Questions tagged [difference]
For questions about differences or comparisons between two or more words, lexical nuances, characters, pronunciation, syntax, etc.
746
questions
4
votes
1
answer
452
views
Difference between 學習 and 學 [duplicate]
I used Google Translate to translate "learn" to Chinese, and the first result was:
學習
I noted that another suggested option was:
學
So, I wonder: what's the difference between the two results?
- 311
4
votes
4
answers
861
views
Trust/Believe : “信任” vs “相信”
How is the usage of 信任 and 相信 different ？ According to my understanding the scope of 信任 is more than the scope of 相信 . For example if we are talking about a person or a few people , we might say 我相信你 ...
- 311
4
votes
3
answers
663
views
What's the difference between 因为什么 and 为什么?
Usually when first learning Chinese we learn that 为什么 means "why". However, I recently encountered 因为什么, and I'm wondering if it's different.
你因为什么给关进去?
Why were you put in?
(玛帝尔达 (Matilda), ...
- 16.4k
4
votes
3
answers
493
views
几 in declarative and interrogative sentence
几 has two meanings: "several" and "how many?" But I have no clear understanding of separation one from another. E.g.:
后面有几个人笑起来了. - declarative
你家有几口人? - interrogative
I know ...
- 741
4
votes
3
answers
198
views
Is there any difference between 重大 VS 重点 (used as adj.)?
Is there any difference between 重大 VS 重点 when they are used as adjective? Or is it just a thing to remember: this time use 重大 and that time use 重点:
重大事件 (and 重点事件?)
重大进展 (and 重点进展?)
重点工程 (and 重大工程? - ...
- 741
4
votes
2
answers
608
views
What is the difference between 入 and 进?
Both seems to mean "to enter". I had a feeling that the 入 is more "to put into" while the 进 is "to enter" ? But I also saw the "entrence" using 入.
- 41
4
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Difference in MEANING (NOT structure) between 得 vs 地
Please, don't explain when to use 得 or 地. I already know that the grammar difference between them both, which is:
V 得 adjective (老师话说得很快。)
adverb 地 V (老师快快地说话。)
Also there are many posts on this ...
- 2,569
4
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Usage: ”没关系“ vs ”没问题”
What are the fundamental differences between ”没关系” and ”没问题“ in usage and meaning? I know they both could be translated as a colloquial “no problem”, but how do they differ in usage?
- 271
4
votes
1
answer
535
views
What's the difference between etymology and glyph origin?
Askers, including me, often seem to confuse the two terms, and understanding the distinction between the two is so critical to advanced study of Chinese characters and words.
The question can probably ...
- 5,452
4
votes
2
answers
1k
views
手臂 vs 胳膊 difference
I know that both words mean "arm", but is there any real difference between 手臂 and 胳膊? When I started to learn Mandarin at university, they taught me to use 手臂, but now I see that 胳膊 is the ...
- 41
4
votes
3
answers
291
views
霹雳与雷霆有什么分别？(What's the difference between 霹雳 and 雷霆?)
except for their other uses, such as 霹雳舞(breakdance) and their respective 成语, are they considered synonyms? they're both translated as
霹雳: thunderbolt
雷霆: thunderbolt
空中雷霆一响，就把孩子吓哭了 = The thunderbolt ...
- 199
4
votes
3
answers
245
views
Which one is more commonly used in Chinese speaking communities: 年轻 or 年青?
One of the elective projects on the study of Chinese culture given in my high school is as follows:
探讨中国传统文化如何助当今年青人走出困局。
I thought this was a typo so I asked our teacher to correct it to 年轻. But ...
- 143
4
votes
1
answer
733
views
What's the difference between 缺乏 and 缺少?
Is there a meaningful difference between these two?
I have seen that 缺少 tends to be used with towns (这个城市缺少一个泳池), while 缺乏 seems to be more on the small-scale (你缺乏合适的经验).
But I'm not sure if this is ...
- 1,365
4
votes
2
answers
376
views
不能得到 vs 得不到 difference
When I was trying to make this sentence : "It seems like I can't get good score even though I study hard/我虽然努力学习，但是我好像还不能得到好成绩 (I don't know if my sentence is correct tho)",
I found this word 得不到 (...
- 1,641
4
votes
3
answers
2k
views
一趟 vs 一次、is there any difference?
Under the entry 趟 my dictionary says:
For round trip
For single train trip
Does this mean, when I see this word I must assume the speaker went back and forth, except when he went by ...
- 2,816
4
votes
1
answer
161
views
verb. "to shoot" (weapon): difference between 射击，开枪， 击中， 射中
The verb shoot appears often in Chinese international news. But I am unclear about the different words for it.
