Questions tagged [vocabulary]
For questions about vocabulary, i.e. a set of words, as a whole. NOT for questions about meaning or translations, even when more than one word or phrase is involved.
569
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What to call this style of chinese teapot/winepot handle?
I have tried to baidu and google, both english and chinese for the name of this style handle. I cannot find it-- I am able to find the handle in results of generic searches but I am sure it must have ...
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What does 的 mean in this sentence ... 想看的现在报名
I am learning Mandarin at coursera. The reading material has a sentence like "想看的现在报名". I can guess the meaning of it as "If you want to see it, register now". But i dont know the ...
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What is the distinction between 联 and 连
There are two characters 联 and 连. They are both pronounced lián, and they both mean "to join" in the dictionary. What is the distinction between them?
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I want to know if there are any tools that can search for 全称s
I need a searching tool which satisfies the following condition.
As keyword is inputted then a corresponding 全称 is displayed in an output.
E.g. 初中 ⇒ 初级中学
I think that it is so hard for ones to ...
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Meanings of the various measure words for 房子
There are several measure words or classifiers that we can use with the Chinese noun 房子 fángzi. The ones I've come across are 棟 dòng, 幢 zhuàng, 座 zuò, 所 suǒ, 套 tào and 間 jiān. Now I know measure words ...
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Do you have any eating requirements or allergies?
Eating requirements: 食物要求
Allergy: 过敏
But I came across another term which I can't seem to find. A waitress in China asked me if I had any eating requirements/allergies but she used a term that I ...
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To clench one's muscles. How to express the verb "to clench"?
Muscles can relax and contract, when a muscle contracts it gets shorter.
But you can clench your muscles without any movement/contraction.
For context I happen to have a motor neurone condition which ...
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How to say : "Today I worked my chest."?
Exercise is 锻炼。
我锻炼了我的胸。
Is there a better way to express this ?
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或(者)，或是 and 或者是 difference?
What is the difference between those three words? I've been trying to find the answer, but some says they are all the same, some that 或者 is more formal, and some (but i think that person was a ...
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Difference Between 玩意 and 名堂
What is the difference between 玩意 and 名堂?
I learnt from other sources that 玩意 is the expression from 北方人 when they are upset about something like 这是什么玩意啊? (equal to 这是什么鬼啊?) (correct me if I'm wrong), ...
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What is the difference between 现在，此刻 and 此时?
Until recently I only knew the word 现在 for "now" or "at the moment", but I discoved words "此刻" and "此时" which are also translated as "now" or "...
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I will always support you
I've always been confused with the translation of "always" and "never".
My thoughts on the above phrase would be either:
我永远会支持你。
我一直都会支持你。
Which if any is correct ?
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What's the meaning of 稿件投诉, I saw it on 哔哩哔哩 while streaming?
While I stream videos on 哔哩哔哩, I saw 稿件投诉. But when I searched on Pleco, 稿件 means contribution or manuscript, and 投诉 means appeal or complain. If we combine them both, what does it means? Contribution ...
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What is school ''subject'' in Chinese?
Dictionaries give 课，话题，题目，科目，学科。
I'm sure they all have their unique nuances but I want to use ''subject'' in the context of:
My favourite subject is maths. 数学是我最喜欢的___.
I do 8 subjects in school. ...
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Could 三间房子 mean "a house with three rooms" rather than "three houses"?
I've seen this sentence in the book I'm reading (talking about a postman, so not a very rich person):
他在镇里盖了三间房子，还安了wifi……
So, since it would seem strange that a postman could have three houses ...
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How do you say "The Beatles" in Chinese? I'm getting conflicting answers. 披頭四 or 披头士? Surely it isn't 甲壳虫?
So, which way do you say it? And which region says what?
I assumed Mainland China said it 披頭四 and Taiwan said it 披头士? But I'm watching this video about Paul McCartney https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=...
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Confused about 生气/着急/担心
This is from a random hsk 5 practice exam I found online. Confused about the answer to 51 being 生气 here. I chose 着急. My thinking is that 着急 is most similar to anxious in English, which is why the wife ...
