Questions tagged [difference]
For questions about differences or comparisons between two or more words, lexical nuances, characters, pronunciation, syntax, etc.
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认识 vs 知道 based on glyph origins
I'm trying to understand what 识 means and why 认识 is different from 知道.
As far as I was able to gather the information on 戠 is a depiction of an armed group of people which, while in battle, should be ...
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Differences: 干，办，做，搞，弄
What's the difference between all these five words? They mean all "to do", they're driving me crazy!
I write some example sentences with some of them (hoping that's the right one), just to understand ...
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When to use 看 and 见？
I know 看 and 见 both mean "to see". But they are used differently in different words. Like 看书 看电影...etc. and 见面 见识...etc. (Or do Chinese people say 见书 见电影 or 看面 看识?)
Is there a rules to use them ...
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What is the difference between 只要 and 如果?
What is the difference between these two sentences?
只要明天不下雨，我们就去爬山。
如果明天不下雨，我们就去爬山。
They seem very close in meaning.
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的确, 确实, 实在, and 真正: what's the difference?
(Related a bit to Difference between 实际, 现实, 确实, and 实在 I guess. Good to link to it for posterity.)
的确, 确实, 实在, 真正
My dictionaries all say that all four can be adverbs with a meaning of "really." ...
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What's the difference between 星期X and 周X?
When accepting an answer, I noticed that the example used the word 周三 for Wednesday, but in my grammar, the days of the week are 星期一, 星期二, etc...
They seem both correct but, what's the difference? ...
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What is the difference between 餐馆 and 饭店? Is 饭店 used for restaurant or hotel?
饭店 and 餐馆 can both mean restaurant. My Chinese friend here in Dongguan tells me 饭店 is not commonly used to mean hotel. I want to understand in what contexts both of these words are used. 谢谢.
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What's the difference between 扣好安全带 (kòuhǎo ānquándài) and 系好安全带 (jìhǎo ānquándài), which both seem to mean "fasten seatbelt"?
On the plane I see 就座后扣好安全带 (jiù zuòhòu kòuhǎo ānquándài) which is translated to "fasten seatbelt while seated".
On the bus I see 上车请系好安全带 (shàngchē qǐng jìhǎo ānquándài) which I think translates to ...
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Difference between 他带来了很多衣服 and 他带很多衣服来
大家好！
I don't really understand the difference between two sentences:
1.他带来了很多衣服;
2. 他带很多衣服来;
The 1st one was found on the Internet, but the 2nd one I have "created" by myself. Is the 2nd one ...
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What's the actual difference between 文 and 语?
Both mean "language" with some other related meanings.
A friend of mine told me that while 文 refers more to the written language, 语 is more related to the spoken one.
Is this a difference and is it ...
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What's the difference between ，and 、
What's the difference between ，and 、 as they appear in some texts, like in this passage of the Zhuang Zi (end of the second part):
是萬物之化也，禹、舜之所紐也，伏戲、几蘧之所行終，而況散焉者乎！
Is it like comma and semicolon? Or ...
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Is there a difference between "几点" (jǐdiǎn) and "什么时候" (shénmeshíhou)?
Both "几点" and "什么时候" seem to mean "what time?".
Here are two examples that contain "几点" or "什么时候":
我们什么时候开会？ (My interpretation: "When is the meeting?")
现在几点? (My interpretation: "What time is it?")
...
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What is 吗 doing in 你有什么事吗？
In a Chinese lesson, I came across these sentences:
你有什么事吗？
Nǐ yǒu shénme shì mɑ?
你有什么事？
Nǐ yǒu shénme shì?
And both were translated as:
What's the matter?
I don't understand 1. Without 吗, I ...
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What is the difference between 参加 and 参与？
I have been using these interchangeably, until today I was corrected, being told that one "参加活动”， not "参与活动“. I then looked up the definition, but it wasn't too helpful. How do I know when to use ...
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What is the difference between 怎么 and 怎么样 ？
What is the difference between 怎么 and 怎么样 ？
It seems like both mean something like "how". I also see that 怎么样 is often used to ask someone's opinion on something.
In what contexts can 怎么 be used ...
