10 votes
Accepted

How to say that you were accepted/rejected from a college in Mandarin?

reject: 拒绝, 驳回, 否决, 否认 Harvard rejected me. 哈佛拒绝了我。 哈佛大学拒绝了我的申请。 accept: 接受, 答应, 采纳, 采用, 接纳, 录取 Harvard accepted me. 哈佛录取了我。 哈佛录取我了。 哈佛大学接受了我的申请。
young99's user avatar
  • 1,463
10 votes

Why is a "thing" called "东西" and not "南北"?

There were two large markets in ancient Chang'an (长安/長安) city of the Tang (唐) dynasty, one called east market (东市/東市) and the other one called west market (西市), gradually people perfer to say to buy ...
xenophōn's user avatar
  • 1,402
9 votes
Accepted

Difference between 元宵节 and 灯节?

元宵節 亦稱為上元節、小正月、元夕、小年或春燈節。 時間是每年的農曆正月十五。 佛教有在正月十五點燈供佛的習俗。 而道教中,上元節乃天官華誕,故燃燈以慶。 元:上元 (農曆正月十五,the 15th of the 1st lunar month) 宵:夜晚 (night, evening) 元宵:the evening of the 15th of the 1st lunar ...
hinen's user avatar
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9 votes
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Usage of 能骗就骗 (if you can cheat, then cheat)

能骗就骗 is a direct translation from a Cantonese expression "呃得就呃" (scam just because you can/ scam whenever you can) It is a negative remark on someone's behavior; There's no encouragement of swindling ...
Tang Ho's user avatar
  • 78.5k
8 votes
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How to say "it is actually something that does something"?

The usage of 是 is correct. 是 ( shì ㄕˋ ) 〈动〉 (5) 表示肯定判断之词 [be] I think it is actually the idea that can really light up the future. 其实我觉得是主意点亮未来。 我觉得其实是主意点亮未来。 我觉得其实是主意才能真正点亮未来。 To emphasize ...
user3a's user avatar
  • 1,511
8 votes

Is it okay to ask 你的电话号码是什么?

I'd say all of your sentences are used in practice within the mainland. These are all correct expressions: 你的电话号码是什么? 你的电话号码是多少? 你的电话是多少? Colloquially, we even brief it like 你电话多少? or 电话多少? ...
dan's user avatar
  • 24k
8 votes

In 很高兴认识你 is there an implied 我 at the front or is 很高兴 modifying 认识 as in "happily meet"?

很高兴认识你 is a general greeting, which is used when you meet a person for the first time. The literal translation is "Very glad to know you!". In practice, It's like saying "Nice to meet you!" in English....
dan's user avatar
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8 votes
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How do I express "I don’t envy you" properly in Chinese?

Maybe forget "envy": 幸亏我不是你。 Luckily, I am not you. or Rather you than me! (Not very consoling though!)
Pedroski's user avatar
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7 votes

Chinese of “No one will think you’re mute because you don’t speak”

The one comes to mind: 你不说话没人把你当哑巴。 你 can be omitted: 不说话没人把你当哑巴。
dan's user avatar
  • 24k
7 votes

How old is the expression “老百姓”?

百姓: 释义:战国之前是对贵族的统称,战国之后,楚对平民的通称。《诗经·雅·天保》“群黎百姓”郑玄笺:“百姓,官族姓也。” 现今指平民,普通人。也称“老百姓”。 Before the Warring States period, it was a general term for nobles. After the Warring States period, Chu's ...
Tang Ho's user avatar
  • 78.5k
6 votes

How to say "Oops"; or other exclamation/interjection you might say if you make a mistake

There is no exact equivalent of the English "oops" in Chinese. This is mostly because "oops" is a special English word, with an uncertain etymology but one theory is that it derives from "upsy-daisy"....
congusbongus's user avatar
  • 8,557
6 votes
Accepted

Do people still use 炒冷饭?

Yes, it's still used and a common phrase, which is used to express that an event or object does not contain something new/creative (a bit more than just rehash a dead conversation). You can search ...
James's user avatar
  • 339
6 votes

Which proverb / expression is original? -- 爱及屋乌, 爱乌及屋, 爱屋及乌

http://www.zdic.net/c/1/3/5022.htm 愛屋及烏 因愛一個人連帶的也愛護停留在他屋上的烏鴉。語本尚書大傳.卷三.牧誓.大戰篇:「愛人者,兼其屋上之烏。」後比喻愛一個人也連帶的關愛與他有關的人或物。明.許自昌.水滸記.第八齣:「他們都是你舅舅的相識,你何無愛屋及烏情?」隋唐演義.第八十七回:「楊妃平日愛這雪衣女,雖是那鸚鵡可愛可喜,然亦因是安祿山所獻,...
Tang Ho's user avatar
  • 78.5k
6 votes
Accepted

Is there an expression in Chinese for saying "I'm taken"?

