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1500 questions
6
votes
2 answers
Methods/resources for improving formal/business Chinese?
I'm returning to China early next year to manage a business, and will be dealing with a variety of Chinese clients in that environment.
I want to ensure my formal/business Chinese skills are up to scratch, but I'm not sure what the best way to do…
Ciaocibai
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6
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How to explain the structure of "将在外，军令有所不受。"
In my own opinion, this sentence should be "将在外，军令不受".
I can hardly imagine any use of "有" and "所" here. Could someone explain the structure of this sentence?
Mike Manilone
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6
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What are the corresponding titles for "Dr." (in the sense of MD and PhD) in Chinese?
The prefix Dr. in English refers to both medical doctors, and PhD graduates. What are the correct titles for these in Chinese? I believe that 医生 is correct to use as a title for a medical doctor, but I don't know if it can be used for a PhD.
juckele
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How can I interpret 多 in 我才来了三个多月?
It must be pretty easy, but what does 多 mean here?
我才来了三个多月
qdii
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6
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1 answer
Which dictionaries reveal the commonly mistaken usage of a word (i.e. how NOT to use a word)?
I encountered a very useful dictionary eight years ago, but have never been able to find a copy of it because I don't know what it's called. It not only gave examples in context of how to use the words, but also gave examples of how NOT to use the…
cyanos
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4 answers
What is the subject in 有时间到我家去
There is this sentence in a dialog from my beginner text book:
好，我走了，有时间到我家去。再见！
I understand the translation:
Well, I'm going, if you have time, come to my home. Goodbye.
However, though I know all the words, I couldn't understand the sentence…
Stephane Rolland
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6
votes
3 answers
What is the correct measure word for 问题 (question)?
I'm not sure if I should say 一件问题 or 一项问题. I know I can get away with 一个问题, but I'd like to know the "correct" measure word.
Note: I would like to use the tag measure-word, but I can't. I used "writing" instead, because using the right measure word…
pwnall
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6
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3 answers
What does "liam" mean in this song's lyrics?
深深的爱（詹雅雯）
Min Nan lyrics (spelling and romanization from twblg.dict.edu.tw, video here)
想起行过的路： | Siūnn-khí kiânn-kuè ê lōo:
阮的跤步， | Gún ê kha-pōo,
虽然经过风雨， | Sui-liân king-kuè hong-hōo,
毋惊寂寞， | M̄ kiann siok-bo̍k,
因为囥在心中 | In-uī khǹg tsāi sim…
MickG
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6
votes
2 answers
Why does Chinese sometimes put 儿 after verbs and nouns?
I tend to see it a lot in text books and guides:
唱歌/唱歌儿
事/事儿
But it's always listed as optional, so what's the deal with it?
Qenglow
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1 answer
What is the difference between 濱 and 瀕?
Another pair of homonyms with similar/identical meaning. A dictionary check gives me this:
濱
(1) 水邊。如：「河濱」、「海濱」、「她喜歡在湖濱散步。」
(2) 靠近。如：「濱臨」、「濱海公路」。
瀕
(1) 水邊。如：「河瀕」、「江瀕」。
(2) 臨近、迫近。如：「瀕臨」、「瀕危」。
This isn't very helpful since the definitions of the two…
Olle Linge
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6
votes
5 answers
Why can't 了 be used to indicate a completed action that has yet to come?
了 is a particle that indicates the perfective--the verb has no interior composition. This is different from the perfect aspect in English which focuses on the result of an action in the past that may or may not have interior composition. So why is…
N.D.H.
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6
votes
1 answer
When is it appropriate to use 亲爱的?
In English it perfectly fine in a business context and for someone you have never met before to use Dear XXXX at the beginning of a letter or email.
This causes some difficulty when moving to another language because 亲爱的 may have a slightly…
going
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6
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3 answers
Idiomatic expressions for attitude (agreement or disagreement)
I have recently seen two phrases which, in my understanding, looked very similar to each other:
再看吧 [zài kàn ba]
考虑考虑 [kǎo lǜ kǎo lǜ]
However, I've been told that the first one means almost certain disagreement, while the other is similar to…
Be Brave Be Like Ukraine
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6
votes
3 answers
Pronunciation of 要
What is the correct pronunciation of 要?
I've learned it as yao4 but a video said it is yao3. Then I checked it in an online dictionary and it provides 3 different pronunications: yao4, yao3 ,yao1
Can I just pick one of those tones arbitrarily?…
WVrock
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6
votes
3 answers
What is the difference between 怎么 and 怎么样 ？
What is the difference between 怎么 and 怎么样 ？
It seems like both mean something like "how". I also see that 怎么样 is often used to ask someone's opinion on something.
In what contexts can 怎么 be used and when can 怎么样 be used?
Are there any grammatical…
wythagoras
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