Questions tagged [phrase]
A phrase is a group of words that form a single unit in the syntax of a sentence.
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Is "我爱辣" (Wǒ ài là) a correct/understandable/idiomatic way of saying I like my food spicy?
When I'm buying food in China, especially in the street but sometimes also in restaurants, people often ask me if it want "là".
I know that means "spicy" and I really enjoy spicy food. As there's not ...
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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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Is 你是哪个人 the correct way to ask where you are from in China?
I saw one of my friends used "你是哪个人" to ask where you are from in China. I thought it is the valid expression to date.
However, I just used it to a Chinese people and she didn't understand it. So I ...
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见马克思 ("to meet Marx"): is it used today?
I am writing a paper about machine translation and I am looking for a phrase in Chinese that is ambiguous and cannot possibly be translated correctly without knowing the correct context.
I found this ...
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What's the structure of this word / sentence? 搬进、走出、跑回
What's the structure of these words? 搬进、走出、跑回......
I think both 搬 and 进 can be verbs but when used together, it means 'move in'.
What's the relationship between the two characters in phrases like ...
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Is the phrase "on a scale of 1 to 10" used often if at all?
Just wondering since it does seem to me like a more western phrase, in Google translate it comes out as 上规模的1到10, I'm just wondering if there is a more common way to ask someone to rate a particular ...
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Why is 人口 in this sentence 多, not 大?
中国是世界上人口最多的国家.
Why is 人口 in this sentence 多, not 大? In English way of thinking (or my English way of thinking), a population is something that can be "huge" rather than "much"/ "many". Is Chinese way ...
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Meaning of repeated "什么"
I'm genuinely confused about this. Does repeated "什么" have special meaning? Or are they just wordplay?
I've read something like this "那什么什么" but I can't comprehend it at all. I tried looking for ...
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Is "可以来 (ke3 yi3 lai2) ..." an idomatic way to say "please bring me ..."?
The vocabulary flashcard website "Memrise" has in one of its Chinese menu learning modules as entry:
Word: 可以来...
Definition: please bring... (food or dish)
But one of the comments says:
I ...
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What's the English expression that means 感叹词："坏了"
In Chinese there is a 感叹词："坏了", means something went unexpected wrong. Example:
坏了，下雨了
坏了，手机忘带了
坏了，迟到了
What are the common English expressions that can express that "astonishing strike"?
...
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Why is 很早 after the verb in 我起床很早?
I came across the following sentence:
今天我起床很早。
Jīntiān wǒ qǐchuáng hěn zǎo.
Today I wake up very early.
I am confused about 很早 appearing after the verb. I think here 很早 (very early) indicates the ...
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how to translate this slogan '向前一小步，文明一大步' and the like in almost every public toilet in China
the other one is '靠近方便, 贴近文明', both of which have different versions of English translations, most of them, though, suck. they go like:
One small step forward
One giant leap toward civilization
A ...
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Chinese Metaphor 八字沒見一撇
Simple Words
I recently came across this phrase:
八字沒見一撇
I understand each character but the meaning was still lost on me. So I asked someone about this and they informed me that it is somewhat ...
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大风绝尘而去 in idiomatic English
"大风绝尘而去" In a weather report document, such as http://news.163.com/14/0528/18/9TBR0KOI00014Q4P.html, does this phrase mean that the gale is going to 'stay away and leave' ? or 'A large storm will ...
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"母牛流产了“ － "The cow cast her calf"? HSK Anki flash cards
I'm reviewing the HSK1-limited-part1 flash card deck on Anki, and I keep coming accross this one flash card. On the front, it says
母牛流产了
and for the definition,
The cow cast her calf
What does ...
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Translating the phrase "I can't confirm nor deny etc."
If someone were to ask something about you, what would be the most common way of saying "I can't confirm nor deny that".
I tried looking it up and my conclusion is "不能确认也不能否认". I ...
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Is `方法是通过xxx` a correct sentence? i.e. 中文中,介宾结构能作为名词(宾语)使用吗
The phrase often appears in english-chinese translation.
For example:
If you want to become a better photographer, the only way is through repetition.
如果您想成为一名较好的摄影师，惟一的方法是通过反复练习。
The ...
