Questions tagged [synonyms]
Questions about two or more expressions with a similar meaning.
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What is the exact meaning of 着 and how to use it in a sentence?
What is the exact meaning of 着 and how can I use it in a sentence?
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What are the differences between 效果 and 结果?
效果和结果有什么区别？Can both be used in the same context as synonyms, or are there situations in which one fits better than the other?
谢谢。
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How does 讽刺 mean both "sarcastic" and "ironic"?
A colleague described a situation (or maybe something a person said in that situation) as "sarcastic," but it didn't really make sense. I asked if she meant "ironic," and she said ...
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Difference between 饭店，饭馆 and 餐馆？
If 饭店 is a more formal restaurant than 饭馆, where would you situate 餐馆? More like an eatery, more low-key than 饭馆 or more formal than 饭店? Are there other differences in meaning between the three words?
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What is the counterpart of self-respect in Chinese?
I think "self-confidence" and "self-esteem" are universal concepts. For example "self-confidence" is 自信 and they basically have the same meaning, the same goes to "...
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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, ...
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In 中国实行独立自主的和平外交政策, why is 实行 correct and 执行 incorrect?
中国实行独立自主的和平外交政策。 ✓
中国执行独立自主的和平外交政策。 ✗
杨寄洲 et al.，1700对近义词语用法对比, p.1514 (original)
The above example comes from a reference book which describes the differences and similarities between Chinese ...
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Comparison of 稻 with 米饭, 白饭 or even 米 and 饭 individually
I just stumbled on 稻, and can't find more context, comparing it with other ways of calling rice. The main difference seems to be it is often used as part of "rice paddies" (稻田).
But other ...
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Contranyms in the Chinese language
Some words in the English language are called 'contranyms', where depending on the context, the same word can have very opposite meanings.
For example:
leave - to go away from a certain place, but ...
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What is the difference between 留, 住 and 呆. They all mean to stay or live. Are they interchangeable?
What is the difference between 留, 住 and 呆. They all mean to stay or live. Are they interchangeable ?
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Ways to say "I love you" other than 我爱你
Are there any other ways to say "I love you" other than 我爱你?
It can't be that people say "I love you" only to their lovers. How do you say you love your friends or family that you ...
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如果 synonyms for semi-formal written
I can see from this post that in speaking 要是 is a good alternative.
However I am preparing for the 80 hanzi text required in HSK 5 and I feel like regardless of topic, I am over-using 如果.
My current ...
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Attack them when they are unready, take them by surprise ： 这个成语有多少方法可以说？
Could you please let me know which of these sound right and why the other ones sound wrong? I'm not sure about the difference between 不 and 无.
出其不意，攻其不备
攻其不备，出其不意
攻其无备，出其无意
攻其不备，出其无意
攻其无备，出其不意
都可以用吗
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Difference among these terms for student clubs: 队、团、俱乐部、社和兴趣小组?
In regards to their meanings as "student clubs" (at school), are there any differences in the following words: 队、团、俱乐部、社和兴趣小组？
For me, I personally find 队 to mean clubs having to do with ...
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What is the difference between 星期日 and 周日? [duplicate]
I know the definition of both of these words are Sunday but in what context are they used?
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Differences between 记得 and 记住
Google obviously doesn't help, both recorded as remember / recall except 记得 as bring to mind and 记住 as bear in mind.
Found a blog post that is confusing with some claiming 记得 is more about having done ...
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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 ...
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To make friends: 交朋友 vs 认识朋友?
I have come across some sentences where both 认识朋友 and 交朋友 were translated as to make friends (even though typically 认识 is translated in English as to know). Is there a difference between them?
...
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播出，廣播，轉播 ：哪裡不一樣？
So I'm studying the translation for broadcasting and three terms (well, excluding one, which I'll mention at the end) are given to me by a textbook. They are 播出, 廣播 and 轉播.
For the life of me I ...
