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Idiom, common phrase crossword puzzle challenge

Please solve the following puzzle Recklessly run around Make things up A big mistake is made Better be independent King among Kings buried talent Become a bandit To do a good job, you must prepare your tools give as charity die for a…
Tang Ho
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What's the meaning of Haiya in Chinese?

My Chinese friends often say, Haiya followed by something. It's usually done in correcting a person. It's like, Haiya, don't do this lah, you should do that instead. What does Haiya mean? In this YouTube video, the person said Haiya in like a few…
user4951
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What is the purpose of 是 in "我应该是感冒了"?

I came across the following translated example: 我应该是感冒了，耳朵也有点儿疼，不过没发烧。 Wǒ yīnɡɡāi shì ɡǎnmào le，ěrduo yě yǒudiǎnr ténɡ，búɡuò méi fāshāo 。 I think I caught a cold, and my ears are a little painful, but I don’t have a fever. What is 是 doing here? I…
Puco4
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Meaning of 滾水 as Cantonese idiom

滾水 (Cantonese gwan2 seoi2) is used (often in restaurant kitchens) as a warning. It literally means "boiling water", but I think it indicates that something potentially dangerous or fragile will be coming by immediately. Does it mean: Get out of the…
Ray Butterworth
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What's the relationship between "separate" and "eight" (old and modern meanings of 八)?

Zhongwen.com says that 八 is an "ideograph representing division", what is easy to see. So the old meaning of "separate" is also clear. But how did it came to represent the number 8? All I've found so far is its association with 发 (发财), thus with…
Rodrigo
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Why do I see 我 for I, but is pronounced WAH

I'm corrected to pronounce WAH instead of "wǒ." Is it the same and I just hear it wrong in my head? Or is there a difference in dialect?
Lee Louviere
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How would you say: "This is my family photo taken two years ago of my younger brother's 10th birthday party."

I want to say This is a family photo taken two years ago of my younger brother's 10th birthday party. I think I can break it up in separate sentences, e.g. 这是我全家的合影，是两年前拍了。我弟弟的十岁生日的时候。 But is there a way of saying it all in one sentence? Here are…
雪花飘飘
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How did 贼 come to mean "extremely"?

While watching a tv show, I heard the presenter, a Beijinger, say 贼好. In that particular context, the only possible meaning was 很好. Later I did some research and, as a matter of fact, it turns out 贼 zei2 does mean "very", "extremely" in…
blackgreen
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在一篇台湾小说里的句子“当下、梦和回忆”中，“当下”指的是什么？

下面摘自一篇台湾的小说（/r/MandarinBookClub当前的小说）： 下了飞机，爸爸还在跟司机讨价还价，我已经坐上计程车。整个人昏昏沉沉的，车窗的风夹带着牛粪味灌进来，我看着奔跑过的树木和柏油路，又有一点分不清楚来往的现实和梦。我有时候怀疑，难道对其它人来说，当下、梦、回忆是这么容易分辨的三样东西吗？窗外以不一样速度移动的前景和远景，会让我想到某个深夜在仁爱路奔跑时，隔着眼泪看到的景象；坐在台东的安养院里，我会想起奶奶在梨山上拄拐杖摘水果的模样，也会想到正在哭泣的妈妈，但是我分不出来我…
Becky 李蓓
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Are HSK6 questions 51 through 60 (语病) so difficult that it's reasonable to just guess?

Among the HSK6 advice I've encountered, I'm a bit surprised by some practical advice regarding the ten 语病 questions (51 through 60) wherein each question has 4 sentences A through D and exactly one sentence contains some kind of error. My teacher…
Becky 李蓓
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Is the ''a'' in ''ta'' pronounced as the ''a'' in ''tan'' or the ''a'' in ''tang''?

It just occurred to me that I've been pronouncing the ''a'' in ba, da, fa, ga, ha, ka, la, ma, na, pa, sa, the same. But I've been pronouncing the ''a'' in ta differently. Like the ''a'' in ''ang''. I'm not talking about tone here. Think of the…
Kantura
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⿺走巳 or ⿺走己: Can 起 be written in two different ways?

Whilst typing the character 起 on my Mac, I notice that the character appears differently, illustrated in the picture below. On some programs, the character appears with an extra stroke, on others it doesn't. I am more familiar with the character…
Lewis T.
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Is there an idiom for a "lose-lose" situation?

Is there an idiom for a "lose-lose" situation, in which both sides receive a negative effect? In particular, if there is a 成语 that would be great! EDIT: What about describing two decisions for a single person? Similar to the English: You're damned…
user23789
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3 answers

Is mapping from simplified to traditional characters injective (one-to-one function)?

There is a plethora of online simplified to traditional characters converter like this one: https://www.chinese-tools.com/tools/converter-simptrad.html Is it safe to use them? Won't it cause any mistakes in "translation"? My question boiles down…
GA1
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What is a one-character translation of the English word "Freedom"?

I've been trying to find a single-character translation of the word "freedom," but I can't seem to find one anywhere. The best translation I can find is, of course, 自由, which seems to be a fairly modern thing. My question has now become this: Is…
musicnothing
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