What's the missing character: 幼儿为「么？」? I've got this horrible scan from《旅行雜志》1945年第7期，第8頁 and I'm trying to make out the characters:

What I've got so far:

幼儿为「么？」

Any idea what the missing character is?

A logical answer would be: 兒, but it doesn't really look like that.

It is a list of 四川話 (Sichuan dialect) terms, I suppose it showed other provinces' visitors some basic terms in Sichuan  dialect

It includes :

夫妻為 「兩口子」(husband and wife is "兩口子")

最小兒女為「么兒」(smallest child is "么兒")

小妹妺為「么妺」; 「么姑娘」(youngest sister is "么妺" ; "么姑娘"

小弟弟為「么兄弟」(youngest brother is "么兄弟")

The one sentence you are asking is:

  幼叔為「么叔」(youngest uncle is "么叔" )

The  Chinese 「  mark below 为  bent left instead of bent right, because the text was written in vertical right to left Chinese style.

I bet Sichuan dialect speakers can guess the missing characters better than Mandarin speakers. I couldn't figure out 「屋里」 in 男人稱妻人為「屋里」(men call their wives as "屋里")


(Better) Translations of: 稀罕/稀奇? In Chinese 稀罕 and 稀奇 are often used negatively to express disdain, e.g.:

ABC

  我不稀罕你的钱。
  Wǒ bù xīhan nǐ de qián.
  I don't care about your money.

And

  你以为我稀奇你的东西？

Dictionaries often translate it these as:

  be of value;
  be of importance;
  be appreciated

Is there a better way to translate these?

edit:

due to the number of corrections I'm getting instead of answers

here's some proof that I'm not making this up...

稀罕 and 稀奇 are not the same thing.

The verb 稀罕 means "to value"; using it as a negative therefore express disdain. The translation given of "I don't care about your money" is quite spot on. I assume you aren't asking for a "better" translation for this.

The adjective 稀奇 means "rare", "unusual". It is not grammatically proper in Standard Chinese to use 稀奇 as a verb in the ay you did in the question, nor does it carry a connotation of disdain by itself. I'm not sure why your dictionary translated it as "be of importance" but that is clearly wrong.

  稀奇

  解釋: 稀少、奇特。熊貓長相稀奇，常令看過的人留下難忘的印象。

   -- 教育部國語辭典簡編本

Note that certain dialects (notably Sichuan but perhaps also others) do use 稀奇 as a verb. In this case the intended meaning of 稀奇 becomes "to cherish". It is however a decidedly non-standard usage.


智渊别伤心爱兰可以帮你。 我们一起学习吧 in English please? My fried wrote 智渊别伤心爱兰可以帮你。
我们一起学习吧 to me. What does this mean?? I'm so curious. I tried google it  but gave me

This weird answer.
(Btw, his  Chinese skills are not that advanced, so he might have used the google translator to translate this. If you think so, could you guess what it means??)

Oh and there's sth that I noticed, a dot in English typing is '.' While in Chinese, its 。is there a difference between these two??

Let's break this into parts and examine the meaning of each piece:

智渊 (pinyin: zhi-4 yuan-1)  [name]
别   (bie-2)                 don't
伤心 (shang-1 xin-1)         be sad (be depressed, be upset, etc.)
爱兰 (ai-4 lan-2)            [name]
可以 (ke-3 yi-3)             can
帮   (bang-1)                help
你。 (ni-3)                  you.
我们 (wo-3 men)              we
一起 (yi-4 qi-3)             together
学习 (xue-2 xi-2)            study
吧   (ba)                    [ending exclamation]

Roughly translated, this means Zhi-yuan, don't be upset! Ai-lan can help you. Let's study together!

Based on this sentence, we can also guess some context: it is not uncommon in Chinese to reference oneself in the third person. I rewrite the translation to help you understand: Zhi-yuan, don't be upset! I [Ai-lan] can help you. Let's study together!

Let me try to guess some context. This sentence is probably related to school. You may have recently received some scores or grades, and you may not have done too well, so the speaker assumes/imagines that you are disappointed, and he is comforting you and offering help. If I am way off, you may laugh at me.

Amusing how much information one can infer from one sentence.

P.S. Regarding your concern that 爱 means love: you are right--typically used, it means love. However, when used in a name, it is literally part of the name. The word's meaning may give meaning/significance to the name, but it is essentially just the name. In the same way English has names such as Grace, Valentine, and Lily, Chinese has names made of common words that make certain names beautiful--and other names awkward...

P.P.S. Since Chinese is such a tremendously different language than English, and since its history is largely independent of English, it should not be too strange that the punctuation is different. In general, it it best that you use Chinese full-width punctuation (。，) when writing in Chinese and Latin half-width punctuation (.,) when writing in Latin-related languages.


Difference among these terms for student clubs: 队、团、俱乐部、社和兴趣小组? In regards to their meanings as "student clubs" (at school), are there any differences in the following words: 队、团、俱乐部、社和兴趣小组？
For me, I personally find 队 to mean clubs having to do with athletics, but I hear it used in such phrases as 数学队 (math team), 科学队 (science team) etc. I also find the other terms interchangeable, even though I often hear 团 used in clubs focused on music, and the other ones don't really seem to be oriented toward any specific subject or aspect. Can you clear up my confusion?

These words are very similar. 队 and 团 are almost the same. For example, we can call the band that attend competitions either 乐队 or 乐团; we can call a choir either 合唱队 or 合唱团. We also often put these two words together: "团队," which means "team". For example: 我们是一个团队。 We are a team.
If you really want tell a difference between 队 and 团, according to my feeling, a 队 may contain fewer people than 团. For example, you can call a group of 3 people 小队, but you can't call it a 团. Anyway, there are still some exceptions. You just have to remember which word goes with 队, and which word goes with 团--like in English, people have to remember to say "a SCHOOL of fish", not "a FLOCK of fish".
俱乐部, 社 and 兴趣小组 are different in terms of their different professional levels.
俱乐部 sounds more professional, people in 俱乐部 are mostly professional enthusiast. Example: 足球俱乐部, 电竞俱乐部
社 sounds less professional than 俱乐部. We call a school club 社, but we never call it 俱乐部. For example: 学校的音乐社 the school's music club
兴趣小组 sounds the least professional. It seems that anyone who is interested in that activity can join a 兴趣小组. They are not required to be professional players.


Can anyone figure out if this tattoo means anything? Can anyone tell what this tattoo is supposed to say, or if it actually means anything at all?

I'm going to 答非所问 for a quick second.

There used to be this font:

  "Natural Expressions"
  Chinese/Kanji & Egyptian Flash/Design Sheets

that offered:

  8 Chinese/Kanji & Egyptian Flash/Design Sheets
  Here are some wonderful Chinese/Kanji & Egyptian Flash Design Sheets which are very popular and a must for any modern tattoo parlor. This set of the 8 flash sheets contains 100's of different images/characters! Line drawings are not included/available with this set.

which included this English to Chinese/Kanji tattoo translation sheet:

all for this price of:

  U.S. $64.99

Hanzismatter also deciphered the tattoo writings like this:

But as they mention it's mostly all gibberish.


The use of 部 as a classifier in Mandarin So I’ve read that 部 is used for machines, films and literature. So does that mean I can use 部 for words like 书，词典, etc even though they usually go with 本？

The answer is sometimes.

The reference to literature does not refer to physical books, but to works of literature. E.g.

  BBC评选21世纪最伟大的12部小说

  (The) twelve greatest 21st century novels chosen by the BBC

The case with 字典 and 詞典 is different, as it can refer to the "work" or to the "book".

  中国第一部字典—说文解字

  The first (character) dictionary in China, the Shuowen Jiezi

Note that poetry collection 詩集 can also be used in this way, although individual poems not so.

書 wouldn't go with 部 - it doesn't refer to a work.


In my bullet list, is ...是个... [something]的 problematic, and do I need an "and"? From my talk's slides, I have:

  先结论...

  对于给定m（即为确定的元素数量），m! #PLR(r,s,n;m)是个
  - 三元多项式，
  - 对称多项式(即#PLR(r,s,n;m)=#PLR(s,r,n;m)等)，
  - 整数系数的，
  - 3m次多项式。

(I have some students here helping me debug this, but it's mostly my writing.)

I'm happy with the content, but I'm not comfortable with the grammar.  I'm concerned about two things:

A mismatch between 是个... and the third item 整数系数的 ("has integer coefficients"), but maybe this is okay.
The lack of an "and" here (we would normally include it in English).

Question: In my bullet list, is ...是个... [something]的 problematic, and do I need an "and"?

I have read the comments and reply, then I would like to give a demo in my way. We can discuss it.

  首先给出结论 （This indicate that we will prove it in later slides...）

  对于给定的m（即为确定的元素数量），多项式m! #PLR(r,s,n;m)具有以下特点：

  是三元多项式，
  是对称多项式(即#PLR(r,s,n;m)=#PLR(s,r,n;m)等)， （I'm just curious, what do you mean by 等 here? Does it mean #PLR(r,s,n;m)=#PLR(r,n,s;m) and so on?）
  是整数系数多项式，
  是3m次多项式。


Some 阿-prefix Sichuanese Hakka words (阿妹, 阿姐, 阿妈, 阿孃, 阿祖) - what do they mean? Sichuanese contains a lot of words from other topolects (Hakka, Min, Cantonese, etc.) thanks to the great migration.
There are a bunch of 阿-prefixed forms of address
《四川方言词典》explains:

阿 a1 (缀)
用在某些亲属名称的前面（川西部分地区）：～爹|～伯|～哥。

While also offering the following examples:

阿爸 a1 ba2 (名) 叔父。
阿伯 a1 be2 (名) ①上了年纪的父亲。②伯父。
阿爹 a1 die1 (名) 指年轻的父亲。
阿兄 a1 xiong1 (名) 弟弟 (同“阿哥”相对)。

Here 阿哥 is clearly, also marked as a an 阿-prefixed Sichuanese Hakka form of address - meaning 哥哥 presumably.
《雨城方言》also lists

阿妹
阿姐
阿妈
阿孃
阿祖

What do these words mean:
阿妹, 阿姐, 阿妈, 阿孃, 阿祖?
I can guess, but I'm sure I won't be right. (They very well might differ from proper Hakka, as well).

According to this site:

阿:

  釋義： 1.放在稱謂（如爸、嬸、公、姐等）前，表尊敬。2.放在名字前，表親切，同輩之間或長輩稱呼晚輩時使用。  用例：
  1.阿爸、阿媽、阿公、阿婆、阿叔、阿嬸……2、阿明、阿小珠、阿飛……

阿妹: 1. 孩子（不管晚輩男女，長輩都可稱其阿妹）。2. 女孩子。

阿姐: 姐姐（部分地區也指姑姑）。許多地區稱姐姐為“阿姊”。

阿妈: 媽媽，母親。

阿孃: 1、伯母，伯父的妻子（五華、惠州等地）。2、泛指老婦女。

阿祖: unable to find; I guess it might belong to meaning 2: "放在名字前，表親切，同輩之間或長輩稱呼晚輩時使用。" So, 祖 might be just a person's name.


Open source Sichuanese TTS (语音合成?) There's a couple of iOS apps that support Sichuanese TTS (text-to-speech):

川话达人
语音合成助手

From what I can tell it's all from a company called 讯飞, but I'm not totally sure.

Is there an open source Sichuanese TTS available?

Or

An offline Sichuanese TTS that doesn't need to download the audio each time?

You're right about the company. It's full name is 科大讯飞. 科大is short for 中国科学技术大学(University of Science and Technology of China)，my Alma mater!--this company is founded by several alumni in cooperation with the university.

TTS is not difficult for 科大讯飞, and they put their effort more on speech-to-text engine. But they have open source packages for both TTS and STT, and a whole bunch of other cool stuff. Actually, they have been there at least since 2014. You could find them here (all-Chinese site): http://www.xfyun.cn/sdk/dispatcher Their TTS and STT support A LOT of dialects.

Alternatively, there is a Chinese TTS on Github: https://github.com/yantze/vim-tts  It also supports a lot of dialects, including Sichuanese.


Chinese equivalent of: 'ew'? When disgusted by something people will usually say, 'ew, yuck!' or 'ew, gross.'

Is there an equivalent of 'ew' in Mandarin?

The only things I was able to find about it (here) - just explain what 'ew' means & when to use it, but I want to know if there is an equivalent.

恶(e3) should be the one.
When feeling disgusted, in Chinese people would say a long 恶(e3), like eee3...

or 恶心（e3 xin1）as an adjective to mean disgusted, which literally means disgusted heart, or in English to have a disgusted heart (feeling) toward someone or something.