射击 and 开枪 seem to be the firing of a gun and 击中，射中 hitting with a weapon, but could ...
- 93
4
votes
1
answer
711
views
Comparing 朝 vs. 向 vs. 往
In talking about physical/geographical directions, I'm pretty comfortable using 朝 and 向 and 往 for the meaning of "to" or "toward". But I would be hard put to describe to a Chinese language learner any ...
- 41
4
votes
2
answers
768
views
Result complements used with 买: 好，到 and 上
I have come across three different result complements that can be associated with the verb 买: 好，到 and 上.
My broad understanding is that all three of them somewhat convey the idea of "managing to ...
- 303
4
votes
1
answer
428
views
What is the difference between 元 (圓), 幣, and 金?
In currency exchange booths, and in conversation, I've noticed this:
US dollar = 美元, 美金.
Hong Kong dollar = 港幣
Japanese Yen = 日元
Singapore dollar = 新幣
Euro = 歐元
There's also 英鎊 for the pound ...
- 801
4
votes
2
answers
597
views
What is the difference between 回答 and 答复?
According to 现代汉语词典:
答复
回答问题或要求
对问题或要求做出的回答
回答
对提出的问题、要求给予解答或表示意见
对提出的问题、要求所作出的答复
For me both seem to be practically the same. One uses the other in its explanation.
At least for me, it feels ...
- 5,434
4
votes
2
answers
520
views
Has 咖啡色 replaced 茶色 in everyday use for "brown", or can I use both?
I've learned that 咖啡色 now is the most common way of saying "brown". Does that mean that saying 茶色 now is outdated, and not used any more, or are both words still used?
Would also be interesting to ...
- 879
4
votes
1
answer
212
views
How do I know whether to write the written character or printed character?
I'm often finding differences in the printed form of the character than the written form, and I'm not sure which one to use. For example, in 窗, the typed character sometimes contains legs 儿, but the ...
- 371
4
votes
1
answer
2k
views
都 vs 也 in "连。。。都／也" structure
I would like to learn when to use 都 and when to use 也 in the 连。。。都／也 structure.
My current understanding is that 都 is often used for positive sentences whereas 也 is generally used for negative ...
- 105
4
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Why is "感恩" frequently used as a verb?
In the last two years or so I began to see people frequently using 感恩 as verb meaning "thank (you)", such as "感恩大家" or "感恩领导".
But I thought "感恩" is a verb-noun phrase, meaning "thank (you for your) ...
- 173
4
votes
4
answers
610
views
"不应" vs. "不该": Which is used in formal writing?
Recently I've been writing "should not" in Chinese a lot. But, I've been confused. What is the difference between "不该“ and "不应“? Are they both used?
For example, I know we can say
对不起，我不该说那么难听的话。
...
- 4,627
4
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Difference between 品格 / 品质 / 人品 / 人格 / 素质?
I have seen 品格，品质，人品，人格，素质 all defined as moral quality or character, though I'm guessing there's more nuance in the way they are used. Are these words interchangeable or do they describe different ...
- 41
4
votes
1
answer
360
views
What is the difference between 太太 and 夫人?
What is the difference between 太太 and 夫人? My book (外国人学汉语) translates it as the same word. “Woman (married)” and it says they can both be a suffix as well as a noun.
Question: Is there really no ...
- 201
4
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Can you explain the differences between the following sentences?
冬天：能穿多少穿多少；夏天：能穿多少穿多少。
剩女产生的原因有两个:一是谁都看不上；二是谁都看不上。
女孩给男朋友打电话：如果你到了，我还没到，你就等着吧；如果我到了，你还没到，你就等着吧。
单身的原因:原来是喜欢一个人，现在是喜欢一个人。
男人对一个女人有好感的原因:一是喜欢上这个女人；二是喜欢上这个女人。
男人约会迟到的原因:一是睡过了；二是睡过了。
Thanks.
- 141
4
votes
1
answer
182
views
Differences between 细腻, 细致, 精细 and 深入
All 4 words listed above all in some way have the meaning of fine, exquisite, detailed. So what are the differences between them? Please provice some examples
- 931
4
votes
2
answers
151
views
What's the difference between 秒钟 and 秒?
Both of them seem to mean a second, according to both wiktionary and linedict.
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/秒钟#Chinese
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/秒
http://ce.linedict.com/dict.html#/cnen/...
- 175
4
votes
1
answer
105
views
How to guess when to use 銷 or 消 in compounds?
In some words that have to do with smelting and metal (銷蝕 , 銷毀 ) it is intuitive we have to use 銷. But in most cases they seem really hard to distinguish. According to pleco:
取消: cancel, call off, ...