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Differences: 信息 vs 讯息?
What are the differences between:
信息 vs 讯息?
Perhaps 信 is more related to the mailing?
Perhaps 讯 is more related to the information?
Perhaps 息 is related to the breathing?
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What are the difference between e.g. 想, 觉得 and 认为 when expressing opinion?
What are the main ways to express opinion in Chinese? I know there are some verbs used for this, like 想, 觉得 and 认为. What are the difference between them when expressing opinion? (I know they also have ...
user11748
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What is the difference between 打算 (dǎ suàn) and 计划 (jì huà)
Are 打算 (dǎ suàn) and 计划 (jì huà) both synonyms for "plan," or are there some additional nuances here?
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Regional pronunciations of standard Mandarin [closed]
When I first came to China, I was quite disappointed to find out that, in so many places, the colloquial pronunciation was so greatly different from the one I've studied so far. The phonological ...
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What is the difference between 没有+V. and 没+V.?
What is the difference between this two constructions:
S + 没有 + V and S + 没 + V
E.g. 我没有输 and 我没输
As it was mentioned by @user6065 grammars, e.g. 实用现代汉语语法 make no difference between meaning and ...
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What is the difference between 看到 and 看过?
I've learned them in Chinese class, but still a bit confused,
看 means see, but what is the difference between 看到 and 看过?
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Difference between these two phrases for "Killing two birds with one stone": 一箭双雕 vs. 一石二鸟
I learned recently that both 一箭双雕 and 一石二鸟 are equivalent to the phrase "kill two birds with one stone". Is there any difference between these two? Do they have different connotations? Would you use ...
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Differences between "Verb + Adj", "Adj + Verb", "Verb + 得 + Adj" and "Adj + 地 + Verb"?
I am having some difficulties understanding the differences in meaning between the following structures (the examples are from Line dictionary):
Verb + Adj
e.g:
走快了她会累。
Zŏu kuài le tā huì lĕi.
...
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What's the difference between 周 and 星期? [duplicate]
From a dictionary lookup, it seems that both 周 and 星期 can mean "a week"—is there any difference in usage?
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What's the difference between 我是老师 or 我当老师?
Sometimes when I take a 滴滴打车 taxi to the university campus, the driver asks me if I'm a student, and I reply something along the lines of:
我是老师
I'm a teacher
Wǒ shì lǎoshī
As far as I can tell,...
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How to state unpleasantness in written form? let becomes make
In English, unpleasantness can be stated by changing let to make.
Classmate sharing pleasant things to classmate:
My parents let me eat chocolates.
我父母让我吃巧克力
Classmate complaining to classmate: ...
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Difference between 问 and 让 "to ask"
How do 问 and 让 differ in meaning and in what sort of situations would you use either of them?
In chinese.yabla.com there are a lot of different verbs with the meaning 'to ask'.
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What is the difference between 神河and 河神
河神 to 神河 difference
神河文明
Tientsin Mystic (河神)
Is there any difference in the use 河神 to 神河?
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What is the difference between 狗 and 犬?
狗 (gǒu) and 犬 (quǎn) both mean "dog" and both seem relatively common, but is there any difference between them? When should I use one and when should I use the other?
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Is Sunday 星期天 or 星期日?
I am using the ChineseSkill app to learn Chinese and I learned that 'Sunday' in Chinese is 星期天 (xīngqītiān). However, sometimes on the internet I see 星期日 (xīngqīrì).
Are both correct? Why is there ...
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What is the difference between yǐqián (以前) and zhīqián (之前)?
I'd like to have some way to differentiate between yǐqián (以前) and zhīqián (之前), in order to help with memorising them both. Referring to Modern Mandarin Grammar (Claudia Ross, Routledge 2006), it ...
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What is the difference between using 光 vs using 只?
What is the gramatical difference between 光 and 只?
光剩下2毛钱 does not have the same meaning/context as 只剩下2毛钱
It seems there is more emphasis to the part that comes after 光. When is the right time to ...
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What's the difference between 看起来 and 看上去?
I see them both used in the same way and both seem to get equal hits in Baidu.
Here are some sample sentences containing each.
http://www.dictall.com/st/60/37/60372038C00.htm
http://www.dictall.com/...
