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3 answers

Difference between 曾经 and 已经

In this question I was asking about 曾经 and one answer says it means 'already'. What's the difference between 曾经 and 已经? Do the two sentences below have the same meaning? 他曾经在北京学过两年汉语。 他已经在北京学过两年汉语。
dusan
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What is the difference between 免费 and 无偿？

I'm trying to sort out the difference between 免费 and 无偿 as adverbs. Would you say 水果店的老板免费送了我六个苹果。 or would it be 无偿送了？
Stephen
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What is the Chinese word for 'programmer'?

I know that a couple of variation of "coding" or programming are 编程, or 写代码. How would I refer to that person who does the coding/programming? Is it 编程家? or is there a more colloquial way of saying it?
Stephen
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Proper letter writing etiquette

I've recently been writing a lot of letters in Mandarin and I have several questions regarding the form. Chinese has many salutations in letters. For the most part, is it okay just to use 亲爱? If not, what is most appropriate? Are Chinese letter…
TrustedDeveloper
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11 answers

What does 非也 mean?

What does 非也 mean? I heard the following: Is this XXX? 非也! It's YYY! Does it mean "Oh my god!" or something others?
ʇolɐǝz ǝɥʇ qoq
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4 answers

Is there a nuance 今天早晨 conveys that 今天早上 does not?

I have a feeling that one might mean slightly earlier. Is this right?
magnetar
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What is the purpose of the 中 in 在新标签页中打开?

So, I recently started using my android phone in simplified Chinese mode, to help myself internalize Chinese characters. In my browser window, when I press down on a URL, the "在新标签页中打开" button allows me to open a new tab. So I tried to translate…
I11umin8
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Pinyin "h" sound, pronunciation

I notice that the pinyin "h" is in many books just the same as in English. But when I listen to people, some people stress the "h" and there is a tiny gggg, and some gurgling sometimes (hope this is the right word, my native tongue is not…
Kiyori
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Never mind in Chinese

I ask someone a question, but then realize I already know the answer. In English, I'd say: "Oh wait, never mind." What's 口语 for "never mind" in this context?
Cullen Schaffer
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What is the meaning of 相声?

Today I read a blog post talking about a Canadian guy called Mark Rowswell (aka 大山) that appears on Chinese TV shows and who is able to do 相声. This 相声 is referred to as "the art of language". What does 相声 exactly mean?
noe
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What is the difference between 目前 and 現在?

In my research, 目前 and 現在 seem all mean now or present. So native speakers or Chinese advanced learners, is there any difference between 目前 and 現在?
user4669
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What does 厉害 mean, and in what context does it mean what?

This has to be one of the more ambiguous words I have struggled with. 厉害 can be: very well performed = 玩得很厉害; harsh = 骂得很厉害; severe = 生病得很厉害; probably a bunch of other stuff... Can anyone give a comprehensive summary of the meanings and related…
Lars Andren
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5 answers

What are the common ice-breaker sentences in Chinese?

There are sentences in English like "What's up?" "What's going on?" "how have you been?" to begin a conversation with or to greet people (friends or relatives) So what are the common ice-breaker sentences in Chinese?
ChineseHulu.com
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What is the correct way to say: "I thought you were somebody else."

In English if you mistake someone for another person it is common to say "I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else". How should this be said in Chinese?
going
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地 pronunciation variation

May I know how the rules governing the pronunciation of 地? In the song, 吻别, the singer pronounces 地 as di. 冷得连隐藏的遗憾都那么地明显 leng de lian yin cang de yi han du na me di ming xian However, a quick check with the Oxford Chinese-English Dictionary…
user2246
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