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What is the meaning of the phrase 俫气更有仙气?
I recently read the following comment about a Chinese actress:
除了有林青霞的俫气更有仙气
From the whole sentence, I can guess that it's sort of compliment (the actress has charisma like Brigitte Lin). But I don'...
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Is it OK to use the word 了 on 很 + adjective phrase, to emphasize?
The typical 很 + adjective phrase example is:
俄罗斯女人很漂亮。
In these sentences, is it OK to add 了 to the end of the sentence, to emphasize the adjective?
俄罗斯女人很漂亮了。
I understand that if you like to ...
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Meaning of 五 in A: 放肆！B: 你爹放五!
I'm reading a short story and I wondered what 五 means here but I guess it's 'slang'.
A: 放肆！
B retorted back: 你爹放五!
(Sorry for not putting any research result, can't find any, I only know that 五 is ...
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What is the phrase for "sounds like" as in "it sounds like your dad is getting better"?
At first I thought I could use 听起来, but if I'm not mistaken this is only used for actual sound, not "you just told me your dad is back from the hospital, it sounds like he's getting better each day". (...
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Phrases with most popular characters?
I found a table of characters (about 3000) in which most popular characters go first.
Here are first 20:
我的 高的 是的 目的 的确 不 不是 人 在 有 他 这 中 大 来 上 国 自个 到 说 道 子 为 和
and I would like to ...
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Is「天佑美國」the correct translation for "God Bless America"?
Look at this mural from Chinatown, San Francisco:
Attribution: American flag in Chinatown San Francisco by Pedro Lozano. License: CC BY 2.0
It says「天佑美國」, but is that correct? Shouldn't it be「天祐美國」...
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Alternative expression for 二位小姐
In the text for lesson 20 in New Practical Chinese Reader, 林娜 and her friend 王小云 are waiting for 丁力波 (another student). They plan to take a taxi to somebody else's house, where they have been invited ...
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我昨天去的图书馆: "The library I went to yesterday" or "I went to the library yesterday"?
Not long ago (a week at most), I bumped into this post by Qiong Woo on Quora. There, she says the two sentences 我昨天去图书馆的 and 我昨天去的图书馆 both mean "I went to the library yesterday", and, from the way she ...
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Understanding "當地的頭腦"
What does "當地的頭腦" mean? I saw a shirt with that written on it. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the earth and brain.
Does "当地的头脑" mean the same thing? Even if it doesn't make sense, would ...
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What is an idiom that describes aiming for high achievement or success but not forgetting one's roots?
What is an idiom/phrase/saying that describes aiming for high achievement or success but not forgetting one's roots?
Something like 展翅高飞 and 饮水思源 combined
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What does 敢于亮剑 mean?
I read this in a notice put on a wall that calls on all Party members in the neighborhood to 监督表率敢于亮剑 in the endeavor to make the city cleaner and tidier (looks like an inspection team from the higher ...
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“管你是[surname] + [name]还是[same surname] + [different name]”
There's a set phrase that goes something like:
(我)管你张三还是李四
I've seen variations on it like:
我管你张静还是李静呢
I'm trying to remember one where the surname stays the same though, something like:
...
Mou某♦
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What is a polite response to 《很高興認識你》？
I usually say 《我也是》， but it feels like an awkward response, and maybe a bit cold. Is there a common friendly or colloquial response? Thank you!
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How many different types of adverbials exist in total?
At first I learned:
The most frequent sentence pattern in Chinese is S V O
e.g.
你 打 我
Next I learned:
There are fixed places within this pattern, where one can put adverbials,namely ...
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"振聾發聵" in English?
This question is about possible translations of "振聾發聵" in English.
Figuratively, this phrase is used to describe someone's article is penetrating and insightful. I know this. Nevertheless, I am ...
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What does 狗吃连帮 mean?
I heard people say this phrase once or twice, in derogatory tone. It sounds like 狗吃连帮 or 狗吃粮帮. Internet search gives no result, but it didn't sound like some local dialect to me.
I heard people say ...
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How to say complex adjective/noun phrase in Chinese
I am learning about de in Chinese a little, 的 (de) vs. 得 (de) vs. 地 (de).
