarin? 等等?
4
votes
3answers
101 views
What is the function of 了 in the sentence 我最怕去西单了?
Received this in a text from a Chinese friend. I want to say that "了" here is not part of the verb phrase but instead just an emphatic particle, same as if you said something like "我最怕蜘蛛了"。Then again, ...
8
votes
4answers
163 views
How do Chinese people pronounce Latin characters?
I hear that "Windows XP" is commonly called "Chā P" because the letter "X" may be pronounced "Chā".
Are there other Latin characters that have similarly peculiar pronunciations?
2
votes
2answers
118 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
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, ...
7
votes
6answers
133 views
What etymology dictionaries are available?
What dictionaries (online, software-based or in paper form) explain the origins of a word and its evolution over time? E.g. how the character was once written, how the usage – and the meaning – ...
6
votes
2answers
310 views
What font size for reading simplified characters on screen?
I realize this sounds like a very subjective question, so I will try to ask it very carefully:
I'm learning to speak, read, and write Mandarin. A lot of times (particularly on the web or in e-mail) I ...
2
votes
1answer
124 views
Meaning of “网络驿站”
I've come across the phrase "网络驿站" a couple of times recently, but don't understand precisely what it means (see Hbjjrb.com for an example).
The only translation of 驿站 that I can find refers to a ...
0
votes
2answers
159 views
How to say “用斜杠包围逗号” in english? [closed]
Is this sentence "encircle the comma using slash" right?
Actually, I want to figure out this situation \,\
I doubt the word 'encircle' is not accurate.
2
votes
2answers
145 views
Where can I find Cantonese poetry?
I would like to identify some Cantonese poetry to study, and I'm looking for the kind of poetry that follows a recognized style and is bound by certain rules (even Cantonese haiku or limericks would ...
1
vote
1answer
130 views
How should I understand 集合?
I looked up the definition for 集合 in Baidu but I'm not sure how to use it. My example is like this:
其博大宽泛的特性集合，～
The context of this sentence is that it's describing PHP, a popular programming ...
0
votes
1answer
101 views
What is the significance of 吃秋葵时过世?
I found this on nciku.cn and after searching around I could find no other references or even mention. Is this a translation error or some sort of dictionary blip?
I asked a few Chinese friends but ...
4
votes
1answer
116 views
Graded Mandarin Chinese podcasts or e-books
Are there any resources for students of Mandarin Chinese that allow them to listen or read Chinese news or literature in simple versions, preferably in podcast or e-book format respectively?
By that ...
0
votes
3answers
166 views
What are the relative literacy rates in for simplified and traditional characters?
I'm trying to decide whether it would be better to use traditional or simplified characters for an iPhone game I'm making. If something is written in traditional, how many people will be able to read ...
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.
...
0
votes
2answers
221 views
How do I translate a definition for inheritance (computer science)?
I'm trying to say this in Chinese:
Inheritance allows for reuse of code where common behavior is defined
once for a number of related classes and unique behavior is
implemented only in classes ...
2
votes
2answers
111 views
How to mix Latin and Chinese script with style?
I am currently writing a Chinese translation for a webpage about a Go meeting. The section about how to get there contains a lot of mixed Chinese and Latin text:
地點
社團處所在 Lehrter Straße ...
1
vote
2answers
150 views
Resultative complement 到
Is using the resultative complement 到 generally equivalent to saying "at the time this action was finished"?
Can 你走到车站的时候已经很晚了吗？ be translated as "By the time you reached the station were you ...
11
votes
4answers
696 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?
1
vote
1answer
183 views
Poetic two-character words of the form: Verb + Natural Noun?
I was looking for examples in Mandarin of poetic two-character words. What words have the following form...
Verb + Noun
...where the noun is something that occurs in nature?
The first examples ...
2
votes
3answers
144 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
4answers
266 views
What is a polite way to ask “may I ask who is speaking?”
A man I don't know calls me and starts talking to me in Chinese. All is fine, except I don't know who he is. I sense I'm not the person he's looking for. How do I ask who he is without being too ...
5
votes
2answers
145 views
Is the measure word optional in 这件毛衣?
I've heard the sentence 这毛衣, (so without measure word), but my chinese manual always use a measure word after 这:
这件毛衣
这件苹果
Is the measure word optionnal in after 这 ?
2
votes
1answer
88 views
What's the Eye of a Hurricane called in Chinese/Pinyin?
For a role playing game I'm joining, my character is a monk of Chinese origin.
Trying to come up with a name I thought of "Eye of (the) Hurricane/Typhoon" as the monk is a very calm character caught ...
