Questions tagged [word-choice]
Questions about what word fits better in a certain context or situation.
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Why is 有 used in 我最喜欢的科目有艺术，中文和化学?
I was studing how to say school subjects in mandarin and I saw this sentence:
我最喜欢的科目有艺术，中文和化学
(My favorite school subjects are art, chinese and chemistry)
Why the use of 有 in this sentecence?
Could I ...
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Why do people say “你死了这条心吧” instead of “这颗心”?
I thought the classifier of "心" is always "颗" or "个"?
But why here is more common to use "条"?
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Is this a proper way of using 虽然？
因为锻炼也是我的兴趣，我可以用你的录像学汉语。虽然我还在汉语水平考试级3
Or does 虽然 always need a 但是/可是？And is the structure of the sentence alright, or does it sound too novice?
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How would you translate "for just a moment" in Chinese?
I am wondering if there's a more accurate way to say "for just a moment", or "if not for just a moment" in Chinese?
I am not certain because the translations I found sounds ...
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Why isn't 或者 written as 或则，similar to 否则?
According to my understanding, the correct use of "或者"(meaning "or"). But the character "者" means a person who specialized in something. Why isn't it "或则" ...
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What is the difference between 创造，创作，制造，制作，and 创建？
Hello good people of Chinese Stack Exchange! Hope you're doing well.
It seems like the words 创造，创作，制造，制作，and 建造 are similar in that they mean "make" or "create," but from what I've ...
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所以，因此 and 于是 in context
Background
Recently, I was tasked to describe whether I was a vegetarian and for what reason. At first I wanted to use words like 因而, but I suspected the native speakers would deem them too literary ...
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Are individual white hairs 髮 or 毛？
I wanted to talk about individual white hairs in a beard. I was taught that individual hairs where always 毛。So I said:
一些白毛已经出现了
This was immediately corrected to:
一些白发已经出现了
Shall I discard the ...
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When to use 來源於 and when to use 來自於
Recently, on a language exchange platform, I tried to describe one of my favourite books (Thucydides, from which I had to study many passages) as follows:
我所喜歡的書頗多，包含古希臘的經文在內。比如說希臘歷史學家修昔底德的傑作《伯羅奔尼撒戰爭》...
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When to use 来源 and when to use 根源
Recently, on a language exchange platform, I tried to describe one of my favourite books (Thucidides, from which I had to learn a lot of passages) as follows:
我所喜歡的書頗多，包含古希臘的經文在內。比如說希臘歷史學家修昔底德的傑作《...
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Is there a idiom or term to describe someone who don't see you as the same level as them?
The best I can think of are the combination of:
讽刺意味 (to have the "smell" of irony on you) and
很偏激 (very extreme or biased)。
举个例子/For example：
Everything you say or do is viewed as ignorant（...
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Can the term "老大" be used to call "Boss" in video games nowadays?
I remember as a child, us children would say "老大"/lǎodà to describe the boss, or final enemy in a video game. If I am guessing correctly, it is probably like comparing a "boss" ...
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What are the names of men's haircuts popular among young Chinese idols?
What are some popular haircuts among young Chinese idols (preferably men) called in Chinese? Preferable a list in Chinese, if possible.
For example, take the TFBoy members have haircuts that kind of ...
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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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What does "你究竟是还看了些 什么东西" mean?
So I was reading a novel and I don't get "你究竟是还看了些 什么东西" does it mean "what else did you see?" Or would it be more like "what else did you learn?"
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How to say “I pass” in Chinese, when playing a board game
In many board games it is a valid move to pass, i.e. “not make a move at all”.
How do I express the intention to do this, in Mandarin Chinese, over text?
Neither of these direct translations seem to ...
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Is it just me or is 却向人类早已认定为准则的定义提出了质疑 terribly unnatural?
俗话说万物生长靠太阳。人们之所以这样说，是因为历来植物生长离不开阳光，而动物又靠植物维持生命，所以没有阳光，就没有万物，这是众所周知的真理。然而科学家们的深海考察，却向人类早已认定为准则的定义提出了质疑。
HSK Standard Course 6上, chapter 19 (original).
This is the first paragraph from a chapter in the ...
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How do we translate "to expect", in the sense of "the author expects the reader is familiar with Chinese culture"?
I find myself having trouble translating this version of the English word "expect":
The author expects the reader is familiar with Chinese culture.
