Questions tagged [mandarin]
Question specifically about the Mandarin dialect. (Not for arbitrary questions that happen to involve Mandarin.)
670
questions
1
vote
1
answer
72
views
erhua in loanwords — 模特兒 mótèr?
OK, so I was browsing Wiktionary — as one does — and found out about the word 模特兒 'model', which is apparently pronounced mótèr, with just 2 syllables. there's also an alternative pronunciation, mótè'...
- 11
1
vote
4
answers
153
views
Is there a "w" sound in 谁 like Shwéi or is it just Shéi?
When I listen to native speakers I can sometimes hear a "w" sound in 谁
Like it was "shwei". Or is it just "Shéi"?
Which is correct?
- 173
0
votes
0
answers
40
views
What are some free eBooks to help my kids learn Chinese?
My son, who is 6 years old, really loves learning Chinese now.
I want to find some free Chinese teaching e-books for my children. What resources did you use if you learn Chinese?
Please share it, ...
1
vote
4
answers
111
views
How to translate website moderator?
What's the proper translation for "moderator"? As in website moderator, e.g. Chinese.SE moderators.
Some dictionaries suggest 版主, however this appears to be more suitable to "(live) ...
- 5,410
1
vote
1
answer
107
views
Simplified Chinese and compatibility with spoken Chinese language: How it works with iOS (VoiceOver) and Android (TalkBack)
I'm designing a Multi-language app and a major user group is Chinese speaking people with disability. The app will be on both iOS and Android. I don't speak or read any chinese language.
The app ...
- 11
1
vote
3
answers
233
views
Is the i sound in chī (吃）and chǐ (尺）a sound not found in English?
I noticed recently that the Hanyu pinyin "i" in chī 吃 and chǐ 尺, aren't the same as the "i" in zi 子 or si 四. I speak English with a standard American accent (grew up in New England)...
- 189
2
votes
1
answer
391
views
What does 飄過 mean in this context?
Was playing some game that usually has a decent amount of Chinese speakers and at the beginning of the match somebody spammed this:
What would 飄過 mean here? I know it can mean to float but otherwise ...
2
votes
4
answers
156
views
What is the appropriate equivalent for "irreverent" in Mandarin/Cantonese?
The word "irreverent" is often used to describe someone who can be sarcastic or biting but in a positive, humorous way. For instance, David Letterman is considered an irreverent comedian.
...
- 2,101
1
vote
0
answers
115
views
How many Cantonese speakers who don't speak Mandarin exist? [closed]
I wonder how many Cantonese speakers (either native or L2 learners) who don't speak Mandarin exist in the world. At least in mainland China, as far as I know almost all people born in 1980 or later ...
- 5,395
1
vote
3
answers
85
views
Honorifics used by students the same age
Can anyone tell me honorifics that would be used by high school aged students who are the same age? More specifically, is there any honorific that would be used by a student being extremely polite to ...
- 13
4
votes
1
answer
152
views
The readings of 栅
What is the deal with the readings of 栅 (柵) and how do they appear?
According to modern dictionaries (such as the 漢語大字典 2nd Ed.), there are three readings for 栅?
zhà, in the meaning of "fence, ...
- 1,019
4
votes
3
answers
245
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?
- 161
1
vote
2
answers
125
views
How would "Sinophile" be translated into Mandarin Chinese?
The word isn't in my physical dictionary, and online I can only find "親華派", "親中家", and "中國迷". Are any of these accurate translations? What would they all accurately ...
- 161
0
votes
1
answer
259
views
Has anyone done an english translation for the song 致你 by yihuik 苡慧
I found a translation of the chorus of the song online and it seems to be just a google translate, and so I wonder if there is perhaps a better way to understand the meaning of the song. Anyway, I ...
- 173
0
votes
3
answers
82
views
What is the meaning of 磨了边?
While I was trying to read a Chinese novelette, I came across this sentence:
白色衬衫和褐色裤子，这是他唯一一套体面衣服，衬衫袖口磨了边，他把袖子卷到胳膊肘。
My initial guess was that 磨边 would mean something such as the edge of something, ...
1
vote
1
answer
85
views
Is this a chinese mandarin song and what is the title?
Is this a mandarin Chinese song? And can you tell what is the title?
https://youtu.be/ctVtOHrxMNg
- 173
4
votes
3
answers
168
views
”我只会说汉语“ — Would this come off more as “I can only speak Mandarin” or “I will only speak Mandarin”?
It seems as if it would literally mean both (regardless of what is assumed). If so, how would one normally distinguish, in Chinese, both English sentences when translated?
