Questions tagged [meaning-in-context]
Questions about understanding words or phrases within a given context.
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What is the difference between 准备， 预备 and 打算？
I seem to hear 准备 and 预备 used for “prepare” and not as often to mean “plan".
我们准备搬到美国； emphasizing the need for specific preparations for the move.
Myself， I use 打算 for planning something.
...
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2
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Can someone explain the differences between these sentences?
There are some sentences in Chinese which possess different meanings under different circumstances. Can someone explain the differences?
Example 1
a) In winter says: 能穿多少穿多少
b) In summer says: ...
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Meaning of "去你的头"
I just heard "去你的头" in a joke, and while it sounds like an approving "go ahead" OR "go with your head/what you think" I realized at the end of the joke it's kind of an equivalent of "go f*** yourself" ...
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What does 土 mean in this sentence 这个名字有点土?
I heard this mentioned about someones name recently. Can someone explain the meaning and any connotations of "土" in the sentence:
这个名字有点土
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1
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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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3
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Translating the word "feelings" for conversational use
When I look for a dictionary translation of "feelings", I see two translations: 情怀 and 情面.
Which of these two would be better suited to translate the following sentence
The woman rhetorically ...
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4
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How do I practise grouping characters into words? At which stage of learning should one expect to be good at this?
I just got the following sentence in a newsletter:
请问我可以跟你借支笔吗？
Being a beginner that I am, I read it as "Can I please get one pay-check in advance?" because I saw this in my dictionary:
借支 = "to ...
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2
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Why does 三八 mean gossip?
I've heard in 广东 (guangdong) the term 三八 to mean "gossip", particularly for a woman who gossips.
Is this common throughout China,
and why does it have this meaning?
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4
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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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Is the expression 学识渊博 usually used in a pejorative sense?
For example, as a sarcastic remark in the sense of "pedantic" or "know-it-all"?
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2
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山火 vs 野火 vs 丛林大火: Chinese for "bushfire"
I would imagine that 山火 meant "a fire in the mountains", but the dictionary lists "wildfire / forest fire".
Is 山火 then a generic word for an out of control fire? What about 野火? I saw 山火 on the news, ...
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2
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In “我只喜歡你一個” what does the "一個" do?
If I were to translate "I only like you" I'd say
我只喜歡你
Wǒ zhǐ xǐ huan nǐ
However I have seen the following
我只喜歡你一個
Wǒ zhǐ xǐ huan nǐ yī ge
Translated as
I like you alone
What is ...
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7
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How did 黃 (yellow) come to mean "pornographic"?
In my dictionary it defines
黃 (Huáng)
- yellow
- pornographic
- to fall through
- surname Huang or Hwang
Imperial China and the robes of the emperor are commonly associated with the colour yellow.
...
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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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Meaning of 一不小心
I read a story where a child dropped a berry into a bucket full of berries and then tried to take it back. When she reached in to pick up her own berry, she grabbed a handful of the other berries. In ...
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4
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What is the pronunciation of 行 according to its context?
行 can be pronunced háng or xíng.
As far as I have seen, it means "OK, to go, profession", and many more other meanings.
Could you briefly summarize the usage of it and its corresponding ...
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How to explain 讲 in 讲礼貌 and 讲卫生
In my understanding 讲礼貌 translates as 'be polite' and 讲卫生 is something like 'be clean', but how should I explain the 讲 to a new speaker? I take this as a set phrase, but is there a way to translate ...
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What does 让 mean in 我不但能够让外国人坐我的车，还能够让他包我的车?
In the following sentence:
我不但能够让外国人坐我的车，还能够让他包我的车。
This is from a Chinese reader. The voice is of a Chinese taxi-driver.
The problem is the translation of 让...
He's talking about going to ...
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What does 就算这次做错也只是怕错过 mean?
I found this sentence in a song's lyrics => " 就算这次做错也只是怕错过 ". What does it mean?
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Is 我五分钟后就回来 ambiguous out of context?