- 2,816
4
votes
3
answers
558
views
Why is 他从商店出去了 correct but 他出商店去了 incorrect?
他出商店去了。
他从商店出去了。
Why is only the second sentence right? I knew that when we use a directional complement, we could put the object in the middle between the two verbs. So why do I have to use 从 in ...
- 555
3
votes
8
answers
813
views
吃 Vs. 喝 in this sentence: 既然敬酒不吃那就吃罚酒
So I watched a movie, in this sentence why did they use 吃 rather than 喝?
- 489
3
votes
6
answers
11k
views
What is the difference between 他, 它, and 她
What is the difference between 他, 她, and 它?
I want to know when you use one and when not to. It seems pretty basic language because I hear 他, 她, and 它 everywhere in Chinese language.
Anything else ...
- 222
3
votes
5
answers
962
views
Is there a distinction between 禁止 (jìnzhǐ) and 严禁 (yánjìn), which both mean "forbid"?
I see both 禁止 (jìnzhǐ) and 严禁 (yánjìn) being used to mean "forbid", and I don't really understand what the difference is between them.
Question: Is there a distinction between 禁止 (jìnzhǐ) and 严禁 (...
- 16.4k
3
votes
3
answers
176
views
Difference: 帘 vs. 帷?
Came across the character 帷 for the first time the other day, in the word 窗帷.
Oxford, KEY and Adstrotrans define 帷, simply, as:
curtain
ABC and A Chinese-English Dictionary define it as a:
bed-...
Mou某♦
- 36k
3
votes
6
answers
3k
views
What is the difference between 听到、听过 and 听说?
There are 3 听 (hear or listen to). What is the difference between 听到, 听过, and 听说?
3
votes
3
answers
5k
views
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?
- 163
3
votes
5
answers
316
views
what is the difference between 现场 and 地点?
Do both of them mean "location" or "site", or is there something that sets them apart? Thank you in advance!
- 61
3
votes
5
answers
3k
views
What is the difference between 列车 and 火车
What is the difference between these two words? Both mean train. Is there any difference? Are they used in different regions?
- 646
3
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Is 壁橱 (as opposed to 衣柜) only a colloquial word for "closet"?
I apologize if this is very elementary: I've never heard of closet referred to as 壁橱， only as 衣柜， but the direct translation doesn't seem appropriate. I've also heard 衣柜 used to reference cupboard as ...
- 744
3
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Difference of 青 and 黑
My dictionary tells 青 can mean black.
My questions are:
Is 青 generally used to mean black? In other words, is it always ambiguous to some extent whether it means blue or black?
When it means black, ...
- 133
3
votes
7
answers
1k
views
Difference between 谦虚 and 虚心?
In my Chinese textbook, 谦虚好学 is used, and 虚心求教 is used as well. They both mean modest, so when should I use each one?
3
votes
4
answers
2k
views
what are the different and usage between 已 and 己
I notice these two words come out frequently, but the meaning seems like be different. Who can tell me what is the difference.
If possible give me some examples too.
- 49
3
votes
5
answers
502
views
Difference between using 被 and the object in the topic position?
I just learned about the preposition 被 bèi to express passive voice. If we have a S-V-O sentence, we can reexpress it using the 被 structure as O-被-(S)-V. This introduces a passive voice into the ...
- 2,142
3
votes
4
answers
1k
views
What is the difference between 租, 租用, 租出, and 租赁, all meaning "to rent"?
租 租用 租出 租赁 DIFFERENCE
How to really say rent or hire in Chinese? The other day I found a sentence with 租用 I have not seen before; I always found 租出 or 租 instead. What is the difference between them?...
- 667
3
votes
4
answers
245
views
Does 飛機 mean "airplane" or "aircraft"?
Airplanes are a type of aircraft (helicopters [直升機], hot air balloons [熱氣球] are also aircraft).
飛機 is a very common Chinese word, but what does it mean?
Does 飛機 mean "airplane"? If no, what is "...
- 801
3
votes
6
answers
472
views
What is the difference between 原则 and 原理？
See title. Both of these translate as "principle" and I'm struggling to see how they are different. Thanks in advance.
- 1,022
3
votes
5
answers
450
views
Difference between 元宵节 and 灯节？
Is there a difference between the expressions 元宵节 and 灯节, or are they exactly the same?
- 233
3
votes
2
answers
1k
views
What is the difference between 概念 and 观念？
I recently read on jukuu.com “ 它使老的观念向新的观念转变。” This sentence makes sense, but I'm trying to figure out whether it would be much different if I used a term like "概念“ instead of 观念. Is there a clear ...
- 4,627