You can use 名花有主 to describe a third person 'being taken' in a romantic sense. For example: "他已经是名花有主" (he is already taken) Since it sounds arrogant to call oneself "名花" (quite ...
Tang Ho's user avatar
  • 78.5k
6 votes

Selling it as soon as you've bought it — Chinese expression

The most common way you would say is 现学现卖 or 现炒现卖 However, the actual and original expression is 旋炒旋卖 if you read ancient Chinese novels. The character 旋 means right after. This expression is ...
zyy's user avatar
  • 3,089
6 votes
Accepted

What does the expression 方便倒是方便 mean?

方便倒是方便 roughly means though it's convenient. Usually it goes like 方便倒是方便, 可是 ... ... It implies there could be some other negative factors or concerns (though it's convenient). E.g. (quote from ...
dan's user avatar
  • 24k
6 votes

How do I express "I don’t envy you" properly in Chinese?

羡慕 do not in all circumstances share the specific Western notion of "envy" because it has elements of positivity in Chinese as it includes elements of "admiration / look up to", ...
Wayne Cheah's user avatar
  • 3,727
5 votes

How to say "Oops"; or other exclamation/interjection you might say if you make a mistake

Sichuanese does have an equivalent of oops. 哦呵(儿) 成都话方言词典 Sichuanese pinyin: o3 ho4 Pronunciation: [o⁵³ xo²¹³] 叹词。表惊异或惋惜 ▷~! 新盆子打烂了! interjection. diplays astonishment or regret ▷oops! (I) broke the ...
Mou某's user avatar
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5 votes
Accepted

Homonyms in the context of humor or satire

Homophones are often used humorously in Chinese. Some examples: Many jokes use the topic of people confusing similar-sounding phrases: 把一个卖糖葫芦的被揍了,到警察局,警察问理发师:“你为什么揍卖糖葫芦的?”理发师说:“我在屋里烫头发,他在外面喊‘烫糊喽’!...
KWeiss's user avatar
  • 1,847
5 votes
Accepted

How to say "head" and "tails" when flipping a coin?

Chinese use 正反 more than US people use obverse/reverse. Other words are 花/字, but the side is controversial. The side of 中华人民共和国 is 正面, but many many people think 1元 is 正面, this would be more ...
sfy's user avatar
  • 6,267
5 votes

Why is a "thing" called "东西" and not "南北"?

The meaning things was developed through a series of semantic extensions. 「東西」originally literally meant east and west, then developed the meaning from east to west. Later, it gained the meaning of ...
dROOOze's user avatar
  • 22.6k
5 votes
Accepted

How to say 反常识的 in English?

I think you mean "Counterintuitive".
SpencerYD's user avatar
  • 119
5 votes

Is there an expression similar to the English "gut feeling" in Chinese?

The word for intuition or gut feeling is usually just rendered: 直觉 New Century English-Chinese also defines gut feeling: NOUN 直觉(相对于基于事实的观点)
Mou某's user avatar
  • 36k
5 votes

Chinese of “No one will think you’re mute because you don’t speak”

the cantonese version is “唔出聲,冇人話你啞” have fun :) ng4 | 唔 shut1 | 出 seng1 | 聲 mo5 | 冇 yan4 | 人 wa6 | 話 nei5 | 你 a2 | 啞
水巷孑蠻's user avatar
  • 15.7k
5 votes
Accepted

Can someone please explain this: 都没吃饭吗

It means the coach thinks the players are not energetic enough as if they were hungry. This sentence can only be used in some situations: a coach blames the players being not energetic enough an ...
River's user avatar
  • 2,626
5 votes
Accepted

How would I say "change the laundry"?

把衣服从洗衣机拿出来放在干衣机里 or 把衣服拿出来烘干 or 把衣服烘干 is the correct answer. 烘 means heat up objects with hot/warm air 我觉得国内绝大多数家庭里都不用干衣机吧,通常都是晾干或者晒干, 至少我家是不用干衣机的(虽然有洗干一体机) 所以没有对应 change the laundry 的说法好像也很正常。
imkzh's user avatar
  • 531
4 votes
Accepted

what's the better translation of "you're out"?

If you mean someone is having an unsuccessful finish for the round, the word is 出局. You're out = 你出局了。
NS.X.'s user avatar
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4 votes

Translation English Expression "You can tell ... by ...."

The corresponding Chinese expression for You can tell ...by ... is 一看...就知道... No, "一看...就知道..." in English is " take one look at.... you can tell..." the correct corresponding Chinese phrasing ...
Tang Ho's user avatar
  • 78.5k
4 votes
Accepted

Do native speakers think about compound words as "东西"?

When I saw a tomato first in my life time, I was told its name was fanqie(番茄) by my mom or dad in the dialect. I was not able to recognize or write any character then. All I knew about the tomato was ...
ElpieKay's user avatar
  • 670
4 votes
Accepted

How did 马马虎虎 come to mean so-so?

From https://zh.wiktionary.org/zh-hant/%E9%A6%AC%E8%99%8E 詞源 出自滿語 lalahuhu。 《滿語雜識》並無此詞,但愛新覺羅‧瀛生在《滿語和漢語中的互相影響》一文曾提及有 lahu 一詞,滿語本義為「打獵沒本領」,北京等地方言謂「行事不利」、「抓不緊」為 lahu。lahu 在北京話就是「喇忽」(而不是「馬虎」),「...
Tang Ho's user avatar
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