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姐 vs 姊, etymology, and their English equivalences
Sometimes 姐 and 姊 are interchangeable, sometimes 姐 and 姊 have different meanings.
Can we summarize their usages? What is their etymology? And can we find their English equivalences?
It looks that ...
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What is the difference between 保持, 维持 and 维护?
I know you can say 维持治安, but not ie. 保持治安, yet other examples seem to be very similar in terms of use—is that a collocation issue or different meaning?
Sources so far:
https://hinative.com/zh-CN/...
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Are 中国 and 中华 synonyms?
For example, Chinese Taipei can be translated either as 中国台北 or 中华台北。Are 中国 and 中华 synonyms?
If there is any differnce between 中国 and 中华，how to reflect the difference in English translation?
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How do I translate the words “player” and “team” into Mandarin?
I have noticed there is a large number of words that translate as “player” and “team”. I've been trying to decipher those and so far it seems that:
玩家 wánjiā, 玩者 wánzhě – those two mean a player ...
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The differences between 生日 and 生辰
Recently, I have come across people giving birthday wishes to others using the word 生辰 instead of 生日.
I looked up some online dictionary/translation tools and it turns out 生辰 also means birthday.
So ...
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How to say "obscene": translate 下流 or 輕佻?
I want to describe people wearing clothing as totally indecent and obscene, for instance because the clothing doesn’t remotely cover the buttocks. I am not talking about ordinary mini skirts or hot ...
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What is the difference between 人才 and 人材, and which should I use？
Are they truly identical? If so, which is more commonly used and/or considered the default/standard/preferred usage (versus an alternate variant)?
Elsewhere I've found conflicting answers (that they ...
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Can 岁数, 年纪 and 年龄 be used interchangeably?
I have learnt several words that can be used to talk about a person's age, namely 岁数, 年纪 and 年龄.
I have found phrases and example sentences such as the following:
随便问别人的年龄是不礼貌的。
你父亲多大年纪了？
您多大岁数了？
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Word pairs like 嫉妒/忌妒 with similar pronunciations and meanings - examples and discussion please
I was thinking about how slight changes in pronunciation are reflected in writing.
As a case in point, here are two examples of words whose pronunciations are different, but similar, and whose ...
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What are the differences between 锻炼 and 运动 for "exercise", "work out", "train", etc?
When I want to say "working out", "exercising", or "training" in Chinese, I come across these two words:
锻炼
运动
What are the similarities and differences between these two words and their English ...
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How to deal with elasticity/flexibility in HSK vocabulary? [closed]
I'll be concise for those knowledgeable, and refer to brief and basic bibliography for those who are not.
The Chinese elasticity/flexibility is a lexical property of Chinese terms, two sides of the ...
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What's the difference between 后 and 以后?
I was taught that so as to say "after" in Chinese one should use 以后, like this:
吃饭以后
Today I came across a bare 后, like this:
15分钟后
What's the difference between these two words?
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Do 跟我读 (gēn wǒ dú) and 跟我念 (gēn wǒ niàn) have the same meaning ("read with me")?
These two sentences are similar, both meaning "read with me":
跟我读
(gēn wǒ dú)
跟我念
(gēn wǒ niàn)
I've said the first one when I teach English to kids. (They don't usually 跟我读, but you know....
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Are 这是哪 and 这是在哪 different questions?
On WeChat, I noticed one of my friends wrote:
这是哪？
zhèshìnǎ？
Meaning "where is this?" This surprises me as I would have expected
这是在哪？
zhèshìzàinǎ？
Both of these are easily found used ...
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Is 羊汤 (sheep soup) an alternative word for 羊肉汤 (mutton soup)?
The local mosque has a halal restaurant nearby with this sign:
清真回回饺子羊汤馆
Qīngzhēn huíhui jiǎozi yáng tāng guǎn
I translate this approximately to "halal ethnic Hui dumplings and sheep soup ...
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What is the difference between 诚意 and 诚信?
