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I am struggling with a sentence that I am trying to translate:

很多的发展过去是在一个行业之间的，我们觉得互联网金融的时代更多机会是在跨业的。

How would you translate the opposition between 一个行业之间 and 在跨业 in this context? It would seem obvious to me that the meaning is something like (please excuse me if what follows is bad english, I am not a native) "In the past economic development took place within a given industry/market segment" which is then contrasted with something as "cross-sectoral development opportunities". Yet, this feels wrong because, as far as I understand, 之间 means between - then again, what's the meaning of between supposed to be when there's only one thing mentioned in the sentence before, i.e. 一个行业 : "between one industry" ? And how would that be different from "跨业"? Thanks in advance to shed some light on this!

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  • I'm not able to answer this, but I think it's related to: 之间 for Describing Relationships.
    – Becky 李蓓 ♦
    Apr 27, 2020 at 9:32
  • Thanks a lot, yet I feel that the examples given on the website are different because in the case of relationships, 之间 is always preceded by a noun that can be considered as a plural - if not grammatically at least from a semantic point of view.
    – jimsalsa
    Apr 27, 2020 at 9:46

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之间 could mean within, ie between the players within the sector.

I do agree under this context 之内 feels better.

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之间 = between (more than one object)

Example:

兩人之间 (between the two persons)

球員之间 (between the players)

教練與球員之间 (Between coach and players)

~

之内 = within (a single object)

Example:

球队之内 (within the football team)

组织之内 (within the organization)

公司之內 (within the company)

~

More graphic examples:

两眼之间的距离 (distance between two eyes)

人体之内的器官 (organs within the human body)

很多的发展过去是在一个行业之间的，我们觉得互联网金融的时代更多机会是在跨业的。

In this context, it should be

很多的发展过去是在一个行业之内的，我们觉得互联网金融的时代更多机会是在跨业的。 (Many developments existed within an industry in the past. We feel that in the era of internet finance, more opportunities are existing between industries)

一个行业 is a single object

  • 过去的发展是在[一个行业之内]的 = the past developments were of [within an industry]

  • 互联网金融的时代的机会是在[行业之间]的 = internet era's financial opportunities are of [between industries]

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  • Thanks, that is what I felt it should be too. So I guess if the speaker uses 之间 anyways, I'll stick with "within".
    – jimsalsa
    Apr 27, 2020 at 12:02
  • @jimsalsa I guess the speaker really wanted to say: "一个行业(之内的公司)之间的" --> between (the companies within) an industry
    – Tang Ho ♦
    Apr 27, 2020 at 12:10
  • Oh that makes much more sense, thank you very much!
    – jimsalsa
    Apr 27, 2020 at 12:14

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