Questions tagged [meaning-in-context]
Questions about understanding words or phrases within a given context.
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Why does 他吃了饭 sound incomplete?
As I study usage of different aspects markers in Chinese, I started to realize that my problems with those markers come from simple fact that: "I don't see any use in them." Reason for this is: ...
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也 和 并 与 及 跟 而 同 difference? [closed]
I have read about connectives 也 和 并 与 及 and asked some questions about them but still I'm somewhat not satisfied with my understanding. Let me summarize my knowledge:
1. 与
connects: nouns only (...
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When to use 一倍 vs 两倍
I would like to have a clarification on this: I know that 倍 means "-times, -fold", but I don't understand why 一倍 seems to mean "twice as (fast)" in the following sentence:
开车最少比骑自行车快一倍。
while we ...
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How to correctly use "多" to say "more than"?
I know a similar question has already been answered but I still have a lot of doubts.
To my understanding if a number is ≤9, you need to put "多" after the measure word (or after the name if it doesn'...
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Is the sentence "我们要怎么去机场？" ambiguous?
我们要怎么去机场？
The translation given is "How do we get to the airport?", but since 怎么 can also mean "why", can this sentence also be translated as "Why are we going to the airport?"
I'm probably missing ...
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What is the purpose of 是 in "我应该是感冒了"?
I came across the following translated example:
我应该是感冒了，耳朵也有点儿疼，不过没发烧。
Wǒ yīnɡɡāi shì ɡǎnmào le，ěrduo yě yǒudiǎnr ténɡ，búɡuò méi fāshāo 。
I think I caught a cold, and my ears are a little painful, ...
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What does 騷債 mean?
I understand 債 means debt, because context fits. Louisa Mak won TVB's 2015 Miss Hong Kong first place. TVB has credited Louisa money, publicity, fame. So it's reasonable for reporter to ask if she ...
user11787
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Is it permissible to use 个 in any nouns as a measure word?
In the book titled "Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide", the author writes the following:
In mainland China, in informal speech, 个 can be used as the classifier for almost ...
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开始和起来有什么不同？to start + verb
When used with another verb 开始 and 起来 both convey the meaning: to start doing something. Are they synonymous in that specific usage?
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What does 来 mean in 他想一切办法来验证这个理论 and 我们设了个陷阱来抓狐狸?
I have come across two sentences independently which seem to use 来 in a similar fashion, but one I am not sure I can identify:
他想一切办法来验证这个理论
我们设了个陷阱来抓狐狸
Is this somewhat similar to 起来, as in ...
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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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What does "老" in "老虎" and "老鼠" mean
As I remember, 虎 and 鼠 are standalone nouns, meaning tiger and mouse, respectively. However, it seems that 老虎 and 老鼠 are more commonly used.
Why is 老 used as a prefix for 虎 and 鼠? Why do we use 獅子 ...
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Do 和 and 及 refer to two different kinds of "ands?"
At one level, they both mean "and." At another level, 和 also means "peace," while 及 means "to extend." This suggests different usages.
Is one used to connect nouns, while the other is used to connect ...
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Difference between 合适 and 适合
Both 合适 and 适合 mean to fit/to suit.
I know the grammatical form needed for each one is different:
在这个情况下，你在穿的衣服就不合适。
我在找一个适合我的女孩子。
Aside of that, I have been told they cannot be used ...
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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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央行行长会: Is the second 行 necessary?
央行行长会 - A Meeting of the Heads of Central Banks.
Is the second 行 necessary? If not why not? Does 央行长 mean "Head of a Central Bank" or is it necessary to say the equivalent of "Bank-Head of a Central ...
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What role does 成 (chéng) play in the sentence 我把十块美元换成人民币?
A jukuu.com example sentence for 人民币 is:
我把十块美元换成人民币
I change ten dollars into Renminbi
(Wǒ bǎ shí kuài měiyuán huàn chéng rénmínbì)
Question: What role does 成 play in the sentence ...
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Meaning of 则是 in 而段剑则是神情严肃地站在聂离的身边
My vocabulary states that 则是 means: "then is". However I don't understand how to translate the following sentence:
而段剑则是神情严肃地站在聂离的身边。
I can translate it perfectly fine by omitting 则是, so not sure ...
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What does "青年文明号" mean?
Usually you can see in China, some buses, banks, hospitals and other service outlets have a sign attached to them, reading 青年文明号, that is quite beyond me. Especially the word 号 what does it mean here? ...
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Is “事出必有因” the most accurate translation for "everything happens for a reason"?
Is “事出必有因” the most accurate translation for "everything happens for a reason"?
If not, what is it?
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How to translate the phrase 利而物利章 in context?
I am reading a passage from 呂氏春秋. I think I understand the basic meaning of the three first quarters, but then it becomes difficult. The hard part is the tiny snippet below and especially the last ...
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Why is 饰界 used to mean "hinges" in a 1908 book?
I've got this translation here:
The door turns on its hinges.
门靠着饰界转
I'm assuming 饰界 matches up with hinges. It's not a word I've encountered before or that's readily searchable online. The ...
Mou某♦
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What does 我们已经帮您踩过了 mean in this peculiarly translated escalator sticker?
I have this funny image which I believe says:
这块位置
我们已经帮您踩过了！
I took this photo in Tianjin, nearby an escalator. Google Translate says it means:
This location. We've helped you step over!
...
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How do I resolve dictionary ambiguities when looking up words/phrases?
More often than not, looking up a simple word in a dictionary brings up several translations. It's pretty obvious that a lot of people have problems with this since a lot of questions here are "what ...
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What does 才 mean in 妈妈说，鼻子长才是漂亮?
What does 才 mean in this sentence?