Noun + 的 + Noun
Attribute + 的 + Noun
Verb + 得 + State
Adj + 地 + Verb
Adj + 地 + Adj
So combining all of these together, how ...
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How to ask the other to speak shorter?
I talk with a voice assistant 小爱同学.
When I ask it: 今天是几号？
It answers: 今天是9月30号，周四，衣历辛丑年八月二十四。
It is difficult for me to understand this phrase.
I want a shorter answer: 今天是9月30号 or 30号 or 三十.
小爱同学 is ...
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What does 汉学家 really mean?
According to its face value, 汉学家 should mean someone who has made great accomplishments in the research of subjects in relation to the Han people, like John King Fairbank （费正清）or even the former US ...
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What response is expected to Chinese people's "Have you eaten?"?
"Have you eaten?" (你吃了/吃了吗/吃饭没有 etc) sounds like a Chinese equivalent of "how are you?". However, I don't know what is the correct way to respond to the question.
What do Chinese people expect me to ...
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Would you use 为 or 给 (or neither) as a dedication?
I'm wondering how to write a dedication (in a book or on a memorial, for example). In English I would inscribe "For my friend." I like the somewhat ambiguous and all-encompassing meaning of this ...
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Are "好饱了" and "好包了" both correct?
"好饱了" and "好包了" both seem to be used to mean "I'm full".
I'm pretty sure that "好饱了" is definitely correct but they both get lots of Google hits and if I combine the search with the English "full" ...
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How would I say "change the laundry"?
I use the phrase "change the laundry" to mean "move the laundry from the washing machine to the dryer." I would like to know how to say this in Chinese.
I checked Pleco, and found ...
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What does 一个赛一个不讲理的 mean? Does the 的 determine its meaning?
一个赛一个不讲理的
Does it mean 'one competition, one unreasonable' or 'one is more unreasonable than the one before'?
Does the word '的' important in sentence like this?
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Where did the phrase, 太牛了 come from?
Where did the phrase, 太牛了 come from?
I'm guessing it doesn't have anything to do with cows...
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What's the most idiomatic translation of ". . . than you think"?
For example, how would one translate "this is harder than you think"? My initial thought would be something like 这个比你想更难, but I don't know whether that sounds idiomatic in Chinese
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Which is correct: 已经毕业了两年大学 or 已经大学毕业了两年?
I know 大学毕业 is a verb phrase that means "graduate from university". I have 2 questions.
(1) In expressing the duration of completed action, which is correct: 他已经毕业了两年大学 or 他已经大学毕业了两年?
(2) If I ...
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Is the 个 required here?
A: 我老师是个中国人
B: 我老师是中国人
I feel that A says ''My teacher is a Chinese person.'', and that B says ''My teacher is Chinese.''
But I feel that A carries an impolite nuance for some reason.
Am I ...
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Asking someone's age
There are several expressions to ask someone's age. That which I am most familiar with is “他几岁？”. However, I am informed that this can only be used for children (I think the problem is the 几， which ...
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How would one say: "You should be ashamed of yourself." in Mandarin and Cantonese?
I would like to know what Chinese people say in general when saying "you should be ashamed of yourself". In Google translate I get the following:
你应该为自己感到羞耻
In my opinion this is way too formal. Is ...
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Passive object position in 是...的 structure?
I came across the following sentences:
电话是谁打来的?
Diànhuà shì shuí dǎlái de?
Who was calling?
晚饭是妈妈做的。
Wǎnfàn shì māma zuò de.
Mom made dinner.
Which literally is something like:
The phone call was ...
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Meaning of 有无夜间 in 留意树下有无夜间从枝头掉下的芒果?
This phrase occurs in 2nd paragraph of
东南亚民间故事。上，85页（福建人民出版社出版（福州得贵巷２７号）１９８２年５月第一版，１９８２年５月第一次印刷) under the title 蛇王子与三姐妹, the whole paragraph reads as follows:
每天，寡妇到集上去。她必须经过一棵芒果树，树上结满小而甜的芒果。...
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该讲不该讲 vs. 当讲不当讲
有句话不知该讲不该讲。 In 古代 dramas they used it quite a bit. But I have also heard the 当讲不当讲 version. It has always been in a situation where a lower ranking personnel was addressing a higher.
Are there any ...
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