Most Popular
1500 questions
5
votes
1 answer
What does the classical construction X 何由 Y mean?
I almost never see this construction in classical prose. (In fact, I'll venture I've never seen it.) However, it's in two of my favorite poems.
In this one, it's from the poem "晨詣超師院讀禪經" by 柳宗元:
遺言冀可冥， 繕性何由熟？
The other one is from a poem, by Li…
magnetar
- 1,207
- 8
- 15
5
votes
3 answers
list of Chinese language country name abbreviations
In watching CCTV-4 news, I frequently see country names abbreviated but miss the leading character before I can look it up carefully (I know the major ones). Is there a list anywhere of those standard abbreviations (most of the form X国)?
Joel Tenenbaum
- 59
- 2
5
votes
4 answers
也 When expressing a series does 也 need to be before each object or just the last object
When expressing a series of object does 也 occur prior to each object or only prior to the last object to express the list
Example:
我没有房子没有工作没有车也没有朋友。
我没有房子也没有工作也没有车也没有朋友。
50-3
- 1,374
- 3
- 10
- 32
5
votes
3 answers
What qualities does Hong Kong Mandarin have?
With Mandarin making more and more in-roads into Cantonese speaking Hong Kong, I'm wondering what characteristics set it apart from Standard Mandarin or other regional Mandarin dialects and/or accents.
I'm not asking so much about native Mandarin…
hippietrail
- 4,025
- 3
- 31
- 58
5
votes
5 answers
How to start learning Cantonese?
How can I learn Cantonese on my own? What resources can I use and what is the right way to do it?
I have friends who are from Hong Kong so I have people to "talk at" I guess who will honestly evaluate me (although they will probably make fun of the…
GµårÐïåñ
- 151
- 1
- 2
- 8
5
votes
2 answers
"便利商店" (biànlì shāngdiàn) vs "便利店" (biànlì diàn)
Earlier when I was in China I learned "便利店" (biànlì diàn) to mean "convenience store". I think from looking it up in the English Wiktionary.
But now that I'm in Taiwan when I used it people didn't understand it and then corrected me to use instead…
hippietrail
- 4,025
- 3
- 31
- 58
5
votes
4 answers
How can I type bopomofo on Windows without converting to hanzi?
I've just finished my two months travelling in China and have arrived to spend one month in Taiwan.
I now want to learn as much as I can about how Mandarin Chinese is used here.
One thing different in Taiwan is that people type using Zhuyin Fuhao…
hippietrail
- 4,025
- 3
- 31
- 58
5
votes
3 answers
The meanings of 不好意思
In response to kindnesses I sometimes say "不好意思了" and I don't think there has ever been a misunderstanding. But as an English speaker I feel unsure how this is different from saying "不好意思" for a bad thing. Can anyone advise on how the two meaning…
Colin McLarty
- 3,293
- 1
- 20
- 31
5
votes
4 answers
How to translate 实时新闻定制和推送系统 to English?
I once worked on a project called 实时新闻定制和推送系统. Now someone translated it to English as Real-time News Ordering and Pushing System. However I feel strange with the word Ordering. I often hear the word subscribe when we refer to news. So my question…
einverne
- 702
- 3
- 10
5
votes
2 answers
Why Sun Yat-sen's 民族主義 is not translated as "ethno-nationalism"?
Sun Yat-sen's concept of 民族主義 mínzú zhǔyì is apparently translated as "nationalism": "Sun’s work is also divided into three parts: “the principle of nationalism” (民族主義), “the principle of the people’s sovereignty” (民権主義), and “the principle of the…
Starckman
- 590
- 3
- 10
5
votes
3 answers
Is the Pinyin made for some Chinese characters in double standard?
The most striking cases are:
莫 (mo), 我(wo), 坡(po),波(bo),
but
国(guo), 洛(luo), 错(cuo), etc, with one "u" added, which is unnecessary.
To my ears, they are the same, aren't they?
NanningYouth
- 2,677
- 2
- 12
- 22
5
votes
1 answer
To clench one's muscles. How to express the verb "to clench"?
Muscles can relax and contract, when a muscle contracts it gets shorter.
But you can clench your muscles without any movement/contraction.
For context I happen to have a motor neurone condition which affects my walk.
Recently a Chinese friend asked…
Kantura
- 2,146
- 8
- 22
5
votes
7 answers
念 vs 读 What is the difference?
My thoughts are 念 specifically means reading out loud, emphasis on "out loud".
读 can be out loud or to oneself, the emphasis is just on "reading".
If I want someone to read something out loud for me I would say 给我念一下 , but if I say 给我读一下 would that…
Kantura
- 2,146
- 8
- 22
5
votes
7 answers
What is the difference between 尽力而为 and 全力以赴?
I heard the following from a radio show, in which the hostess said (something about the recent flood in Beijing ), "我们的责任和希望不在于尽力而为，而在于全力以赴".
In my opinion, both idioms mean to go all out or try everything one can, but why here do they become so…
NanningYouth
- 2,677
- 2
- 12
- 22
5
votes
1 answer
non-standard tone pronunciation
After carefully listening to the tapes of Assimil "Chinese with ease", I noticed that the pronunciation by the native speakers of a few characters differs from the standard tones: 多 pronounced with a 2nd tone, 複雜 3-2， 回來 2-4, 因爲 1-4...
I did not…
Boki
- 83
- 4