Hot answers tagged grammar
13
The first expression is usually used when the speaker has a feeling that the other person had done something, so he's making a guess, while the second could be either a simple question or suggestion.
In the first case,
你是不是吃蛋糕了？
can be used when the speaker noticed a cream stain on the other person's shirt or something like that. The speaker is ...
12
Yes.
中 can be used to express that something happened of didn't happen within a certain scope or range or just within something (《现代汉语词典》: 范围内；内部). The range doesn't need to be a time range, but it can be. Furthermore, it can also refer to the future.
So you can say:
他预言战争将在下几年中爆发: He predicted that war would break out in the next few years.
年中
在最近若干年中: In ...
8
I'm not sure if you are familiar with 的时候 but this translates approximately to 'while'.
So the sentence reads:
While I was eating I read a book.
You can see the English use "I" twice, so it may make more sense to you if you read it like this:
我吃饭的时候(我)看了一本书
8
Overall both translations are fine and fluent, with some small issues below:
Grammatical/Syntactic issues:
I think there is only one issue, in (2) 我们想酒保因为要省钱的. Either use 要省钱 as verb (i.e. remove 的), or use 要省钱的 as adjective (i.e. add 是 before 要).
Semantic issues:
In (1), margarita mix is translated into 玛格丽特混合物. In Chinese, people don't refer food/drink ...
6
Your wife asks "你是不是到外面泡妞啦".
Your brothers ask "你到外面泡妞了没有".
In case you missed the point: "你是不是到外面泡妞啦" means your wife does not know whether you were flirting with other women, but she strongly thinks you were. This is because most women in love are paranoia. "你到外面泡妞了没有", on the other hand, is a neutral question without any guesses. Your brothers ask in ...
6
Regarding arabic numerals: I think modern usage sees arabic numbers to be generally acceptable. However the context of the material, or even the region, may influence whether they're commonly used or not. For example, in metropolitan areas you might commonly see phone numbers or prices expressed in digits, whereas in more traditional material you probably ...
6
So who came up with those common name translations at first place?
Those common name translations are known as 音译 or transcription.
In Chinese, transcription is known as yīnyì (simplified Chinese: 音译; traditional Chinese: 音譯) or yìmíng (simplified Chinese: 译名; traditional Chinese: 譯名). While it is common to see foreign names left in their original forms ...
6
俩 means 两个and is typically more colloquial. 俩 is often used for people, but doesn't need to be. Some examples:
买俩馒头: to buy two steamed rolls
兄弟俩
他们俩。
Alternatively you can use "咱俩" in oral language, "咱" means "我". The difference between 我们 and 咱们, is that 咱们 includes the listener. So 我们两个, 我们俩, 咱们俩 and 咱俩 all mean "the two of us".
A side remark: when a ...
6
In Mandarin, especially Northern China dialects, measure words can be omitted when
It is following a demonstrative pronoun, AND
The numeral is 1 (one), AND
It is not a collective measure word such as 些, 群, etc.
The grammatical role of the phrase does not change. E.g.
这一件毛衣 = 这件毛衣 = 这毛衣
这一些毛衣 = 这些毛衣 collective measure word 些 cannot be omitted.
...
6
UPDATE: I noticed that different sources disagree on whether to call the 到 in the context you used it a complement of result. For example according to the Chinese Grammar Wiki it is not a complement of result (and it's also my feeling). The most common definition is that a complement of result implies that an action has attained the expected aim or result. ...
6
This is indeed a complex matter. From the way you ask, I guess you're interested in the grammatical aspect, which is what this answer is focusing on.
Because Chinese language uses serial verb construction, the simile is expressed as a V-O (verb-object) clause with simile connective as verb and vehicle noun phrase as object.
[simile clause] = [connective ...
6
I've been taught, however, that in Chinese, every noun has one and only one correct measure word associated to it, and in particular, you can't make the analogous distinction between the two cases in Chinese.
This is completely wrong. Measure words in Chinese do carry meaning just like in English. Using the wine example, all the following are correct:
...
5
The two words share the same character "常“(common, usual,eternal), so the meanings overlap somewhat. Both of them can mean "commonly, usually", however, they are not exactly the same.
"平常“ means (notice 平 means "plain，commonplace" here）
[adj]ordinary, casual/informal
[adv]ordinarily,in a casual/informal way
"通常" means
[adj]common,usual
...
5
It sounds weird because there is no formal subject (A.K.A. anticipatory subject) in Chinese. It is [X] that [Y] should be transformed into [Y][verb as appropriate][X] during translation。For example:
It is a pleasure to meet you. =>
Meeting you is a pleasure. =>
见到你很高兴。
So for the original sentence,
Is it really so that you're just 18? =>
Are you ...
5
"我在哪里可以买到火车票?" is the correct way to ask where you can buy the ticket, but in oral language "我哪里可以买到火车票?" is used quite often.
