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1500 questions
13
votes
7 answers
Typing Chinese radicals?
Is there a way to type radicals on a computer? I'd like to insert some in a document I'm writing but I'm not sure how to write those that don't correspond to an actual word. Any tips? Thanks!
Sajimi
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6 answers
Are there rules about the differences between pinyin spelling and pronunciation?
I noticed that sometimes certain finals in Chinese sound differently when combined with different initials.
For e.g., what is spelled "u" sometimes is pronounced "ü". Other times, I think the final "i" sounds differently when combined with different…
Village
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13
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2 answers
In Chinese typesetting, is there a version of Lorem Ipsum?
I know relatively little about typography but I know that Lorem Ipsum or other similar bodies of text appear a lot in the world of typesetting. Because Chinese characters are pretty much square, is there a need for a Chinese Lorem Ipsum? If so, what…
tao
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13
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4 answers
Classical Chinese Literature - What languages could be written with it? And why?
I understand that classical Chinese (see Wikipedia) was very different from spoken Chinese (at least in the last centuries of its usage). Nevertheless, despite or maybe even because of this, it was used to write more languages than just Chinese.…
Falko
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13
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4 answers
Difference between 同一 and 一样
I would like to know when to use 同一 and when to use 一样 when describing items or people as similar? What is the difference in usage between these two phrases?
Lynn
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13
votes
1 answer
Different names for each of the fingers
In English we have different names for each of the fingers:
Thumb, index, middle, ring and pinky fingers.
Are there special names for each of these in Chinese and if necessary what are the associated meanings or origins.
going
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13
votes
2 answers
How much faster is it to write Simplified over Traditional?
Speed of writing is cited as an advantage of simplified Chinese over traditional, which is especially important for schoolchildren, but are there any studies or measurements to this effect? How much faster is it really to write simplified, given…
congusbongus
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13
votes
3 answers
Why is the Pinyin for 波 bo1 not buo1? And why is 多 duo1 instead of do1?
Recently I started to learn Pinyin. The system is relatively easy to follow but some ambiguity does exist. For example, I found the usage of finals o and uo confusing: why the Pinyin for 波 is bo1, not buo1? and 多 is duo1 instead of do1? Would…
techie11
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13
votes
4 answers
Why are 成语 (idioms) four characters long? Are there 成语 with more or less than four characters?
I really enjoying learning 成语 (chéng yǔ) in Chinese, and I'm curious to know why they are often or always four characters long? Where does this tradition stem from?
And are there 成语 with more or less than four characters?
Ciaocibai
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13
votes
3 answers
How does CJK Decomposition compare to the Wikimedia Commons Chinese characters decomposition data?
I found two public databases that describe the composition of Chinese characters.
1 - CJK Decomposition Data
2 - Chinese Characters Decomposition on Wiki Commons
I can see how the formats they use are different, but I don't think they are…
Sjors Provoost
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13
votes
1 answer
How to differentiate "radical plus 0 strokes" characters?
There are (at least) six characters that consist of radical 102 plus 0 strokes: 田 由 甲 申 甴 电
In each of the variants the middle vertical stroke is made shorter, longer or twisted at the end.
Is there a name for this phenomenon? I know radicals can…
Sjors Provoost
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13
votes
3 answers
How do Chinese spell English words over the phone?
In English, if I am spelling my name for someone over the phone I can use a phonetic alphabet to ensure they get my name right. Especially for potentially ambiguous letters; d and t, b and p, c and e, f and s etc.
For example
I live on Theodore…
tao
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13
votes
3 answers
Which marital verbs are used for same-sex marriages?
In male-female marriage we use the two verbs;
嫁給 (jiàgěi)
娶 (qǔ)
But these are gender specific.
a woman can 嫁給 a man
a man will 娶 a woman
So how does this work in same-sex marriages?
Matthew Rudy 马泰
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13
votes
2 answers
Why do HSK lists differ from character frequency lists?
I have been wondering how come the HSK list be so different from the list of the most used Chinese characters.
The only list I know about character frequency is Jun Da's list. On the first 2635 most common characters of the list (I picked 2635,…
Enrico Brasil
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13
votes
3 answers
Difference between 生前 and 死前
Literally, 死前 means before death while 生前 means before life. They seem to bear the opposite meaning. However, in most cases, they actually mean the same thing, i.e., when someone was still alive. What's more, in my experience, 生前 is being used more…
Terry Li
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