Structures for describing people, appearance or personality I have a question about the chinese structures.
In this example talking about 大力。

大力好动，乐于挑战自己，十分喜欢运动。

In the first part of the sentence there is no verb which is normal but there is no 很。Afterwords the subject is no present anymore what i understand because is allways the same subject but it was the first time i saw an adjective for describing a person without a 很。¿大力很好动 would be better? Is it right 大力好动 or 他大方。?is it because the adjective is a bisilabic word?

In the next example.
他个子高高的，小眼睛、小鼻子、小嘴巴。他的头发是黑色的，短短的。
First talks about his high, then talks about eyes, nose with adjective before subject and then a normal estructure about his hair with the verb 是 ¿why not follow with 头发短短的，黑色的。¿when do you have to put the verb and when is not necessary?

Thanks.

in 好动, 好 is the verb, which means "like". So in your first example, it has 3 parts with different verbs, but all having the same meaning "like".

in your second example, if you follow with 头发短短的、黑色的, where 黑色的 is to describe hair, so it is not in parallel with other adjectives in this sentence. So the sentence is broken into 2 to avoid this confusion.


Does 留言 mean "comment"? I recently watched a show where Chinese actors read "留言" from netizens. I wonder if 留言 can be translated as "comment" (e.g in blog comment, forum comment) or it only has the meaning "message" according to dictionary.

留言 literally mean leave messages. In your context, it could be interpreted as 留的言, the messages left by netizens. Sometimes, 留言 can be a form of comment, or vise versa.


Why does 中 come first in order when it is in the middle (i.e.: 中小、中前)? The following phrases sometimes give me pause:

中小学
中前期

The first phrase, 中小学, is a backwards(?) combination of elementary and middle school. The second phrase is seemingly another backwards(?) combination of early and mid.
中前期 can even be stylized as: 中、前期.
Chinese phrases don't usually follow this sort of order.
Is there a reason these phrases take on this sort of structure? Is it because it could be misconstrued as the middle of something if it were the other way around?

For 中小学
It is a common practice in Chinese to put bigger things in front of smaller things.

In address, 北京市朝阳区, where 朝阳 is a part of 北京-
In dates: 壬申年正月初七日 or 一九九二年二月十日
In people: 全家老小 where 老 elders are in front of 小 children. 公司上下，where 上 means the executives and 下 means workers.
And here in schools: 大中小学

But the rule is not always true when 1, the number of items is small 2, you want to emphasize some of the items. For example, 中杯，大杯，超大杯, where the 超大杯 is extraordinary.
For 中前期
I want to say, it is a rather vague phrase to me. It can mean either 中期 and 前期 or the early part of 中期, which are different. These abbreviations often appear in time or location descriptions but are not recommended. You should either say 中期和前期 or 中期的前半 to reduce the confusion.


How to state fractions with units of measurement? (e.g. 0.75 lb, 1.5 lbs, 1.75 lbs, etc.) "1 lb" is 一磅 and "half-pound" is 半磅. And "3/4" is 四分之三. So far, so good.

But I'm not clear on how to read measurements like 3/4 lb, 1.5 lbs and 1.75 lbs in Chinese. My guesses below would be:

3/4 lb = 四分之三磅
1.5 lbs = 一個半磅
1.75 lbs = 一個四分之三磅 (?) - This is the one I'm most confused about. I'm not totally sure how to string together all the elements

Also, I'm specifically using pounds as the unit of measurement here because I live in the US and I frequently need to state fractions of a pound, but I'd be curious if there are any relevant differences with other units of measurements, in particular grams and kilograms.

在中文里他们正确的读法是下面这样：

3/4 lb = 四分之三磅
1.5 lbs = 一点五磅
1.75 lbs = 一点七五磅


What’s the difference between 吃上饭 and 吃下饭? I think one means it hasn’t happened yet and the other means it’s already happened, but I don’t really understand what that means when trying to translate into English or when trying to think of it in some kind of context.

Without context, you can only break down the phrase into word types and follow the grammar rule to interpret it literally

吃(verb: eat) + 上(verb particle: successfully/ able to)+ 饭(noun: meals)

吃上饭 = successfully/ able to eat meal = able to acquire and eat food

To check this structure is universal or not, replace the noun and see if it is still grammatical

吃上龙虾 = successfully/ able to eat lobster = able to acquireand and eat lobster

~

吃(verb: eat) + 下(verb particle: down) + 饭(noun: meal/ food)

吃下饭 = eat down a meal = ingest food

To check this structure is universal or not, replace the noun and see if it is still grammatical

吃下毒药 = eat down poison  = ingest poison

Longer sentences can illustrate the functions of the phrases better
1a. 他窮得快吃不上饭了 = He is so poor that he'll soon unable to acquire and eat food (= can't afford food)
1b. 有工作才吃得上饭 = You can acquire and eat food only when you have a job
2a. 他虛弱得吃不下饭了 = He is so weak that he can't eat down food (= can't ingest food)
2b. 他的病好了許多，已經吃得下饭了 = His body has recovered a lot, already able to ingest food
Studying the example, 吃上饭, and 吃下饭 mostly work with potential particles 得 or 不 (able/ unable) --> [吃(得)上饭], [吃(不)上饭]; [吃(得)下饭], [吃(不)下饭]


English Equivalent of "修煉"? For example

  修煉體係

What would an English translation for that be? Google says "Taoism", but that doesn't sound right, although it may be very slightly correct.

I could only think of "Qi practicing" or "Spirit practicing", but would there be any better ones?

Also, would

  修真

Be the same?

KEY has two definitions for 修炼:

practice asceticism
practice self-cultivation (esp. of a Taoist)

self-cultivation has a nice ring to it.
修真 on the other hand means:

{Taoism} cultivate true virtue

修炼 has quite a wide range of meanings one of which is the same as 修真: 修行.
修真 only really has one meaning.
Although it might be interchangeable in some cases, the context is really important here.


Some words look like English, but they are Chinese The picture here shows the evaluation instruction given to English-speaking native judges of the famous annually held "FLTRP" (外研社）Cup English Speaking Cup of Chinese college students。

"PK" looks like English, but its origin is in China, something like "AA", which can be understood without any distortion by Chinese people, but makes no sense to English speakers, who only know "go dutch" or "split bills".

What is the real meaning of PK?

What is the real meaning of PK?

Yes, PK is a kind of Chinglish (Chinese English).

  日常生活中，PK的常见含义有：

  对决，对抗；
  击败，淘汰；
  泛指两件对等事物的比较，对比。

(PK's common meanings include: 1. confrontation/battle; 2. knock out; 3. comparison).

  这个词较初起源于MUD游戏中的Player Killer（PKer，指游戏中专门杀害其他玩家的人），后衍生出Player Killing（指随便杀人之意），引申为“玩家对战”。

(The word stemmed from "Player Killer" in MUD, then derived as "Player Killing", extended in meaning of battle between Players (Player VS Player).)

  还有一种说法称，PK起源于足球里的罚点球，即Penalty
  Kick的缩写，引意为一对一单挑，只有一方能赢。但这一起源的认可度不及网络游戏起源说。

(Another version is that PK stemmed from "Penalty Kick" in soccer game, extended to meaning of one-on-one challenge.)


The difference and usage of 刚才 and 刚刚 What is the difference between 刚才 and 刚刚?

For example, 我刚才起床 and 我刚刚起床? Don't the both accomplish the same thing? 刚刚 means now and 刚才 means just now, right? Or does 刚刚 just less formal than 刚才?

刚刚 is an adverb.
刚才 is a noun.

我刚刚起床 means: I just got up.

我刚才起床 is kind of nonsensical as it is as it means something like:  I a moment ago got up.

刚刚 is going to be the more likely choice when you're expressing things you did just now a moment ago.


Is there an equivalent to "awww" in English for expressing sympathy? Just now, I was talking to someone on WeChat and he mentioned how he got caught out in the rain.  I wanted to say "awww" out of sympathy as we do in English, but I don't know how to.  The closest I know is 啊 (a) = "ah" or 噢 (ō) = "oh", "oops" which don't really suit the situation.

Question: Is there an equivalent to "awww" in English for expressing sympathy?

Searching for awww in YouDao suggests 噢, such as 噢谢谢你, but I don't think this is the same as sympathy (although maybe I'm wrong).  Other searches (aww (dict.cn) aww (YouDao)) don't really help.

Usually 哎, 咳, 唉, those means "sigh", can not find more appropriate words.
or 哎呀, but it sounds affected when you read it, more natural in speaking.


Names of extended family members In 闽南话/Hokkien (and 启海话, and possibly all dialects) when we call our uncles and aunties we call them by the order of their age and whether they're on our father's or mother's sides, and the wives/husbands of those people.

As some examples, this is what it would be like in Hokkien:

Tua pei & Tua mm (father's eldest brother and his wife)
Di chek & Di chim (father's 2nd brother and his wife)
Saa chek & Saa chim (father's 3rd brother and his wife)
Bay chek & Bay chim (father's youngest brother and his wife)

Tua ku & Tua kim (mother's eldest brother and his wife)
Di ku & Di kim (mother's 2nd brother and his wife)
Saa ku & Saa kim (mother's 3rd brother and his wife)
Bay ku & Bay kim (mother's youngest brother and his wife)

Unfortunately, all I can find in Mandarin is the following:

伯父 (father's elder brother) & 大妈 (his wife)
叔父 (father's younger brother) & 婶婶 (his wife)

舅舅 (mother's brother) & 舅妈 (his wife)

Is that all the granularity required in Mandarin, or are there more specifics, just hiding where I can't find it? I want to know what the Mandarin equivalents are, or if that's all I need to say.

A list of these somewhere would be great.

Tua pei & Tua mm 大伯 & 大伯母
di chek &  di chim  二叔 & 二婶 (二叔母)
Saa chek & Saa chim 三叔 & 三婶 (三叔母)
Bay chek & Bay chim 小叔 & 小婶 (小叔母)

Tua ku & Tua kim  大舅 & 大舅母
Di ku & Di kim    二舅 & 二舅母
Saa ku & Saa kim  三舅 & 三舅母
Bay ku & Bay kim  小舅 & 小舅母

You probably can see the pattern now

In chinese, if the uncle is the brother who is elder than your father, you need to call him 伯伯(pei in hokkien), if younger than your father is called 叔叔（ chek in hokkien).

for mother's brother side, there is no such difference like this

For father's sisters(regardless elder or younger than father), we call 姑姑

eldest sister & husband 大姑 & 大姑丈
2nd sis & husband 二姑 & 二姑丈
3rd sis & husband 三姑 & 三姑丈
youngest sis & husband 小姑 & 小姑丈

For mother's sisters(regardless elder or younger than father), we call 姨姨

eldest sister & husband 大姨 & 大姨丈
2nd sis & husband 二姨 & 二姨丈
3rd sis & husband 三姨 & 三姨丈
youngest sis & husband 小姨 & 小姨丈


成语 and 俗语 emphasizing adaptation I would like to know what chinese 成语 or 俗语 can be used to emphasize the need of people or generations to adapt to the given situation or environment.
Thanks.

people or generations to adapt to the given situation or environment

靠山吃山，靠海吃海

People who live near mountains make a living in the mountains,  people who live near the sea make a living in the sea

Notice: 靠 here doesn't mean depend on. It means lean against = near; close to

因地制宜

根據環境的實際情況制定相應的辦法 - Formulate corresponding measures according to the actual situation of the environment

When a group migrated to a new place, they have to adapt to the environment and adjust their way of life. That's 因地制宜.
For personal situation:
執生

何谓执生: 简单而言，就是「随机应变」，「伺机行事」。即在事前没有准备或临时有变时，要懂得灵活异变。

To put it simply, it means "acting according to circumstances" and "waiting for opportunities." That is, when there is no preparation beforehand or when there is a temporary change, you must know how to be flexible and make necessary changes.

執 = hold = be mindful of
生 = unfamiliar (element)
執生 = caution and prepare to react
~
穷则变，变则通
Adapt when options are exhausted. The problem will be solved if you adapt


Can the famous paradox 白马非马 be translated into English? This is embarrassing, but let's face it. It is a problem caused by Chinese grammar.

A white horse is not a horse. -- false, but no paradox.
White horses are not horses. -- false, but no paradox.
White horse is not horse -- English grammar forbids this expression.

This example illustrates how language can help clear thinking.

