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1500 questions
8
votes
3 answers
"I will," "I can," "I will (probably)" A fundamental problem with 會
I've always been a little wary of talking about the future in Chinese using the character 會, my early teachers made it ambiguous or demanded that I use a 的 at the end of every 會 sentence, but then other times I don't hear them use it. I've gotten a…
3 to 30 characters long
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8
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Rhyming in modern Mandarin
What syllables rhyme in modern Mandarin, according to the native speakers? I'm looking for some rules or rhyme tables. I have found some, but I'm confused by the fact that 韵 may both mean "rhyme" and "the final of a syllable", so I'm not sure how to…
米好 '-'
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8
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2 answers
Neutral tone and erhua (儿化) working as a word distinguisher
I know there are some words in which the use of neutral tone distinguish them the word from their non neutral equivalent, like：
东西 - dong1xi1 - from east to west
东西 - dong1xi - thing
虾子 - xia1zi3 - shrimp hatch
虾子 - xia1zi - shrimp
I also know erhua…
Enrico Brasil
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8
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2 answers
What are the rules for using commas and periods in Chinese?
What are the rules for using commas （， 逗号） and periods （。 句号） in Chinese? In English I'm fairly confident of when to use commas and when to use periods. I learned in school what run-on sentences were and how to fix them with appropriate punctuation…
Suragch
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8
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3 answers
How Cantonese and Mandarin writing can be identical
Forgive any ignorance on my part - I am a beginner, studying Mandarin.
If "Apple" in Mandarin is "苹果" (píngguǒ), then I guess in Cantonese it is also "苹果", though no doubt pronounced completely differently. In Mandarin, two characters normally means…
Steven
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8
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1 answer
Is 上下 always interchangeable with 左右?
Example sentence 1:
他的汉语能力已经达到了HSK 11级左右的程度。
Example sentence 2:
他貌似30岁上下年纪。
While 左右 sounds more natural (to me) in 1 and 上下 in 2, we can interchange them and the two sentences would still be correct and have the same meanings as before (tell…
Gao
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8
votes
2 answers
What characters are on this ceramic jar?
What characters are depicted on this old jar? My (art-)sources have all different opinions: "fu2 shou4 an1 kang1" or "fu2 lu4 shou4 xi3" or 4 x shou4 or "fu2 shou4 kang1 ning2" and all without telling which tree is what character.
Henry vM
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8
votes
3 answers
着 vs 著? Is it the same
Is 着 the same as 著? Can I interchange them, for example:
Is
這位着名的歌手的名字是__
The same as
這位著名的歌手的名字是__
(put a name in "__")
54D
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8
votes
3 answers
How to Translate 江湖?
I've always wondered how to translate the word "江湖" in a context such as that in Du Mu's poem:
落魄江湖载酒行,
楚腰纤细掌中轻。
This link clearly explains what 江湖 means, but "underworld" isn't particularly good English even in a 武侠小说 context (and in the quote…
Master Sparkles
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8
votes
2 answers
Macau Cantonese, any differences from HK?
Does anyone know how Cantonese from Macau differ from HK if there are any? Any slangs or terms used in Macanese Cantonese that is rarely used or heard in HK? Maybe some sinicised portuguese words? What about phonology? Closer to a little bit…
Max
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8
votes
1 answer
How can I express 'having' in an intimate sense?
In English, given a conversation between P1 and P2, it's possible to say:
P1: My wife died. Now I feel like I've got nothing. I'm so sad.
P2: Don't say that. You've still got your son. You have your daughter.
So, it's possible to use the word…
magnetar
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8
votes
5 answers
What is the difference between 台 and 臺？
What is the difference between 台 and 臺？
台 is both "simplified" and "alternative", 臺 is "traditional".
臺 seems to be the "correct" traditional form for Taiwan, but I've never seen it in reference to Taishan (台山) in Guangdong, even in all references…
Alan Chin
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8
votes
3 answers
What is the difference between 将来 and 未来？
The dictionary translation is essentially the same. From the example sentences I've looked up, it seems the two can be interchangeable (though I could certainly be wrong).
Also, I was told that 未来 is further in the future than 将来. Is this…
TheRealFakeNews
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8
votes
3 answers
How is 青 and 苍 used in classical Chinese to denote colors?
Here is what the dictionary says about 青:
1. 深绿色或浅蓝色：～草。～苔。 Dark Blue or light green.
2. 靛蓝色：靛～。～紫。 Indigo blue.
3. 黑色：～布。～衣。 Black.
Similar case is 苍:
1. 深青色，深绿色：～翠。～天。 Dark blue or green.
2. 灰白色：～白。 Pale
It looks like you have to get into…
Wang Dingwei
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7
votes
7 answers
What does 牛逼 mean? Can anyone define it?
What does 牛逼
mean? Someone gave a presentation on it in my school.
Can someone define it?
iDontKnow
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