7
votes
Boundary-shifting wordplay (or mishearing) in Chinese?
喜欢上 一个人
to get to like someone or to get to like being alone
喜欢 上一个 人
to like the previous man/woman
喜欢 上 一个人
to like to f-word someone
- 670
7
votes
Accepted
What is the subject of 其他的都很满意?
I am glad to see this interesting question. The omission is really one of the most confusing but fascinating parts of the Chinese language. My explanation would be almost similar to your first one.
...
- 368
6
votes
Accepted
The correct usage of 大约 vs. 差不多
大约 means "approximately", 差不多 means "almost".
大约 is normally used as an adjective or adverb in phrases like:
大约四英尺厚的雪
snow that is approximately 4 feet thick
差不多 can be used in a similar way, but ...
- 1,837
6
votes
Accepted
Phrase structure for "餐厅是在周边一个靠海的小城市。"
(1) Here 是 is NOT a copula, but a marker for the cleft sentence, equivalent to the English it-cleft. It emphasizes what comes after.
Historically, the evolution of copula in Chinese started from ...
- 4,485
5
votes
Boundary-shifting wordplay (or mishearing) in Chinese?
Chinese do have mishearing issue, because of the limited pronunciation and tones.
The classic example may be all foreigners know when they were starting to learn Chinese tones is:
请问shui jiao ...
- 1,307
5
votes
Is the 有 in 你有想要买什么吗 some kind of auxiliary verb?
你有想要买什么吗. It sounds more like Taiwanese usage of 有 to my ear. I found they often put 有 between subject and verb. E.g. 我有去过；我有看过；where I often just say 我去过；我看过. In this case, I'll probably say 你想要买什么? ...
- 24k
5
votes
Does omitting pronouns change the relationship between sentences?
妈妈昨天喝茶，今天喝咖啡。 = 妈妈昨天喝茶，她今天喝咖啡。 ≠ 妈妈昨天喝茶，所以今天喝咖啡。
妈妈不喝茶，喝咖啡。 = 妈妈不喝茶，她喝咖啡。 ≠ 妈妈如果不喝茶，就喝咖啡。
Here omitting the pronoun 她 will not change the meaning of the sentence. Normally we omit the repeating ...
- 813
4
votes
Boundary-shifting wordplay (or mishearing) in Chinese?
There are wordplay in every language, Chinese is no exception.
Example:
"下雨天留客，天留人不留。"
"Raining day make the guest stay, although heaven keeps the guest, the host does not."
"下雨天，留客天。留人不?" "留！"
"...
- 77.1k
4
votes
How do I analyze "是其于主也至忠矣"?
The verse is from 戰國策 卷二十八:
Though the OP asked one particular verse, and we must comprehend the related text (from page 80-82), in order to interpret it correctly.
或謂公仲曰．今有一舉而可以忠於主．便於國．利於身．願公之行之也
...
- 15.1k
4
votes
Accepted
How do I analyze "是其于主也至忠矣"?
This is how I read this passage:
公行之計是其於主也至忠矣
[If] you/公 use (行) this (之; read it as 此) strategem (計), this (是) inevitably [shows] (其; read it as 乃 or 然) to (於) the lord (主) pause (也) great loyalty (...
- 22.2k
4
votes
"以 V 之" as a post-nominal modifier in Classical Chinese
in classical chinese, the structure “以” + one character + “之” could be interpreted in multiple ways.
in the analects (論語), chapter 為政:
子曰・詩三百・一言以蔽之曰・思無邪
confucius said (子曰): “the book of odes” (詩三百),...
- 15.1k
4
votes
Accepted
How to do line breaks when mixing in Simplified Chinese characters and non-Chinese characters?
It is not acceptable to break up 100 to 1 00 in any language
line break between 一百 is acceptable, but from a graphic designer's standpoint, it doesn't look professional
breaking up non-digit/non-...
- 77.1k
4
votes
Accepted
Wh-questions in Chinese
Tl;dr: Placement depends on whether the wh-word is the subject or object of the sentence, and whether emphasis is intended.
Given both Chinese and English follow the SVO structure (hence their ...
- 5,595
4
votes
Garden Path Parsing of 雲南那兒的人有少數幾個民族說的是漢語的方言
雲南那兒的人有少數幾個民族説的是漢語的方言。
The sentence is understandable but ungrammatical strictly speaking because 雲南那兒的人有少數幾個民族 doesn't make sense. The sentence can be improved by removing 的人, like ...
- 24k
4
votes
Accepted
How to do basic similes (comparisons) in Chinese?