KEY

{philosophy} "a white horse is not a horse" (paradoxical claim by the philosopher Gōngsūn Lóng 公孫龍/公孙龙, 320-250 BCE, in his "White Horse Dialogue" where he tries to establish a conclusion contrary to common sense)

"a white horse is not a horse" is quite paradoxical.
Wikipedia

When a white horse is not a horse
When A White Horse Is Not A Horse (Chinese: 白馬非馬; pinyin: Báimǎ fēi mǎ; Wade–Giles: Pai-ma fei ma; literally: "white horse not horse"), also known as the White Horse Dialogue (Chinese: 白馬論; pinyin: Báimǎ Lùn; Wade–Giles: Pai-ma Lun; literally: "white horse discourse"), is a famous paradox in Chinese philosophy. Gongsun Long wrote this circa 300 BCE dialectic analysis of the question Can it be that a white horse is not a horse?.

Wikipedia also contains the following, which is quite similar to the question that you pose about the difficulty of translation into English:

Difficulties of interpretation
The syntax, semantics, and logic of the White Horse Dialogue are ambiguous in the Classical Chinese original and thorny in English translation: for example, in Chinese, 白 (or bai, and so on) has the characteristic of a verb, in English. Thus, to translate, the term bai ma is more precisely rendered as the phrase "be white horse", or as referring to a "being white horse". In the Chinese context, color attributes are verbal rather than adjectival, whereas "horse" is nominal.
The Chinese bai ma fei ma 白馬非馬 syntactically hinges upon the negative fei 非 "not, is not; no, negative; oppose; wrong". The Classical construction "A fei B" "A非B" can ambiguously mean either "A is not a member of the class B" or "A is not identical to B".[2] Interpreting this equivocation fallacy, A.C. Graham says this "white horse" vs. "horse" paradox plays upon the ambiguity of whether "is" means:
"Is a member of the class (x)"
"Is identical to (x)"[2]
In other words, the expression "a white horse is not a horse" is ambiguous between "a white horse is not identical with a horse" (true, because "white horse" is more specific than "horse"), and "a white horse is not a member of the set of horses" (obviously false). The Advocate in the dialogue is asserting that "a white horse is not [identical with] a horse," while the Objector is interpreting the Advocate's statement as "a white horse is not [a member of the group of] horses."
An illustration of the alternative uses of "fei" may be found in the widely known "Happiness of Fish" dialogue in Zhuangzi (17, tr. Watson 1968:188-9). Huizi says "You're not a fish [子非魚] — how do you know what fish enjoy?" (denying that Zhuangzi is a member of the class of fish) and Zhuangzi replies "You're not I [子非我], so how do you know I don't know what fish enjoy?" (denying that the individuals Huizi and Zhuangzi are identical).
Beyond the inherent semantic ambiguities of Baima fei ma, the first line obscurely asks ke hu 可乎 "Can it be that …?". This dialogue could be an attempted proof that a white horse is not a horse, or a question if such a statement is possible, or both. Van Norden suggests "that the issue is not whether it is always true that 'a white horse is not a horse,' but whether it is possible for it to be true."
An alternative interpretation is offered in Feng Youlan's History of Chinese Philosophy (translated in 1952 by Derk Bodde):
Strictly speaking, names or terms are divided into those that are abstract and those that are concrete. The abstract term denotes the universal, the concrete term the particular. The particular is the denotation, and the universal the connotation, of the term. In western inflected languages there is no difficulty in distinguishing between the particular ('white' or 'horse') and the abstract ('whiteness' or 'horseness'). In Chinese, however, owing to the fact that the written characters are ideographic and pictorial and lack all inflection, there is no possible way, as far as the form of individual words is concerned, of distinguishing between abstract and concrete terms. Thus in Chinese the word designating a particular horse and that designating the universal, 'horseness,' are written and pronounced in the same way. Similarly with other terms, so that such words as 'horse' and 'white', being used to designate both the concrete particular and the abstract universal, thus hold two values.[3]
However, there are no contemporary histories of Chinese philosophy that subscribe to Fung's interpretation. Other philosophers and sinologists who have analyzed the dialogue include Hansen;[4] Graham;[5] Thompson;[6] Harbsmeier;[7] and Van Norden.1


In classical Chinese, does 從 always imply the follower is lower in rank? When 從 in Classical Chinese means "to follow", literally as in "John followed Peter to the park," does the subject (the follower) necessarily refer to someone who is lower in rank than whoever the object (the followed) refers to?
Do you know of any examples where this use of 從 does not require a subject that refers to someone lower in rank?
I'd appreciate your help.

in the book “殷周金文集成”, the entry 04030,
my best understanding of 从 in the 5th column:
engaged in (从) the commanding (司) [of] the royal court (王家), outside and inside (外內)
the structure of “从司” is similar to “從事”, or “從政”; that “从” means “engaged in, enter, become”. it does not have the meaning of “follow” here.

edited. if 從 (u+5f9e) is allowed, in lieu of 从 (u+4ece); then, in the book of rites (禮記), the chapter 曾子問 has the text:

孔子曰・大宰・大宗・從大祝而告於禰

in the same book, the chapter 曲禮下:

天子建天官・先六大・曰大宰・大宗・大史・大祝・大士・大卜・典司六典

roughly, it means:

Confucius said, 'The Grand minister and the Grand master of the ancestral temple will follow the Grand officer of prayer, and announce the fact before the spirit tablet (of the deceased ruler)

that, the grand minister (大宰), the grand master of the ancestral temple (大宗) were the no 1 & no 2 in 周 dynasty
the grand  officer of prayer (大祝) is the no 4
so, under specified circumstance, the no1 & no2 official would follow (從) a lower ranking official (the no4) to a particular place.
https://ctext.org/dictionary.pl?if=gb&id=59684
https://ctext.org/dictionary.pl?if=gb&id=9558

edited again.

Are there any cases where the object of 從 did not display such superiority or any superiority altogether?

well, in the book 莊子, chapter 德充符:

魯有兀者王駘，從之遊者，與仲尼相若

roughly, it means:

In Lu there was a Wang Tai who had lost both his feet; while his disciples who followed and went about with him, were as numerous as those of confucius.

that, in ancient time, disabled persons were treated as inferior. in this case, mr 王’s disciples were numerous, that, we ought to assume that most, if not all of them are able-bodied.
so, the “從” in here does not infer superiority.
https://ctext.org/dictionary.pl?if=gb&id=2748
another case is in the same book, chapter 達生:

孔子觀於呂梁，縣水三十仞，流沫四十里，黿鼉魚龞之所不能游也。見一丈夫游之，以為有苦而欲死也，使弟子並流而拯之。數百步而出，被髮行歌而游於塘下。孔子從而問焉

roughly, it means:

Confucius was looking at the cataract near the gorge of Lu, which fell a height of 240 cubits, and the spray of which floated a distance of forty li (producing a turbulence) in which no tortoise, gavial, fish, or turtle could play. He saw, however, an old man swimming about in it, as if he had sustained some great calamity, and wished to end his life. Confucius made his disciples hasten along the stream to rescue the man; and by the time they had gone several hundred paces, he was walking along singing, with his hair dishevelled, and enjoying himself at the foot of the embankment. Confucius followed and asked him

i think this example is clear, that the “從” doesn’t not display any superiority.
have fun :)
https://ctext.org/dictionary.pl?if=gb&id=2847#s10042177


How to solve the final round of 2020 China National Linguistics Olympiad? Came across this tweet today:

Puzzles of the final round of 2020 China National Linguistics Olympiad. It’s Tangut! (The question is: please match the Tangut words on the left with the meanings on the right.)

Any ideas how to solve this?

(This is a work in progress)

This question is a test of the ability to apply linguistics and Chinese character principles to solve the matching puzzle. I will assume the following, in order of most to least certain:

Four-character phrase patterns are religiously adhered to, due to a desire to keep textual rhythm;
The principles of Tangut character structure is roughly the same as Chinese character structure (mainly semantic and phonetic components);
"Simple concepts" are represented by "Basic characters". This is the character/writing system equivalent of the idea of a Swadesh List.

Now, I'll present how I would solve the puzzle.

(7) and (12)
As four-character rhythms are the most important factor, I'll start off by matching the four-character correspondences between Tangut and Chinese.

Each one of these corresponds to one of

其徐如林
不動如山

The matching character in the Tangut fragment is the second character, which therefore corresponds to 「如」. If the second Tangut character corresponds to 「如」 while Chinese 「如」 is the third character, this implies that the Tangut's equivalent of 「如」 works in the opposite direction to the Chinese 「如」.

As an analogy, Chinese 「的」 or 「之」 works in the opposite direction of English of.

There is a reduplicated character in (7), while there is no such reduplication in either of the Chinese equivalents. This means that the Tangut reduplication corresponds to the use of a filler character in the Chinese to keep the four-character rhythm, and the only filler character in use in the Chinese phrases is 「其」. (7) therefore corresponds to 「其徐如林」, with the reduplication meaning something like 「徐」 - consider the Tangut reduplication to be something like 「慢慢」.
Thus,

 - (7) means 其徐如林
 - (12) means 不動如山

and

 - The first character in (7) has a semantic field of (many) plants, trees;
 - The first character in (12) has a semantic field of mountain.

(22)

If the first character in (12) has a semantic field of mountain and the only other phrase containing a character with a semantic field of mountain is 「峰」 (mountain peak) in 「峰雲」, then

 (22) matches to 「峰雲」.

and

 The second character in (22) is the Tangut equivalent of 「雲」.

Determination of the Tangut equivalent of 「氵」 (semantic component meaning water)

This is the character for cloud, and we can see that the left hand side component occurs in the following phrases:

「雲」 roughly has the following semantic fields:

Sky, weather, sun
Water

The Chinese phrases which may correspond to sky, weather, sun are:

白露
(maybe) 龍神
峰雲

The Chinese phrases which may correspond to water are:

唾液
魚
白露
峰雲
泥土
水門

so we can deduce that

 probably means water rather than sky, sun, weather.


询问奸雄所见略同的由来 and how does it relate to chinese The quote"我很想询问奸雄所见略同的由来" seems very interesting to me. And in Google Translate, it translates to "I would like to ask the king's men great minds think alike the origin of." It doesn't seem to make sense. What is the piece of important Chinese history this derives from?

Based on the web search, It was first appeared in "<三国志·蜀书·庞统传> with annotations by 裴松之", it first appeared as "天下智谋之士所见略同耳". and then it was used as 英雄所见略同 in some later books. 英雄(Heroes, Great Leaders...) instead of 智谋之士( aka 谋士, counsellors to emperors).  Literally, It can be interpreted as: Heroes ( to kings/emperors) share same points of views and strategies, or Heroes' points of views are a bit similar. The difference is from the interpretation of the char 略, e.g 略 as in 战略 (strategy), or 略 as in 略有所闻 (a bit).

the widely used translation for this idiom is "Great minds think alike", it doesn't matter which interpretation you used.


When will one be able to How do you say "When will I be able to go to China?"

After trying to figure out and failed, I tried to translate the sentence from Korean to Chinese and came up with this :
"什么时候能去中国?"

Now, the questions are:

Is that correct?
Why is there no question marker (such as 吗) in the translation? I wonder when I should use 吗...
When are we allowed to omit question marks?
And why is it using 能? Shouldn't it be using 会? Since 会 is more related to future possibility.

First, it is correct, yet not precise, it is supposed to be

  我什么时候能去中国？

Second and third, there is no question marker because "什么" already implied that this is a question, you would use "吗" when it is not obvious if the sentence is a question

  我能去中国吗？

Last, "能" corresponds to "able" in original expression. You use "会" for possibility, like

  他什么时候会去中国？

This means "when will he go to China?".


Best way to translate 见闻 in a sentence In the song 记得忘记 (jìde wàngjì, memories and forgetfulness / remembering and forgetting), there is the following sentence:

  你赠我太多见闻    拿不走的热吻 | Nǐ zèng wǒ tài duō jiànwén    ná bù zǒu de rèwěn

I would instinctively interpret 见闻 (jiànwén) as an adjective going with 拿不走 (ná bù zǒu) to refer to 热吻 (rèwěn). However, I cannot find any adjective sense of 见闻 (jiànwén) on the Wiktionary nor on Google, and since the lyrics are usually given with a linebreak after 见闻 (jiànwén), it might be that 见闻 (jiànwén) is actually another noun going with 热吻 (rèwěn) to be the object of 赠 (zèng). So:

Translation 1: "You gave me too many  warm kisses I couldn't take away;
Translation 2: "You gave me too many experiences [and] warm kisses I couldn't take away.

Which one is the best (or possibly the only correct one)? And if the best is option 1, what  should I use?

见闻 is a noun word in the context, meaning "what one sees and hears; knowledge and information". Interpreting as "experiences" in this context is ok I think.

Your statement is correct:

  "since the lyrics are usually given with a linebreak after 见闻
  (jiànwén), it might be that 见闻 (jiànwén) is actually another noun
  going with 热吻 (rèwěn) to be the object of 赠 (zèng). "

Small tweaks on your translation 2: "You gave me too many experiences [and] warm kisses that couldn't be taken away."


