Most Popular
1500 questions
11
votes
7 answers
Two terms for "According to" - What are the differences between 根据 and 按照?
根据 and 按照 can both function as a preposition that can be translated as according to. I imagine that the translation does not capture the individual character of each term. What nuances do the two individual terms express and in what…
Bjorn
- 1,386
- 10
- 18
11
votes
4 answers
Etymology of 他妈的
I've seen mention of this word a few time. In English it is clear how certain words became swear words; f..., sh.. and damn all have very strong meanings in their literal sense; the former two being vulgar references to bodily functions and the last…
Nate Glenn
- 231
- 1
- 6
11
votes
19 answers
Why does 我是长头发 mean "I have long hair" and not "I am long hair"?
I was just chatting with a teacher here at LTL Mandarin, and she said:
我是长头发。
I have long hair. (Not: I am long hair.)
This is perplexing for me, since it's inconsistent with e.g.
我是人。
I am human. (Not: I have a human.)
She didn't use 有, and I…
Becky 李蓓
- 16,291
- 9
- 49
- 165
11
votes
3 answers
Asking "what's the pinyin/character for X?"
How do we ask someone to "translate" a character or some pinyin into the other one? The expressions I'm referring to are:
What's the pinyin for this/that (character)/... ?
What's the character for this/that (pinyin)/... ?
It would be useful to…
Alenanno
- 6,485
- 8
- 42
- 86
11
votes
5 answers
What's the difference between classifiers and measure words?
The terms classifier and measure word are often used interchangeably, with the latter being (reportedly) more common in language courses.
They both translate to 量词 (literally "measure word") and their grammatical function is essentially the same.
So…
blackgreen
- 5,452
- 2
- 20
- 45
11
votes
10 answers
Does 「你的中文是在哪里学的？」mean "How did you study Chinese?" or "Where did you study Chinese?"
Recently I left the following post on social media:
中国人：你的中文是在哪里学的？
我：在北京语言大学学的。
Just to clarify, I wrote both those sentences to express a regular conversation that I have with Chinese people.
There is no more context. If it helps then let's say…
Kantura
- 2,146
- 8
- 22
11
votes
2 answers
What is an “exoactive” Chinese character?
I have noticed that Chinese characters are labelled as “exoactive”, “endoactive”, “exopassive” and “endopassive” on Wiktionary.
For example, it says that 娶 (marry) is the exoactive version of 取. I am unable to find other websites which utilize this…
Axel Tong
- 1,658
- 5
- 20
11
votes
1 answer
Why is "steak" 肉排?
肉排 is Chinese for steak (e.g. 牛排 or 猪排 for beef steak and pork steak), but where did the 排 come from? As a Western cuisine dish, did the word have some roundabout origin?
排 means row/rank, which has nothing to do with steak. 排 makes more sense in…
congusbongus
- 8,567
- 34
- 82
11
votes
1 answer
What does the Twitter hashtag #壕 mean?
I'm guessing it's slang and it looks like it has a positive connotation. Like 加油? Or maybe it sounds like 好, it means good? The dictionary says it means air-raid shelter / trench.
Here are some Tweets that use…
Steve
- 1,997
- 1
- 19
- 27
11
votes
2 answers
How to use 也好. Not meaning 'also good'
My non-Mandarin colleagues have been using
英文也好，中文也好
lately and I assumed from their context they meant both languages are equal in whatever comparison they were making.
When I looked it up I found it to mean "might as well, whether...or..."
How…
tao
- 2,562
- 19
- 40
11
votes
6 answers
Using 老头 / 老头子 when speaking to others
I'm trying to get some clarification on whether or not it is impolite to use 老头 / 老头子 when speaking outside a group of friends when referring to a third party.
From my understanding 老头 is quite casual and I am interested to know if using this to…
going
- 10,213
- 4
- 42
- 98
11
votes
6 answers
Are there any free/open fonts designed to help learn/read Chinese?
Problem
As a Chinese student I found that one of the first barriers is reading. Indeed, when trying to acquire new vocabulary one might be faced with the opacity of the Chinese character as opposed to alphabetical language: you can't pronounce a…
Édouard Lopez
- 269
- 2
- 10
11
votes
5 answers
How to translate/understand "还不" in "还不是因为爱"
Just realized that the 还不 part of speech in phrases such as "还不是因为爱", "还不都怪你" is quite tricky. How do you translate it into English?
Flake
- 2,141
- 16
- 18
11
votes
1 answer
V + 到。。。。头上来: Exact meaning and how to use?
I know that the abovementioned formula expresses a negative result, but I am not exactly sure how to translate it. Some questions:
1 How to translate it well into English?
2 Can I use it without verb + 到 / alternatively without verb, but…
miree
- 421
- 4
- 9
11
votes
6 answers
What is the difference between asking a question using 是不是 and 吗?
What is the difference between asking a question using 是不是 and 吗?
For example, what's the difference between these 2 questions:
你是不是中国人?
你是中国人吗?
user9506231
- 127
- 7