All Questions
2
votes
6answers
1k views
What shoud I use to say “I love you”: “wa ai lo” or “wo ai ni”?
Some of my chinese friends speak Chinese. I asked them how to say "I love you" in their language, but most of them said "wa ai lo" not "wo ai ni", how can this be?
I look for google translate, it ...
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 ...
5
votes
4answers
323 views
Take away (when ordering food): is it 带走 or 打包?
I was told that when you are ordering food you can say either 带走 or 打包.
However, when you are not ordering food and you mean "take this away", then you use 拿走。
Is there a difference in context or ...
2
votes
3answers
189 views
What does 糗大 (qiǔdà) mean?
What does 糗大 (qiǔdà) mean in the following phrase?
那才真的糗大了。
From context, I think it ought to mean something like "that would really be terrible" or "that would be far worse," but I can't find ...
6
votes
2answers
117 views
Which ma belongs in the phrase 我 “ma” 好的
This may be a SE dialect thing, but plenty of my friends say 我 "ma" 好的 to mean 我很好 or "ma" 好的 to mean good or I agree with you.
Can someone tell me which character (if there is one) is supposed to be ...
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 ...
6
votes
3answers
307 views
Dog radical (犭) for non-Han ethnic groups
As far as I understand, the dog radical (犭) was used for all non-Han ethnic groups before the Chinese Communist Party took power on the mainland. Is there truth to that? If so:
Why did the CCP stop ...
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 ...
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.
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
9answers
555 views
Are “我在哪里可以买火车票” and “我哪里可以买火车票” both correct sentences?
Are "我在哪里可以买火车票" and "我哪里可以买火车票" both correct sentences? If one isn't, why?
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 ...
2
votes
5answers
217 views
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 ...
4
votes
1answer
63 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 ...
6
votes
10answers
489 views
What is the Chinese equivalent of English idiom “As if!”?
The English idiom "as if!" is used to express the speakers rejection that something is possible:
A: "In a few years I'll be driving a Ferrari."
B: "As if you'll ever have a Ferrari!"
Here, B, ...
3
votes
1answer
315 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 ...
7
votes
6answers
648 views
What is the best way to teach a child Mandarin?
My son is almost 8 weeks old. I don't speak Mandarin (yet, currently in progress) and am looking for ways to start him on learning Mandarin early, maybe at about 1 year of age. What is the best way ...
5
votes
6answers
356 views
Pronunciation of “因为”
因为 is usually pronounced as yīn wèi, but sometimes I hear it pronounced as yīn wéi which really brings out the meaning as reason (yīn) being (wéi).
Which pronunciation came about first? Do regional ...
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 ...
6
votes
8answers
906 views
Difference between 是不是喝酒了? and 喝酒了没有？
What is the difference between
是不是吃了蛋糕？ and 吃蛋糕了没有？
or
是不是喝酒了? and 喝酒了没有？
8
votes
5answers
294 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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
11
votes
1answer
448 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 ...
1
vote
6answers
615 views
What is 德国 and naming history in China?
Here is what I think and how it is named: In Google translate it says it means "virtue country".
My guess is probably wrong but here it is:
China is an alliy of America, and America boosted up the ...
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 ...
9
votes
6answers
682 views
What's the meaning of 缘分 in English?
I asked a similar question on English Language & Usage site, but no one seems to come up with a good answer for me. I have decided to give our Chinese site a try.
Bonus: how will you describe the ...
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?
1
vote
3answers
148 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.
...
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
3answers
421 views
Is there a Chinese WordNet?
WordNet is a database of English words, which includes semantic relationships of words too. It includes synonym and antonym-relationships, as well as "categories". For example, it will tell me that ...
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?
6
votes
5answers
167 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
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 ...
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?
4
votes
2answers
272 views
Different pronounciation for the number 'one'?
Was talking to my friend (native Chinese) the other day and when she read out a phone number she said "yao" for all the "ones" in the phone number.
However, as far as I remember, for all other cases ...
2
votes
3answers
122 views
What is the Mandarin equivalent for the Shanghai term for dirty?
In the Shanghai dialect dirty is pronounced something like "o co" with the o pronounced like the "o" in cot and the "c" pronounced like the usual c in pinyin (kinda like an 'ts' sound).
Which ...
6
votes
5answers
472 views
How were Chinese characters taught to Chinese children before the introduction of pinyin?
Before schools started to use pinyin for teaching characters to Chinese children, how and/or what was used to teach it instead? And what about how dictionaries showed the pronunciation of characters?
3
votes
2answers
108 views
Are there any short prose or poetry works in classical or modern Chinese designed specifically to teach the names of the 64 hexagrams?
For a while I have wanted to learn to match the character names of the 64 hexagrams to the hexagrams themselves.
Unfortunately, as for the names and hexagrams, none of them really stick in my memory. ...
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 ...
5
votes
4answers
469 views
What is 人 doing in 你现在人在哪里？
I got this sentence in my "daily exercise" newsletter, and I really don't understand what's 人 doing there? Doesn't it mean the same when 人 is removed? Could this simply be a typo?
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 ...
1
vote
2answers
170 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 ...
1
vote
1answer
158 views
Does tone sandhi apply to 成语
In my previous question I found the following about tone sandhi and yī 'one':
yī on its own or not followed by other tones
yī → yí when followed by a fourth tone
yī → yì when followed by ...
5
votes
2answers
150 views
我(也)很好 and tone sandhi
What are the (resultant) tones in those sentences, where all the words in isolation have 3rd tone?
我很好。
我也很好。
Reading tone shandhi rules on Wikipedia, there is no explanation about tree or ...
