Chinese Language Stack Exchange
Chinese Language Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [meaning-in-context]

Questions about understanding words or phrases within a given context.

Due to the high number of homophones (characters with the same pronunciation), understanding a phrase in Chinese often requires knowing the surrounding context.

The tag can be used also for broader meaning in context, for example the implications of some complete sentence given a preceding of following paragraph.

898 questions
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Do 和 and 及 refer to two different kinds of "ands?"

At one level, they both mean "and." At another level, 和 also means "peace," while 及 means "to extend." This suggests different usages. Is one used to connect nouns, while the other is used to connect predicates, for example? And which one (both, or…
Tom Au
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Why are people writing 打井 (dǎjǐng) = "to dig a well" on this construction site wall?

Near campus, there are construction sites for apartments, and one of them has this writing on it: Repeatedly written is 打井 (dǎjǐng) = "to dig a well", along with a phone number. It's possible that these are all advertising some kind of…
Becky 李蓓
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Why did my friend write 发发发 on her note?

Today I went to an ice-cream shop with my Chinese friend, and we wrote notes to stick on the wall. My friend wrote: 开心、健康、平安、发发发 kāixīn, jiànkāng, píng'ān, fā fā fā The first three items are ordinary well wishes, but I have no idea why she would…
Becky 李蓓
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4 answers

When to use 一倍 vs 两倍

I would like to have a clarification on this: I know that 倍 means "-times, -fold", but I don't understand why 一倍 seems to mean "twice as (fast)" in the following sentence: 开车最少比骑自行车快一倍。 while we have to use 两倍 in the following…
pg-robban
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7
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2 answers

"niyao" meaning strong-armer?

A comment on a New York Times article about violence towards doctors in China reads: The situation is explosive. In 2010 there were 17,234 cases of violence against medical personnel reported by CCTV. Hired thugs called "niyao" beat up or kill…
rxmnnxfpvg
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What does 高高矮矮 mean?

I encountered a sentence in a very sad story by Ba Jin: 十二年，多么长的日日夜夜！每次我回到家门口，眼前就出现一张笑脸，一个亲切的声音向我迎来，可是走进院子，却只见一些高高矮矮的没有花的绿树。 My question is, what 高高矮矮 means. It is the reduplication of 高矮, which usually appears to be a noun for „height“. Since…
Ludi
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7
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央行行长会: Is the second 行 necessary?

央行行长会 - A Meeting of the Heads of Central Banks. Is the second 行 necessary? If not why not? Does 央行长 mean "Head of a Central Bank" or is it necessary to say the equivalent of "Bank-Head of a Central Bank" i.e. 央行行长.
jsj
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7
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3 answers

Meaning of 一不小心

I read a story where a child dropped a berry into a bucket full of berries and then tried to take it back. When she reached in to pick up her own berry, she grabbed a handful of the other berries. In Chinese, it says, 一不小心,抓出来一大把。 I know that 小心…
Don Kirkby
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Meaning of 则是 in 而段剑则是神情严肃地站在聂离的身边

My vocabulary states that 则是 means: "then is". However I don't understand how to translate the following sentence: 而段剑则是神情严肃地站在聂离的身边。 I can translate it perfectly fine by omitting 则是, so not sure what does it add. I was thinking, maybe it is a…
Lex
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7
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道德經 (Dao De Jing): 「五味令人口爽」 translation

From Dao De Jing (道德經), part 12: 五色令人目盲 // Five colors make a man blind 五音令人耳聾 // Five notes make a man deaf 五味令人口爽 I have a problem with translation of the third line: Five flavours make the mouth feel well. It seems proper, but it doesn't make…
Zbigniew Adamowicz
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What is the meaning of 多米 in the music service?

My friend often sends me links from the Duomi music service. Where does the name come from? 多米 seems to mean "a lot of rice" if I translate it directly.
pg-robban
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Making sense of 去华山怎么走比较好？

The following dialogue is in NPCR 2, Lesson 23, listening exercise 7 in the exercise book, and my attempt in translating it. I'm unsure about the sentence marked in red. I have not learned the pattern 比较+adjective until now but my Chinese friend…
pg-robban
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What does 朱幂 and 黄幂 mean in this ancient illustration of the Pythagorean Theorem?

The above is an illustration of the Pythagorean Theorem from the work 周髀算经. On the left it says: 勾股幂合以成弦幂 Which I think is a 8-character statement of the Pythagorean Theorem, as follows: 勾 ("adjacent" in modern terminology) 股 ("opposite" in…
Becky 李蓓
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6
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A policeman asked me if I had already "bàobēi" (or something like this); what did he ask me?

When I moved to my current place, I registered my residence at the local police station (giving them a copy of my contract; I think this is called 登记). At the time, I ended up befriending a local police officer. Today I (inadvertently) ran into…
Becky 李蓓
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8 answers

What does 管 mean as in "他管我借钱."?

And how do you translate 他管我借钱，但我没借给他 ?
Administrator
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