[adj] 如 [n] / 其 [adj] 如 [n] (more idiomatic, usually contains four characters)
有如 [n] 般 [adj] / 如 [n] 般 [adj] (more literary)
跟 [n] 一般 [adj] / 像 [n] 一樣 [adj] (more colloquial)
[adj] 得跟 [n] 一般 / [...
- 77.1k
3
votes
Difference in word order of these two adverbs: 再 又
I am trying to give two differences between 再 and 又 for you.
Originally, 再 means 'second time', 又 means 'second time', or 'third time', or even more. But now, 再 sometimes also means repeatedly. In ...
- 130
3
votes
Is phrase 他活说得好快 grammatical?
[活] and [话] are completely different word and cannot be used interchangeably. "他活说得好快" is not a correct sentence.
I think the reason you thought these 2 word can interchange is because of some common ...
- 352
3
votes
Are there Escher sentences in Chinese? [kinda technical]
"More people have been to Russia than I have" doesn't make sense in English, therefore, it wouldn't make sense in Chinese neither.
(2)-(4) would not be considered grammatical by native ...
- 77.1k
3
votes
Accepted
Why 这么 / 那么 are placed before the action verb?
[这么 +v ] = [v + like this/ this way]
[那么 + v] = [v + like that/ that way]
Example:
大家都[这么][说] = everyone [says it] [like that]
你不该[那么][做] = you shouldn't [do it] [like that]
~
[这么 + adj ] = [ this + ...
- 77.1k
3
votes
Please help me understand this use of 去做
去 means 'go'. It can function as a verb particle that denotes the initiation of a verb. Similar to 'go' in 'go kill people' in English
More examples:
我當教師 = I being a teacher
我去當教師 = I go and (begin ...
- 77.1k
3
votes
Please help me understand this use of 去做
In your example,
我们不得不去做一些自己不愿意做
with 去, it adds a bit emotion here. It sounds like that doing those things is extra miles. Without it, it doesn't have that connotation.
This dictionary definition ...
- 24k
3
votes
Accepted
How do I analyze "惟意所欲適" and "惟所欲為"?
I believe in the poem, the (hidden) subject should be the horse instead. It should go like
（馬）惟意所欲適
The horse dashes as it (my mind) wishes
The basic sentence should be 馬適, which means the horse ...
- 5,595
3
votes
How to do basic similes (comparisons) in Chinese?
"as...as" is comparing two comparable objects:
"you are as tall as a tree" - 你"如/就像"(as)樹"一般"(as)高
"she is as smart as him" - 她"如/就像"(as)他&...
- 12.1k
3
votes
Accepted
Does omitting pronouns change the relationship between sentences?
These sentences may be logically compatible with a conditional, causal or any other subordinative reading, but only by contextual inference.
When a sentence leaves out something that is grammatically ...
- 697
3
votes
Difference between 且... 且... and 一面… 一面
Yes, they function similarly
[且 X 且 Y] is a classical literary structure, only used with monosyllabic verbs and no complements.
Example: 且戰且退
[一面 X 一面 Y] is more colloquial and works with verbs or ...
- 77.1k
2
votes
Are both 他游了三个小时泳 and 他游泳游了三个小时 fine?
You can say 他游了三個小時泳. People will understand it, but it doesn't sound as smooth as 他游了三個小時的泳. However, that's still not the best way to say it. You should just say 他游了三個小時 or 他游泳游了三個小時.
的 will make ...
- 150
2
votes
What is the semantic relationship between the verbal phrases of a serial verb construction?
Is the temporal relationship the only one?
Most, but not all.
"我看水果"，"我切水果" and "我愉快地吃水果" are three separate SVO sentences. When we consolidate them into a single sentence, the temporal relationship ...
- 77.1k
2
votes
How many different types of adverbials exist in total?
In situations like this, it IS better to make it a full sentence than just combinations of whole bunch of adverbs.
In the examples OmniBus provide above, it will create some kind of "emphasize" ...
- 257
2
votes
The correct way to parse "就打赢了" in 是个很普通就打赢了的对手哦?
是个很普通就打赢了的对手哦
Tang Ho's analysis is correct. Semantically, the sentence is saying "One is such an opponent or contestant that can be defeated by normal playing (versus playing hard)". Put ...
- 24k
2
votes
The correct way to parse "就打赢了" in 是个很普通就打赢了的对手哦?
"是个很普通就打赢了的" is an adjectival phrase for "对手"
是 - is (verb)
个 - a (classifier for the noun 对手)
很普通就 (just easily) 打赢了(defeated)
的 (adjectival phrase marker)
对手- opponent [noun]
就 ...
- 77.1k
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