Actually there are 2 ways how "我哪里可以买到火车票" can be interpreted. The first one is a question asking where you can buy train tickets. The second one is a statement meaning there is no place where train tickets can be bought. In oral ...
4
You probably mean 国家 instead of 家国. 家国 doesn't exist.
你是哪国家人吗 is not correct (nor is 你是哪国家人), but you can say 你是哪国家的人 or 你是哪国家的 (meaning: from which country are you).
In 你是哪国人, 国 is not really on its own. You can treat 哪国人 as a unit (which is a short form for 哪国家的人).
In oral Chinese 国 is seldomly used on its own (but every character however has a ...
4
Since 就 is a construct that has many meanings, I'm only going to concentrate on your sentence.
In your sentence it will give emphasis that it is really early. You can also write:
我明天早上很早走 but this lacks the emphasis 我明天早上很早就走 has. And the latter construction will be used much more than the former.
Some similar constructions:
马上就来: to come right down
...
4
感动 can both be passive and active. For completeness' sake this is the first meaning: "受外界事物影响而引起内心激动" and this is the second "使感动" in 现代汉语规范词典. The meaning will typically be clear from the context.
Some examples:
他的话感动了在座的人: His speech touched the people who where present. (here it is active)
他很容易被感动: He's very easily moved. (here 感动 is made passive by ...
4
This is classical Chinese, not modern Chinese.
Normally in Classical Chinese 所 stands for an omitted object of a verb. 所 + Verb means ‘Verb 的东西 (the thing that is verb-ed), which is equivalent to a kind of relative clause marker (RM) in English ‘what/that is Verb-ed’. It makes the sentence passive.
The 有 just means 有.
In modern Chinese I would write it ...
3
Sometimes 我哪里可以买火车票 without a questioning tone means can be used to indicate someone who can't buy a train ticket for some obvious reason (both talker and listener understanding the situation). Similar to the rhetorical "Why can't I buy a train ticket?" in English.
This case occurs in some disputation, and 我哪里 is emphasized.
there is a case:
A: ...
3
之后 means after that (something said earlier) which requires a context as the base point of the time. 以后 can be used either with a context or without. When used without a context, 以后 means from now on, in future.
之后 refers to a shorter time period while 以后 refers to a longer one. The difference is like a weaker version of after vs. since. Due to this, in ...
3
Here has been my (I think successful) strategy:
Use measure words for mass nouns accurately. This is exactly like English:
一杯水、一瓶可乐、一斤青菜
You really have to use these in all languages, because you can refer to really different quantities depending on the measure word (a tank of water vs a drop of water).
Learn the measure words that are based on ...
3
I am a Taiwanese but not a trained Chinese teacher, my explanation might not be academically correct :p.
First let me explain what changes with 就. Adding 就 emphasises the fact by making the tone sounds stronger, try read it out and feel the difference. It's a word you can say it with more strength, heavily, louder, tones up. Without it sometimes there is no ...
3
Relating to your first sentence: 韦斯莱家却充满了神奇和意外。厨房壁炉架上的那面镜子就把哈利吓了一跳。
This 就 is the 12th meaning of 就 as an adverb in 《现代汉语词典》:
表示事实正是如此：那就是他的家 ㄧ这人就是他哥哥ㄧ幼儿园就在这个胡同里。
It's meaning 12e in 《现代汉语规范词典》
表示事实如此。 这儿就是我的家 | 车站就前面。
It expresses that the facts or the situation are really like this.
It can be seen as an illustration of or a proof for the ...
3
记得 as a whole:
First I take back my comment saying 记得 is one word, but I keep the part that it should be understood as a whole.
记得 is a 离合词 (cleft word, a.k.a. separable word). Most, if not all, cleft words have their dictionary entries, however, grammatically whether they're words or phrases is still being debated by the professionals. No wonder there's a ...
3
1) (对)任何事情我都没有绝对的把握.
There is nothing wrong in this sentence, but it focuses on personal belief, a little bit inclining to the speaker's subjectiveness.
If we want to state something that describes a general belief, which focuses more on objectiveness, then we can say:
2) (对)任何事情 我们 都没有绝对的把握.
3) (对)什么事 我们 都 不可能有 绝对的把握.
Sentence 2 generalizes ...
2
Indeed "It looks as if she's gone away for a few days" is an incorrect translation.
I would translate this as "It seems she's already been gone for quite a few days".
If the 已 were excluded, I would translate it as "It seems she's been gone for quite a few days."
So the 已 emphasizes the passage of time, just like "already" in English.
2
I am going to stick with your first example.
The use of 就 is reliant on the phrase or sentence that precedes the current one.
The sentence: "韦斯莱家却充满了神奇和意外" introduces the premise of the situation. The fact that the house of the Wesleys is full of mysteries and surprises primes the reader for what comes next.
The fact that Harry's startled by a mere ...
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