- 161
2
votes
3
answers
115
views
Meaning of 活该 臭死她才好?
They are talking about a girl in an embarrassing video that went viral
活该 臭死她才好
"Serves her right..." I don't get the rest.
Edit: There's nothing about a smelly environment in the video but ...
- 157
5
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Longest sentence where all characters have the same sound
What is the longest sentence that can be constructed where all the characters have the same sounds in Mandarin, but may have different tones? I'm sure many people have heard of 'mothers insulting ...
- 263
2
votes
1
answer
96
views
Origins of more Cantonese specific hanzi
My familiarity is more with Mandarin characters from simplified Chinese. However, I've noticed that there are certain characters that are used for colloquial spoken Cantonese that I just never see as ...
1
vote
2
answers
132
views
In the song 酒干倘卖无 why is the last word spoken with an initial "M" sound?
I have been listening to the song many times now, particularly this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_dcoBSYnCc
The last word of 酒干倘卖无 should be spoken with a "W" initial but what I can ...
- 173
0
votes
0
answers
35
views
Good apps for learning mandarin? [duplicate]
What are the best apps for learning Mandarin? I know there are some widely used ones that are subpar, while others are less common but contain better lessons. If there's not an app that you'd ...
- 1
1
vote
2
answers
249
views
What's the meaning of 我跟你学学他啊?
Two girls are talking about how bad a guy was.
One of them said 我跟你学学他啊 then proceeds to imitate/repeat what the guy said.
When I look up 学学他, all I get is the meaning of learn or study which does not ...
- 157
2
votes
2
answers
121
views
What's the meaning of 溜个号 in 我出去溜个号
Sitting in a class, one says: 你帮我盯着点 我出去溜个号
I'd like to know what 溜个号 really means
Or is it just "I sneak out"
- 157
2
votes
2
answers
58
views
How would one say 'I am' or 'I do' in the context of doing something contemporarily?
For example, if one were to ask in Mandarin, 'Make sure you're drinking tea every day,' or 'You should be learning Mandarin first,' how would one respond if they are doing these things? Simply '是'? Or ...
- 161
1
vote
1
answer
211
views
Poker cards in Mandarin
In Cantonese:
A = 煙; a pair of A = 煙啤(pair)
K = 傾; a pair of K = 傾啤(pair)
Q = 囡; a pair of Q = 囡啤(pair)
J = 積; a pair of J = 積啤(pair)
10-3 are called 10仔 - 3仔; pair of 10-3 is called 10仔啤 - 3仔啤/10一啤 - ...
- 72.2k
1
vote
5
answers
350
views
What is the difference between 地 and 土?
Based on some dictionaries, the former seems to be more physically relating to the soil, earth; with the latter being more relating to soil or territory. I'm not sure how correct this is.
- 161
1
vote
4
answers
452
views
Translation of Stack Exchange’s “upvote”
Sort of a meta-textual question here. How would I explain to someone who’s unfamiliar with Stack Exchange what an upvote is?
The English term is probably a neologism as well, although it can be used ...
- 5,410
2
votes
2
answers
173
views
Why is Chinese written in different directions?
Example Given: The Peony Pavilion
Wikipedia: 牡丹亭
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Peony_Pavilion
And another example on this pavilion can be seen below: 亭丹牡
- 123
2
votes
4
answers
172
views
放水's Mandarin counterpart
In Cantonese 放水 means not using one's full strength (in a contest against an opponent) [literal] release water
For example, a strong team is winning 9-0 against a weak team. If they want to give the ...
- 72.2k
3
votes
2
answers
109
views
Please help me change these sentences using 不止
I'm not sure if what I changed below was correct or not.
我看陳太太那麼老，恐怕不會只有70歲吧?
-> 我看陳太太那麼老，恐怕不止70歲吧？
愛闖紅燈的，並不是只有騎摩托車的，開車的也一樣。
-> 愛闖紅燈的，不止是騎摩托車的，開車的也一樣。
王小姐家不但她能幹，她兩個姐姐也是女強人。
-> 王小姐家不止她能幹，...
- 31
2
votes
1
answer
103
views
Is there a translation of the daodejing into modern mandarin grammar?
Apologies for a classic "lmgtfy" question, but you probably appreciate that the nature of what I'm asking is hard to properly convey to a search engine, regardless of whether the query is ...
- 123
0
votes
4
answers
270
views
What is the difference between 创造，创作，制造，制作，and 创建？
Hello good people of Chinese Stack Exchange! Hope you're doing well.
It seems like the words 创造，创作，制造，制作，and 建造 are similar in that they mean "make" or "create," but from what I've ...