In which Chinese topolect might 門 be transcribed as ? There's a Cantonese restaurant in Mountain View, CA called Fu Lam Mum -- the characters are clearly 富臨門.

But 門 has always had a -n final, in any topolect I know of, and back to MC and OC according to Baxter's reconstruction. Therefore this must be a sound change (assimilation at a distance) in a daughter language.

In what topolect, if any, does 門 have an -m final? Being a Cantonese restaurant in the US, I'd suspect Taishan, but that's just a guess.

I'd say it is a local Hongkong final consonant drift n->m, as 10300 Googool results for 屯门 (Tuenmun / Tuenmum) would indicate:

http://church.oursweb.net/church.php?pkey=816478 (Tuen Mum alliance church)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CektDpGGXWQ (Light rail at Tuen Mum ferry pier)

https://zh-tw.facebook.com/ourinteriorsltd/photos/a.122323427797946.13546.122300641133558/122323507797938/ (Marina Garden, Tuen Mum)

http://johnblog.phychembio.com/?tag=tuen-mum屯門 (Tuen Mum(屯門) | John Chan Photography)

http://hkims.org/activities_Calendar.html (屯門共修 7 - 9pm Tuen Mum Group Sitting)

Sorry to say I do not speak Cantonese, but such drifts in consonants/wovels are not unheard of. Across East Asia, there is a certain mux between l/r, and Beijing vernacular has a spectacular w->v drift that is similar.


Earth is a good place? 水善利萬物而不爭
處衆人之所惡
故幾於道。
居善地

Hello, it's from the eighth chapter of Dao De Jing.
I have translated it to:

the highest good is like water
the good virtue of water serves all, but without fighting
it takes place (所) that all people hate
**the best place (residence) - the earth (the lowest place)**

Can you correct me?

Zbigniew

Your text is missing some punctuation.

上善若水。水善利万物而不争，处众人之所恶，故几于道。居，善地；心，善渊；与，善仁；言，善信；政，善治；事，善能；动，善时。夫唯不争，故无尤。

Translation of the explanation:

   The highest virtue is like water. Water benefits all while not competing, situating itself where others loath to go (low, wet areas), thus it is close to the ideal. One's home should be wisely located; one's emotions and thoughts should be calm and deep; toward others one should be kind and faithful; speech should be trustworthy; one should be diligent in performing the duties of a political office; when undertaking tasks one should make full use of assets and abilities; one should know how to seize an opportunity and take action. Only by not competing with others, can one avoid grudges.

Source: http://www.daodejing.org/8.html

  第八章  [原文]

  上善若水①。水善利万物而不争，处众人之所恶②，故几于道③。居，善地；心，善渊④；与，善仁⑤；言，善信；政，善治⑥；事，善能；动，善时⑦。夫唯不争，故无尤⑧。

  [译文]

  最善的人好像水一样。水善于滋润万物而不与万物相争，停留在众人都不喜欢的地方，所以最接近于“道”。最善的人，居处最善于选择地方，心胸善于保持沉静而深不可测，待人善于真诚、友爱和无私，说话善于格守信用，为政善于精简处理，能把国家治理好，处事能够善于发挥所长，行动善于把握时机。最善的人所作所为正因为有不争的美德，所以没有过失，也就没有怨咎。

  [注释]

  ①上善若水：上，最的意思。上善即最善。这里老子以水的形象来说明"圣人"是道的体现者，因为圣人的言行有类于水，而水德是近于道的。

  ②处众人之所恶：即居处于众人所不愿去的地方。

  ③几于道：几，接近。即接近于道。

  ④渊：沉静、深沉。

  ⑤与，善仁：与，指与别人相交相接。善仁，指有修养之人。

  ⑥政，善治：为政善于治理国家，从而取得治绩。

  ⑦动，善时：行为动作善于把握有利的时机。

  ⑧尤：怨咎、过失、罪过。

  [引语]

  在上一章以天地之道推及人道之后，这一章又以自然界的水来喻人、教人。老子首先用水性来比喻有高尚品德者的人格，认为他们的品格像水那样，一是柔，二是停留在卑下的地方，三是滋润万物而不与争。最完善的人格也应该具有这种心态与行为，不但做有利于众人的事情而不与争，而且还愿意去众人不愿去的卑下的地方，愿意做别人不愿做的事情。他可以忍辱负重，任劳任怨，能尽其所能地贡献自己的力量去帮助别人，而不会与别人争功争名争利，这就是老子“善利万物而不争”的著名思想。

  [评析]

  老子在自然界万事万物中最赞美水，认为水德是近于道的。而理想中的"圣人"是道的体现者，因为他的言行有类于水。为什么说水德近于道呢？王夫之解释说："五行之体，水为最微。善居道者，为其微，不为其著；处众之后，而常德众之先。"以不争争，以无私私，这就是水的最显著特性。水滋润万物而无取于万物，而且甘心停留在最低洼、最潮湿的地方。在此后的七个并列排比句中，都具有关水德的写状，同时也是介绍善之人所应具备的品格。老子并列举出七个"善"字，都是受到水的启发。最后的结论是：为人处世的要旨，即为"不争"。也就是说，宁处别人之所恶也不去与人争利，所以别人也没有什么怨尤。

  《荀子·宥坐》记载了孔子答第子子贡问水的一段对话："孔子观于东流之水。子贡问于孔子曰：君子之所以见大水必观焉者，是何？孔子曰：夫水，偏与诸生而无为也，似德。其流也埤下，裾拘必循其理，似义。其洮洮乎不屈尽，似道。若有决行之，其应佚若声响，其赴而仞之谷不惧，似勇。主量必平，似法，盈不求概，似正。淖约微达，似察。以出以入，以就鲜洁，似善化。其万折也必东，似志。是故君子见大水必观焉。"在此处，孔子以水描述了他理想中的具备崇高人格的君子形象，这里涉及到德、义、道、勇、法、正、察、志以及善化等道德范畴。这其中的观点与道家有显而易见的区别，但也有某些相似之处。可以此段引文与《道德经》第八章参照阅读。


What does 帮忙 really mean? 妻子要丈夫帮她洗碗，丈夫不好意思拒绝，就把儿子叫到面前说：“孩子，现在让你练习洗碗，以后可以帮太太的忙。“ 儿子不以为然的说：“不必，以后我可以叫我儿子洗。“ 哈哈！

I found the expression '帮太太的忙‘ unusual. I presume it means here either a)  'help your wife when she is busy' or just b) 'help your wife'.

Do 帮 and 忙 work together here or are they 2 separate words?

帮忙： help， lend a hand

Does 帮忙 really mean: 'help (someone) when (they are) busy'??

Your correct, 帮忙 just means to help (someone). It can also be split apart two word, 幫 as help and 忙 as busy.

The way the sentence is composed is in a more creative way, that uses the meaning of the characters creatively, both combined and uncombined. However, it's a common technique that shouldn't be over thought.

你可以幫一個忙嗎? vs 你可以幫忙嗎? are just two different ways of asking if you can help.


这个型体脚板是射出不喷漆的，脚板模具就是砂面的 Help with Translation 这个型体脚板是射出不喷漆的，脚板模具就是砂面的

My doubt here are two phrases:

"The temples of this model

  do not reflect the spray paint

, the molds of the temples

  have the sand surface

Would be grateful if you could correct me whether I am right or wrong here.

More context would clarify this, but they are probably talking about about die casting, 压铸，模铸

这个型体脚板是射出不喷漆的，
This type of foot plate is not spray painted,
脚板模具就是砂面的
(because) the base (of the) mold is a sand surface.


Help me rephrase: 相比看到子女长大成家，没有其他可以更让他们感觉放心的了 Reading the sentence below out loud felt extremely awkward, however I can't figure which part is improperly constructed to begin fixing the sentence.

  相比看到子女长大成家，没有其他可以更让他们感觉放心的了。

I want to express the following idea (in English):

  To [Chinese parents], there's no any other thing that's more settling than to see their children grow up and form families.

consider: 沒有比兒女長大成家，更讓父母安心。

have fun :)


Is 弄 + complement of result only used for actions with a negative outcome? MDBG translates 弄 as "to do / to manage / to handle / to play with / to fool with / to mess with / to fix / to toy with". When I look at example sentences with 弄 and a complement of result, I find only descriptions of actions that are somehow negative:

  他把我的电脑弄坏了。 (Yale University Center for Language Study)
  小狗把房间弄得很乱。
  请不要把顺序弄乱了。
  我不小心把衣服弄脏了。(Last three examples from Mandarin Chinese School: New HSK Level 4 Vocabulary (Chinese-English))

Can 弄 only have a negative complement? Or is this just the most common usage? (If positive outcomes after 弄 are possible, please provide an example.)
Note that I am interested in 普通话 rather than local dialects.

No，it can be followed by positive outcomes.
In your examples, they are followed by adjectives such as 乱、坏、脏, which are correct.
However, you can also say

我的电脑坏了，是李明帮我弄好的。My computer was broken, Ming Li fixed it for me.
你能帮我弄一下吗？Can you help me to do/fix this?
他把这个弄得很漂亮、很整齐。He made it very pretty and tidy.

In conclusion, 弄 can be followed by both positive or negative outcomes.


Is 下个星期三 (xiàge xīngqīsān) = "next Wednesday" ambiguous like in English? In English, we tend to avoid saying "next Wednesday", etc., because it's ambiguous.  It humorously arises in a Seinfeld quote:

Sid: No, next Wednesday, [the] week after this Wednesday.
Jerry: But the Wednesday two days from now is the next Wednesday.
Sid: If I meant this Wednesday, I would have said this Wednesday. It's the
week after this Wednesday.

Question: Is 下个星期三 ambiguous like in English?
Basically, I wonder if 下个星期三 might be unclear about whether it refers to "the Wednesday two days from now" or "the week after this Wednesday".
In English, we instead say "Wednesday" or "this Wednesday" which both mean the subsequent Wednesday, or even "Wednesday week" which means the week after this Wednesday.

下个星期三 would only refer to Wednesday, next week. There is no way you would use 下个星期三 to refer to Wednesday this week, like the one that is coming two days from now, that would just be 星期三.

There's a question on Baidu Zhidao that, kind of(?), asks this.

  下个星期三要多少天?

with answers like:

  8天

and

  七天

Perhaps Larry David would be disappointed though.


Why didn't they write 取了 here? 柳云龙 is being interviewed. The interviewer asked:

柳（云龙）先生，谁给你取的这个名字？
Mr Liu (Clouddragon or Speakingdragon, not sure??), who chose this name for you?

She used 的. Why not write 了？

柳（云龙）先生，谁给你取了这个名字？

I think I can rearrange thus:

柳（云龙）先生，这个名字是谁给你取的(名字）？ Is that where 的 comes from?

PS: I know a guy called 许成龙， I always ask him when he will finally become a dragon. He's not sure.

谁给你取的这个名字？ conveys where you got the name or who give you that name.

谁给你取了这个名字？ sounds like who have given you such a name, implying who have done that naming because that name might sound unusual, weird/ridiculous/etc.


敢于 vs 勇于 difference in usage may I ask if 敢于 and 勇于 are interchangeable words? In English, both of them mean dare to, have the courage to do something. I looked up some sentences involving both words and it seems to be used in a number of similar situations. The only difference that I seem to notice based on the sentences I read is that 敢于 carries the meaning of dare to fight for something or do something while 勇于 carries the meaning of having the courage to face difficult times. Not sure if it's correct. For eg, is it 敢于承认错误 or 勇于承认错误.

敢于：there is no fear.
勇于:I have the subjective and do not afraid of failure.


Is "ne" used as a pronunciation for any character except 呢? I am wondering about the Pinyin syllable ne (specifically, nè), because it is the ending of the name of a friend of mine. We are searching for a Chinese character that accurately represents this sound -- 那 is too strong because it sounds like na and I am not sure if 呢 is really appropriate for a name.

Are there any characters appropriate for a name that have this sound ne or nè?

I think you could reference the name Zinedine，Zidane, which has been translated as 齐内迪纳, 齐达内.

So, you can use either 内 or 纳 to transliterate ne.


How to say "craving for something"? (Food Related) I remember there is something that translates closely to "mouth itches", you say it when you want to express a craving for a certain food.

嘴馋 should be the one. 馋 in this case means piggish or greedy for food, particularly in a situation that one is not really hungry, but just wants something to be in the mouth for chewing.


What does 战斗机 in this line mean? 他的花心只是为了成为备胎中的战斗机.

