Hot answers tagged meaning-in-context
8
No, here the real pattern that you should focus on is “依[A]而[B]", which means "according to A, B is/does...",remember 依 means "according to, based on" here. So your example means:
The tastes are different, according to differen ingredients.
Or you would say, The tastes of different ingredients are different.
Another example:
单价依采购量而定。 The unit ...
8
一不小心 means in an unguarded moment. Depending on the context you can translate it as unguarded, carelessly or accidentally.
Some examples (with a more free translation):
然后你加一点点辣椒粉，但要小心——一不小心就加得太多了。Then you add a little cayenne pepper, but be careful - it's easy to overshoot the mark.
一不小心，他把柔嘉的酒杯碰翻，柔嘉“啊呀”一声，快起身躲，新衣服早染了一道酒痕。 While doing so, he accidentally ...
7
I am a native speaker, and I'm no expert. But I do think you have some misunderstanding towards "什么" and "来着" in these examples.
大家都是朋友，你客气什么呢。
In this sentence, "什么" means "what ... for". The whole sentence means something like: "(Considering) we are friends, (I have to ask) what are you being 客气 for?" You can say it helped in expressing negation. ...
7
"做" has a meaning of "充当，担任" (serves as, work as) (from 现代汉语词典 Modern Chinese Dictionary). It is different from "是" (to be).
The nuance of English and Chinese here is a little different. In Chinese, we don't say "I don't want to be [a slave]" (我不愿是[奴隶]). It is always "I don't want to serve as (become, etc.) a slave" (我不愿做(成为)奴隶).
7
háng (in most noun)
(1) line, row 表格中的一行 a row in a table, 字里行间 between the lines
(2) seniority among brothers and sisters， 我排行第二 I'm the second eldest one.
(3) some place of business, 银行 bank，花行 flower shop，商行 trading company
(4) trade, company(not very exact) 行业，同行
(5) measure word 一行，两行
xíng (verb, use verb as noun)
(1) walk -> distance ...
6
I quote some words from my dictionary specified for idiom(成语)
成语，形容车像流水，马像游龙。形容来往车马很多，连续不断的热闹情景。
Let me try to translate
idiom,it describe the scenery that the wagon and the horse come and go just like the stream and the dragon.
马--->horse,龙--->dragon,they have no relationships with each other.In Chinese language,we often use metaphor ...
6
用品 is used for articles that can be used, articles for use (Definitions is 2 dictionaries: 应用的物品 / 供使用的物品).
Some examples:
办公用品: Office supplies, office goods
日用品: articles for daily use
常用品: everyday implement; object of everyday use
床上用品: bedclothes; bedding
体育用品: sporting goods
教学用品: educational supplies, study material
东西 is just a thing.
You ...
6
I think you miss the point in your attempt to understand the use of 上 to represent on, above or over.
The Chinese language proves there is no need for more than one word to do this as the necessary information is provided entirely in the context of the conversation.
For example, I am thinking of sentences that may appear difficult:
"The bird was on his ...
6
To translate directly:
Even if making a mistake this time, it is still preferred for the fear of
missing the moment.
In other words, it means one would rather take this opportunity (perhaps once in a lifetime opportunity) to do something even if it means making a mistake.
For the full lyrics of this song 给我一首歌的时间 by Jay Chou, please refer to this ...
6
The use of 一 here means "as soon as" or "just as" and it can be used in quite a few ways. The 一 is similar to 一下子 so it is also pointing to "just in that instant", there is something immediate to it.
The thing that the Chinese speaker was trying to explain, I think, is that the phrase also points to the fact that in the case where the phrase is 一不小心 that ...
5
Both sentences are correct. The word "人" is added to add emphasis to the physical location of the person.
You can take 你现在在哪里？ to mean "Where are you now?"
And 你现在人在哪里？ to mean "What is your current physical location?"
The former is normally used when the asker and the subject are within the same locality (e.g in a shopping mall). The latter is often used ...
5
老不死 == 老而不死 being old, but not die; It implies some old guy should die as soon as possible, rather than stay alive, wasting food and hurting others... etc.
It's used to curse some old people whom you hate and consider to be useless to others.
It doesn't mean Chinese think old is bad, instead Chinese people have a tradition to support old people.. Whereas, ...
5
捅破 comes from 捅破窗户纸 (poke the window paper). Try googling "捅破窗户纸".
In the past, Chinese used paper instead of glass on their windows until the technology of making glass is imported to China. Window paper can stop the wind, but is much more fragile than glass and can be easily poked. Window paper is not transparent. If you poke a hole on it, you can see the ...
5
I think a good way to translate that sentence into English so that the usage in Chinese is well understood would be to say "Mom says that if your nose is long, only then is it pretty". I think it's important to think of 才 in this case meaning "only then" rather than just "only". That makes a sentence like 你跟我去我才去 easier to understand ("I'll only go if you go ...
5
Does 让 here mean, I can get them to take a ride in my taxi and also I
can get them to hire my taxi (as in for several hours).
