<p>in fact 应变 is the combinaison of 应 and 变.</p>

<ul>
<li><p>应 means 应付 which means: deal with, manage</p></li>
<li><p>变 means 变化 which means: change</p></li>
</ul>

<p>And 适应 just means adapt.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-08T20:58:13.950Z
to expand on this a bit, 应变 refers to whether you're "quick on your toes", in a tactical sense,, while 适应 refers to your ability to adjust/adapt to bigger picture changes in the environment.
Master Sparkles
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-08T20:38:03.350Z
2015-07-08T20:38:03.350Z
Xiang ZHU
<p>應變 is a response to an emergency, or something unexpected, as in 中央災害應變中心 National Disaster Response Center. 變 here is not 變化， but 事變. 
應變能力 is emergency or incident response capability.  One sees this in cyber security a lot, also in the American FEMA agency.  It has nothing to do with "adaptation".</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-07T09:15:31.767Z
2015-07-07T09:15:31.767Z
wpt
<p>最重要的武器是应变能力、适应能力和创新能力</p>

<p>This is not a good composition because here 应变能力 and 适应能力 have exactly the same meaning.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-24T23:06:34.663Z
That's what I was thinking. I find Chinese often doubles up with words which mean the same or very similar. That seems to be a feature of Chinese. In the end I suppose, we can only ask the author, if we could find him or her, what he meant and how he meant it.
Pedroski
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-24T22:51:34.357Z
2015-04-24T22:51:34.357Z
PdotWang
<p>I think the catch here is the 'time frame' of the changes:  </p>

<p>Take your sentence, 在未来十年的商战中，最重要的武器是应变能力、适应能力, and some examples:</p>

<p>case 1:  </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Assume the company never used the new cloud service - everyone's saving stuff on their local computer.  The new cloud service will be introduced to the company, where everyone has a chance to start learning about it.  In this
  case, your capability to adapt the changes - 适应能力 - is required.  You are not required to act immediately, but to slowly adjust to the new system.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Case 2:  </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Assume the company is a logistic company, where a huge shipment being delivered is
  lost due to an accident happened last night.  You, as the manager, has to prepare the shipment from another office, thus fulfilling the delivery.  In this case, your 应变能力 is required.  You have to act/ react immediately. </p>
</blockquote>

<p>Both cases describe a changes where one happens over the years and the other one happens all of a sudden.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-08T20:04:45.023Z
2015-07-08T20:04:45.023Z
Alex
<p>应变能力 and 适应能力 look similar, but they do not have the same meaning. 适应 has to do with adapting to a more or less static environment, for example, if you move from one part of the world to another, you need to adapt to the climate of your new home and you need 适应能力. 应变, on the other hand, introduces an element of unexpectedness. 应变能力 is your ability to react/ respond to (usually unexpected) change in the environment. In your example sentence, the company needs both 应变能力 and 适应能力.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-09T01:43:17.677Z
agree.  So a job at a multinational that involves overseas positions would require 适应能力, whilst a job as a movie producer, with all of the random logistical challenges that might crop up, would require 应变能力.
Master Sparkles
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-09T04:02:43.677Z
@MasterSparkles I think so. Good examples.
monalisa
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-09T01:15:59.150Z
2015-07-09T01:24:54.587Z
2015-07-09T01:24:54.587Z
monalisa
<p>Is there a difference in meaning between 应变能力 and 适应能力 in this sentence？ If so, can you please try to explain it?</p>

<p>公司领导人认为，在未来十年的商战中，最重要的武器是应变能力、适应能力和创新能力。</p>

<meaning><difference>
What is the difference in meaning between 应变 and 适应 here？
# What is the difference in meaning between 应变 and 适应 here？

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-04-23)

Is there a difference in meaning between 应变能力 and 适应能力 in this sentence？ If so, can you please try to explain it?

公司领导人认为，在未来十年的商战中，最重要的武器是应变能力、适应能力和创新能力。

**Tags:** meaning, difference

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## 5 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2015-07-08. Score: 2

in fact 应变 is the combinaison of 应 and 变.

* 应 means 应付 which means: deal with, manage
* 变 means 变化 which means: change

And 适应 just means adapt.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: to expand on this a bit, 应变 refers to whether you're "quick on your toes", in a tactical sense,, while 适应 refers to your ability to adjust/adapt to bigger picture changes in the environment.  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2015-07-07. Score: 1

應變 is a response to an emergency, or something unexpected, as in 中央災害應變中心 National Disaster Response Center. 變 here is not 變化， but 事變.
應變能力 is emergency or incident response capability. One sees this in cyber security a lot, also in the American FEMA agency. It has nothing to do with "adaptation".


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2015-04-24. Score: 1

最重要的武器是应变能力、适应能力和创新能力

This is not a good composition because here 应变能力 and 适应能力 have exactly the same meaning.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: That's what I was thinking. I find Chinese often doubles up with words which mean the same or very similar. That seems to be a feature of Chinese. In the end I suppose, we can only ask the author, if we could find him or her, what he meant and how he meant it.  

---

### Answer by username_5 on 2015-07-08. Score: 1

I think the catch here is the 'time frame' of the changes:

Take your sentence, 在未来十年的商战中，最重要的武器是应变能力、适应能力, and some examples:

case 1:

> Assume the company never used the new cloud service - everyone's saving stuff on their local computer. The new cloud service will be introduced to the company, where everyone has a chance to start learning about it. In this
> case, your capability to adapt the changes - 适应能力 - is required. You are not required to act immediately, but to slowly adjust to the new system.

Case 2:

> Assume the company is a logistic company, where a huge shipment being delivered is
> lost due to an accident happened last night. You, as the manager, has to prepare the shipment from another office, thus fulfilling the delivery. In this case, your 应变能力 is required. You have to act/ react immediately.

Both cases describe a changes where one happens over the years and the other one happens all of a sudden.


---

### Answer by username_6 on 2015-07-09. Score: 1

应变能力 and 适应能力 look similar, but they do not have the same meaning. 适应 has to do with adapting to a more or less static environment, for example, if you move from one part of the world to another, you need to adapt to the climate of your new home and you need 适应能力. 应变, on the other hand, introduces an element of unexpectedness. 应变能力 is your ability to react/ respond to (usually unexpected) change in the environment. In your example sentence, the company needs both 应变能力 and 适应能力.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: agree.  So a job at a multinational that involves overseas positions would require 适应能力, whilst a job as a movie producer, with all of the random logistical challenges that might crop up, would require 应变能力.  
> **username_6**: @MasterSparkles I think so. Good examples.  

---