Both words generally mean sincerity or honesty, however their usage seems to be different, sometimes, but not always.
According to my understanding, you can say, for example:
他对我有诚意。
but can't ...
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What's the difference between 扣好安全带 (kòuhǎo ānquándài) and 系好安全带 (jìhǎo ānquándài), which both seem to mean "fasten seatbelt"?
On the plane I see 就座后扣好安全带 (jiù zuòhòu kòuhǎo ānquándài) which is translated to "fasten seatbelt while seated".
On the bus I see 上车请系好安全带 (shàngchē qǐng jìhǎo ānquándài) which I think translates to ...
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Modern Standard Mandarin equivalent of the 倒...不... and 半...不... constructs?
I've seen this mostly as dialect usage, but I'm wondering if there's a Modern Standard Mandarin (MSM) equivalent.
倒...不... - (seemingly) neither A nor B
倒男不女
倒文不武
倒明不白
半...不... - (seemingly) half A ...
Mou某♦
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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 (...
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What is the difference between 抽烟 (chōu yān) and 吸烟 (xī yān) which both pertain to smoking?
Question: What is the difference between 抽烟 (chōu yān) and 吸烟 (xī yān) which both pertain to smoking?
I‘ve ordinarily asked people
你抽烟吗 (nǐ chōu yān ma = "do you smoke?")
for which nobody has ...
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斯 vs 这 vs 此 for the meaning "this"?
What are the differences between these three, 斯 vs 这 vs 此, and any other characters or words for "this" in Mandarin Chinese?
I'm just a beginner and I've noticed at least these few characters are in ...
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What's the difference between 周 and 星期? [duplicate]
From a dictionary lookup, it seems that both 周 and 星期 can mean "a week"—is there any difference in usage?
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I'm currently walking (mostly) around Taiwan. When telling locals this, which of the many words for "walk" is the best to use?
I'm currently walking around Taiwan. Well mostly I'm walking, but I'm also interspersing some hitchhiking.
EDIT: By "walking around" I don't mean "here and there", I mean literally "around" the whole ...
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雷 vs 雷聲 vs 雷鳴 for "thunder", which is most common?
There's a huge thunderstorm here in Kaohsiung right now so I thought I would learn the word for "thunder".
I can find three words in the dictionary and wonder which I should use for everybody to ...
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Which word to use for "day" when talking about lengths of time?
I know of the words 日 and 天, which both mean "day" in Chinese, but I'm not sure which to use in phrases such as "I've been in Taiwan for 25 days".
When I look in Wiktionary I'm even more confused:
日 ...
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synonyms/phrases/poems related to: 情深恭敬少
ABC Proverbs
情深恭敬少 ,知己谈笑多
Lit [When] friendship [is] deep, formalities are few; [for] close confidants, chats [and] laughter are many.
Fig Intimate friends don't stand on ceremony.
What synonyms/...
Mou某♦
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What is the difference between 钱 and 金钱 (and 款)?
金钱 is just 钱 with an added 金 but both mean "money". Are there any semantics or grammar differences between the two? Also, 款 seems to also mean money. I know 款 is usually used after 贷 but can it also ...
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Difference between 借 and 贷
Both can either mean "to borrow" or "to lend". I know you can combine both of them "借贷" to mean "debit and credit". But what are the differences in usage and semantics between those two words. They ...
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Difference between 生活 and 生命
Both 生活 and 生命 mean "life". Both can be modified by "好" (好生活/好生命). Like any language, I don't believe two words ever mean the exact identical thing. If anybody could point me to the subtle (or not so ...
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Recovery; difference between 恢复 and 康复
When referring to a human being recovering from some illness/condition, does 恢复 or 康复 imply that the person is still in the process of recovery? Does 恢复 or 康复 imply that the person has fully ...
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What's the Difference Between 吹风 and 刮风?
In both word choice, and use, what is the difference between 吹风 and 刮风? Can I say "今天刮风很大“ but not say ”今天吹风很大“？
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