15
votes
Accepted
What is the difference between 必须, 得, 必需, and 需要?
First let's clarify the definitions of 須 and 需
須： Adverb/verb, meaning should, must; 《必須，必定，須要》
你（必須）參加這次會議
You must participate in this meeting.
需: Compound, meaning need, require; example ...
- 356
15
votes
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Why does 我是长头发 mean "I have long hair" and not "I am long hair"?
There is no "why". "是" in Chinese does not equal "be" in English. This is just how languages work.
In Chinese, almost anything can follow "是". The part after &...
- 3,853
11
votes
Accepted
What is the difference between 对不起, 请问, 不好意思, and 抱歉 to express "excuse me" or "sorry"?
对不起 is the phrase for apologizing for anything, for generally saying sorry. This is what you would normally say in situation 2.
请问 means "may I ask...?"; it is used to introduce a question and not to ...
- 226
11
votes
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无奈我爱你，How to use 无奈 and 有奈?
《說文解字》似乎並無「奈」之條目。
It seems that 《說文解字》 does not have the entry of 奈.
「奈」由「柰」衍生而來，可能是新造字，也可能是誤寫。「柰」的本義是「果名」，借用為「柰何」，猶言「如何」。後來，分成「柰」表「果名」，而「奈」則專用在「奈何」之類的字詞。
奈 was derived from 柰. It might be a new word,...
- 5,886
11
votes
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Difference between 小吃 and 零食
小吃: snack. Examples: steam bun, hot dog, baked sweet potato (most street food stall's cooked food are considered 小吃.) There are also cold served 小吃 like cold cut meat or cheese on cracker (mostly ...
- 77.1k
11
votes
Why in Chinese Bible (和合本), "you" was translated as "你" instead of "您"?
"I thought 您 is more polite and honorific and thus should be used when address Jehovah. Why was "you" translated as "你" instead of "您"?"
你 is, in fact, the ...
- 6,066
11
votes
Accepted
Using 有 vs 是 to describe an object
有(一)点 as a set can use to mean "a little too...". See this Chinese Grammar Wiki page.
Some examples from the page:
我 有点 饿 。
I'm a little hungry.
这个 菜 有点 辣 。
This dish is a little too spicy.
...
- 8,725
10
votes
Accepted
What's the difference between 停车 (tíngchē) and 泊车 (bóchē), which both seem to mean "park car"?
请勿泊车 = No Parking
No Parking mean you can stop the vehicle there, and you can load or
unload people and goods, but you can't leave the vehicle unattended
and go off.
禁止停车 = No Stopping
No ...
- 216
10
votes
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What's difference between 国籍 and 民族?
国籍 = nationality (as based on what nation you are from)
民族 = ethnic group
For the majority of Chinese people their:
国籍 = 中国 (Chinese)
民族 = 汉 (Han)
Mou某♦
- 35.7k
10
votes
Which is best to use in 我觉得学汉语不容易，但是我 （会/能/可以）学?
In this setting, I would go for:
我觉得学汉语不容易，但是我能做到的。
I think studying Chinese is not easy, but I can do it.
It's a variant on the standard phrase 你能做到的 = "you can do it!" (example sentences)...
- 15.9k
10
votes
Accepted
In my maths textbook, what is 和 doing in the question 两次所得的和相同吗？
In Maths terms, 和 as in '总和'(n) means 'sum'
两次所得的和相同吗
Are the sums from the two calculations the same?
e.g. 2 + 2 = 4 --> 二加二的得数(count)是四 ; 二加二的和(sum)是四
- 77.1k
10
votes
Why 今 and 今天 both mean “today”?
Literally, 今 means "present".
今天 - the present day = today.
今年 - the present year = this year.
今生 - the present life = this life.
- 12.1k
9
votes
What is the Difference Between 方法 and 办法?
I don't think you guys are completely understanding it, there is a philosophical difference in the two words. It's possible to 有方法但是没办法. 方法 refers to the general method or way something can be done. 方 ...
- 101
9
votes
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What is the difference between 阅读, 读, and 看?
看 could mean see, look, watch and read, but 阅读 does not mean see, look or watch. 阅读 only means read. Examples:
我在看书。(I'm reading a book.)
我在读书。(I'm reading a book.)
我在阅读。(I'm doing some reading.)(...
- 369
9
votes
Accepted
What are the different words for "and" that can be used in a list and how do they differ?
used to connect words: 和; 與; 跟; 及; 以及;
和 can be used everywhere.
跟 is used in oral cases mostly.
與, 及, 以及 are used mostly in writing.
used to connect clauses or sentences: 並且; 而且
- 1,599
9
votes
When do you use 所有， 全部， 整个, 完整?
That's an interesting question. The answer basically boils down to differences in grammatical role of these words:
所有 “all (of the)”, refers to all entities pertaining to a certain context. Given ...
- 5,452
9
votes
Accepted
Is there a word for 1/3?
因為十進制在中國已被使用了很長的時間，故比較少分數字詞；其中只有「半」作為單字詞，於中國古代應用如下。
Because the decimal system has been used for a long time in China, there are fewer fractional words.
半 is the only single word, which was used as ...
- 1,599
9
votes
Which one is correct 你说的对 or 你说得对？
Both 你说的对 and 你说得对 could be valid.
你说的对 means 你说的内容对：what you said is right.
你说得对 means either 'you said it right' or 'it's right/correct for you to say it'. 得 here is an effect or result ...
- 24k
9
votes
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Why do both 太 (too) and 过于 (excessively) occur in 外国人有时候太过于开放 (foreigners are sometimes too excessively open)?
I'm going to convert my comments into an answer to offer another POV to the already given answer.
太过于 is a set phrase.
KEY defines:
太过于
too...
and KEY French defines it:
trop...
Perhaps this is ...
Mou某♦
- 35.7k
9
votes
Accepted
Difference between 好看、美丽 and 漂亮
The differences between 好看, 美丽 and 漂亮 just like that differences between good-looking, beautiful, pretty, it's so hard to distinguish... well, just a joke. The three words can be used for a good-...
- 1,382
8
votes
Accepted
Difference between 前面 and 面前
前面 means "in front of" or "at the front of". It can be used for anything that has a front, though in some cases just 前 may be better.
面前 means "in front of the face". It can only be used in the ...
- 1,837
8
votes
What is the difference between 公分 and 厘米?
In 1928, the government of the Republic of China introduced the metric system to China (read more). It translated "centimeter" into 「公分」.
Later in 1959, the government of the People's Republic of ...
- 244
8
votes
Accepted
Need help translating a few words
五羊牌
牌: brand.
五羊(five sheeps) is the brand name.
广州市
Guangzhou City
广州制帽厂
Guangzhou hat factory
出品
produced, product
规格
specification
Reasonably, the whole thing in English might become ...
- 1,404
8
votes
Accepted
Can I use 告诉 to quote what someone has said? Please help!
今年初，我的朋友告诉我他这个学期每个星期要打工三十个小时。
It is correct. You can use 告诉 in this way.
You can add a comma to make it clearer.
今年初，我的朋友告诉我，他这个学期每个星期要打工三十个小时。
BTW, the sentence can be simplified as follows.
今年初，...
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