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How do Chinese musicians count beats in Mandarin?
When counting beats in a song, in English we would say "1 and, 2 and, 3 and" etc. where 1, 2 and 3 are beats and "and"s are spaces between them. You can also split the rhythm into ...
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What is the Chinese word for the technical term "slip factor" in fans?
大家好！
I am communicating with a Chinese fan manufacturer and I want to ask them about the slip factor of their fans. By slip factor, I am referring to the ratio of the flow tangential velocity to the ...
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What are the written simplified chinese characters for "if and only if"
In the English language, there is a phrase "if and only if"
The last snow 🌨 ❄ of late winter in the state of Colorado (the red state) shall kill vegetable seedlings 🌱 if and only if fewer ...
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What is the word ler (ex. in 精/光巴ler1 胖乎ler1) in Sichuan Mandarin?
It is a word that has the initial [l] and likely Tone 1 (阴平). I suspect it is a suffix representing a person. (Below the horizontal bar is the evidence and line of reasoning on how I come to these ...
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Books which only includes senteces each of which only using specified vocabs for hsk4
I want to use a book of vocabs for hsk4, which book generally only uses vocabs which are in range of hsk4. It is ok that some terms or expressions inside the sentences are out of range of hsk4 due to ...
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Chinese speaking and vocabulary [duplicate]
大家好
Can anybody help with recourses that I can make my speaking and vocabulary better? Is there anybooks that can help me?
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What verb is used for "playing" a YouTube video?
I want to say that I played a YouTube video.
Would it be 开 , as in 我开了一个十分钟的中文词汇视频 ?
v
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How do you refer to a non-binary sibling in Mandarin Chinese?
I am a very new Chinese student, and as part of my class we are introducing and listing our family members (mother, father, and older and younger brothers and sisters).
However, one of my older ...
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How to use 欢迎 in a sentence?
How exactly does one use the verb 欢迎?
Like in the sentence, 欢迎您到北京来.
Does it require 到 when saying welcome to? What is the purpose of 来 in the sentence?
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Hi, could you please help me with the translation of these weapon parts?
Could you please check, if I have translated these sentences in a right way? Thanks a lot! :)
气体调节器 - gas adjuster
瞄准装置 - scope
复进簧 - return spring
活塞簧 - bolt spring
上护盖 - upper cover
活塞 - bolt
...
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What are these 15 types of handles called in Mandarin?
In English an assortment of things can be called "handles", and this is usually translated to one of the following in Mandarin:
CC-CEDICT: 把 (bǎ) ... / handle / ...
CC-CEDICT: 把手 (bǎshou)...
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What's the difference between 说话 and 说?
I figure 说 is generally used for quotes or languages,
我说「我是美国人。」
我说英语。
I also figure 说话 is used when talking with someone.
我明天跟他说话了。
Are these differences accurate? Are there any other differences ...
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Why use "為" instead of the verb "是" for the meaning "to be"?
In the definition for the term "琥珀" at https://dict.revised.moe.edu.tw/dictView.jsp?ID=83080&q=1&word=%E7%90%A5%E7%8F%80, there's the text "為淡黃色、褐色或赤褐色的半透明固體". "為"...
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What is the closest mandarin translation to “everything happens for a reason”?
I was told it was
事
出
必
有
因
Is this accurate? Or is there a better translation to be told. Also if I may get a mandarin pronunciation that would be also appreciated.
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What are the usages of 甫 and 氏 after names for a single person?
I am reading some county document from Qing Dynasty. Most of the prefaces were signed by 年號+（年）+干支紀年+（月）+籍貫+姓+名+（字）. For example, 康熙(年號)丙寅(干支紀年)會稽(籍貫)徐(姓)世法(名)序, 道光(年號)二十九年（年）歲次巳酉(干支紀年)十月上浣（月）皖江(籍貫)劉(...
