Questions tagged [word-requests]
For seeking a Chinese word or phrase that fits a meaning. Please be specific about the intended use of the word, including context.
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What is a word for a person who pretends to work but is really just waiting for others to give them their share when the work is done?
Similar to moocher and shirker in english, but with their meanings combined and with an element of trying to be sly. Looking for something that would work in a basic sentence, to identify/label a ...
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What's a chengyu with meaning similar to the Japanese 七転八起 (fall down seven times, get up eight)?
Japanese has the idiom 七转八起:
Basically if you fail 7 times, you should recover from those events and be prepared to rise an 8th time. This is also applies if it is the world or circumstances that ...
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Please help me find out what these letters mean [duplicate]
What do these letters mean, and are they from a store or market?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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What is the translation of "objet trouvé" into Chinese?
What is the standard translation of "objet trouvé" or "found object" into Chinese? I am looking for an authoritative translation based on some Chinese reference work in art history ...
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What are the characters for "qiu qiu", which means: "check this out"
Regulars of this community might recognize me as the guy who asks for random phrases that I remember from my childhood, and this is another one that I can't find on Google Translate
The phrase is &...
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Is there a word or phrase in Chinese referring to the physical office of Chinese authority?
In other countries, when referring to government offices, they use interesting words:
US: White House, Capitol Hill, Oval Office, Pentagon
UK: No.10 Downing Street. Scotland Yard,Buckingham Palace, ...
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How to say "and" to include two ideas (expressed by two verbs with possibly different subjects) in one sentence?
Is there a Chinese linking word which could be used the same way as English "and" which connects two ideas or actions or introduces one after the other within one sentence? There doesn't ...
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Is there a Chinese phrase equivalent to "difficult to eat"?
I wonder if there is a Chinese word or phrase equivalent to "difficult to eat" or "hard to eat".
For example, someone said that pomegranates and artichokes are among the 19 most ...
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What is the character missing in 「好吃jing」?
My grandma always referred to me as a "好吃jin(g?)" i.e. a glutton. However I'm not sure which character goes in the third one. This might be regional (Anhui) dialect, I am not sure, because I ...
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what is the Two-Block Haicut called in Chinese(Mandarin)?
does anyone know what is the Chinese name for the Two-Block Haircut? I heard it can also be called the Dandy Two-Block haircut.
It is the one that is popularized by Korea and is shown in many Korean ...
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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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How to translate "blouse" to Chinese?
I'm researching names for many different clothes in Chinese, and when I reached the word blouse, seems like I've reached a dead end and, consequently, a need of an explanation. Just to make myself ...
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Chinese names for zeptoseconds and yoctoseconds
While compiling a list of names for fractions of seconds which are in the International System of Units, I stumbled upon two curious fractions of seconds whose names I'm unable to locate anywhere, and ...
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How do I use 乱?
For the sentence, 你别乱闹.
I think it means "do not randomly complain," but that doesn't sound right.
I can't pinpoint what 乱 means.
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How to ask the flight attendant for more airplane meals if there are still leftovers?
Can anyone help me? I want to emphasize the word "leftover" so I do not sound so greedy. I also felt that it would be a waste since most of the meals needed to be thrown away if it is not ...
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What are other words worth learning that follow this pattern with 象?
Today I realised that:
象 means "elephant" which is the biggest land-dwelling animal,
亻+ 象 = 像 means "statue" which is the biggest person (I mean, a statue is the biggest ...
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What is 心血 in English?
What is 心血 in English may I ask? The full Chinese sentence is 我花了许多心血在房间的摆设上。整间房子里面，随处都可以发现我的心血。 I try to think about some alternatives, but haven't find out a perfect translation. One alternative is ...
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How to say 孝 in English?
How to say 孝 in English? It is be nice and somewhat comply to parent. But how to say it in English? Former discussion mentions about filial piety, but I am not sure. It looks like a rare and unpopular ...
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How to say 公德心 in English?
How to say 公德心 in English? I am not looking for explanation. I am looking for translation.
Similar words for 没有公德心 is selfish, thoughtless, disregard, and don't care about other people. But none of ...
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Is there a word for Chinese songs that rhyme like Jay Chou's 迷迭香 and JJ Lin's 伟大的渺小?
Every single line in Jay Chou's song "Rosemary" ends with the "ao" sound:
ni de zui jiao
wei wei shang qiao
xing gan de wu ke jiu yao
xiang xiang bu dao
ru ci xin tiao
ni de ...
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Does the distinction between speak and say have any equivalent in Mandarin?
In English "to speak" and "to say" typically cannot be used interchangeably. You can speak a language but you cannot say a language. Similarly, you can speak with someone but you ...
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How can I say "grade on a curve"?
The Future for Chinese/English Dictionaries mentioned that MDBG doesn't have "grading on a curve", and it seems that it's still rather hard to find a translation for this. A rather literal ...
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Cant find the characters to a phrase I heard growing up, "Gen Men", used as "totally" or "definitely"
like let's say you're full, you could say
"gen men 没办法吃饭“
I think similarly gen men would be used as 完全
"完全没办法吃饭"
But I can't find the characters for "Gen Men". I think I have ...
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Difference between 问 and 让 "to ask"
How do 问 and 让 differ in meaning and in what sort of situations would you use either of them?