Yes, you are right. In this case, the taxi driver is boasting his ability to persuade foreigners to ride in his cab and to even hire it for exclusive use over a period of time.
According to 汉典, 让(ràng ㄖㄤˋ) has the following ...
5
According to this article, there are four possible explanations as to why yellow colour is associated with pornography. Below is a slightly modified translation of the article based on further references from the internet:
Orpiment (雌黃). Orpiment is a toxic orange-yellow mineral that is used as a
pigment by ancient people. Due to poor bleaching technology, ...
5
This is an interesting question. My first impression is that there isn't such a term known as "央行长". But after doing a quick search on Google, I realize that there are people who actually use such a term though it isn't that widely accepted.
Let's take a look at the search results from a few similar terms before making a conclusion:
国防部部长 (11,500,000) vs ...
5
I believe it is understood throughout China, but it may sound 'Southern' to Northerners and it wouldn't be their word of choice when they want to express the same meaning.
There are two possible origins:
According to Baidu Baike, 三八 means 三八妇女节 (International Women's Day on March 8th), which is extended to refer to women in a derogatory sense, most ...
5
Taiwanese like to use the word "三八" to describe female behavior bordering on craziness such as frivolous actions or doing reckless things. It appears that the word originates from the Cantonese or Minnan dialect, but in reality it is not. In fact, "三八" is the authentic Central Plains vocabulary.
刘福根, author of 《汉语詈词研究》 combed through "A Short History of ...
4
Nope. Generally 最 should mean "-est" or "most" — like 最大 = biggest, 最好 = best, 最美 = the most beautiful.
For example:
最漂亮 = the most beautiful
很漂亮 = very beautiful
While...
*她最很漂亮. = She is most very beautiful.
There is actually no such use in Chinese. You use either 最 or 很 to modify adjectives.
4
I just want to supplement Fivesheep's answer with some examples.
The closest equivalent I can find for 老不死 in English is "old fart". This is a very disrespectful way of addressing a senior person whom you despise.
Example:
那老不死的为什么还不搬走?
Why haven't that old fart move out of the house?
Although the term 老不死 is usually used in a derogatory manner, ...
4
Neither; 感情 is the most appropriate for your two examples.
This is a common problem with any language; there are multiple words that seem to mean the same thing but are appropriate for different cases. Using words that mean the same thing but are inappropriate for the situation is a dead give-away for whether someone is a natural or fluent in that language. ...
3
Your understanding is right.
"非语言表达方式" means expressing things without using language, here the word "language" means just spoken and written language, gestures are not considered as "language" here although they can be refereed to as "肢体语言".
The reason is that you need to understand the word "language" here by context. The word "language" from the first ...
3
There are, in fact, two different words written 别人.
The first is pronounced "biérén" and is a noun. It means "other person (other people)" (另外的人). An example of its use is a sentence like
屋子里只有我和他，没有别人。 Only he and I are in the room, no one else.
The second is pronounced "biéren" (note the neutral tone on the second syllable) and is a personal ...
3
Language is just a tool to express oneself.
语言只是用来表达一个人想法的工具。
If you want to learn a language well, you must get rid of all the "Appeared Language", cast light on the inside.
如果你想学好一门语言的话，就要抛弃语言外在的枷锁，找寻深刻的内在含义。
the meanings of the language sometimes reflect on the wether it is a verb, noun or adj.?
语言的含义有时会体现在词性的表达上面，是动词呢，名词呢，还是形容词？
just as you said, ...
3
These words are all straight-forward in Chinese:
山火 = mountain fire
野火 = fire in the fields
丛林大火 = jungle fire
Forest fire = 森林大火, or 林火
Forest fire on a mountain (explicit) = 山林大火
Note 丛林 means jungle/bush; Forest in general is translated into 森林; 野 in 野火 means 田野(field) rather than 狂野(out of control), but even many native speakers misunderstood.
So to ...
3
As a native speaker, I'm trying to introspect my understanding process:
借支 is not a common term. Even in the right context (the money business), it may take a while for a native speaker to realize these two characters are meant to be a word. 笔 isn't really ambiguous as its position in the sentence dictated it has to be a noun, so 支 is the measure word and ...
2
From Baidu Baike:
指人的行为和涵养，与人的性格、心理、道德、文化等有着紧密的联系，即为人综合素质的表现。
Simple Translation:
修养 refers to a person's behavior and conservation, which is closely linked with his personality, psychological state, moral view, cultural knowledge and things. It is the overall quality of a person.
So it is a big word. It can refer to how much a person knows in a ...
2
解决 means "solve".
In your examples, 解决 does refer to "going to bathroom" (although they did that in the wild). However, this is a kind of euphemism to be used when the writer doesn't want to write 小便 or something else.
Also, the attempt of going to bathroom can be viewed as an effort to solve a certain problem, so 解决 can be used here.
2
In Chinese 「上」 just means above no matter further distance.
For addition description, you should use some degree words as:
上面一些 (means a little above)
Or add some given distance:
大概兩米以上 (approximately two meters above)
Actually I do not quite understand what you want to know.
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