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1500 questions
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9 answers
Is Cantonese Chinese? 【广东话属于中文吗】
I recall an incident that occurred once in (Mainland) China, which I found puzzling and intriguing.
It was in Zhengzhou, I think. There was some kind of sales activity where people were being given freebies, if they would come up in front of…
河南宝宝
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8
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2 answers
Where can I find recordings of people reading things now that mp3.baidu.com is dead?
Baidu's MP3 search engine used to be my first stop when studying anything Chinese. Absurdly, even recordings of relatively rare poetry (for instance) were easy to find. These recordings were not copyrighted, and were usually made by individuals just…
magnetar
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8
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3 answers
Difference between 各 and 每?
I'm used to using 每 for every. However, 各 came up one day and appears to me to have the exactly same meaning. Is there a contextual difference between the two that I am missing or can they be swapped for each other? When should someone use 各 instead…
CodeNeko
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8
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7 answers
What's the most usual way to say "hand sanitizer" in Chinese?
I'm finding in the non-touristy places in China where I'm spending my time in cheaper places etc that there's often no place to wash your hands, or it's dirty, or there's no soap.
I've been recommended to buy some hand sanitizer, but the Wikipedia…
hippietrail
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8
votes
4 answers
冰雪聪明... only for girls?
Is the expression 冰雪聪明 (bīng xuě cōng míng) really only used for girls? The literal translation is "snow smart" and I understand it means something along the lines of "extremely smart" but the times I've tried using it for boys/men I'm told it's…
猫猫爱海海
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8
votes
1 answer
What is the correct glyph origin of 失?
While I was looking up some origins regarding the character 失, I happen to come across three theories for the character.
The most common one a lot of sources say about this character is that it was composed of 手 and 乙 (which from what I've heard is…
prismcool
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8
votes
2 answers
Where did the “obedient” sense of 乖 come from?
This character 乖 is used in words like 乖離, 乖違, and 乖戾, and means something along the lines of “to deviate from the norm or reason” or even “to disobey”. I’m wondering how it came to be used for a quite opposite sense as an adjective in reference to…
aguijonazo
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8
votes
4 answers
Using 都 when refering to both subject and objects
I saw this in a lesson:
你都会去吗?
In this context, 都 refers to islands, as in "Will you go to all of them [the islands]?" But, when I hear that my brain thinks 都 refers to the subject, as in "Will all of you go?"
Could 都 refer to both the subject and…
Ken Oh
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8
votes
2 answers
Etymology of 二百五?
二百五 is Chinese slang for an idiot, but how did it come about? What's the earliest recorded usage of this term in this meaning?
There are many theories for its origin, this page lists as many as 6 different theories but most seem rather apocryphal to…
congusbongus
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8
votes
2 answers
Are there Chinese approximations for the colloquial/slang English terms "snot rocket" or "bushman's blow"?
In English I know of two colourful terms for blowing your nose without use of a handkerchief or tissue by holding one nostril closed and expelling mucus from the other:
bushman's blow [1][2]
snot rocket [1][2]
(There are other terms too that I've…
hippietrail
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8
votes
2 answers
Why is there 弄了 in the sentence 婶婶找来几片叶子，给雪弄了一双耳环?
I never understood the usage of 弄 for example in this sentence 婶婶找来几片叶子，给雪弄了一双耳环 why is there a 弄了? The sentence makes sense without it.
rabbid
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8
votes
3 answers
How to distinguish the difference between the pronunciation of different erhuayin?
For example,
小黄儿, 小欢儿, 小花儿;
唱歌儿, 树根儿, 一横儿;
What's the difference?
I can't understand the difference between each phonetic symbol in the same row in the table below:
The picture is from Wikipedia.
simonmysun
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8
votes
3 answers
Writing in Chinese - What rules are there for handwriting vs printed
I've recently found out that I've been incorrectly writing a lot of Chinese characters
Examples:
口日目
I've been writing them with the little feet (not sure of a better name for them) but have been told that they are written without them. Other…
50-3
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8
votes
1 answer
Why is the 車 in Chinese chess pronounced jū?
The 車 in Chinese chess is pronounced jū. Why isn't it pronounced chē?
Is this pronunciation used outside of Chinese chess?
congusbongus
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8
votes
1 answer
How do we wish someone to get better?
When we know somebody is sick, how can we wish them to get better? What are the best ways and also the standard ones to do that?
I'd like you to differentiate among some things, if and when applicable:
Tell someone directly (get better soon) VS…
Alenanno
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