In chinese.yabla.com there are a lot of different verbs with the meaning 'to ask'.
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In which dialect of Mandarin can I see or hear 乳酪?
In this website they write "乳酪 ru3 lao4" is a word which is used in Taiwan to describe cheese.
But my Taiwanese friend told me they don't use this word, they use "nai3 lao4" or &...
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How would I say 'what ...' in Mandarin
I think the French ce qui/que says it better. This is what I mean:
I do what I want. (Je fais ce que je veux, in French)
How would the 'what' be translated?
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What do you call these cold pickled cucumber skewers in Chinese?
Is it correct or understood if I call these cold and pickled cucumber skewers "冰泡黄瓜"?
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"How's that sound?" in Mandarin
What would be an appropriate way to end a sentence after making a suggestion/offering an opinion in anticipation of the response? For instance, while talking to a friend, I share something with them ...
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Is there a word to indicate incorrectness?
In English we have the prefix mis- that conveys this. I misread, I misspoke, I made a mistake, etc. A misrepresentation, a mistranslation, a misuse, etc.
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How do you say weekend in Chinese using the 星期 form?
I know that weekend in Chinese is generally translated as 周末.
Is there a way to say weekend by adding something to 星期 like 星期末? Or the only phrase for weekend is 周末?
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How do you say "none available"?
How do you say "none available"? As in: "There is none available" (without the "there is". Or not.).
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Ancient Chinese Saying #437: ... 10,000 days for the sword
The English martial arts internet is awash in people reciting
100 days of bare hand, 1,000 days of spear, 10,000 days of sword,
unless it's
It takes 100 days to learn the spear, 1000 days to learn ...
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Is there an expression similar to the English "gut feeling" in Chinese?
Is there a metaphor or idiom that has a similar meaning to "gut feeling", as a metaphor for "intuition" or "instinctive feeling", in Mandarin Chinese?
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How to imply someone is terminally ill?
In English, you can say "My cousin is sick." And that sort of conveys a lot. Your cousin could have cancer and be terminally sick, but could also be crazy ("sick" as in slang for cool), or sick as in ...
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Different types of rain in Chinese?
Inspired by this question on the Spanish stack exchange
Things like drizzle, mist, or downpour?
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How to express among in chinese?
I've encountered myself quite a few times trying to express the word among in chinese and the meaning that it carries, just like in these two senteces:
He's vey popular among the students.
Quite a ...
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Does Chinese have a gender-neutral term for "homemaker"?
I've looked up homemaker, a generic and gender neutral term for house husband, house wife, or a person who stays at home and looks after the family and does house chores, in the Pleco dictionary, but ...
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Different way of saying "throw rubbish" in Cantonese?
Looking at the dictionary, I see that "throw rubbish" in Cantonese is "掉垃圾". However, in the past, I remember hearing something different for "throw rubbish": "wang垃圾".
I need some help:
What is ...
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马耳他屿, 为什么这个岛屿用了这些字？
I have relatives in Malta. I want to know why in Chinese people in Malta are from 马耳他屿. Are they seen as (residing in an island where people would be) having ears like that of horses, perhaps due to ...
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Is there a way to distinguish "vegetarian" from "vegan" in Chinese?
I'd like to know whether there is a way to distinguish vegetarian from vegan in Chinese or is the only word available 素食者？
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How to say "make money"?
I'm trying to say "the Song Dynasty used this invention to make paper money". So far I've got "宋朝用了这个发明做纸钱“。 The "make money" part is messing with me- I know "做钱“ can mean to print counterfeit money, ...
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Chinese phrase for a physician's "residency program"?
I am looking for a phrase in Chinese which means the residency program that physicians go through after graduation from medical school. See here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Residency_(medicine)
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Metaphorical "opening" translation
I'm writing about certain historical leaders of China, and I'd like to say something along the lines of "he opened China to foreign investment" or "he opened China to foreign influence", etc. I can ...
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衰落：decadence or decline?
I'm trying to describe the plot of the work 红楼梦 using the phrase "the 贾 family's decline". The word for decline, though is confusing me. After putting "decline" through a few online translators, I've ...
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"One" (eg. one must) in Chinese?
I'm trying to write a recipe in Chinese, in which I'd like to be able to say something along the lines of "first, one must..." (I know , since a recipe is more informal, I could probably use "you" and ...
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How do you say 头大 in English?
英语太难了，学得我头大。
I just don't want to use "head exploding" which scares me.
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What is the character for romantic love in classical Chinese?
In Mandarin, 愛 means romantic love. However, New Practical Primer of Literary Chinese by Paul Rouzer has this to say about its use in literary Chinese:
This character [愛] usually does not imply "...
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What derogatory terms are there for Chinese people?
What derogatory terms are there for Chinese people in Mandarin?
In particular, I am looking for derogatory terms that apply to any person of Chinese ancestry regardless of birthplace, nationality, ...
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What's the common Chinese term for a chest cold?
I can find 支气管炎 for "bronchitis" but I wonder if that's a bit too technical or medical or whether it's common in day-to-day conversation.
In English "bronchitis" is a bit technical so more often ...
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What words are used in Taiwan for a place or person that mends clothing?
On my last trip to Mainland China I saw a lady in a corner "mini shop" mending clothes with a sewing machine.
She mended my jeans for about $5. I don't think she had any kind of sign.
This trip I'm ...
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