All Questions
2
votes
1answer
269 views
Why 福 is often used upside down?
On Chinese houses, people often place scriptures for luck, health, wealth, etc.
Often, they use the word 福 [fú] turned upside down, like this:
What is the reason for it?
3
votes
1answer
71 views
How to parse this phrase?
The radical 囗 is sometimes described as 圍字框. This phrase is a little bit ambigous to me. Does this mean
«the frame of the character 【圍】» (圍字的框子)
or «the frame that surrounds characters»? (包圍文字的框子)
4
votes
2answers
143 views
Etymology of 其他
In Chinese, one uses the phrase 其他 when refering to other things. In Japanese one uses a similiar phrase: 其の他 (Sono ta), where 其 is often written in Hiragana: その他. Since the meaning is identical, I ...
5
votes
1answer
95 views
How to cope with classical references?
It seems like references to classical literature are unavoidable in virtually all materials enjoyed by native speakers - I was watching an episode of 蚁族的奋斗 where a group of young men are talking ...
2
votes
3answers
163 views
Is there more than one way to pronounce “knee” in Chinese?
My daughter's preschool has a Mandarin language immersion program and the teacher (from Fuzhou, Fujian province) seems to pronounce "knee" (膝盖) as qīgài instead of xīgài.
Is qīgài a correct ...
0
votes
0answers
126 views
Could you please explain more to me about 'of' in my example? [closed]
For example:
1.1
The OSGi Service Platform provides the functions to change the composition dynamically on the device of a variety of networks, without requiring a restarts.
I only know the 'of' ...
1
vote
3answers
155 views
How to translate/use 一巧
All of a sudden in my course we've started using "一巧" everywhere, and I really do not understand it at all.
example:
尽管我很喜欢这张唱片，可是我一巧也开始喜欢它，想到以后可以跟一巧一起听音乐，我决定把这张唱片给他。
which I understand all of, ...
1
vote
3answers
124 views
problem with 要 - it seems to have several meanings
一看见这些楼房，他心里就想，自己一定要买上一套房子。
This is the sentence that I've come across. I've translated it as:
Once he sees these houses, he thinks that he can definitely buy a house himself.
But I'm always ...
4
votes
3answers
206 views
How to write 400,002,000 in Chinese properly?
I got a number, 400,002,000, I wonder how to read it?
Should it be one of these two? Or something else?
四亿零二千
四亿二千
2
votes
2answers
123 views
“一块” versus “一块儿” in Beijing
From some experience in Beijing, some on CCTV 9, and some reading, I begin to suspect that in Beijing the pronunciation "一块" is more often used for the count noun, and "一块儿" is more often used to mean ...
3
votes
1answer
118 views
Why do some parents pronounce 妹妹 as měiméi instead of mèimèi or mèimei?
I have heard some Taiwan (and maybe Mainland) parents call their daughters měiméi. I'm wondering what is the reason for that.
1
vote
3answers
127 views
Meaning of 漂漂亮亮地参加晚会
I saw this sentence on a textbook:
漂漂亮亮地参加晚会
Without more context information, what is the translation of that sentence?
I think it has a meaning of "(a girl) dress up beautifully before going ...
2
votes
1answer
90 views
What does 'twitter/facebook Town Hall' mean in Chinese?
I watched the video ' Obama's Twitter Town Hall- Full Video ' in Youtube.But I knew the Town Hall means '市政厅',and what does it mean here?
6
votes
2answers
176 views
How to explain 讲 in 讲礼貌 and 讲卫生
In my understanding 讲礼貌 translates as 'be polite' and 讲卫生 is something like 'be clean', but how should I explain the 讲 to a new speaker? I take this as a set phrase, but is there a way to translate ...
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.
1
vote
1answer
116 views
Noun Placement in Grammar
I've recently come across this statement.
那你可以在宾馆洗. "Then you can wash them (clothes) at the hotel."
I'd like to say,
"Can you wash your clothes at the hotel?"
But I can't figure out the ...
3
votes
2answers
130 views
Translations from TCM (Traditional Chinese medicine)
I have asked Chinese co-workers & checked sites such as Iciba & Google Translate to no avail. I know that this is talking about 2 points used in TCM, but I have no idea how to translate these ...
7
votes
3answers
165 views
Asking “how many cousins do you have?”
What is a collective term for first cousins?
Everywhere I've looked it is emphasized that the correct term for "cousin" depends on age, sex and whether the cousin is on father's or mother's side. But ...
4
votes
1answer
64 views
What is the difference between 濱 and 瀕?
Another pair of homonyms with similar/identical meaning. A dictionary check gives me this:
濱
(1) 水邊。如：「河濱」、「海濱」、「她喜歡在湖濱散步。」
(2) 靠近。如：「濱臨」、「濱海公路」。
瀕
(1) 水邊。如：「河瀕」、「江瀕」。
(2) 臨近、迫近。如：「瀕臨」、「瀕危」。
This ...
3
votes
1answer
319 views
Terms of endearment
What are some Chinese words that I can use to call either my spouse or a love interest?
In English we have names like sweety, sweetheart, lovely, honey etc.
What are some common equivalents that are ...
4
votes
1answer
130 views
When is it appropriate to use 亲爱的?
In English it perfectly fine in a business context and for someone you have never met before to use Dear XXXX at the beginning of a letter or email.
This causes some difficulty when moving to another ...
2
votes
5answers
217 views
4
votes
3answers
116 views
Idiomatic expressions for attitude (agreement or disagreement)
I have recently seen two phrases which, in my understanding, looked very similar to each other:
再看吧 [zài kàn ba]
考虑考虑 [kǎo lǜ kǎo lǜ]
However, I've been told that the first one means almost ...