I expect that you have completed your ...
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What does 尤其 emphasize in the phrase 在触手处尤其多 ("there are particularly many on the tentacles")?
Below is a sketch of a 水螅 ("hydra") from a grade-8 biology textbook:
生物学，八年级，上册, 2013
The text writes the following (original):
外胚层有多种细胞，如刺细胞。刺细胞是腔肠动物特有的攻击和防御的利器，在触手处尤其多。
I'm interested ...
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Need Chinese phrase that would mean "dedicated craftsman" for calligraphy piece
I am a ten-year student of Chinese calligraphy and am thinking of creating a calligraphy piece that would mean "dedicated craftsman". I have not been able to find such a phrase in idioms or ...
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Dedicated craftsman locution
Could the phrase 事業心 be applied to a noun that means something like a “craftsman” (技工) or possibly artisan? How might I say “a dedicated craftsman” with “dedicated” in the sense of “focused and with ...
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Why is it 说明 and not 告诉 within 而自知之明之所以“贵”，则[blank]人是多么不容易自知?
A HSK5 textbook exercise talks about the saying 人贵有自知之明 (which means something like "self-knowledge is precious"). It writes:
……。把自知称之为“明”，可见自知是一个人智慧的体现。而自知之明之所以“贵”，则 [blank] 人是多么不容易自知。
...
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“無法換給捐贈者” v.s. “無法還給捐贈者”
On this page, I read 無法換給捐贈者, which I think is both grammatically and semantically correct, however is difficult to be understood. Should that be replaced with 無法還給捐贈者?
希望各位捐贈者可以理解，捐贈的硬件最後可能將會被棄置或轉售，...
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“使用者不得使用多數的帳戶在討論區中發言”: should 多數 be replaced with 多個?
On this page, I read 使用者不得使用多數的帳戶在討論區中發言, which I think 多數 is a mistake and it should be 多個.
使用者不得使用多數的帳戶在討論區中發言。使用者雖然不必使用自己的真實姓名登記，但不得有意使用他人的姓名登記。
Update: Seems that it is really a mistake since in ...
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Use of 是 and 很 to express "I am not well"
Dear Chinese Language community users, I have the following question. During my learning I encountered the answer 我不是很好 in response to 你好吗？I was puzzled because I thought the correct negative answers ...
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Does 求仁得仁 mean "You ask for it"?
Two days ago, the dean of Chinese Language Department of Fudan University in China wrote a condolence letter in memory of the dean of Math Department of the same university who was killed by an angry ...
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HSK5 mock exam: How do we infer that 运回 is the correct way to fill in the blank in 当其他商人准备将茶叶[blank]时?
This is a mock HSK5 exam question:
有位北方商人去南方收购茶叶，当他到达目的地时，当地茶叶早已被其他商人抢购一空。情急之中，他突然想到一个---1---，把当地装茶叶的筐全部给买了下来，当其他商人准备将茶叶---2---时，才发现已经没有箩筐可买，无奈只得向这位商人求购。结果这位北方商人轻而易举地在这些人身上赚了一大笔，还---3---...
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Difference between 司 and 施
Words like 司机，司令，司仪，司炉，司法，司线（员） have the core 司, which, if deemed to be a verb, can form a verb-object group with the subsequent noun to mean one is acting on the object, so 司机 means the man is doing ...
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What does 五牛更象 mean?
In January 2021, China's Shaanxi Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and China Cultural Center in Sydney jointly held an exhibition titled "五牛更象—陕西非遗印象展"at the China Cultural Center ...
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The necessity of 的 and 是
Recently, I have been made aware of the following sentences:
这太棒了！
这是太棒了！
这真是太棒了！
A native Chinese friend told me that the middle one is incorrect, but that seems very odd to me, because 是 is the “be ...
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What is the exact function/purpose of 来了 at the end of sentences like this:
她吃晚饭的时候她朋友打电话来了。
I know it focuses the mind on perspective -- like the action previously stated has come toward the speaker in some way. But what is the exact function? I'd love to start naturally ...
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Can I use 马马虎虎 to describe food, and in what sorts of sentences can I use it?
In what kinds of sentences can "马马虎虎" be used? Would I be able to use it to describe how good food tastes, and if so, how would I structure the sentence? Is it usually used by itself as a ...
