Most Popular
1500 questions
6
votes
5 answers
How do you say "walked from....to...."
For example, would it be: 我从我的家到教室走路。?
I know how to say simply "from somewhere to somewhere" but I'm not sure where you put the verb if you want to say like "walked from somewhere to someone"
taylor018
- 339
- 1
- 4
6
votes
3 answers
How can I get a Cantonese keyboard on an iPhone?
Like Pinyin, but I need something that can recognize Cantonese instead of Mandarin. The only Chinese keyboards recognize Mandarin.
Crashalot
- 2,131
- 2
- 15
- 28
6
votes
3 answers
Why does 拉倒 mean "forget about it"?
拉倒 is a word that can mean "forget about it". For example:
鲁迅 《华盖集续编·马上支日记》：“现在这书既然借不到，只好拉倒了。”
This seems strange though, because 拉倒 literally means "to pull over". What is the etymology of this word? What was being "pulled over" that signified…
congusbongus
- 8,567
- 34
- 82
6
votes
4 answers
How to say "I'm finished"?
When we've finished doing something like I've finished (doing my homework) what we should say.
Can we say 好了 "I'm finished"? (Hǎole)
How about "are you finished"? Can we say "好了吗"?. (Hǎole ma)
nkm
- 477
- 1
- 4
- 13
6
votes
7 answers
"醡" and "炸" in "醡醬麵" and "炸醬麵"
I've just noticed that the English Wikipedia gives these spellings for "Zhajiangmian":
Simplified Chinese 炸酱面
Traditional Chinese 醡醬麵
Whereas the English Wiktionary gives these:
炸酱面 (simplified, Pinyin zhájiàngmiàn, traditional 炸醬麵)
I'm in…
hippietrail
- 4,025
- 3
- 31
- 58
6
votes
2 answers
Is the right componet of 龍 related to 弱?
The right component of the small seal script 龍 seems to be the mirror image of the components of 弱. I know the older historical forms of 龍 do not share this similarity but I can't help but wonder if this is more than coincidence. Is there any…
creallf
- 163
- 4
6
votes
2 answers
How do Chinese writers portray different accents in literature?
Since the Chinese writing system isn't phonemic, I'm curious about how authors write dialogues that have characters speaking with thick accents. For example, the accent of someone from a rural area talking to a city doctor.
Do authors use different…
Aeiou
- 63
- 4
6
votes
4 answers
Can 太久 be used to refer to time past between two dates?
As an example, if I am making plans to meet with a friend, and I say I am free on a specific date, say 2 weeks from now, and then I follow up by asking my friend "Or is that too far ahead?" To translate "Or is that too far ahead?" into Mandarin, can…
MarkE
- 744
- 6
- 12
6
votes
1 answer
Zhuyin IME and tone 0/5 syllables
I'm teaching myself bopomofo/zhuyin keyboard while I'm in Taiwan. My Chinese level is raw beginner too.
I just came across the word for tofu:
Hanzi: 豆腐
Pinyin: dòufu
Zhuyin: ㄉㄡˋㄈㄨ· (or ㄉㄡˋㄈㄨ˙)
We can see that the second syllable is tone 0 a.k.a.…
hippietrail
- 4,025
- 3
- 31
- 58
6
votes
3 answers
Etymology of 对象
When I look up the etymology of 对象 on the internet, most of the answers (link1 link2) refer to an explanation from 《幽默与笑话》. The source makes me doubt if it's the real origin of the…
NS.X.
- 14,899
- 1
- 34
- 61
6
votes
5 answers
Where does 馬上 originate from?
馬上 can be used as an adverb that roughly means "at once" or "immediately", for instance in: 我馬上來幫你. It can also mean "on horseback". Where does the usage with the sense of "at once" originate from, and does it have anything to do with the other…
user3410
6
votes
4 answers
Usage of 師傅 in Mandarin
In Cantonese 師傅 will often be used to refer to some sort of specialized worker (e.g. a plumber, or a renovator) or some sort of "master" or "teacher" (not in the sense used in a school setting), similar to some senses of 先生 in Japanese as far as I…
user3410
6
votes
4 answers
How is the currency of Taiwan referred to in Mandarin?
(I'm not going to use the hanzi or even proper pinyin for some terms because I only know them from speaking as an absolute beginning learner.)
In Mainland China the currency is the "yuan" but in practice nobody calls it that. Instead they say…
hippietrail
- 4,025
- 3
- 31
- 58
6
votes
4 answers
Difference between 新 and 生?
Until now, I thought 新 meant 'new' in all contexts. In class recently, our tutor showed a slide in which he used 生词 for 'new words'. My dictionary gives the meaning of 生 when used as an adjective as 'raw, uncooked, unripe'. Is there some other…
Jazza
- 163
- 3
6
votes
3 answers
Why doesn't Chinese have voiced sounds like [b], [d] and [g]?
So I'm wondering why, Chinese lacks voiced sounds like B, D and G. B, D and G all sound different from English. B is like [p], D is like [t], and G is like [k]. Were the voiced sounds all too hard to pronounce or were they replaced with voiceless…
Akshat Goswami
- 230
- 8