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3 answers
What is the suggested pattern on paper to learn handwriting?
What is the suggested pattern on paper to learn handwriting?
On the web, I've found many kind of paper, such as those named 九宫格 jiǔgōnggé, 米字格 mǐzìgé, 田字格 tiánzìgé, etc.
I've got a book of chinese characters in which some characters are displayed on…
Starnuto di topo
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7
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Were 蒸 and 祯 homonyms?
Wu Dalang, a character in Water Margin, which takes place during the Song dynasty, sold steamed buns called "炊饼". These buns were originally called 蒸饼:
凡以面為食具者，皆謂之餅，故火燒而食者呼為燒餅，水淪而食者呼為湯餅，籠蒸而食者呼為蒸餅。
Wikipedia
But were renamed to avoid Emperor…
congusbongus
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7
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2 answers
Difference between 佈 and 布
Can anyone help me clarify the difference between 佈 and 布? If I'm not mistaken, this is only relevant for traditional characters since 佈 has been simplified to 布. A dictionary lookup for 佈 shows that it has the same meaning as 布:
(1)…
Olle Linge
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7
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3 answers
When to use 世界 and when to use 国际
These two terms are broadly speaking translations of "world" (世界), and "international" (国际). Recently, I've been reminded that "international" in English can be used to mean "many nations" rather than "every nation", such as in the case of the EU,…
sqrtbottle
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7
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3 answers
What's the difference between 只 and 才？
What's the difference between 只 and 才? When should I use 只 and when 才?
Can you give me some examples please?
loredana castagna
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7
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3 answers
Dictionary for Vietnamese to Chinese characters
I wanted to know if there are dictionaries (online or books) indicating the equivalent of Vietnamese syllables into Chinese characters. I do not search for Vietnamese to Chinese translations, but rather a cross-reference between Vietnamese quốc ngữ…
OOEngineer
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9 answers
Ways to politely insult somebody's intelligence in Mandarin?
I know of many words to insult people and call them stupid, but a majority of them are incredibly offensive. There are more polite phrases, such as 真笨, which I've seen used within families (as a plain 真笨啊！）, but nothing which seems the right level…
sqrtbottle
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7
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5 answers
Chinese views on Erhua
I'm already well acquainted with erhua (儿化) in putonghua, essentially appending 儿 to the ends of words (or reading it when 儿 isn't written, as sometimes people do with 花 or 八点 etc). Many of these words are infact standard in putonghua, as in 这儿, and…
sqrtbottle
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7
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2 answers
How is non-standard Cantonese spoken by some mainland Chinese speakers different from "standard" pronunciation?
As someone who's more or less a native Cantonese speaker, I've noticed that some speakers from mainland China (from Cantonese speaking areas) sound "weird", in that I could clearly notice a difference between them and Hong Kong…
user5714
7
votes
1 answer
The slang meaning of "Seven/七" in Cantonese
I have heard a few Hongkongers saying seven in a similar, likely identical, context. I assume they are addressing a person because when they say it, they make the L hand gesture. I could be wrong, but my intuition is that seven is a slang in…
Thomas Hsieh
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7
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When to use 一言难尽
When is it appropriate to use 一言难尽? Please supply a scenario where this would be a good reply. I have found this in my dictionary but I want to make sure I use in in the correct context.
Tommie C.
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5 answers
Do Westerners 上火?
Sometimes people ask me how to say 上火 in English and I tell them I don't know. I tell them people don't really have the concept of 上火 in America, let alone the term.
So how would you succinctly explain the meaning of 上火 in English? And what do…
Suragch
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4 answers
Proper way to address a waiter or waitress
From what I have learned, one should address a waiter or waitress as 先生 or 小姐. However, I have also seen the case (I believe it was in a drama) of addressing them as the general term 服務生 or 服務員. As far as I know, calling a waiter or waitress…
Thomas Hsieh
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7
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道德經 (Dao De Jing): 「五味令人口爽」 translation
From Dao De Jing (道德經), part 12:
五色令人目盲 // Five colors make a man blind
五音令人耳聾 // Five notes make a man deaf
五味令人口爽
I have a problem with translation of the third line:
Five flavours make the mouth feel well.
It seems proper, but it doesn't make…
Zbigniew Adamowicz
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Chinese for "patch" in the sense of "software patch"
The dictionary lists many words for "patch" but none that explicitly state they mean patch in the software sense of the word.
EDIT: Dictionary has now been updated
jsj
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