Questions about more or less fixed expressions.
Questions tagged [expressions]
162 questions
12
votes
2 answers
Why are intermediate cardinal directions read differently in Chinese?
I am referring to the fact that in English, we say "northeast", whereas in Chinese, the equivalent direction is called 东北, which literally translates to "east-north". One could say the same about "northwest" => 西北 (west-north), "southeast" => 东南…
Tom Au
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10
votes
9 answers
Chinese equivalent of "I can honestly say..."
Is there a Chinese equivalent of "I can honestly say".
It's a rather colloquial expression, and I was wondering if there were something equivalent in Chinese to convey the same earnestness of the expression, "I can honestly say..."
I can honestly…
Samuel Parsonage
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9
votes
6 answers
What's the role of 好了 in 你叫我(name)好了?
In this sentence
你叫我马丁好了。
what's the role of 好了?
I understand this sentence as "You can call me 马丁."
dusan
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7
votes
5 answers
How do I express "I don’t envy you" properly in Chinese?
It's basically translated to
我不羡慕你。
My Chinese colleague has a difficult task, and maybe have to work overtime. When I consoled him,
我不羡慕你 (I don’t envy you)。
He asked back,
为什么要羡慕我？
I realized it's not a proper expression in Chinese.
Administrator
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6
votes
2 answers
Is the "shh" expression of silence used in Chinese?
Do Chinese people put a finger on the lips and use the expression "shh" to ask for silence? According to this answer in the English Language Stack Exchange, this expression originated from English about six centuries ago.
Of course people who watch…
Gabe12
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6
votes
3 answers
Saying "I have to go" in chat
Today I was chatting online with a Chinese person. I wanted to say "I have to go" to end the conversation and disconnect, so I wrote this:
我得走了
but I don't know if there is a better sentence. Or that sentence is just fine?
dusan
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6
votes
8 answers
How should one translate "祝你年年有今日，歲歲有今朝" into English?
On my birthday a friend wished me "祝你年年有今日，歲歲有今朝". I can understand each of the individual words in this phrase, but the overall meaning is somewhat less clear to me (although I have some ideas about what it might mean). Searching around the web…
jsk
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5
votes
2 answers
Which expression do native speakers actually use: Chinese New Year or Spring Festival (or other)?
In relation to the Chinese New Year (or Spring Festival) I've heard different names, as you can see from what I just wrote.
In Chinese we have:
春節 / 春节 = Spring Festival
Chūn jié
農曆新年 / 农历新年 = Chinese New Year
Nóng lì xīn nián
or simply (more…
Alenanno
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5
votes
4 answers
Chinese idiom for "tilt at windmills" or "fighting against windmills"
Is there a Chinese idiom for "tilting at windmills"?
This expressions stems from "The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha". In that book, Don Quixote attacks windmills, incorrectly (and absurdly) believing them to be giants.
From…
user3271
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5
votes
6 answers
Do 看一看 and 瞧一瞧 have the same meaning?
Is 看一看 equal to 瞧一瞧 in meaning?
Are they interchangeable?
dusan
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4
votes
3 answers
Translation English Expression "You can tell ... by ...."
I'm translating an English song in an exercise to learn Chinese
One of the lyrics is
You can tell he means it by the look on his face
This is English expression. A less expressive lyricist might say:
You know he means it because (of) the look on…
Nate Anderson
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4
votes
1 answer
What meaning does ** (double asterisk) have in chinese?
I'm reading some web novels, and I noticed that once in a while there's ** double asterisk in the middle of a sentence, but I have no idea what they represent.
For example:
**的挑釁
john2546
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3
votes
2 answers
Mandarin equivalent of "stir crazy"
Is there a concise way to express "stir crazy" in Mandarin, or is a long explanation needed?
zaqrew2
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3
votes
2 answers
What does the expression 方便倒是方便 mean?
"方便倒是方便" seems like a fixed expression, and from context it seems to be rejecting "is it convenient?" as a reason for doing something. I can't find an actual definition, though.
Ben Jackson
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3
votes
3 answers
In 很高兴认识你 is there an implied 我 at the front or is 很高兴 modifying 认识 as in "happily meet"?
I know that I'm asking about an expression which doesn't have to follow the normal rules of grammar. But if it makes sense to ask, I'd like to understand if that sentence is literally structured as "happily meeting you" or if it's "(I) am happy…
Ben Jackson
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