166 Answered Questions for the topic Chinese

Chinese Grammar

04/07/19

Please explain 要不了多久?
Please help me explain how 要不了多久 is translated into "It won't be long" Literal meaning would be "Could not demand how long?" I am not sure how 多久 works in this context.
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Chinese Grammar

04/07/19

Doesn't 被 mean "by"?
I've always thought of 被 as "by." I understand the following phrase means "deducted 10 points" but I don't understand the structure. > 整整要被扣十分
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Chinese Grammar

04/05/19

Indefinite article vs numeral: use of "一" (yī)?
Sometimes, when the English has an indefinite article ("a", "an"), the Chinese translation has a numeral ("一", yī). So, for example, "I want to buy **a** ticket" sounds like "I want to buy **one**... more
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Chinese Grammar

04/05/19

Never understood the usage of 弄?
I never understood the usage of 弄 for example in this sentence 婶婶找来几片叶子，给雪弄了一双耳环 why is there a 弄了? The sentence makes sense without it.
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Chinese Grammar

04/05/19

How to express: a narrator is narrating an event in the past, and wants to describe an event 2 years before that?
In English this is very easy to express, but I'm struggling to express it in Chinese. I've asked multiple natives and they are all struggling with this (much to everyone's surprise). Basically,... more
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Chinese Grammar

04/04/19

How to say "unsurprisingly" as in "Someone unsurprisingly did something"?
I'm trying to figure out how to say unsurprisingly; I know that 果然 generally implies that you expect that something is going to happen, but in some contexts I'm not entirely sure if it is most... more
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Chinese Grammar

04/03/19

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... more
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Chinese Grammar

04/03/19

求解释: "我有问题" 和 "我有个问题" 中英 | Chinese & English?
这个问题我找不到解释， 希望哪位高手可以帮下 ^^ 学生想说 I have a question, 常常会说成 "我有问题." 我会教他们用 “我有个问题” 或者 “我有一个问题。” 原因是听到 “我有问题”的时候， 我的第一联想就是 “我脑子有问题。" 可是我语法上面解释不来也查不到。 现在我自己都快糊涂了。 所以我想问： 1） “我有问题” 是正确的吗？... more
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Chinese Grammar

04/03/19

When you use 在 with a time, where does 在 go in the sentence?
So, if I wanted to say, "Last week I saw my friend in Japan," where would the location (Japan) go in this sentence? I thought it would go like this: 在日本，我上个星期看朋友。 Is that correct or does the... more
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Chinese Grammar

04/02/19

Which measure word should I use with 角色？
Nciku tells me the proper measure word is 类, but a quick search on Google garnered mostly results like "哪类角色更容易赢“小金人”？“ implying that for the most part 类 is used when inquiring about a particular... more
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Chinese Grammar

04/02/19

So technically, the correct usage of 得 for run very fast is 跑得很快 - why are there so many Baidu hits for 跑的很快 and 跑地很快?
Is there 的, 地 and 得 confusion among native speakers as well or am I missing some subtleties of the language?
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Chinese Grammar

04/02/19

What is the difference in usage between 以后 and 之后？
Today John Pasden linked to an old Sinosplice post in which he discussed how Chinese grammatical categories cannot be mapped neatly onto those of Indo-European... more
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Chinese Grammar

04/01/19

How to say "Catch a plane"?
I'm interested to see if there is a translation for "catch a plane". I know that 赶不上飞机 is an expression - but could you say "今天我有很多事。 最要紧的是赶上飞机“
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Chinese Grammar

03/31/19

以来 - Chinese dictionary says noun. "Since" in English dictionary says preposition, conjunction. Distinction?
A couple of Chinese dictionaries I used says for 以来, part of speech is 名 (noun). Since in an English dictionary says preposition first. Is it incorrect to assume a direct correlation between... more
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Chinese Grammar

03/31/19

Is there a difference between 凡事 and 所有？
Recently, I've been reading a bit of 鲁迅 and I've run into the word 凡事 a number of times. Everytime, I see it translated it seems to mean 所有。 It seems to me that 凡事 is either an older usage or is... more
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Chinese Grammar

03/29/19

Does an existential sentence with "有" only carry a non-specific noun?
Sentence 1: 桌子上有一本作业 Sentence 2: 桌子上有我的作业 I think both sentences are correct. However, I just watched a grammar video which mentioned the existential sentence with "有" can only carry a... more
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Chinese Grammar

03/29/19

When is the 把 construction forbidden?
I would like to understand which (if any) of these sentences are incorrect and why. 1. 我给了我妹妹一支笔。(being the most basic, this is the one I think I understand) 2. 我把那支笔给我妹妹了。 3. 我把一支笔给我妹妹了。 4.... more
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Chinese Grammar

03/29/19

How do I say "I held my head in my hands"?
Recently, I was writing about my time at a funeral. I am trying to express the situation that I was overwhelmed by emotion so I put my head in my hands. (I.e. I rested my head on my hands). Is... more
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Chinese Grammar

03/29/19

When should I use 经验 and when should I use 经历?
Can I say "跟据我的经历那儿的人很友好"? Is this a correct sentence? Should I use 经历, 经验, or is there a better way to say this sentence?
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Chinese Grammar

03/29/19

What is the difference between the measure words 面 vs 张?
Apparently both are measure words for flat objects, are they interchangeable or is there a difference to the types of flat objects they are used for?
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Chinese Grammar

03/29/19

In 我去北京旅行, is 北京 the object? If not, what *is* it?
I am a native speaker who is learning about how Chinese grammar works. I know that a simple sentence contains a subject (主语), a verb (谓语?) and an object (宾语). > 我(subject)吃(verb)饭(object)。 I... more
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Chinese Grammar

03/28/19

How do you use - 我还是做一枚安静的N 吧?
Question for you all. I've seen sentences that are like this 我还是做一枚安静的吃货好了 or 我还是做一枚安静的美少女 I understand that this is a funny expression (used primarily online) Can I replace the final word... more
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Chinese Grammar

03/26/19

How do I use a pattern like in 一年有春夏秋冬四季?
I understand the meaning of the sentence, but I have difficulties grasping the pattern and how I could extend it to other phrases. Could you please come up with other example sentences with similar... more
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Chinese Grammar

03/26/19

When do I need 的?
Why do I need 的 for 爸爸 but not for 爸 ? > me: So if I said "your father is....", it would be 你的爸是.... > me: Right? > friend: No 的 if you use 爸 > friend: we say 你爸是。。。 >... more
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Chinese Grammar

03/26/19

Does 多 always come after the measure word？
I've realized that I still don't fully understand the placement of "多“ a relatively common word. Can you never place 多 before a measure word? A friend recently corrected my "四多快美金“ into 四块多美金”... more
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