My newsletter says this sentence
我五分钟后就回来。
is translated as "I'll be back in 5 minutes".
I am curious to know whether this sentence could be translated as "I came back 5 minutes ago", or does it ...
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5
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What is 人 doing in 你现在人在哪里？
I got this sentence in my "daily exercise" newsletter, and I really don't understand what's 人 doing there? Doesn't it mean the same when 人 is removed? Could this simply be a typo?
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3
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What is the meaning of 老不死 exactly?
I'd like to know in depth detail, what is the meaning of this expression?
How come there is only a few people saying it? Old and not died is a good thing in my mind.
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Expressions that have no meaning (什么/来着）
I know that these two expression, in certain circumstances, have no meaning and are optional. I'm trying to figure out how to use them, even though they have no meaning.
什么
This has a meaning, (...
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4
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What is the difference between 东西 and 用品?
What is the difference between 东西 and 用品? They both seem to have the meaning "stuff" in certain circumstances, but then 用品 is used in more formal situations, such as 医药用品 which I am assuming is not in ...
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How can I translate "非语言表达方式"?
This is an example sentence from my textbook:
除了学习用语言表达自己的思想感情以外，还要学习用非语言表达方式。
Here "非" has the meaning "not" or "non-".
I would translate it to something like:
Aside from studying using ...
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The use of 上 (shàng) "on/above/over" in Mandarin and English
I'm interested in the the differences between English and Mandarin when they are talking about spatial preposition.
Can i assume that in Mandarin, they use the preposition 上 for most of the times ...
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What is the meaning of 捅破 the serial of 寒夜? E.g. 被我们的学生捅破
The following text is taken from the serial of 寒夜:
一直到有一天 一个偶然的机会
我的心事 或者说是我们的心事
被我们的学生捅破
感情是不能被捅破的
一旦捅破 就如同大坝破堤
汹涌而出
He's talking about his love for the heroine of the series, then ...
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Use of 蓝 (Blue) in a Specific Context?
There is a song sung by William So whose title is 《有人喜欢蓝》 (Yǒurén xǐhuan lán - There are people who like blue.)
What does 蓝 (blue) mean in this context? Is it a reference to the sky, sea, a mood, or ...
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5
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Is 解决 a common euphemism for going to the bathroom?
In the novel 《天机》, passengers on a bus become ill after eating an unfamiliar dish. They ask the driver to stop the bus, and the male passengers, including the protagonist 叶萧, descend:
【他们】...
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What is the difference between 别人 and 别的人?
What is there difference between these two expressions, or are they synonmyous?
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4
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很 and 最 - Questions of The Context
很 means very. 最 means truly, really. I was wondering in which context they would be most appropriate.
我最喜欢去组约。- I'd really like to go to New York.
So 最 can be used as a descriptor in this ...
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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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How to use 指 when giving a definition?
How is 指 used, what is it's role in definitions such as this (from Wikipedia):
研究生是*指*获得学士学位后继续深造.
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Meaning of 修养
The dictionary defines 修养 as:
accomplishment / training / self-cultivation
However many examples in context seem to have the sense of the development of being a gentleman / lady, or being cultured....
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What is the meaning of 不同而不同?
This is taken from the phrase:
口感依成分不同而不同
Sounds like it means "manifold" or something like that?
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How can I express 'having' in an intimate sense?
In English, given a conversation between P1 and P2, it's possible to say:
P1: My wife died. Now I feel like I've got nothing. I'm so sad.
P2: Don't say that. You've still got your son. You have ...
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How did 东西 come to mean "something" in the expression "吃东西"?
I was chatting with a Chinese penpal recently and when I asked "what are you doing?", I received the following answer:
吃东西，你呢？
Now, "东西" means "east and west" and so "吃东西" literally means "eat/...
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Use of 龙 in the idiom 车水马龙
With the idiom 车水马龙 which is used to describe somewhere that is bustling and crowded, why was 龙 included considering it is a mythical creature?
Does it represent something other than a creature in ...
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