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11
votes
4 answers
What does the expression "孤男寡女" mean?
What does the expression "孤男寡女" (gū nán guǎ nǚ) mean, exactly? Does it have inherently negative connotations?
As an aside, why does Google translate it as "Needing"?
Orion
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11
votes
3 answers
Is there a significant difference in meaning between "欢迎你到中国来" and "欢迎你来到中国"?
I've asked quite a lot of native speakers about this and the general consensus seems to be that there is no significant difference in meaning between "欢迎你到中国来" and "欢迎你来到中国" (and similar sentences), but "欢迎你到中国来" seems to be the more common and…
MHG
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11
votes
6 answers
Should the term 廁所 (bathroom) be used for both a home and public toilet?
I found this word, 廁所 (Cèsuǒ). Does it mean a toilet outside house like a toilet in the mall?
However, for a bathroom in a house which has only a toilet and a shower and there is no bathtub. How can I call it? Is that 廁所, too?
nkm
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11
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9 answers
Is 師奶 (see lai) strictly a Cantonese word? Is it a neutral word or does it have a negative connotation?
I had heard a husband refer to his wife in Cantonese as 師奶 (pronounced "see lai"). The way he said it sounded like an insult but I was told it's not a bad word.
How would 師奶 be described in English? Is it a word that carries any negative…
amateur
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11
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6 answers
案: why is a bench also a case?
Sorry about the cryptic title.
案 is a character that can mean "bench"/"desk" but it can also mean "(legal) case" or "file":
长形的桌子或架起来代替桌子用的长木板：～子。～板。书～。条～。拍～而起。
提出计划、方法和建议的文件或记录：档～。备～。议～。提～。方～。有～可查。～卷。～牍。
How does this one character come to…
congusbongus
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11
votes
3 answers
Origin of -的干活?
There is a facetious phrase for asking someone what they do, using "的干活", most commonly in the fragment "什么的干活", or in this example exchange:
A: 你的，什么的干活? (Who are you?)
B: 我的，农民的干活. (I am a farmer)
This phrase is often associated with Japanese…
congusbongus
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11
votes
2 answers
Are there any style guides for Chinese?
There are many different style guides for English, such as The Chicago Manual of Style and MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing. Are there similar publications available for Chinese? Although I do not need this specifically in…
Village
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11
votes
3 answers
Are these two form of "I live in..." both correct? 我在意大利住 and 我住在意大利
While studying I came across a useful expression to say "I live in..." which is "...在...住" such as in this sentence:
我在意大利住。= I live in Italy.
Wǒ zài Yìdàlì zhù.
But then I saw a different one which is:
我住在意大利。
Wǒ zhù zài Yìdàlì.
My questions…
Alenanno
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11
votes
9 answers
What's the correct translation for 1.5 months? Is it "一个月半" or "一个半月“?
What's the correct translation for 1.5 months?
Is it "一个月半" or "一个半月“?
NDeLeon
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11
votes
5 answers
Why use 了 in saying I'm hungry?
Why do you use 了 after 我饿？ I thought it was used to denote completion or the past tense of something, but isn't being hungry present tense?
user3558
11
votes
3 answers
What grammar makes 同 品 項 第 2 仵 6折 mean "Buy one, get the second at 60% of base price"?
So in the convenience store, there were bottles of iced coffee with the slogan:
同 品 項 第 2 仵 6折
I was told that this meant: "Buy the first item, get the second item at 60% of base price."
I was able to find the individual characters in various…
Rick
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11
votes
1 answer
Analog of Hong Kong grade level for Chinese characters?
The Unihan database lists a kGradeLevel for each entry. This is the primary grade in the Hong Kong school system by which a student is expected to know the corresponding character.
Is there a similar categorization of characters into grade levels…
Drux
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11
votes
4 answers
What's the relationship between 炮 and 砲?
炮 and 砲 both mean "cannon", but it seems the former is much more common, and the latter only really seen in Xiangqi.
Is there a difference in meaning? For example, on wikipedia it is said that 砲 means "catapult", due to the stone radical.
Was 砲 a…
congusbongus
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11
votes
2 answers
Neverending 你好 exchange, is it normal?
When should exchanges of the phrase "你好" end? I regularly see a Chinese person who greets me with "你好." If I respond with "你好" he immediately says "你好", and so on. I normally end it with "Yes, I'm fine." in English. Am I doing something wrong?
chugadie
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11
votes
4 answers
Where can I find audio recordings of every word?
Where can I find audio recordings (i.e. individual MP3s or WAVs) for every Chinese word? I have found some recordings of Chinese, but these only contain individual phonemes, not entire words. I am looking for something to download or as something to…
Village
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