It has something to do with a guy being a spare tire, but what about "fighter jet?"

"fighter jet" is something originally from an ad that was popular many years ago:

波导手机，手机中的战斗机

The ad aims to emphasize the extent to which their cell phones are more superior than others (fighter jets are much faster than normal jets). It had repeated many times for a long period, so many people got to know it very well. Since then, "fighter jet" is also used in other cases, such as the case you mentioned "备胎中的战斗机". Here it means "the best spare-tire among all the spare-tires".


Saying “instead of” in cantonese I want to ask how to say “instead of” in cantonese in the following context?

“Can you pay me in Canadian dollar instead of Hong kong dollar?” (Or the general form of X instead of Y)

One way might be to use “不如”, but i feel this is too strong. What is a more acceptable way to say “instead”?

Instead of =  代替; 而不是

[use(A) instead of (B)] = [use (A) 代替/ substitute (B)]
or
[use(A) instead of (B)] = [use (A) 而不是/ but not (B)]
Example:
Use carrot instead of stick = 用利誘代替威逼; 用利誘而不是(用)威逼
Use John instead of Peter = 用約翰代替彼得; 用約翰而不是(用)彼得
kill John instead of Peter = 殺約翰而不是(殺)彼得

Cantonese:
用利誘而唔係(用)威逼
殺約翰而唔係(殺)彼得

~

"pay me in Canadian dollar instead of Hong kong dollar" in Cantonese
用加幣代替(用)港元付款(俾我); 用加幣而唔係(用)港元付款(俾我)
words in () are optional

You are correct, '不如' means 'better off'. It is different from "instead of". "用利誘(不如)用威逼" means "(better off) use stick than use carrot"


Is the sentence 他原来什么都不知道 grammatically correct? "他原来什么都不知道"

Shouldn't it be 他原来什么都没(有)知道 to show that we're talking about the past tense here?

Strictly speaking, the adverb 没 does not negate events that happened in the past, rather it is used to express negative completed actions. When we say completed we mean that the action indicated by the predicate it's finished, it doesn't necessarily mean that is a past tense. 没 is the negative counterpart of 了 (when it is the aspectual particle).

Both 了 and 没 should only be used if the predicate in your sentence expresses a true action, in other words, if the verb does something to an object, acts directly upon it or changes it in some way. The predicate 知道 (to know) doesn't indicate an action, because the object of your knowledge doesn't undergo or suffer any change at all. In these situations should use 不 instead.

Of course, if you use 不 you should express the time through some adverb, if you want to keep the notion of past tense in your sentence. The word 原来 can be used as an adverb (originally) or as an adjective (original, initial) and it describes an original condition. If the meaning you had in mind was "At first he didn't know anything", then your translation (他原来什么都不知道) is perfectly fine. However if you wanted to say "He didn't know anything before." (which is a little bit different from the previous one), you should consider using the adverb 以前. So, the sentence

  他以前什么都不知道。

is correct too. It certainly indicates a past tense and you don't put 没 because of the nature of the predicate. But, again, it depends on the interpretations.


Why is 肯德基 (Kěndéjī) = Kentucky Fried Chicken not called 肯德鸡 (Kěndéjī) when it's pronounced the same and 鸡 means "chicken"? Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) in Chinese is 肯德基 (Kěndéjī), which seems to be an approximate transliteration of "KFC".

It surprises me that they opted for 基 (jī) instead of 鸡 (jī), which is pronounced the same but means "chicken" and is therefore pertinent to what KFC does.

I asked my Chinese friend, and he said 肯德鸡 is not a good choice, saying something like 鸡 is "low" in status.  I'm not quite sure what he meant.

Question: Why is 肯德基 not called 肯德鸡?

Update: To my surprise, I actually found a local 肯德鸡 street vendor:

  肯德鸡风味炸鸡
  Kěndéjī fēngwèi zhàjī
  Kendeji special-flavor fried chicken

The full Chinese name of KFC is 肯德基炸鸡, but it was shorten to 肯德基 currently. The word Kentucky, was translated into 肯德基 in Chinese intentionally, in order to distinguish with Kentucky State, while 肯德基 and 肯塔基 are same word in English actually. I think it is because that KFC is a influential foreign brand in early period, Chinese may know what it is now when seeing or hearing about 肯德基, so the word 炸鸡 isn't necessary at all. If it was named 肯德鸡, for most people, it would be considered as a low quality translation, and the brand may be regarded as an imitated brand from China, rather than a foreign brand.


What book is this passage from? I found this passage on 北京大学's website but I can't even go back to the page of contents. I want to know the name of the book。it's the 阅读 section of the site.

https://www.purpleculture.net/chinese-course-learn-mandarin-grade-1-set-3-vol-2-p-20401/
对外汉语本科系列教材
一年級教材
汉语教程
第三冊
下
Chinese Course - Learn Mandarin Grade 1 Set 3 Vol 2)

第九十一课 Lesson 91
一、课文: 妻子的秘密


What is the difference between 这个 and 此? I wonder there is any difference between two words to express this, 这个 and 此. What difference, if any, is there?

这 is more colloquial, usually followed by a classifier

此 is more literary, it does not need classifier, and more often followed by a single character word

See Examples:
此人= 這個人
此事= 這件事
此地= 這個地方
此物= 這件東西
此時= 這個時候
此刻= 這個時刻
此心= 這顆心
此案= 這宗案
The classifier after 這 can often be omitted. For example: 這個地方--> 這地方; 這件東西-->這東西.
Since classifiers work with counting words,  we can write 這一個地方; 這三件東西.
But we don't usually use counting word with 此
'此一地方' , '此三東西. just sound unnatural.


漏拆 - Meaning & usage? I tried several sources & can't find a translation that seems correct.

An example sentence & my attempt at translation:

嘴里漏拆了一根线怎么办？

mouth inside left behind remove a strip of thread what to do?

"There's a thread (of stitches?) left behind (not removed) in my mouth, what should I do?"

漏 means "missed" or "left behind"
拆 means "to dismantle" or "take down"

So 漏 is modifying the verb 拆 to make it mean "not dismantled or taken down", sort of.

Is my understanding correct? Can 漏 modify other verbs in this way?

Thanks in advance for any teaching!

First of all, "There's stitches left behind (not removed) in my mouth, what should I do?" is a good translation.

Yes,漏 can modify other verbs. It means someone forgot to do something or some action has been missed.

Example:

A:"How you feel about the question 31 in the exam?"

B:"OMG, I didn't notice there was a question 31!"

A:"刚才考试第31题做的如何？"

B:"天啊！ 我漏做了!"


In 泰坦尼克号, why is it a 号 at the end? In 泰坦尼克号, why is it a 号 at the end? What does it mean? What does it add to the meaning? I saw it without the 号 also.

From What does "青年文明号" mean?
号 is a common designation word for naming man-made vehicles like ships, planes and trains.
For example:
Ronald Reagan = 罗纳德·里根
USS Ronald Reagan = 罗纳德·里根号 (super-carrier named after Ronald Reagan)

泰坦尼克号 (鐵達尼號 in Cantonese) is so famous, even if you omit '号' at the end, people would still understand you are referring to the ship that sunk in 1912.
You are correct, just 泰坦尼克 (鐵達尼) would be enough for a movies title, that's why you saw it without 号.
However, if a movies is about '里根, the super-carrier', it is better to refer it as 里根号 to avoid confusion. (people would think the story is about 'the person, President Ronald Reagan' without the 号 at the end.)


How to ask about career intentions/aspirations I found this helpful post on the site outlining how to ask a child what they want to do/be when they grow up.
Examples:

長大後你想做什麼?
你長大後想當什麼?
你长到以后想干什么啊?

Are these questions equally appropriate for young adults, say 16-25 year olds? In English, it's sort of odd (but not unheard of) to include "when you grow up" since these individuals are already pretty much 'grown up'. Instead, you might say "What do you want to do as a career, what are your future goals/aspirations, what are you planning to do beyond high school/college, what are you studying to become etc"
If this is similarly done in Mandarin, then what are some appropriate ways to inquire about career intentions when speaking to this age cohort?

Use 你長大後 (when you grow up) only when you are asking a child or teenager.
You can use 你将来 (in the future) to ask people of all ages.
"想做什麼?"(want to do/be what) , "想當什麼?" (want to be what) and "想干什么" (want to do/be what) can all refer to "what career do you want to have?"
In different context 你将来想做什麼 and 你将来想干什么 can both refer to "what do you want to do in the future" e.g. "I want to study martial art in the future"


Why are people writing 打井 (dǎjǐng) = "to dig a well" on this construction site wall? Near campus, there are construction sites for apartments, and one of them has this writing on it:

Repeatedly written is 打井 (dǎjǐng) = "to dig a well", along with a phone number.  It's possible that these are all advertising some kind of well-digging service, but it seems an unexpected place to choose to advertise, especially when there's more than one of them.  It makes me think there's more to this story.

Question: Why are people writing 打井 (dǎjǐng) = "to dig a well" on this construction site wall?

The other words seem to be:

降水井 (jiàngshuǐ jǐng) = precipitation well
收废品 (shōu fèipǐn) = waste collection

I myself as a Chinese can tell you that they are all advertisements for well digging, as those places are near the countryside where some villagers might need well for water, therefore those people with the equipment seek those opportunities by these advertisements. The number follows are phone numbers.


Is there an "official" translation of Malcom X's You can't hate the roots of a tree and not hate the tree"? Malcom X once said:

  You can't hate the roots of a tree and not hate the tree. You can't hate Africa and not hate yourself.

It is a fairly well known quote.

Are there any “official” translations of this quote? (Not Google translate, etc.)

Such sayings have their culture background and only Malcom X himself could tell whether a translation is right or not.

"背祖忘宗" or "數典忘祖" may carry a similar meaning but does not have the same context.  Not to say creative translations like "惱根怎可不惱樹, 厭鄉也該厭自己".


What is the difference between 魂 and 魄? Maybe this is a religious technical question and therefore a bit tricky. In English, soul and spirit are used more or less interchangeably, although their origins are dissimilar.

spirit: mid-13c., "animating or vital principle in man and animals," from Anglo-French spirit, Old French espirit "spirit, soul" (12c., Modern French esprit) and directly from Latin spiritus "a breathing (respiration, and of the wind), breath; breath of a god,"

soul:"A substantial entity believed to be that in each person which lives, feels, thinks and wills" [Century Dictionary], Old English sawol "spiritual and emotional part of a person,

In Chinese, is there a difference between 魂 and 魄？

魂: soul, spirit (We have 3)
 魄: soul, spirit (we have 7)

道家谓人有三魂

三魂：1.道家谓人有三魂：一曰胎光，二曰爽灵，三曰幽精，见《云笈七签》卷五十四。

道家谓人有七魄：

七魄：1.道家谓人有七魄，各有名目。第一魄名尸狗，第二魄名伏矢，第三魄名雀阴，第四魄名吞贼，第五魄名非毒，第六魄名除秽，第七魄名臭肺，见《云笈七签》卷五四。

Just got this phrase from reading 西游记：道士吓得三魂丢了七魄 which I would simply translate as 'very frightened, scared witless, frightened out of his mind'

This question is more advanced.

--

In short,

魂 is more related to the 陽 Yang side (the male, the bright, the sun side) of the spirit or soul.

魄 is more related to the 陰 Yin side (the female, the dark, the moon side) of the spirit or soul.

--

You may find the following texts valuable.

1) 道教原始的生命观认为，魂和魄一个属阴，一个属阳，一个主静，一个主动。阳魂就是思想，主动，是注意力，是对身体接触到外世界之后的第一反映，阴魄就是不变化的本源，主静，是对思想的承载，是一切万有的实质和内含。宇宙天地万物的总依赖。所以魂和魄之中，阴魄是体，阳魂为用。-- from www.zhihu.com/

2) 在中國哲學之中，魂魄陰陽對反，魂為陽性精氣，魄為陰性精氣

3) "Within this ancient soul dualism tradition, every living human has both a hun spiritual, ethereal, yang soul which leaves the body after death, and also a po corporeal, substantive, yin soul which remains with the corpse of the deceased. Some controversy exists over the number of souls in a person; for instance, one of the traditions within Daoism proposes a soul structure of sanhunqipo 三魂七魄; that is, "three hun and seven po". The historian Yü Ying-shih describes hun and po as "two pivotal concepts that have been, and remain today, the key to understanding Chinese views of the human soul and the afterlife.""

4) If you know the Naruto story, the author also used the similar idea of 陰 Yin side and 陽 Yang side of souls as the two dual souls of the Nine Tail beast. See also the Yin-Yang release and more.


How can I pronounce 绿 (lü4 - green)? My wife gave up trying to correct me on how to pronounce green.

