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What is the Difference Between 方法 and 办法?
Both have comparable definitions of "method", "manner", "means", etc. and describe or define a way of doing something. The phrase 没(有)办法 is often used to deflect responsibility by claiming powerlessness. Aside from being more common in colloquial…
Andrew Kozak
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When to use 看 and 见？
I know 看 and 见 both mean "to see". But they are used differently in different words. Like 看书 看电影...etc. and 见面 见识...etc. (Or do Chinese people say 见书 见电影 or 看面 看识?)
Is there a rules to use them differently?
user4457
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Chinese equivalent of: 'ew'?
When disgusted by something people will usually say, 'ew, yuck!' or 'ew, gross.'
Is there an equivalent of 'ew' in Mandarin?
The only things I was able to find about it (here) - just explain what 'ew' means & when to use it, but I want to know if…
Mou某
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Why does the construction of 要是…的话 mean "if"?
I know other words like 如果 also mean "if", but why would 要是...的话 mean "if"?
An example sentence:
要是你喜欢汉语（的话），你该听中国的音乐。
If you like Chinese, you should listen to Chinese music.
Confused Laowai
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Radicals: inescapable?
I've started to learn independently some Chinese (on printed material mainly) but a friend who has studied the language at University level suggested I learn the radicals as a necessary start.
A bookseller also had suggested this a while ago and…
navegante
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"小王" 和 "老王" how to determine which to use?
This is something I still haven't mastered and still just go with the flow.
If I wanted to call someone a nickname, say for Mr. Wang, which one should I choose? What defines whether I should call him Xiao Wang or Lao Wang. Is it age, social status…
going
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What is the origin of the word 雪茄 (cigar)?
I assume 雪茄 (cigar) is a loanword. Who can tell me what language this word was loaned from and, if appropriate, how it was transcribed?
My own guess is that the word was transcribed from English and entered the Chinese lexicon via Cantonese - in…
Bjorn
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Are there standard dictionaries for Chinese?
Standard dictionaries have had a profound effect on languages like English. They've helped normalize spelling and pronunciation and provide reference for meanings and disambiguation.
When thinking of English dictionaries, Oxford and Merriam-Webster…
hafichuk
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Using 一样 instead of 同一 for "the same school"
In my study software, I recently had the following sentence:
我想我们会上一样的学校.
The context (a girl speaking to another girl who had just moved into the neighborhood) made it seem like the correct translation was something like "I think we will be going…
gwd
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Why does 有机 as in 有机食品 mean organic?
有 and 机 are some of the first characters we learn in Chinese, but only recently did I find out that they mean "organic" when put together. Can anyone explain why this is?
Ciaocibai
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6 answers
Usage of 无 compared with 没有
I just stumbled across a new phrase 无消息。
This is the first time I've encountered 无.
How it is used, and how it is different from 没有，as in 没有消息？
Samuel Parsonage
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4 answers
Differences between 饭，菜， 食 and 餐
What are the differences between 饭，菜， 食 and 餐？Basically all mean food. But I know they are sometimes used in different curcimstances.
What is then the most common word for food: 菜 or 食 ？
我吃过四川菜。Also here I am wondering, can I use anything else but…
user3491
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Stroke order of 力 vs 九
I'm curious as to why the stroke order of 力 is different to the stroke order of 九.
One page I found (力 and 九 stroke order) theorises that the reason is because 力 has "touching" strokes and there is a hook that "points" to the second stroke, so it…
Ming
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How gender specific in writing is the character 他
A couple of years ago I wrote this comment below an answer:
On mainland China 他 is used for both male and female. I've only seen 她
used as a stylistic thing for advertising and some old formal writing.
Since I wrote that comment I have had a few…
going
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Is 了 optional when a time word is present?
In sentences that already have a point in time word that indicates that the event happened in the past, is 了 optional? Or could there be some additional meaning with it present? For instance:
我昨天去商店。
or
我昨天去了商店。
Since "yesterday" is included in…
Jon Hargett
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