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1500 questions
13
votes
4 answers
I am confused by how time is discussed in Chinese,
Ok so let me start with some examples:
xia ci 下次 (next time) is "down time". so... down = future?
shang ci 上次(last time) is "up time" so... up = past?
hou 后 (back) also often refers to future so... back = future?
qian 前 (forward) also often refers…
Clancy
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13
votes
3 answers
How to say "fail" in Mandarin? (as in "epic fail" in internet memes)
The term fail is pretty popular on the internet these days, and one I'm quite fond of.
Looking in my Chinese dictionary I can't find a great equivalent - is there a good way to say this? What would be the best word to use?
Ciaocibai
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13
votes
1 answer
How does tone sandhi apply in people's names?
Like the title says, the question is simple: what's the proper way to handle tone sandhi in names? Is there something like "pronounce the family name as-is, apply tone sandhi to given name"? Or is tone sandhi applied to the whole name in it's…
dr Hannibal Lecter
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13
votes
1 answer
Three-digit year in date on Chinese document
For work, I occasionally have to translate foreign language documents. I've been running into a lot of Chinese (simplified) documents that have a date listed as YYY/MM/DD.
Why is the year only 3 digits? Is this just a typo?
user49175
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13
votes
9 answers
自习 vs 自学: what's the difference?
What's the difference among:
自习 (zì xí)
自学 (zì xué)
They should be something like "to study by oneself", "to study on one’s own", but still, I don't get the difference.
Starnuto di topo
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13
votes
2 answers
What is the pattern for 'instead of x, y...'
For example, how would I say, 'instead of x, we should do y'?
I find it hard to balance the sentence correctly in chinese.
Do I need to use, 反而 or 而且? Or is there some better method?
jaffa
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13
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3 answers
Are there differences in writing between Chinese languages, such as Mandarin and Shanghainese
There are already many questions about the different spoken languages that can be called Chinese. This question on the other hand asks about the written one(s?).
Well, to start, is the written language different at all?
If not - is it because…
Falko
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13
votes
2 answers
How are blanks indicated for placeholders in Chinese (like ???)
In English, in the middle of a sentence if data is being left blank (such as an unknown date, or a name to be filled in at a later time), commonly you see ???, ___ (underscore(s)), or -- to mark this. You can see examples in books such as Mary…
sqrtbottle
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13
votes
2 answers
Stroke order database
I'd like to provide SVG, or at least GIF stroke order diagrams on my website.
Is there a database similar to the Japanese KanjiVG, but for Simplified and Traditional hanzi?
If not, is there a free or paid repository of stroke order diagrams in GIF…
Philip Seyfi
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13
votes
2 answers
What is the first attested use of 美國/美国 in the sense of 'America' in Chinese?
The beginnings of Sino-American relations date back to the late 18th century (e.g. the Old China Trade). When did the Chinese begin to refer to America (or the US) as 美國/美国? Were there alternative names referring to America/US?
imrek
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13
votes
4 answers
Why 干菜类 was mistakenly translated to Fuck Vegetables?
In the following famous sign which appeared in some supermarket in China:
why 干菜类 was mistakenly translated to Fuck Vegetables instead of Dried Vegetables? Is there any hidden meaning in it?
Source:
Chinglish: Fuck Vegetables at Chinalert (a…
kenorb
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13
votes
4 answers
Differences: 干，办，做，搞，弄
What's the difference between all these five words? They mean all "to do", they're driving me crazy!
I write some example sentences with some of them (hoping that's the right one), just to understand if in some cases they are…
Chiara
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13
votes
5 answers
How common is the use of "瞧" and which region?
I've seen 瞧 used every now and then in written Chinese, but I've rarely heard it said in spoken Chinese except for the occasional mention of 瞧不起.
A couple of days ago I was watching Kung Fu Panda and it was used often enough in the dialogue that I…
going
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13
votes
8 answers
What is the difference between 通常，经常，and 常常？
What is the difference between 通常，经常，and 常常？
I hear them a lot in conversational Chinese, but I can't pick out the difference in meaning. The dictionaries I've checked don't seem to agree on their chosen English translations.
Kurtz
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13
votes
5 answers
Why 又 is used there instead of 再?
In this dialogue:
A: 现在恢复得怎么样了？
B: 没问题了，又可以爬山了。
Why is 又 used there and not 再?
As far as I know (I might be wrong), both 再 and 又 are used for describing recurring actions, but 又 refers to actions that took place in the past and 再 refers to…
dusan
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