I find it very hard to get a distinct sound from the word for 绿 (lü4 - green), Lu, and, Liu (as in Liu Bei). Obviously, Lu is exactly how it reads in English, but the other two are hard to get right with the tongue.

How can I pronounce this sound?

The sound represented by the ü sound in Chinese is the same as the German ü; this sound is a close front rounded vowel, the IPA is [y]; you can hear a sample in the link.

As you see in the table below in that wikipedia article, which lists the languages that possess this sound, we see both Mandarin (which uses green as the example) and German. So the sound is the same.

The best way to teach this is:

Pronounce an "ee" sound, in English, like for "feel".
Keep pronouncing the sound, but start rounding your lips as if you had to pronounce a "oo" sound, which is [u], a close back rounded vowel.
The final sound you should get is the one of a close front rounded vowel, also written as [y].

Basically, you have the same lips position for U and Ü, but a different tongue position, the one for the [i] sound.

Look at the image below. The tongue position is different in [i] (upper-left) and [u] (upper-right).

 (Source)


Another couple of doozies: 許臣時一中之... and 敢不勉增淸烈。益播芳芬。 Ok folks, I have another asshole section from the text I am working on, Suseongji (Chouchengzhi), by a 16th century Joseon literatus...

This time, this passage is driving me nuts:

攻愁有方。許臣時一中之。不疑於用。謂臣招衆口。爾獨斷於心。遂令薄才。得容海量。敢不勉增淸烈。益播芳芬。杯酒釋兵權。

The only bit that is really clear to me is 杯酒釋兵權。but the general context is that a General Malt (e.g. alcohol) is addressing the 天君 (e.g. the mind) so maybe there are some jokes I don't understand...?

'There is a method for attacking/defeating/overcoming sorrows. Permit me to pick a time and at once go inside of it [the Citadel of Sorrows] (許臣時一中之), and “do not doubt those you use” (不疑於用). This is to say that though I have been much-criticised (謂臣招衆口), you alone made the judgement [about me] in your mind. It follows that when you order someone of inferior talent to contain the ocean (i.e. do as much as they can), they are so daring/presumptuous that they do not strive...增淸烈。益播芳芬。'

If anyone can help with this I will be so so grateful.

海量 is a pun; a man with the ability to accept others' opinions, and someone who can hold as much liquor as you can pour into him.
淸烈 also, 'purity of heart' and 'strong white (distilled?) liquor'
芳芬 also, 'fragrance = a great reputation' and fragrance = 'well fermented booze'


Are radicals like first letters or letters in general? In english words consist of letters. Of course we look up words in dictionary based on the first letter.

What about the chinese? We look it by radicals. Are radicals just the first letter or can we say that chinese characters composed of characters and those characters are composed of radicals all the way?

If radicals are like the first letter, how do we find out the radicals in a word if there are several radicals in the word.

For example, let's look at the word ni that means you 你. It consist of character ren ru and xiao.

How do I know that I should look that up by ren and not by ru or xiao? Here, the radical ren is on the left. Is it always the case?

Radicals like index/directory, but not first letter (in most cases).

I suggest you go to a library or book shop to borrow / buy a Chinese dictionary (paper format). Or, visit here to experience the online dictionary. The experience will be more direct than the text explanation.

In the other answer, I mentioned that the dictionaries in China are arranged by Pinyin.

  A a 阿 an 安 ang 昂 ao 奥 …
  B ba 八 爸 bi …
  …
  Z za 匝 …

So if you know the pinyin of 你 is nǐ, you can directly turn to N, just like what you do in English dictionaries. So the “first letter” of 你 is N (“你”字的音序是 N). Sometimes, if you need to arrange list of people's names, arranging in Pinyin of surname (以姓氏音序排序) is common. B 白冰; C 陈丽华; L 李琦; O 欧阳爽; W 王勇; Z 张志远. (The other common methods is arranging in the stroke number of surname 以姓氏笔画数排序: 2 丁利; 4 王勇; 5 白冰; 7 陈丽华)

If you don't know the pinyin of the characters, you then have to guess the radical, just like you need to guess the quotient of 52 ÷ 7; maybe it is 8, 8 × 7 = 56, it is larger than 52; let's try 7, 7 × 7 = 49, 52 - 49 = 3; therefore 52 ÷ 7 = 7 R 3.

Native speakers know some commonly used radicals in elementary school. For character 你, native speakers apparently knew that 亻 is a radical, but 尔 is not a radical. How do they learn to guess radicals faster? Their elementary school teacher will give them some skills / tips. But, if there are two radicals, the dictionary is usually included at the same time, but the one that is not recommended is marked with ° sign (even some dictionaries do not mark it).

Traditional Chinese dictionaries in Taiwan usually arrange the characters by Bopomofo (注音|zhùyīn) such as ㄅ (b in Pinyin), ㄆ (p in Pinyin), ㄇ (m in Pinyin), ㄈ (f in Pinyin). Cantonese dictionaries usually arrange the characters by Jyutping (粵拼|yuèpīn), which is a phonetic alphabet in Latin script (A-Z) designed for Cantonese. But all these dictionary offer radicals index/directory.

Note: I cannot guarantee that there is no dictionary arranged pages by radicals. But Pinyin, Bopomofo and Jyutping are common.


Natural translation for "Everything worth doing requires self-discipline and effort" What would be the most natural way to say, "Everything worth doing requires self-discipline and effort?"

每個值得的事情都需要磨練和努力 feels like English crammed into Chinese.

Would 每件值得的事都需要磨練和努力 be better？

1) What's the most natural Mandarin translation?

2) What's the most natural Cantonese translation?

There is the phrase:
好事多磨
ABC Proverbs defines it as:

Lit [Accomplishing] great things [has] many hardships.
Fig In accomplishing anything worthwhile, one is bound to encounter setbacks.
Note: originally hǎoshì referred to a successful marriage or engagement, so “it takes many twists and turns to accomplish a good marriage” is sometimes equated with “The course of true love never did run smooth.” Cf. JW, chap. 28; DRC, chap. 1; Èr Kè Pāi'àn Jīngqí, chap. 9.

There was a headline from an hour ago on 速途网 that reads:

EOS主网的艰难启动是好事多磨，还是持币者的投机心理大于信仰?


Where to find all/most variants of a glyth? As far as I know, for one glyth (ex.: 御) there many variant forms.

Some sources list 䘖䘘禦 as variants, others say that all of the glyths in string 御䘖䘘䢩禦衘馭 are variants of 御.

Is there a reliable source where I can find all (or most of) the variants for a given glyth. I need only CHARS, that is those you can type with in modern PC.

i would use 教育部異體字字典:

http://dict.variants.moe.edu.tw/variants/rbt/home.do

it's authoritative, and most comprehensive.

eg 御 (u+5fa1), it listed 37 variants :)

http://dict.variants.moe.edu.tw/variants/rbt/word_attribute.rbt?quote_code=QTAxMjk1

have fun :)


Breaking down meaning of 几句话 I came across this sentence:

我想对你说几句话。
Wǒ xiǎng duì nǐ shuō jǐ jù huà.
I'd like to say a few words to you.

My understanding is that 句 means sentence, and 话 means "words" in general (ie 我听不懂她说的话 or "I don't understand the words he is saying"). But if you want to say "a few words" why not just say 几句 instead of 几句话? I don't see the function of the 话 at the end.

Pedroski wrote in his answer:

  After enumeration, such as '几‘， any word you can't explain will be a classifier.

Agree with that.  "句" in "我想对你说几句话" is not a noun but a classifier

If you say 我想对你说几句, you  just omitted the object "话" but it is still implied. Similar to saying "may I have a few?" in English, which an object is implied,

For example, a man is eating candy, his friend pointing at the candy and ask: "May I have a few?" he doesn't need to state the object "candy" which is understood by both parties

With the same logic, the object in 我想对你说几句 is made understood with the present of the verb "说" (say). The object of the verb "说" (say) is always "话" (e.g. 真心话, 不中聽的话, 重要的话 etc.)

Example of "句" as a noun:

with classifier: 一個句 (a sentence), 個 is a legit classifier for 句(n)
with applicable verb: 造句 (make a sentence), 造 is a verb applicable to 句(n)
with applicable adjective: 疑問句 (interrogative)

疑問句 (interrogative) is a single term, but 疑問 functions as an adjective and 句 functions as a noun within the term


Any “fai” (zy: ㄈㄞ) pronunciation record in Mandarin? Chinese seem to have no problem pronouncing Wi-Fi. Wi has a similar Chinese pronunciation with pinyin: wai.

This got me wondering, is there any “fai” (zy: ㄈㄞ) pronunciation record in Mandarin?

Not in standard Mandarin, no.

But there are regions in the South where Mandarin phonetics are not rendered standardly, and Standard hu- (also sometimes ku-) tends to be pronounced f-. In Western Fújiàn I often heard huàidàn 壞蛋 'bad person, asshole, etc.' pronounced as though the Pinyin were fàitàn. But I wouldn't count on using that to write "WiFi".

An example of regional f- for Mandarin k- appears in New York's Chinatown, where Forsyth Street is translated Kēxījiē 科西街, because the community was completely Cantonese-speaking at one time. You can see it on the street signs.


What's the difference between 我去吃飯 (去 + Action) and 我要吃飯了 (要+Action+了)? What is the difference among the following two sentences?

我 去 吃飯
我 要 吃飯 了

According to my current knowledge, both translate to ''I am going to eat''.

我吃飯 =  I eat dinner (meal)
我(去)吃飯 = I (go) eat dinner
我(要)吃飯 = I (have to/ want to) eat dinner
我(要)(去)吃飯  = I (have to/ want to) (go) eat dinner

You can add final particle '了' (indicate change of situation) to all the above examples :

我吃飯了 =  I eat dinner (meal) now- 了 indicates situation change from not eating to eating
我(去)吃飯了 = I (go) eat dinner now- 了 indicates situation change from not going to going
我(要)吃飯了 = I (have to/ want to) eat dinner now - 了 indicates situation change from not have eat to have to eat
我(要)(去)吃飯了  = I (have to/ want to)(go) eat my dinner now - 了 indicates situation change from not have to go to have to go

  去 + Action vs 要+Action+了

More examples:

我看電影 = I watch movies
我(要)看電影 = I (have to/ want to) watch movies
我(去)看電影 = I (go) watch movies
我(要)(去)看電影了 = I (have to/ want to) (go) watch movies now- 了 indicates situation change from not going to going


How is 以 used in 时间给勤奋者以荣誉，给懒汉以耻辱? 时间给勤奋者以荣誉，给懒汉以耻辱。

This is a quote from Gao Shiqi.  I understand the basic meaning of it, but what is a good way to define the usage of 以？ It can mean many different things in Chinese and is sometimes confusing.

Here's what Paul Rouzer has to say on 以 in his New Practical Primer of Literary Chinese:

  1.5 以: This is one of the most frequently used characters in literary Chinese, and it has a very wide application. It was originally a verb meaning “to take,” “to use.” Eventually, it started to be used in combination with other verbs (what English language scholars often call a coverb). It serves the same purpose as English prepositions like “with,” “by means of,” and “through.” It usually comes before the main verb, and it is followed by its own special object:

  天以禍報爲不善者。Heaven repays with disaster the person who does evil.

  In this example, 報 is the main verb, and 爲不善者 is its object. 以
  is the coverb, and 禍 is the object of the coverb.

  Other examples:

  Identify the object of the coverb in each case:

  聖人以德導小人。 The wise person leads the petty person with virtue.

  自禁者以德導欲。 The person who restrains herself leads her desires with virtue.

  1.6 Shifting the coverb position: However, if a writer wants to put special emphasis on the thing that gets used (as in text #3), he or she will place the coverb and its object after the main verb:

  小人導心以耳目: The petty person leads his heart with his ears and eyes.

  Another, more awkward way of expressing the same sense: “It is with his ears and
  eyes that the petty person leads his heart."

  知己者報人以善: It is with good that the one who knows herself rewards others.

  小人報天以怨: It is with resentment that the petty person rewards Heaven.

Based on point 1.5, a literal translation of 時間給勤奮者以榮譽，給懶漢以恥辱 might be:

時間  給       勤奮者       以   榮譽  ，     給       懶漢     以    恥辱
Time provides the diligent with honour, and provides the lazy with disgrace.

Additionally, according to point 1.6, when the coverb (here 以) is placed after the main verb (here 給), it puts more emphasis on the thing after the coverb (here 榮譽 ‘honour’ and 恥辱 ‘disgrace’). Therefore, an even more literal translation (though a very awkward one) could be:

It is with honour that time provides the diligent, and it is with disgrace that time provides the lazy.