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Does 秩 mean 俸禄 or 品级 in 加秩二等？
This is from 《太平广记》：赐金帛，加秩二等。
The main story happened in Tang Dynasty. Su Wuming caught the thieves who had stolen from the Princess. The Queen wants to reward him by 赐(bestow)金(gold)帛(silk)，加(promote)...
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How is the term 盎格鲁撒克逊人 used?
In some Indo-European languages, including Greek, French, Russian etc., but not in English, the term Anglo-Saxons or Anglosaxons is used very often to describe the alliance of the English-speaking ...
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What is the proper way of saying "if" in Cantonese?
I know in Mandarin, it is easy to say something like "if" by using a statement akin to this:
如果我要去北京的話，我就用飛機。
When I looked up the word "if" in Cantonese, my dictionary brought ...
user31212
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What does GG mean here?
Saw this FB post about this unfortunate taxi accident in HK:
However I have never heard the term GG before and was wondering if its supposed to be shorthand for something else?
user31212
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What is the man saying in this Cantonese cartoon?
I started watching Old Master Q today and came across this scene where they try to get an interview, but I couldn't quite understand what was being said here:
https://youtu.be/OR8nxtw8GjY?t=502
...
user31212
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What is the difference between 跟, 跟着 and 跟着着?
What is the difference between 跟着 and 跟? All dictionaries say that both can mean the verb "to follow".
If I want to use the 着 as a "particle indicating the continuation of an action or ...
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What is the meaning of 广州产品？
微信的研究开发工作开展得很早，2010年底，移动互联网刚起步，腾讯广州产品研发中心就开始考虑相关业务。
Hi all. This is from the Standard Course Book of HSK5, section 12.
What exactly is the meaning of 广州产品？
广州产品研发 = Guangzhou product R&D
It doesn'...
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Meaning of 来 after and before certain verbs
What's the purpose of 来 in the following sentences?
他给我买什么来了？
我汉字写得太慢。你来写吧。
我来买票.
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What is the meaning of 说得过?
两千七百多年前的战国末期，赵国名将赵奢有个儿子叫赵括，他从小读了不少兵书，跟别人谈论起军事来，没有人说得过他，就是父亲赵奢也难不住他。赵括因此很骄傲，自以为天下无敌，连父亲也不放在眼里。
Hi all. I found this in the Standard Course Book of HSK5, chapter 15. What is the meaning of 说得过？Here the ...
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What is the meaning of 认知?
What exactly is the meaning of 认知 here? : 我奶奶说过：“人们应该在最美好的时候离开。”因为这个认知而获得诺贝尔奖的，不是我奶奶，而是心理学家丹尼尔•卡内曼。？？Detailed explanation please
提前感谢。
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Can 您 to be used in plural form?
Can 您 be used as a plural form? For example, if a child tries to address to both parents at the same time: 请您放心.
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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 ...
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Differences with 呢度，喺度，and 喺呢度
Can anyone explain any differences in usage between the three ways of saying 'here' in Cantonese?
I anticipate that in many cases, these will be exchangeable. I'm looking for examples of sentences ...
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森严 Why does this mean heavy guarding?
So why does "森严" mean "strictly protected"? like, ok, "森" Means Jungle and "严" means strict, so shouldn't it means "strict forest" not "...
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What is 照拂 in 我是你照拂的梦?
So in this line 我是你照拂的梦, both Google and Apple have translated as I am your dream. What about 照拂? What does 照拂 describe 梦 or 你?
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Nuance between the two words for orange , cheng se and ju se
I am aware that chengzi is an orange and juzi is a tangerine.
From these we get two words for orange colour, chengse and juse.
I lived in Beijing for a few years and reflecting back I don't recall ...
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女 in 嫩 : combining characters
So I just learned a new vocabulary called 嫩. An example from a YouTube channel was given as 这块儿牛肉非常嫩 to mean “This piece of beef is very tender”.
As I understand many Chinese characters can come ...
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How to memorise a Chinese -character/-word that have different meanings?
There are Chinese characters & words that have many and different meanings, my question is how remember their meanings ?
Are there any tips ?
Simple examples:
得 (de, děi, dé): particle, must, ...
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