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1500 questions
17
votes
9 answers

Is Sunday 星期天 or 星期日?

I am using the ChineseSkill app to learn Chinese and I learned that 'Sunday' in Chinese is 星期天 (xīngqītiān). However, sometimes on the internet I see 星期日 (xīngqīrì). Are both correct? Why is there such a variation in usage?
Leonel.L
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4 answers

Are 明白 and 懂 synonymous?

Are 明白 and 懂 synonymous? If not, could anyone please elaborate on the difference along with some examples of usage?
Icarus
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17
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7 answers

How to say "cool" in Chinese

Basically I am looking for words in common usage which are roughly synonymous with English "cool", "wicked", "awesome", "sweet", and related positive slang adjectives. I would also like to know how common these kind of words are in Chinese (because…
jsj
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17
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4 answers

了解 vs 明白 vs 知道 - what is the difference, and when should I use each one?

了解, 明白, and 知道 seem to be fairly synonymous in Mandarin, but there does seem to be some subtle differences between them. What exactly is the difference? When should I use each one? Could you give me an example sentence to show when each of these…
Ciaocibai
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16
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3 answers

What is the meaning of 当仁不让?

I was browsing the Chinese internet looking for a bank that supports Mac OS when I came across this site. They list a range of different banks under a range of different headings, the first of which is 当仁不让. I've looked it up in my dictionary, but…
Ciaocibai
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16
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2 answers

Does an Alarm clock 吵醒 or 叫醒？

I'm trying to figure out whether an alarm clock 吵醒我， or 叫醒我。 I'd like to say the sentence my alarm clock woke me up at 5:30 today my translation so far is 今天早上五点半， 我手机的闹钟叫醒了我。 Can 叫醒 be done by inanimate objects? Is this construction used in…
Stephen
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16
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3 answers

Why is 月 used when speaking about anatomy?

One thing I've been curious about while learning Chinese is the use of 月 in many 汉字 representing anatomical features (for example, 脸， 腰， or 腿). What is the etymology of the use of 月 as a radical?
八带永
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16
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3 answers

Do 之 and 的 come from the same word?

In modern Chinese 之 is thought of as the literary genitive particle and 的 as the colloquial. In most reconstructions of Old Chinese 之 looks very similar to the way 的 is pronounced now. For example in Baxter-Sagart's OC reconstruction, 之, OC /*tə/ is…
HAL
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3 answers

Why is 我很要... an invalid statment

Why is it that to say I very much or really want something I have to say 我很想要... and not just 我很要... So if I wanted a cup of coffee I would say 我要一杯咖啡 But if I want to say I really want coffee I have to add 很想 and not just add 很 我很想要一杯咖啡 Why is…
50-3
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16
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4 answers

What's a good place to look up the etymology of certain Chinese words that aren't immediately obvious?

Many Chinese words make a lot of sense when you consider the meanings of individual characters. However, others aren't quite as obvious at first glance. For example, Why does 有机 as in 有机食品 mean organic? answers the question of why 有机 means "organic"…
D Yong
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16
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4 answers

Difference between 想 and 要?

I know both of them mean "want to" but have usage in different contexts. When should I use each one? For example: 我要去上海市 and 我想去上海市 What's the difference in the meaning between them? Also, I've seen these two characters together in some…
gustavotkg
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2 answers

How do I type the lü for Character Romanization?

I am studying classical Chinese and when I try to type in any words that require the ü it just randomly chooses a character. How do I use the Traditional pinyin entry method on a Mac and get the the ü? Thanks.
forrest
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16
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4 answers

List of hanzi and their components

I would like to be able to compute the distance between 2 hanzi according to their components. My idea is that a hanzi like 式 is made of 工 and 弋. 2 hanzi are close if they share common components. To be able to compute such distance, I need to be…
qdii
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3 answers

How does foreign word transliteration work in the context of Cantonese vs Mandarin?

If I understand correctly, Cantonese sounds very different from Mandarin, despite being written in the same way (omitting some small differences, which are irrelevant for the question). If it is the case, how can foreign words be transliterated into…
KT.
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16
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5 answers

Difference between 特色, 特點, 特性, 特質, and 特徵

Looking up these five words in dictionaries gives results that are almost identical. In Chinese-English dictionaries, I find explanations identical or very close to: a characteristic; a distinguishing feature; a distinctive mark The only…
Olle Linge
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