That should explain the use of 以, which in this case basically means ‘with’. Of course, a natural-sounding translation cannot be as literal as the ones above.

Note: 以 can be translated as ‘with’ in this particular context. It doesn't mean that ‘with’ is always a correct translation if 以. In particular, 以 does not mean ‘together with’, and is therefore different from words such as 和，与，跟， 一起 and so on. As we can see in the above quote, 以 may in other context be expressed with ‘take’, ‘use’, ‘by means of’ and ‘through’.


How do you ask "Who is your dad" in Chinese? I am learning Chinese on Duolingo and recently saw a translation of "Who is your dad?" as 谁是你的爸爸.

When I used Google translate I got a similar answer.

I have learnt (in the basics) that we put the question words like 什么 or 多少 in the ending of the question.

Based on the current knowledge I thought the correct translation of "Who is your dad?" as 你的爸爸是谁.

Please clear out my confusion as to what is a more appropriate translation and if there are some other grammar rules I don't know about.

Both of 谁是你的爸爸 and 你的爸爸是谁 are accepted. Note that when the two words put in the former place written as 谁是, while put them in the latter place written as 是谁. As long as you don't write it as 是谁你的爸爸 or 你的爸爸谁是 there will be no problem for you to use both of 谁是你的爸爸 and 你的爸爸是谁.


What is the meaning of 躺着躺着? In the following sentence:

  昨天晚上我们在一起聊天，___忽然停电了。

To fill in the blank, I picked up 说着说着, but the correct answer was 躺着躺着.

The other two candidates were 跳着跳着 and 走着走着, and I even think these are correct as well... because the electrocity can suddenly stop even if you jump, walk, speak, or laid down.

Why is 躺着躺着 correct here? And what is the reason the verb + 着 is repeated here?

According to this context, 说着说着 is correct to me. 昨天晚上我们在一起聊天，说着说着忽然停电了。 The hint is 聊天, so either 聊着聊着 or 说着说着 makes sense in the context.

...着...着 means 'while (doing) ...'.


Difference between 忘 and 忘记 So is there any differences between 忘 and 忘记？They both mean to forget but do they have any other differences in terms of usage, location within a sentence, etc

Please read Result complement

Also 了 :  'aspect marker' indicating completed action

'忘' (forget) as a verb cannot be used without a result complement or aspect marker

Example:

  '忘掉'

  掉 is the result complement of 忘.

  It describes the result of forget is the object is 'forgot away' (from one's mind)

  You cannot remove the result complement '掉' from '(忘掉)自己的手電號碼' and write '(忘)自己的手電號碼'

~

  '忘了'

  了 is a aspect marker that indicates 'completion of an action'