妈妈说，鼻子长才是漂亮。
(Quote taken from a nursery rhyme.)
After looking in the dictionary my best guess is that it means "just" or "only", so as to make ...
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Who should be counted when responding to 你家有几口人 (nǐjiā yǒu jǐkǒurén) "how many people are there in your family"?
An early question in Chinese people learn is:
你家有几口人？
How many people are there in your family?
(nǐjiā yǒu jǐkǒurén)
My Chinese text book contains these example responses:
五口人。他们是我爸爸，我哥哥，我弟弟和我。你呢？(...
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What is the meaning of "一把把" on "他更是一把把她的书包给枪了过去“？
I think that I understand the overall meaning of the sentence: He forcibly stole her bag and ran away. But I'm not sure about that part (一把把), neither its meaning nor its grammatical function (I'm not ...
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How does 也 work in 宁愿冻死也不穿?
In the following sentence:
很多人因为害怕穿秋裤显胖，宁愿冻死也不穿。
What does 也 mean in the sentence? The entire sentence should mean something like the following:
Because of the fear that wearing one more pants ...
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Can I use a verb+的 construction to imply an item/noun?
I'm often don't which noun to use, but I can think of a verb to describe it.
I know that 吃的 (to eat + 的) means food, so I was wondering if I can use it with other verbs as well, like 洗澡的 (to bathe + ...
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What is the meaning of 的 in "有一天你会明白的"?
From Why is 的 used in 你是哪一天出生的 and 我们什么时候开始的 and 前天你什么时候来的这里?, I understand 的 at the end of a sentence describes an event that happened in the past.
However, I am not sure whether I understand the ...
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What word could you use to approach your friend in Chinese with?
Either close friends, family friends or fun/casual friends. E.g. "hey ... (close/family/fun friend), what are you up to?" I am looking for a word to replace the "close/family/fun friend" with.
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Can you still use "Number + MW + 多" when the Number can be more than one MW larger?
I have a doubt related to these questions: Does 多 always come after the measure word？, How to correctly use "多" to say "more than"?
In the answers, they explain you can give an ...
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Meaning of 的 and 之 when both are used in the same sentence
I’m reading a text in which 的 and 之 are sometimes used in the same sentence, in seemingly equivalent or exchangeable function and position.
But I’m sure the author had good reasons to choose the ...
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What is the difference between qi3 and qi3 lai2?
In both situations my pen is now on a table. Speaking to another person, why do we say:
1) Qing3 na2 qi3 wo3 de5 bi3. 请拿起我的笔。
Not:
2) Qing3 na2 qi3 lai2 wo3 de5 bi3. 请拿起来我的笔。
How does the ...
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之 grammar and usage
Reading through the text as below. The zhi below is used to modify 路 of 人生? (way/road/path of life)? what exactly 之 in the two places?
“每个人都有自己的人生之路，只有把握时间，勤于奋斗，不畏艰辛的人才能走好这条路。要走好人生之路，首先要懂得珍惜时间。”
...
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Is 让 more [make] than [let]?
Based on someone’s answer on question regarding how to state unpleasantness in Chinese:
让 (to make) implies "to force/ to order". If something has to be
forced upon you, that something is most ...
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The function of 慢行 in 减速慢行
I understand that the phrase 减速慢行 simply means "slow down", but I'm not sure why 慢行 is there, since 减速 solely can (at least in my non-native logic) express the idea of "slowing down&...
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Is there any difference between 想, 觉得 and 以为?
想, 觉得，以为 all mean to think. But is there any subtle difference between the three or tense difference? When would you be more likely to use them in context?
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In “一网打尽” what does 尽 mean?
一网打尽 yīwǎngdǎjìn lit. to catch everything in the one net.
In this sentence what does 尽 means? how to easily remember the meaning by seeing the character without wild guess and imagining etymological ...
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What does 即 mean in ...Google在ICML文中描述的非常清晰，即在每次SGD时...?
According to the top answer over 知乎 on the question 深度学习中 Batch Normalization为什么效果好？:
顾名思义，batch normalization嘛，就是“批规范化”咯。Google在ICML文中描述的非常清晰，即在每次SGD时，通过mini-batch来对相应的activation做规范化操作，使得结果（...
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Does 汉语书 (Hànyǔ shū) "Chinese book" only mean "a book for learning Chinese", or can it also mean "a book in Chinese"?
In English, a Chinese book could mean either:
a book for learning Chinese, or
a book which is in Chinese,
but (without additional context) we'd ordinarily consider the former interpretation as more ...
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Did the man lock up his 6-year old son at home overnight? (把6岁大的儿子一个人锁在家里整整一夜)
This question is about 后来才知道 in the following sentence:
他为了帮我，把6岁大的儿子一个人锁在家里整整一夜，彻底感动了我，交往不到一年，我们结婚了。
... bǎ 6 suì dà de érzi yīgè rén suǒ zài jiālǐ zhěngzhěng yīyè ...
嫁给离婚带孩子的男人 我的生活只剩下两个字, ...
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Meaning of 的 in 只有三个得满分的
The full sentence is
他考得很好，得了满分。听说只有三个得了满分的。
I get a bit confused with 的. I understand that the sentence means “there are only 3 people that get full marks.”
Please help me out. Thank you guys :D
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What does 其 add to 尤其?
尤 and 尤其 both mean "particularly, especially", correct? Then isn't 其 redundant? What role does 其 serve?
Oxford Chinese Dictionary (2010) p 906.
user11787
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What does 高举旗帜 mean?
In the latest document of the 19th National Congress of CPC, 高举。。。旗帜 was translated as “hold high the banner of...", and the translated work was said to have been revised and finalized by experts who ...
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