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Are there differences in writing between Chinese languages, such as Mandarin and Shanghainese
There are already many questions about the different spoken languages that can be called Chinese. This question on the other hand asks about the written one(s?).
Well, to start, is the written ...
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What is the difference between 究竟 and 到底 ？
So, a teacher explained to me that 究竟 is a more formal way of saying 到底. However, I'm still curious if there are there any other usage differences between the two? Is 究竟 only used in examples that ...
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What's the difference between classifiers and measure words?
The terms classifier and measure word are often used interchangeably, with the latter being (reportedly) more common in language courses.
They both translate to 量词 (literally "measure word") ...
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Difference between 实际, 现实, 确实, and 实在
These 4 words (实际, 现实, 确实, and 实在) all mean different combinations of 'real', 'indeed', 'practical', 'really', and 'reality'. Is there any easy way to distinguish, remember and understand the ...
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What is the difference between 对不起, 请问, 不好意思, and 抱歉 to express "excuse me" or "sorry"?
I always wonder whether there is any difference between these four terms to say "excuse me" or "sorry". The difference between 对不起 and 不好意思 is explained in this question, but I'm not sure about the ...
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Difference: 小气 vs. 小器?
Especially in the sense of stingy, miserly.
What's the difference between 小气 and 小器?
I remember being told that one is more "correct", than the other, but I can't quite recall which.
The search ...
Mou某♦
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Macau Cantonese, any differences from HK?
Does anyone know how Cantonese from Macau differ from HK if there are any? Any slangs or terms used in Macanese Cantonese that is rarely used or heard in HK? Maybe some sinicised portuguese words? ...
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How formal is 如何 in the context of 最近如何?
I was told by friend who is a native mainland speaker that "最近如何", or anything using "如何" to inquire about the state of a person, is a very ancient/formal way of speaking. This was quite a shock to me&...
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What examples highlight the distinction between 产生 and 生产, both meaning "to produce"?
产生 (chǎnshēng)
病毒是怎样产生的?[src]
How are viruses produced
导体中就会产生电流[src]
[The] conductor will produce electric current.
生产 (shēngchǎn)
操作人员对自己生产的产品要做到自检[src]
workers regarding their own produced goods ...
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What is the difference between 看不起 and 看不上?
The two have very similar meanings and can both be used to mean "detest, despise, look down upon" but there seems to be a subtle difference.
According to these entries:
看不起 http://www.zdic.net/c/b/...
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What is the use of 色 in color names?
I thought that the proper way to use the basic color names is generally with 色, i.e.:
这件衣服是蓝色的
But recently I have come across such a sentence:
我不喜欢黄的，我喜欢白的。
Is the 色 optional, or is the ...
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Is 其他人 any different from 别的人?
I guess the question could also be, is 其他 any different from 别的?
Is one any more formal, any more slang, any more rude, anything of the sort, than the other?
Or are they essentially the same?
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What distinguishes 各位 (gèwèi) from 大家 (dàjiā)?
From dict.cn:
各位 (gèwèi) = everybody
大家 (dàjiā) = everyone
So they seem closely related, but I don't think they're identical. Today is Teacher's Day and messages like "祝各位老师节日快乐" are popping up in ...
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How to spot (if possible) if a final 了 is part of an omitted 要 in a 要...了 construction or simply a past information?
There are some examples of sentence 了 that indicate future action which (seems to) have a 要 omitted:
我（要）走了，拜！ - I am going to leave, bye!
I know context usually helps with the issue of time and, ...
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Is there a difference between 担心 (dānxīn) and 着急 (zháojí)?
They're both verbs, they both have meanings "to worry, to be anxious", they both seem to be able to be used as adjectives also.
I just want to know if there's any difference: is one used more in ...
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What's the difference between 停车 (tíngchē) and 泊车 (bóchē), which both seem to mean "park car"?
I see these two road signs at Nankai University (Jinnan campus), Tianjin:
请勿泊车 = qǐng wù bóchē
禁止停车 = jìnzhǐ tíngchē
Both seem to mean "no parking" with:
请勿 meaning "please no ..." and 禁止 ...
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