  You cannot remove the aspect marker '了' from '(忘了)自己的手電號碼' and write '(忘)自己的手電號碼'

~~~~~~~~~

'忘' = 'forget'
'记' = 'remember/ recollect'
'忘记' (forget to remember) = 'to forget'

'忘记' is a compound word verb

It can be used with or without a result complement or aspect marker

Example:

忘记自己的手電號碼 = forget one's own cell-phone number

忘记(掉)自己的手電號碼 = forget one's own cell-phone number (away)

(忘记了)自己的手電號碼 = (forgotten) one's own cell-phone number

Terms like '忘本'，'忘情' that directly apply the verb 忘 before a noun, are in effect, compound words  as in "做人忘本" (being ungrateful), 忘情演出 (passionately perform).

The other cases of 忘 directly apply before a noun are 1. 'in idiomatic form',  like "見利忘義" 2. 'with an adverb',  like 難忘, 不忘, 未忘, and they are all literary terms


What's the difference between 打开 and 开门? How can I tell when to use 打开 and when to use 开门 in Chinese? For example, in the following sentences:

这扇门打开了
这个书店开门了

Why does the first sentence use 打开 and the latter use 开门?

Also, is it necessary to use 了 in this sentence?

In the context of the example you posted, 开门 is describing the status of the shop. Like the meaning of 'open' and 'closed' signs you could find in most of stores.

打开 in the context of the example you gave is describing the status of the door or anything could be turned on like window, valve or switch. This sentence should be translated to 'This door is open'.

Because in Chinese a word's meaning may varies according to the context and situation of the sentence. You should remember some combination of noun-adjective or verb-adverb but not just remember the meaning of a single word.


Help translating 爱人跟人走 I have come across the song 爱人跟人走 (lyrics here). I'll give a complete translation attempt of this Hokkien song:

It's already 3 years since you left me;
Have you gone away without [ever] turning back?
[This] really is unexpected.
My heart is like a hollow turnip.

I couldn't imagine, I couldn't imagine
You would go away with someone else.
You didn't care for me, you didn't care for me,
Who had so deep feelings [for you].

Looking unrestrained was of no effect.
Someone's youth was very irritating.
Ah… cruel person,
I hate that you hate old people.
With you I will always…
If the field has no ditch, the water won't flow.

As you can guess, the problematic part is:

外表漂泊無捨效
誤人青春上可惱
啊…無情的人
恨你是恨到老
永遠來甲你
田無溝水無流

First of all, from searching my reference I have guessed 漂泊 should be in fact 飄撇 (飘撇), which the reference "translates" to 潇洒，帅气，洒脱, and says is often used to describe young males; also, since the subtitles in the video have BO LANG and the characters suggest gōo lâng, I found 某人 is pronounced bóo-lâng. I also know, from the reference, that 上 is often used as 最…地, and since the subtitles here spell it as 尚, which I have seen for this usage of the word, I guessed it might be the right translation. Otherwise it may be translated to Someone in their youth was irritating. Anyway I think this refers to the rén with which nǐ (the àirén) has gone away. Finally, 甲 is often used to spell kā, a word which the reference spells 共 and says means bǎ (object particle) or gēn, hé, or maybe other meanings I don't remember. With these observations, I came up with the above translation. Now any advice on the other part of the translation is very welcome, as is a transliteration of this with the reference's system. The questions anyway are:

Are the spelling corrections correct?
Is the translation of the reported part correct?
How does the final proverb-like phrase fit into the song, and connect to the line above which is incomplete as it lacks a verb?

Update:
The following points sum up what @GeorgeChen said in the comments:

恨你是很到老 is «I'll hate you till I'm old» or, more literally, «My hating you is hating till I get old»;
误 in Mandarin is waste; so the phrase in Mandarin would mean Wasting someone's youth is very annoying; my reference, however, only lists 差错, which is a noun use and therefore not the right one here, and 妨害、耽擱、拖累 as translations; tuolei is dragging like ball and chain, therefore decidedly not right here; fanghai means to harm, and could be right here; or dange, to delay; so we shall wait someone who knows Hokkien to tell us which is right; on my side, I'll take waste, though it's not listed in my reference;
永远来甲你 makes no sense in Mandarin, but probably does in HOkkien; indeed, kah or ka are prepositions in Hokkien meaning 把、跟 and 到，既然，哪会 in reverse order; so would 永远来跟你 make sense?
The proverb is translated right, but how does it fit in the song?

So I'm left with the following questions:

WHich translation is correct for 误?
How do I fit the proverb in the song?
How do I translate (and possibly complete) that apparently nonsensical phrase of point 3 above?
Are the spelling changes I suggested "right", meaning that I correctly recognized the words used in the song?

愛人跟人走
my love has gone with someone else

離開已經三年後
It's already 3 years since you left me;
你煞有去無回頭
you gone away without turning back
真是乎人想抹到
[This] really is unexpected.
心肝親像磅心的菜頭
My heart is like a broken radish

想抹到想抹到
I couldn't imagine, I couldn't imagine
你會去跟人走
You would go away with someone else.
無彩我無彩我
You didn't care for me, you didn't care for me,
感情用這厚
Who had so deep feelings [for you].
外表漂泊無捨效
Looking handsome, natural and unrestrained was of no effect.
誤人青春上可惱
wasting people's youth is the most annoying.

啊無情的人
Ah… cruel person,
恨你是恨到老
hate you forever(until I'm old, or until death).
永遠來甲你
With you I will never…
田無溝水無流
across the line to each other (have a relationship)

word meanings and notes:

無彩:

無彩: means "in vain", "uselessly",
the translation above is **meaning translation**,
because he don't care about me, so whatever I do, is useless
the **direct translation** is:
無彩我無彩我
waste my, waste my
感情用這厚
so deep feelings [for you].

煞:

煞 also means "surprisingly"
你煞有去無回頭
you gone away surprisingly without turning back

  田無溝水無流：

    direct translation ( or literal translation )is:

      If the field has no ditch, the water won't flow.

    metaphor explaining:

      "the field" is like " I ", "the water" is like " you (or he, the one who left her)".
      ditch, in OALD8, the english meaning is:
      a long channel dug at the side of a field or road, to hold or take away water
      so, "the ditch" is like "the way to contact me"
      "flow" is like "talk to me or touch me"
      so, the whole sentence is:
      if I don't allow you to contact me, you won't have any chance to talk to me or touch me.

useful online dictionary:

http://twblg.dict.edu.tw/holodict_new/index.html

http://twblg.dict.edu.tw/holodict_new/result_detail.jsp?n_no=9721&curpage=1&sample=%E7%85%9E&radiobutton=1&querytarget=1&limit=20&pagenum=1&rowcount=13


On a test report (SGS or similar), what does the following mean: 非会员水印 What does 非会员水印 mean when written on a test report (seems to be some sort of watermark?)
Thanks!

非: not
会员: member (especially paid member)
水印: watermark

It means what you read is generated from a service that will put a watermark on the result if the service is used unpaid.


What is the meaning of "一把把" on "他更是一把把她的书包给枪了过去“？ I think that I understand the overall meaning of the sentence: He forcibly stole her bag and ran away. But I'm not sure about that part (一把把), neither its meaning nor its grammatical function (I'm not even sure if it is a single element or I've splited two and joined it :/ ).

I've searched the web, but it seems to be a not-so-frecuent construction. I've found it on a book (汤小团－东周列国卷－１, p.76). When I google it, I get only results for the classifier (一把).

Many thanks in advance!

The 一把把 here is made up of two different grammatical units:

The first 一把 is the classifier you mention. It is used to modify the action, and means something like "with one grab". It emphasizes that the action happened suddenly. Here are some examples from news websites:

  乘客 一把 拉开飞机安全门
  A passenger opened a plane's door with one grab.

  男子欲跳楼好友 一把 拉回去
  As a man wanted to jump off a building, his friend pulled him back with one grab

  走进人家客厅 一把 抢走手机
  Walking into someone's living room, [he] stole a cell phone with one grab

The second 把 is just the normal marker for the verb's object when it comes before the verb:

  他 把 书包抢了
  He stole the book bag

So 一把把 is not a grammatical unit here, it just happens that two parts of the sentence put two instances of the same word together:

  他 一把 抢了书包
  他 把 书包抢了


how to say "projected numbers" in chinese (mandarin)? appreciate if someone can let me know how to translate the following into mandarin, thanks!

"kindly provide me with the full year numbers up to october, we will use it to project for the full 12 months."

First, translate to English:

"kindly provide me with the full year numbers up to october, we will use it to project for the full 12 months."

Please provide me with the figures for this year up to October, we will then use that to estimate the values for the whole year.

Given that, it can't be toooo hard to translate， though my Chinese is none too hot.

Please provide me with the figures for this year up to October,
请提供今年到十月的数据，

we will then use that to estimate the values for the whole year.
然后我们会用这些数据来估计整年的使用。

Something along those lines.


Meaning of 泡 I first encountered this word in the brand of a kid's drink, O泡.  When I looked it up I saw that it meant something like "bubble", and was (ironically for the name of a drink) the classifier for urine.

Then I saw on TV someone offer 一杯泡水 to a guest (It might have been 一泡杯水 but I read the subtitles and 泡 was definitely there).

So what is 泡水? Bubble water? Google images suggests it's water with slices of lemon/lime.

And while we're on this character, how does one use it as a classifier for urine, perhaps someone could use it in a sentence ("I'm going to do a trickle of urine?").

You are right in saying that, in general, 泡 means a bubble/bubbles.

When it comes to drinks, 泡水 is actually a verbal phrase, usually preceded by a noun. It refers to water being mixed with other ingredients to create some sort of makeshift drink. For example 柠檬泡水 = lemon water, which is essentially lemon slices submerged in water.

Another usage of this verbal phrase simply refers to dipping oneself in water. 我去游泳池里泡一下水. (I am going to hop in the swimming pool for a while).

一杯泡水 sounds very strange to me. It could be regional slang for 气水 (soft drink/soda) or it could be the result of making a makdeshift drink. You will need to show me the ad so I can understand the context.

As a noun, 泡水 is an alternative phrase for 羊水, or the amniotic fluid that protects a foetus in the mother's womb. It's of course commonly referred to as simply water.

As a classifier, it's not just used for urine, but quite often for excrement as well. The following are very idiomatic:

撒一泡尿 (to urinate)
拉一泡屎 (to defecate)


Is there a way to distinguish "vegetarian" from "vegan" in Chinese? I'd like to know whether there is a way to distinguish vegetarian from vegan in Chinese or is the only word available 素食者？

Wikipedia distinguishes them like this:

  维根主义（英语：Veganism）

and

  素食主义（英语：vegetarianism）

维根 here is a transliterated loanword from English.

Wikipedia also offers the translation:

  纯素主义

for veganism.

Although these words, may, work in their written forms - you might generally not be understood using these words colloquially, because nobody really talks like this. Better alternatives would be:

不吃肉 = vegetarianism
不吃动物(产)品 = veganism


unix(apue) 高级程序设计理解问题 下面是英文的干活：
Second, whenever input is requested through the standard I/O library from either (a)an unbuffered stream or (b)a line-buffered stream (that requires data to be requested from the kernel),all line-buffered output streams are flushed. The reason for the qualifier on (b) is that the requested data may already be in the buffer, which doesn’t require data to be read from the kernel. Obviously, any input from an unbuffered stream, item (a), requires data to be obtained from the kernel
这段话是《Advanced Programming in the UNIX Environment 3rd Edition》的Standard I/O Library那一章的一段话，学渣表示完全不能理解。求大神帮着理解一下。

本来不应回答这个问题，但由于我自己也是搞IT的，看到同行不能理解英文文档，我也很不安。所以就翻译了一下。

其次，当从标准IO库获取输入时，不论是(a)以非缓冲流，还是(b)以行缓冲流（要求数据从内核中取出）形式，所有的行缓冲输出流都会被清除。(b)中需要“要求数据‌从内核中取出”这个限定，是因为所请求的数据也许已在缓冲中，这样就不需要从内核中读取了。当然，所有来自非缓冲流的输入，即（a）情况，都需要从内核获得数据。


Difference between 几点 and 什么时候? Is it correct that 几点 is for asking specific time in oclock...while 什么时候  is more general and can be answered specifically in oclock or a period of time such as morning, noon, night ?

I often heard 现在几点. But, is 现在是什么时候 or 现在什么时候 can also be used ?

Can i also replace "你什么时候有空" with "你几点有空" ???

Would means a lot if you guys can help me out..thanksss

Is it correct that 几点 is for asking specific time in oclock?

"几点" = "what hour". It could be 10:04 or 10:24, so it is only specific for the 'hour', not the specific 'time (moment)'. You can just answer by stating the hour; However, people asking 几点 is actually wanting to know  "what hour and minute (the precise time)". We usually reply to this question with the precise time on the clock.

  while 什么时候 is more general and can be answered specifically in oclock or a period of time such as morning, noon, night ?

Yes.

"现在是什么时候" = "what time is it now", it can mean specific time on the clock. For example, "现在是 10:24" ; it can also be used generally to refer to a period of time such as morning, noon.

  Can i also replace "你什么时候有空" with "你几点有空" ???

No, "你什么时候有空" refers to "which day and what time" ; "你几点有空" doesn't ask what date it will be. You can only replace  "你什么时候有空" with "你几点有空" when the date in known

It can refer to any specific moment. For example " 现在是时候回家了" (it is time to go home)

to specifically ask for the precise time on the clock, you can say "现在是什么钟数?" or "现在是几点钟? "


Meaning of this word (Character identified: 緣) I just bought a couple of tea cups which I think are Japanese in style, but they could be Chinese. There's some writing on the cups that I was unable to translate with Google:

Does anyone know if the writing in this image is Chinese and if yes, what it means please?

缘 is a kind of destiny for meeting someone or something.


Why do some Chinese characters have multiple simplified variants? According to Unihan database some Chinese characters have multiple simplified variants.

For example the Chinese character 鍾 have 2 simplified variants: 钟 and 锺

How it could happen? What is the origin of such situation?

Traditional to Simplified is many-to-one, right??
It is almost the case that each Traditional character maps to exactly one Simplified character (possibly itself). This is certainly the mental model that most people have about simplification, and it's not far from the truth.
Alas, there are exceptions.
One of my favorite references on this topic lists out ambiguities in simplification. The "2 to 1" cases at the bottom covers the cases when a single traditional character has multiple simplified characters (Also check out the crazy special case!). In all the 2-to-1 cases, it seems that a semantic distinction (possibly also present in pronunciation) is reflected in the written form of the simplified (but not the traditional). Examples:

徵⇄徵(zhǐ) 征(zhēng) (archaic name for a pentatonic tone vs to conquer)
畫⇄画 划 (to draw vs. to plan)

Two of the four entries in the hanzidb list you provided are accounted for by that Wiki page (as well as several others that the hanzidb list left out). I don't know how the list was created, so I'm speculating a bit more in addressing the others:

锺 - 曾作“鍾”的简化字，后停用。 Previously served as the simplification for 鍾, but it is no longer used. Unrelated to this specific character, there are actually a whole bunch of simplified variants that resulted from a failed 2nd round of simplification. Some of these are really crazy (but most aren't in unicode).
願 -> 愿 (the second one doesn't render for shit, so here's an image
(source: glyphwiki.org)  .) This is also a weird simplified variant that ultimately became obsolete. I'm surprised it's in unicode at all, to be honest.

Also, another note. There are also what Unihan refers to as "z-variants", meaning typographic variants of characters. Both the Wiki page and the hanzidb list have (correctly) left these out. They aren't very interesting, but sometimes cause issues when you're doing data processing of CJK text:

說 and 説
莊 and 荘


Is there a good resource for Mandarin or Cantonese terms for motorsports and motorsports news? I am a big Formula 1 fan so I would love to add some motorsports-specific terms to my studying. Simple things such as "race car" to maybe more complex terms like "slipstream" or "pit stop". Even just a short list of the terms people actually use colloquially when referring to motorsports would be great.
I would also love to know if anyone is familiar with any particularly popular Chinese motorsports news sites or blogs?
Thank you for your help!

赛车网：https://cn.motorsport.com/
虎扑社区 - F1赛车场：https://bbs.hupu.com/f1
赛道时光：http://circday.com/
SRFC模拟赛车网：http://bbs.srfc.com.cn/


Is there any difference between beginning a sentence with 在北京游览 and （你）在北京游览（时候/时）? In my learning book Easy Steps to Chinese 4 textbook you can see the sentence:

在北京游览，乘坐什么交通工具比较方便。

For the first part of the sentence, 在北京游览 means "visiting/touring Beijing" but is this a shortcut of 你在北京游览的时候  or  你在北京游览时?  Is there any difference between these three sentences? Could I say 在吃饭，我用筷子。 Any grammar reference?

在北京游览，乘坐什么交通工具比较方便。
(When) On tour in Beijing, the public transportation system is relatively convenient.

在北京游览，is a general reference, not aimed at any specific 你, so no 你 is mentioned.

Chinese is direct, "在吃饭，我用筷子。" is wordy. Try:

我用筷子吃饭。

You could try entering "Chinese grammar of zai" in any search engine, you will get a lot of results. I got 161 million results!


zh sound with a flat tongue? This is from the Wikipedia article on retroflex consonant, but isn't this wrong? I assume that Mandarin zh, ch, sh, and r sound should be pronounced with your tongue curled up, rather than "flat?"

  Laminal post-alveolar, with a flat tongue. These occur, for example,
  in Polish cz, sz, ż (rz), dż and Mandarin zh, ch, sh, r.

I think the answer to your question depends on how one should interpret the phrase flat tongue. So, let's try to read the crucial parts of the article, bearing in mind that our brain tends to save energy even when we talk.

First of all, as the article says, there are different kinds of retroflex consonants:

  The Latin-derived word retroflex means "bent back"; some retroflex consonants are pronounced with the tongue fully curled back so that articulation involves the underside of the tongue tip (subapical). These sounds are sometimes described as "true" retroflex consonants. However, retroflexes are commonly taken to include other consonants having a similar place of articulation without such extreme curling of the tongue; these may be articulated with the tongue tip (apical) or the tongue blade (laminal).

Retroflex sounds articulated with the tip of the tongue (known as apical) are basically limited to plosive consonants, such as [ʈ], [ɖ] and [ɳ] or flaps, such as [ɽ] and [ɭ]. To be more specific, Wikipedia calls these sounds apical post-alveolar:

  Apical post-alveolar, with a somewhat concave tongue (the tongue is curled). These occur, for example, in Hindi and other Indo-Aryan languages. (Hindi has no retroflex sibilants, although some of the other Indo-Aryan languages do.)

The tip is the most agile part of the tongue, so it can easily curl, but if the sound we are trying to make is continuous, then it could get tired pretty soon. Plosive consonants are articulated with a temporary occlusion followed by an immediate release of the air that comes from the lungs. Flaps also have a similar articulation. So, plosives and flaps are not difficult to pronounce even with the tongue completely curled. However, articulating a fricative or an affricate sound with this configuration of the tongue it's a different story. Fricatives and affricates consonants are continuous sounds, so eventually our tongue will get tired if our language has many of these kind of sounds in its phonetic inventory (Mandarin has four and uses them quite often).

That's why there is another group of retroflex sounds that have a slightly different articulation. They are pronounced with the blade of the tongue, which is that portion of the tongue just behind the tip. These are called laminal post-alveolar:

  Laminal post-alveolar, with a flat tongue. These occur, for example, in Polish cz, sz, ż (rz), dż and Mandarin zh, ch, sh, r. (in IPA Mandarin zh, ch, sh, r are [ɖ̥ʐ~ʈʂ], [ʈʂʰ], [ʂ], [ʐ] respectively).

I think that in the article they used the phrase "flat tongue" to indicate that the consonant is pronounced with the blade which touches the alveolar ridge resulting flat to some extent. In fact, in this state the tongue itself is not completely curled, it only raises up a bit but the sound produced is still a retroflex.

The amount of energy involved in the articulation of laminal consonants is less than the amount required for the apical consonants, because now the tongue is more relaxed. Considering that articulating a fricative or an affricate sound using the tip of the tongue is really expensive in terms of energy, our brain developed the tendency to pronounce these kinds of consonants using the blade of the tongue instead of the tip.

I'm not saying that it's anatomically impossible to pronounce a fricative or an affricate sound with the tip but, if you try, you will notice that it's a little challenging and anyway the sound produced will be somehow different from the Mandarin equivalent. In the case of the fricatives [ʂ] and [ʐ] there is the risk that if you put too much force in the articulation with tip, the tongue will stick to the alveolar ridge and because of this obstacle the air will be released laterally resulting in a lateral retloflex sound, which is not what you want.

For this reason, in Chinese (like in all the other natural languages) fricatives (sh, r) and affricates (ch, zh) tend to be pronounced with the "flat tongue". In conclusion, it's a matter of terminology: retroflex doesn't necessarily mean that the tongue is curled back, it means that it is at least raised up.


What do Chinese people do if they forget how to write a character? I've heard that character amnesia is becoming more and more common.

What if a Chinese has to write something and he doesn't have a cellphone or computer with him, what does he do if he forgot the character he needed? Does he use another character with the same pronunciation?
Under the same situation do the Taiwanese use bopomofo?

As a native Chinese speaker, I sometimes replace the forgotten phrase with another one which has same meaning. Sometimes I even rewrite the whole sentence to avoid writing some hard characters.

By the way, since there are a lot of Chinese characters has the same pronunciation (ex: 意義/異議). The input programs are also very error-prone to select correct characters. Some people will just use wrong characters with the similar pronunciation because they are too lazy to correct them. This is why you can see some common mistakes like 因該 instead of 應該.


What is the difference between 呀 and 啊? 呀 and 啊 both seem to be used in the end of sentences for exclamation, and the only difference that I can think of is that the pronunciation in Putonghua (Mandarin) is different. In Cantonese, even the pronunciation is the same. Do 呀 and 啊 mean the same thing and can be used interchangeably or are their meaning different?

ABC's entry for 呀 says:

呀
ya5
(replacing a (啊) when preceding word ends in a, e, i, o, or (y)u)
快来呀!
Kuài lái ya!
Come quickly!

呀 is a replacement for 啊 when it comes after a vowel.
This is also corroborated by《规范》's entry:

助 “啊(a)”受前一个音节末尾音素ɑ､e､o､i､ü的影响产生音变而采用的不同写法
说话(huà)呀 | 车(chē)呀 | 你说(shuō)呀 | 起来(lái)呀 | 快去(qù)呀。