5
votes
7answers
350 views
What is the difference between using 光 vs using 只?
What is the gramatical difference between 光 and 只?
光剩下2毛钱 does not have the same meaning/context as 只剩下2毛钱
It seems there is more emphasis to the part that comes after 光. When is the right time to ...
5
votes
3answers
221 views
How would one accurately translate “万事大吉”?
This is a four character phrase for which I have found no accurate translation online. I hear it all the time around CNY.
万事大吉
2
votes
2answers
303 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 ...
7
votes
2answers
150 views
Implications of “旧的不去，新的不来”
I found this idiom while looking for another idiom my friend told me about like 回去回来 or 回来回去. I'm wondering about the implications of 旧的不去，新的不来 though. Can this be used for people who hold onto broken ...
6
votes
2answers
131 views
How does foreign word transliteration work in the context of Cantonese vs Mandarin?
If I understand correctly, Cantonese sounds very different from Mandarin, despite being written in the same way (omitting some small differences, which are irrelevant for the question).
If it is the ...
3
votes
2answers
144 views
What is the appropriate translation for 'energy'?
There are many times when I want to tell someone that I don't have enough energy to do something. These are close but not exactly what I want:
我太累。 I'm not too tired, I just don't have as much energy ...
2
votes
2answers
182 views
Why does the word 萌 mean “cute”?
A friend of mine said in a photo of me, my eyes looked very 萌(meng2).
你的眼睛很萌
My dictionary defines 萌 as;
萌 méng （动）
sprout;
bud;
germinate
But apparently in this context it means ...
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: ...
1
vote
4answers
120 views
回去回来 回来回去 来来回回 来来去去 Are they the same?
In this post, Juckele mention two terms completely new to me : 回去回来 and 回来回去.
I know
来来回回 Things keep going in circle, usually use to describe situation in life
来来去去 Same as above
But what about ...
2
votes
4answers
154 views
茶 - How to identify varieties of tea?
I'm looking for vocabulary to help puzzle-out the kind of tea contained in various packages from the Chinese characters on their labels.
So far I recognize 茶(tea) and 叶(leaves). (Apparently these ...
6
votes
2answers
169 views
Difference between 许多 and 很多
What's the difference between 许多 and 很多?
For example, in this sentence I found on Jukuu both terms are used:
After years of teaching, I have many memories to dwell on in idle moments.
...
5
votes
2answers
137 views
他在工厂住了半年/living in factories
This was an example sentence in Practical Chinese Reader 31. Do people actually live in factories, or is there some cultural context I'm missing? In previous chapters, people are constantly visiting ...
2
votes
2answers
127 views
Are there online resources for learning the Chongqing dialect?
I'd like to learn the Chongqing dialect or chongqinghua. If anyone can help me to find resources like phrasebooks, differences with putonghua, or any article on this topic, I would be thankful.
2
votes
6answers
313 views
How can we translate 不是……胜似 into English?
I just saw a friend's profile saying: Not a geek, but like a geek.
Somehow I immediately translated it as 不是geek胜似geek. But it seems not right since
I feel that 不是geek胜似geek is much semantically ...
-2
votes
2answers
121 views
What written language is more commonly used for video games in China? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What are the relative literacy rates in for simplified and traditional characters?
Just wondering what language to use in game menus, buttons, and settings.
4
votes
4answers
197 views
Difference between 合适 and 适合
Both 合适 and 适合 mean to fit/to suit.
I know the grammatical form needed for each one is different:
在这个情况下，你在穿的衣服就不合适。
我在找一个适合我的女孩子。
Aside of that, I have been told they cannot be used ...
0
votes
0answers
22 views
Free online integrated resource for learning Chinese [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Resources for learning Mandarin Chinese
I have been studying 普通话 by myself for a little over two years ago now, and have found many good free resources online for ...
3
votes
4answers
146 views
1
vote
1answer
113 views
What are the corresponding titles for “Dr.” (in the sense of MD and PhD) in Chinese?
The prefix Dr. in English refers to both medical doctors, and PhD graduates. What are the correct titles for these in Chinese? I believe that 医生 is correct to use as a title for a medical doctor, but ...
3
votes
1answer
327 views
What is the Cantonese equivalent for 你怎么样？
Colloquial Cantonese phrases often differ significantly from Mandarin, so I would be nervous to use 你怎么样 pronounced in Cantonese.
Is there a greeting of identical (or nearly identical) meaning in ...
4
votes
4answers
361 views
Written Cantonese input?
Although traditionally Cantonese speakers just use standard Chinese (mostly Traditional in my experience) for writing and reading, written Cantonese does exist as you can read about in this Wikipedia ...