2
votes
3answers
120 views
Grammar for counting in Chinese (for non-native speakers of Chinese)
I need to write a program that can insert the count of objects into a text - without knowing virtually anything about the Chinese language. While for English this needs to distinguish between singular ...
2
votes
7answers
310 views
Can I use 我的腿累了 for “My legs are tired”?
I play soccer with a bunch of Chinese friends regularly and I want to say "my legs are tired".
I already know 我跑不动了 and 我的腿很酸, but I'm not sure what is the best fit for the Chinese equivelant of "my ...
1
vote
1answer
104 views
How to say “I live at the bottom of a hill”?
I've only ever people say something like 我住在山坡上 but to me 山坡 sounds like the side of a mountain. Google translate gives me 我住在山脚下.
In English we use, I live at the bottom of a hill, not I live at the ...
0
votes
7answers
185 views
Learning/remembering Chinese
I lived in China for a few months and picked up quite a bit of Mandarin. Now that I've moved back to the US, I have forgotten the Chinese I knew and spoke while there. Other than actually living where ...
6
votes
1answer
162 views
How do non-native speakers get to perceive tones in Chinese?
Recently I've been teaching an English-speaking friend some basics about Chinese, but inevitably he got stuck with the tones. I've demonstrated to him the 4 tones with audio files, yet it seems hard ...
4
votes
2answers
149 views
What's the difference between 証 and 證?
I realized 证 could be 証 and 證. Is there any difference between them?
7
votes
3answers
365 views
Why do Chinese translations of English names sound very inaccurate?
I have noticed that most Chinese translation of English names sounds really inaccurate and weird.
For example, the common translation of person's name "Robert Wilson" is "罗伯特·威尔逊", which is not ...
6
votes
3answers
327 views
爱老虎油 - is it slang?
Seen this phrase written by a Chinese person:
爱老虎油
[ài lǎohǔ yóu]
What does it mean? Failed to find it in dictionaries.
Is it some slang or 白话?
6
votes
5answers
168 views
What are some ways that I can be self-deprecating about my Chinese speaking ability?
I live in an area where there are many Chinese so I get plenty of opportunity to use my language skills including shopping, eating at restaurants and meeting new people.
The Chinese people I meet are ...
3
votes
6answers
275 views
Is this correct: “一个游戏有四个季度”
I wanted to find out how to say a sports game has four quarters and the translation I received from Google was: "一个游戏有四个季度"
Certain sports games are split into 4 quarters rather than 2 halves and I ...
3
votes
2answers
119 views
How to say “a beneficial insect”?
I want to be able to say to my son that an insect is beneficial.
I know I can use 害虫 for an insect that is harmful, but is there something I can use to say beneficial other than 好虫 which I assume is ...
6
votes
2answers
335 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？
1
vote
3answers
149 views
Understanding the meaning of 让 in this sentence
我不但能够让外国人坐我的车，还能够让他包我的车。
This is from a Chinese reader. The voice is of a Chinese taxi-driver.
The problem is the translation of 让...
He's talking about going to hotels and getting customers.
...
2
votes
3answers
167 views
Locale pronunciations of standard mandarin [closed]
When I first came to China, I was quite disappointed to find out that, in so many places, the colloquial pronunciation was so greatly different from the one I've studied so far. The phonological ...
1
vote
2answers
169 views
What does 就算这次做错也只是怕错过 mean?
I found this sentence in a song's lyrics => " 就算这次做错也只是怕错过 ". What does it mean?
2
votes
1answer
211 views
Where can I find more cartoon videos like BBC's Muzzy for a young child to learn Mandarin? [closed]
I'm not talking about instructional videos and bi-lingual videos. Just Mandarin cartoon videos which a young child, with the ability to naturally absorb a new language, can use to learn Mandarin.
8
votes
5answers
296 views
Translation for “sorry” as in “I am sorry to hear that”?
In English we can say "sorry" as an abbreviation for "I am sorry to hear that"/"I feel sorry for you" to express sympathy. Is there a Chinese word or phrase that bears the same meaning?
I know one ...
3
votes
2answers
173 views
“If you say so”: Dismissive agreement
I would like to know some ways to agree in a non-committal or dismissive way. For instance, in English, we have:
If you say so.
Is that so? (with a flat intonation)
Really? (flat ...
1
vote
1answer
98 views
Chinese equivalent of the English word candid
I was just reading this news article and I'm interested to know which word or phrase would have been translated from Chinese to English as "candid":
China's foreign ministry described Tuesday's ...
6
votes
2answers
284 views
Difference between 接受 and 接收
The first one (接受 jiēshòu) seems far more general and frequent:
我接受邀请。 I accepted the invitation.
他将接受口试。 He will take an oral examination.
他拒绝接受治疗。 He refused treatment.
The second one (接收 ...
1
vote
2answers
171 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 ...
9
votes
2answers
213 views
How do you emphasize unformatted Chinese text?
In English, one can write, "I am mad at you!" as "I AM MAD AT YOU!" for greater emphasis; on the internet, it's seen as "yelling". Absent the ability to format text (say, bold or italics), what is ...
3
votes
2answers
180 views
Difference between 好累 and 很累
我很累。
我好累。
What's the difference between those sentences? Both seems to mean "I'm tired".
1
vote
3answers
125 views
What's the subject of this sentence?
I found a short sentence on tatoeba.org and I'm not exactly sure what it means.
好像找到了。
My best guess is that it means, "Seems like you found it." Is that right?
5
votes
1answer
94 views
What is the difference between 升, 陞 and 昇?
There are some characters in Chinese which give me severe headaches, especially those that have the same pronunciation and mean more or less the same thing.
I have learnt three characters which are ...
10
votes
2answers
259 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 ...
5
votes
1answer
124 views
