aelephant

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Aug 26	comment	Tips for multiple-pronunciation characters (多音字) Looks like you're right after all. A Google search for "define:heteronym" only mentioned spelling, but on Wikipedia they say: "In linguistics, heteronyms (also known as heterophones) are words that are written identically but have different pronunciations and meanings." Since 多音字 are written identically, I'd say they fit the bill.
Aug 26	comment	Tips for multiple-pronunciation characters (多音字) Can you call them that in Chinese? There's no spelling so they can't really be spelled the same. I mean characters that are written the same but have different pronunciations depending on the context, meaning, etc.
Aug 26	comment	Tips for multiple-pronunciation characters (多音字) Ah, very interesting! I had no idea it was 2 characters merged into 1.
Aug 25	comment	Tips for multiple-pronunciation characters (多音字) Good point about the interchangeability. I asked 3 of my Chinese coworkers & they repeatedly said that 尽快 is pronounced "jin4kuai4" while my dictionary says it should be jin3kuai4. This reminds me of the controversy surrounding 下载.
Aug 25	answered	Techniques for learning and retaining characters
Aug 25	asked	Tips for multiple-pronunciation characters (多音字)
May 24	comment	How can I translate “非语言表达方式”? Not at all James, I appreciate your input!
May 24	comment	How can I translate “非语言表达方式”? I used 思想 in a conversation with a Chinese friend and she said, "Don't use that, Chinese people don't say that." So I asked my teacher and she said 想法 is thoughts but 思想 is a special kind of thought, like the sort of thing people will quote 100 years from now. So for example, 孔子 had 思想 but I don't have 思想 regarding what I should eat for dinner, I have 想法. Does that mesh with your understanding?
May 23	comment	How can I translate “非语言表达方式”? Thanks for your input. Maybe next time I should specify, I am not translating to make it sound like English or to make it seem beautiful, but just to verify my understanding. I think studying Chinese has corrupted my English grammar to the point where my English is sometimes unwieldy. I understand the distinction you're making by separating language as an umbrella topic & spoken language (or words, as you translated it). I guess I was mostly just confused by the dictionary, which does not make that distinction.
May 22	asked	How can I translate “非语言表达方式”?
May 22	comment	How can I translate “精神需要”? What do you think about translating it as "non-material"? This clarifies that it isn't a physical need like housing, clothing, etc. but also leaves it broad enough that I can understand what the Chinese is getting at. The word "spiritual" is just confusing to me, I'm not even certain what it is supposed to mean in English, and I'm a native speaker.
May 22	asked	How can I translate “精神需要”?
Mar 18	comment	What syntax is acceptable for classifier + noun + adjectival phrase I know when you are writing a notice for a lost item, you invert the order of the MW and the noun, so you would say something like: "丢失了眼镜一副”
Mar 18	answered	Chinese version of the idiom “The word on the street”
Mar 18	awarded	Commentator
Mar 18	comment	How to differentiate moods, characters, temperaments, etc? Maybe my question was unclear. I know these words above are all nouns. I want to know how to know what adjectives they can take. For example, my teachers have said "性格很实在” can I also use the other nouns in that group, for example, "脾气很实在”？Is the meaning identical?
Mar 18	comment	What does “整块的时间” mean? We can also say a block of time in English. It sounds like they are using it to refer to a relatively long period of uninterrupted time, as opposed to a short period of time.
Mar 15	comment	How to differentiate moods, characters, temperaments, etc? Thanks very much for your answer. Is there any way to know what adjectives can be used for which group or do you just have to memorize them?
Mar 15	accepted	How to differentiate moods, characters, temperaments, etc?
Mar 8	comment	What does “整块的时间” mean? This is from a book by Beijing University Press, which as far as I know is a trusted and thoroughly Chinese publishing company. Maybe this is something you would not hear in spoken Chinese but may be used in written language? Is that what you meant?