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Using a one-character vs two-character word
One of the difficulties I have in Chinese is I feel there is a disconnect between learning the words and using them/reading them in formal texts.
For example, I have learnt that 年 means years, and ...
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What's the opposite of 不安?
不安 (bùān)
CC-CEDICT: unpeaceful / unstable / uneasy / disturbed / restless / worried
Sometimes I want to use the opposite adjective to 不安 (with the meaning 不不安), but I'm not sure what to use. It's ...
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Difference between 柱体 and 圆筒
I get the impression that 柱体 is more mathematical and 圆筒 is more about general "drum shaped" things. Are they interchangeable or is there a distinction?
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How to translate Session?
In a workshop context, I am trying to verblly translate "Session 1", "Session 2" into Chinese. The first word coming to my mind is 第一课,第二课, but we are trying to avoid the ...
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How are 连A带B and A着B different
他连说带笑 / 他笑着说
他连唱带跳 / 他唱着跳
Do these sentences have the same meaning？
and if I change the position between the two verbs, do they still have the same meaning?
他连说带笑 / 他连笑带说
他笑着说 / 他说着笑
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How do we extend 第二天 ("next day") to other days ("previous day", "same day", etc.)?
第二天: next day / the morrow
I find this a versatile and useful word, and wondering if it can be extended to "same day" and "previous day" versions. There is this discussion at ...
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Why is 来 used in "因为‘东西’一般不能用来表示人"?
Why is 来 used in the following sentence? For some context, this is a line from a text used in the second workbook of the New Practical Chinese Reader series (pg. 93). In the text a teacher is ...
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Why is there a 去 in 我们需要确保社交距离去保护您和我们的员工?
My friend took a photo of this Chinese sign in Australia:
(click to enlarge)
It's a formal, long-winded way of saying "stay 1.5 meters apart". Specifically it says:
亲爱的顾客：
根据澳洲政府规定，...
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多大 or 多少？Which should be used when and where?
多大 or 多少？
Could these two terms be used interchangeably, and if not what is the difference between them? When should they be used?
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Is 枝 used as qí?
I found that the word 枝 is used not only as zhi but also as qí, but I could not find the entry on macOS Chinese dictionary. Also, when I tried typing it qi on iOS, the keyboard didn't show 枝 on the ...
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How do you say "allowance" in mandarin?
Google Translate says it is 津贴, but my mom says it is 零用钱. Apparently 津贴 doesn't mean allowance, so what does each character mean? My book and google translate say 零用钱 is pocket money. How does that ...
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differences between 非常好 and 特别棒 ALSO if I know someone's name, do I 认识 them?
I need help with a question for a Chinese assignment
I have to choose a suitable answer to the sentence, the sentence is
你知道吗？ 昨天的足球比赛我们沈阳队赢了天津队5：1。 沈阳队的水平比天津队高得多了 。
Question: 沈阳队的水平怎么样？
Choices:
A. ...
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Is there a word/name that sounds like "Arky"? [closed]
I'm looking for a catchy name and I'm wondering if the word "arky" does mean anything in the Chinese language.
I was wondering if there is like a word in Chinese language that is pronounced (...
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Why should I change the subject in this situation? (V的V, V的V sentence structure)
My teacher has recently asked the class to make a sentence with the V的V, V的V sentence structure. I have submitted the following sentence:
我的爸爸做事的做事，打字的打字，打电话的打电话，真的很忙。
But my teacher said that the ...
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How do you ask "How old is it?"
When commenting on a used article for sale, how do you simply ask how old the item is?
Is "它多大了?" Correct?
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Are these two having the same meaning: 遥远的地方 vs. 远方
遥远的地方 vs. 远方
Are these two having the same meaning?
Like these sentences:
我住在一个遥远的地方。
我住在远方。
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Why does 我是长头发 mean "I have long hair" and not "I am long hair"?
I was just chatting with a teacher here at LTL Mandarin, and she said:
我是长头发。
I have long hair. (Not: I am long hair.)
This is perplexing for me, since it's inconsistent with e.g.
我是人。
I am human. ...
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What is the difference between 宏伟 and 雄伟?
As far as I understood, the first means "great and big", something magnificent and imposing. It collocates with mostly abstract nouns such as aim or prospect (宏伟前景，宏伟目标，宏伟事业), but it also ...
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