- 69
-3
votes
1
answer
91
views
Need help in converting mandarin to english? [closed]
I am trying to complete my mandarin assignment. can someone please help me to translate these. I was unable to understand them.
- 3
1
vote
2
answers
325
views
Is there a Mandarin counterpart for the Cantonese slang 做媒?
做媒 (jyutping) zou6 mui4; (pinyin) zuo4 mei2 literally means "be a matchmaker"
However, there is a Cantonese slang 做媒 /zou6 mui42/ that means:
be a salesperson's decoy
a partner of a street ...
- 72.2k
5
votes
3
answers
450
views
How to express "I'm reading about (something)" in oral speech/informal contexts?
Good day to you all!
I wanted to express the sentence: "I'm reading about the Malaysian language." I realized I didn't actually know how to express this, so I looked it up on a translator, ...
- 69
1
vote
1
answer
80
views
How do you indicate a habitual, ongoing action, as opposed to an action you are currently doing?
Hear me out.
Recently I rediscovered the 2010 classic "Doin' Your Mom" by Ray William Johnson (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5t53TcKIlMc), and since the song is not really stimulating, my ...
- 69
0
votes
1
answer
107
views
What are the names of men's haircuts popular among young Chinese idols?
What are some popular haircuts among young Chinese idols (preferably men) called in Chinese? Preferable a list in Chinese, if possible.
For example, take the TFBoy members have haircuts that kind of ...
- 91
-1
votes
2
answers
133
views
Help choosing a better Chinese name
Recently, someone helped me come up with a Chinese name for myself, and after some discussion, the surname 高 and given names 偉恩, 大恩 and 太恩 were recommended.
The first (偉恩) I liked but found that it ...
2
votes
2
answers
83
views
How to give news of my grandmothers death
In English I would say: I am sorry to say my grandmother passed away on X date.
How would I give that news in mandarin? Is there a way to say ‘I am sorry to say’ or do they not say that in mandarin?
1
vote
1
answer
171
views
Monolingual Mandarin illustrated dictionary in traditional characters
Is there any Mandarin picture dictionary that:
Is 100% in Mandarin (no English or other languages).
Uses traditional Chinese characters.
Is available as a physical book.
If possible, there should be ...
- 791
0
votes
2
answers
165
views
Two-part Allegorical Saying Collection | 歇后语合集
歇后语 is a unique language form of Chinese.
The allegorical words are composed of two parts. The first part plays a guiding role, like a riddle, and the second part plays a role as a foil, like an ...
- 11
-2
votes
2
answers
201
views
Longest sentence where all consecutive characters are in the same 3ʳᵈ tone [closed]
What is the longest sentence that can be constructed where all the consecutive characters are in the same 3ʳᵈ tone in Mandarin? I'm sure many people have heard of '请你给我买五百把纸雨伞', but are there any more ...
0
votes
2
answers
82
views
Can anyone identify the characters on this ivory pipe?
My father-in-law showed us an ivory pipe that his family has had for many decades.
I can’t identify the characters by looking up the radical and then the remaining strokes.
Can anyone help out?
- 101
0
votes
2
answers
161
views
Timeframe for Learning Ancient Chinese
As a complete newbie to the Chinese language, I would like to ask the following questions.
What is an approximate time for learning enough of the Chinese language to be able to read something like ...
- 109
-1
votes
1
answer
78
views
can you help me identify the word xiamen
In a mandarin course, before the dialogs they always say "qing ting ... Xiamen de duihua". I have never been able to find out what the word "xiamen" means. The rest of it means ...
3
votes
2
answers
245
views
When you first meet someone, sometimes they say (for example): " 我是小朋...“
。。。 “小时的小，朋友的朋。”
I think Chinese people will say that because you may not know how their name is written, so you get a better description of what their name is.
But... does the word have to be the ...
- 97
2
votes
1
answer
601
views
What phonetic sounds are there in Chinese?
What are the IPA symbols for sounds in (Beijing) Mandarin? Which Mandarin sounds are not in (American) English? Which English sounds are not in Mandarin?
Below are the IPA consonant and vowel charts ...
- 31
4
votes
4
answers
161
views
How to properly translate "to deserve" while preserving its moral implication?
Over the course of my studies and practice in Chinese, there's one particular type of sentence that I always get wrong: the one with the verb to deserve.
In English — and several other neo-latin ...
- 5,410
0
votes
2
answers
184
views
What is the difference between 碰，触，碰触 and 触碰
difference between 碰，触，碰触 and 触碰？The dictionary differences are not clear.
Thanks!
- 153