Most Popular
1500 questions
32
votes
5 answers
中文 vs. 汉语: What's the difference?
Apparently, both of these mean Chinese, and the Chinese language. I gather that 中文 is maybe more like "written Chinese," and 汉语 is "spoken Chinese." Is this correct?
I've often looked at BBC zhongwen, so it makes sense that that's "written". If a…
nickcoxdotme
- 791
- 1
- 6
- 12
31
votes
7 answers
Techniques for improving pronunciation
Are there any recommended resources or methodologies to improve ones Chinese pronunciation?
Besides having a native speaker at your disposal, are there any tools that can help to correct pronunciation?
HeDinges
- 413
- 5
- 6
31
votes
5 answers
Why isn't 四 four lines? (the origin of 一 二 三 四 五 六 七 八 九)
A common experience of beginner hanzi students is their raised hopes and expectations when they learn 一 二 三 - "what a wonderfully elegant language!" - which are promptly crushed when they encounter 四.
So where did these characters come from anyway?…
congusbongus
- 8,567
- 34
- 82
30
votes
8 answers
Number two in chinese: 二 vs 两
I always knew, from my studies of Japanese, that the number two is 二 (èr). I am not sure about the actual etymology, but looking at the character, it's understandable why it represents the number "2".
Recently, I discovered that there is another…
Alenanno
- 6,485
- 8
- 42
- 86
30
votes
12 answers
How to describe differences between Cantonese and Mandarin?
When I tell people I speak Cantonese I'm often asked, "What's the difference between that and Mandarin?". This inevitably leads to a very poor explanation that includes references to the differences between Portugese and Spanish (which I feel is a…
Zann Anderson
- 739
- 1
- 8
- 13
29
votes
2 answers
Informal ways of beginning/ending an e-mail
I have been writing quite a few e-mails recently and I feel that I want to expand my vocabulary regarding acceptable phrases to use both at the beginning and end of an e-mail. When I say informal, I don't mean that I'm writing to a close friend (in…
Olle Linge
- 3,057
- 1
- 23
- 37
29
votes
2 answers
Why use 非 and 亚 for continent names?
Why was 非 chosen for 非洲 (Africa) and 亚 chosen for 亚洲 (Asia)?
I can't find a particular reason to use these characters.
going
- 10,213
- 4
- 42
- 98
28
votes
8 answers
What's the difference between 学 and 学习?
I know both mean "to study" and I also know that while 学 (xué) is transitive, 学习 (xué xí) can be both intransitive and transitive, for example:
我学中文。 (I study «what?» Chinese) = transitive;
我在大学学习。 (I study at the university) = intransitive;
我学习中文。…
Alenanno
- 6,485
- 8
- 42
- 86
28
votes
6 answers
Are there any online etymological dictionaries of Mandarin (not for characters but for spoken words)
tl;dr Are you aware of any dictionaries that explain word etymologies (not merely character etymologies)? Some links/references would be useful.
This is actually a collection of related questions, but I thought it would be good to keep them…
Szabolcs
- 848
- 9
- 17
28
votes
6 answers
How polite is too polite?
I've noticed in China that people don't tend to use as many 'polite' words as we do in western languages, like 'please' or 'thank you'. I want to make it clear that I'm not complaining about this; I find that such niceties are often overused in…
Cocowalla
- 3,455
- 4
- 29
- 38
28
votes
3 answers
How did 葉 (leaf as in vegetation) become 叶 when it was simplified?
This is a spin-off question from this one "Determine radicals for simplified characters that lost their traditional form completely" where radicals for simplified characters were discussed.
Now, the question is, how were some characters simplified,…
Georgeee
- 1,351
- 10
- 13
28
votes
4 answers
但是, 可是 and 不过 - how to know which one to use?
According to my dictionary, 但是, 可是 and 不过 all mean "but/however"? However are there any differences between them? Are there some cases, where one can be used but not another?
laurent
- 2,116
- 2
- 21
- 24
28
votes
5 answers
How can one determine the radical for a given character?
Many times, when reading Mandarin, I will happen across a character that I don't know. Usually, the radical along with some context will clue me into the meaning, but if I can't determine the radical, I'm stuck. Generally, I can spot many…
brc
- 499
- 5
- 14
27
votes
4 answers
Why is 足 both "foot" and "enough"?
足 is an ancient character meaning "foot". However, it also means "enough" or "sufficient", and this second definition is also very old. Consider this excerpt:
兵甲已足。——诸葛亮《出师表》
This is from 《出师表》, dating from 227-228 AD.
So why does 足 have these…
congusbongus
- 8,567
- 34
- 82
27
votes
6 answers
Why is 的 (de) sometimes pronounced "di" even though it is used as a possessive particle?
I've noticed sometimes the word 的 is pronounced as "di" rather than "de".
I'm aware that there is a valid use of 的 with pronunciation "di", which means "really and trully".
However for the sentence: 你的錯 (your fault), I've heard it pronounced "nǐ di…
Eugenix
- 371
- 3
- 3