Most Popular
1500 questions
8
votes
3 answers
Why is the Internet saying 雪花飘飘 北风萧萧 all of a sudden? Is this the Chinese equivalent of Rickrolling?
For some reason, the Internet is swamped with people saying
雪花飘飘 北风萧萧
Xuě huā piāo piāo \\ běi fēng xiāo xiāo
For example the HSK Official Twitter account tweeted (the hashtag #xuehuapiaopiaobeifengxiaoxiao is also atwitter):
I've worked out…
Becky 李蓓
- 16,291
- 9
- 49
- 165
8
votes
3 answers
How old is the expression “老百姓”？
I have searched on line text bases, especially for 三国志 since the 2010 television version of that is what made me wonder. But I do not seem to get reliable results that way. Perhaps if I understood the data bases better I could do better. But…
Colin McLarty
- 3,293
- 1
- 20
- 31
8
votes
3 answers
病了: Function of 了
I came across the following sentence:
我病了。
I know 了 has many functions, and I believe one of them is a completive marker (past tense). But this sentence is apparently in the present, based on the context.
I checked a grammar book about 了, and it…
nickcoxdotme
- 791
- 1
- 6
- 12
8
votes
4 answers
Online, is there any equivalent to the Japanese web slang of ending a sentence with "w" or in English using "lol" just to indicate good-nature/humor?
I was wondering because while I am decent at speaking Chinese, I've just recently started sending messages online using it (16 years late lol). I've ended one sentence with "笑" but even that was borrowed from my Japanese interactions and not…
Ethan Chen
- 81
- 3
8
votes
2 answers
Describing a person that can speak Mandarin
Yesterday I met a person that can speak Mandarin. We had a nice chat and I was going over it in my head today. I want to tell another friend that I met someone that can speak mandarin, but I'm having trouble with the grammar. My first thought…
Kevin Thompson
- 495
- 1
- 4
- 8
8
votes
1 answer
How did 秘 "bi" become "mi"?
I came across this comment just now:
“秘”声符是“必”没问题，但是并不是说“秘”和“必”一定同音，“秘”这个字是北京话读错了，其实应该读bi，“秘鲁”一词还残存bi的读音
Which got me thinking.
秘 is still read "bi" in:
surnames
transcriptions (e.g.: Peru)
Cantonese carries the…
Mou某
- 35,955
- 9
- 53
- 137
8
votes
1 answer
How was Switzerland transliterated into Chinese?
So, my real question is: did 瑞 used to be pronounced suì in 官话?
My roundabout way at getting to this is from the transliteration of Switzerland.
Let's look at Chengduese.《现代汉语方言音库 • 成都话音档》records 瑞 with two pronunciations. One…
Mou某
- 35,955
- 9
- 53
- 137
8
votes
2 answers
Function of 开了 in 我开车开了半天了
I am currently studying Basic Mandarin Chinese by Cornelius C. Kubler and encountered the following sentence in Unit 8 Part 4:
我开车开了半天了，我们换个人开，行不行？
Without 开了 the first part of sentence makes sense to me - the person tells that he/she drove car…
brainkz
- 183
- 4
8
votes
2 answers
What is the difference between 吾 and 我 in 文言文？
For instance, in the phrase 「我善养吾浩然之气」
I notice both 我 and 吾 are used. Is there a reason for this?
Andrew Wang
- 341
- 1
- 7
8
votes
1 answer
What's the difference between 要 and 想 for "to want"?
Is one more common (要 vs 想)? Are there different situations to use each?
user5389726598465
- 335
- 1
- 7
8
votes
1 answer
How can I say "a class in Chinese" (and not "a Chinese class")?
As far as I know 汉语课 (along with 中文课) means only "Chinese class" = "a class for learning Chinese" (and it may be in English, Chinese, or any other language). I'm wondering how to succinctly say "a class in Chinese", where the class is not about the…
Becky 李蓓
- 16,291
- 9
- 49
- 165
8
votes
2 answers
Where can I find a decent Seal Script font?
I have 9 TrueType fonts that include seal script hanzi, but do not include them entirely. Could someone show me a decent font, or send me via email the shuowen jiezi font?
G.H.A.P.
- 81
- 1
- 2
8
votes
1 answer
Why is Cristiano Ronaldo known as “C罗” in Chinese?
I see Cristiano Ronaldo is often referred as C罗 in Chinese. I find it curious because:
This is not a nickname pattern followed in any other player name, and
罗 isn't even part of the full name transliteration 基斯坦奴·朗拿度, which would have led to a…
marcanuy
- 655
- 4
- 15
8
votes
1 answer
How to say the term "招" and "式" in English?
It's used as a classifier, like this:
"亢龙有悔"是"降龙十八掌"中的*一招*.
and
*一招一式*他都记得清清楚楚.
So how to say it in English?
zwangxian
- 183
- 6
8
votes
3 answers
Where can I find Chinese IPA transcriptions?
Since I have some experience of using IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet), I thought Standard Chinese transcriptions could be a good resource for practicing my pronunciation. Is such a resource available?
user2493