In Cantonese, you can say 唔夾 to say A and B are not complementary. What's the equivalent in Mandarin?
不合 or 不搭?
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cf. bkrs:般配 match; suit; be well matched; match each other syn.班配 方言。谓彼此条件相当，配得上。同义: 匹配, 配合, 相配, 比配 – user6065 Sep 8 '17 at 23:14
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@user6065 thanks, why not post as an answer? – Crashalot Sep 9 '17 at 2:15
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'People being incompatible' is 唔夾 or 合唔來 in Cantonese and 合不來 or 不合 in Mandarin
These two people have always been incompatible with each other
佢哋兩個一向唔夾 (Cantonese)
他們二人一向合不來 (Mandarin)
他們二人向來不合 (Mandarin)
'Things being incompatible' in Cantonese can also be 唔夾, and 不般配 in Mandarin.
Chinese medicine and Western medicine are incompatible
中藥同西藥唔夾 (Cantonese)
中藥跟西藥不般配 (Mandarin)
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thanks for contrasting cantonese and mandarin! makes things much easier! :) – Crashalot Sep 9 '17 at 3:28
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1(1.)不搭 can replace 不般配 in Mandarin when describe things being incompatible. For example, '中藥跟西藥不搭' ( 2,) 唔搭 can replace 唔夾 in Cantonese when describe things being incompatible. For example, '中藥同西藥唔搭' (3) For people being incompatible, 唔夾 in Cantonese; and 合不來/不合 in Mandarin are the correct terms. We don't say '佢地兩個一向唔搭' in Cantonese; or '他們二人一向不搭' in Mandarin (4.) Both '向來' and '一向' mean 'always' . They are interchangeable. – Tang Ho Sep 9 '17 at 3:47
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不合适，不般配， off the top of my head.
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不合适 means 'unsuitable' , for example, 合适的人選 (suitable candidates); 不合适的人選 (unsuitable candidates) – Tang Ho Sep 9 '17 at 2:30
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1不般配 means 'improper'. It is more often used to describe 'things being incompatible', for example, 高跟鞋和短褲不般配 (high heels and shorts are not fit together) – Tang Ho Sep 9 '17 at 2:37
