English translation for 来 in 你哪儿来的这么多书? compatible with a Chinese-to-English dictionary

This problem seem to stem from attempting to map a Chinese character directly to a single English word. Don't do that. Like many other characters, 来 carries multiple meanings, and not all of those meanings have a direct English equivalent. The differences between dictionary meanings and a particular translation don't need to be "reconciled". Instead, recognise that English may express a specific Chinese idea in multiple ways.

Specifically, for this question, some of the major meanings of 来 are:

verb "to come, to come from"
"since (a point in time)"
verb "to happen, to be imminent"
adjective "next"
adjective "approximately, thereabouts"
adverb (preceding the verb) "let  do (action described by verb)"

In most of the question's sentences, the character 来 is usage (1), meaning "to come from". Therefore, you can translate them literally as:

你哪儿来这么大火 - "where did that temper (of yours) come from"
你哪儿来的这么多书 - "where did so many books (that you have) come from"
你哪儿来的那个主意 - "where did that idea (of yours) come from"

However, obviously the latter two can be alternatively translated as:

"where did you get so many books from"
"where did you get that idea from"

This isn't because 来 could also mean "to get". It is simply another way of expressing the same idea, namely "where did those books of yours come from".

Lastly, in 我来, the 来 here is usage (6), meaning "let me do".

Your sentence of 你是从哪个来源的带来了这么多书 is very much an apparent case of translating an English sentence into Chinese word for word. I would argue that in general direct word for word dictionary translations are horrible.  When translating across such wildly disparate languages, you are much better off first grasping the meaning of the Chinese sentence, and then formulating an English sentence from scratch with the same meaning. And vice versa.


Yes. And sometimes, for an ironic/sarcastic vibe (not necessarily negative) and under a very informal situation, people would write 意呆利/意呆梨. As the transliteration comes mainly from English，where in the Italy the æ vowel doesn't exist in Chinese pronunciation, and 太 seems to be closer to the English word Italy.
And again, in formal, even the slightest sense, it is only correct and proper to use 意大利。


How to translate: 人是铁，饭是钢，一顿不吃烦得慌. What is the logic?

The idiom's meaning is reinforced by the rhyme. I think you have the basic meaning correct. Maybe if you rhyme it in English it'll come out more like the Chinese:

"People are iron/Rice is steel/You'll feel like crap without a meal" - not a literal meaning, but conveying the gist.


What is the difference between 碰，触，碰触 and 触碰

觸 is very rarely used alone in modern Chinese. 碰 however, is, and in fact frequently so. You see it in 別碰！ (Do not touch!), for example.

觸碰 is far more common than 碰觸 albeit meaning exactly the same.

觸碰 is more written than 碰. So you see signs written like 請勿觸碰 ('Please do not touch'), but never *請勿碰.

碰 is also polysemous, so if you intend the meaning 'to come across sb.', as in 我碰到他 (where I intend to mean 'I came across him' here; it also can mean 'I touched him'), you should not write it as 我觸碰到他, which can only literally mean 'I touched him' (also more written).


Can you combine sentence structures to denote an extremely short duration?

Short answer: no.

As you explained, 看看 and 看一下 have the same meaning, so use both of them does not make sense.

If you want to emphasize it's a very little bit time, you can say:
你看看我的书,好吗？就(只)看一下


专 in 专区 refers to 专用 (dedicated).
'5G 专区' means "dedicated area for 5G LTE connection"
5G LTE is the latest upgrade for cell phones connection speed (10 times faster than 4G LTE)
Alipay is keeping up with the latest technology. Currently, only a few areas in the world are equipped to provide the 5G LTE connection


妳 is supposed to be the female second-person pronoun, but I don't find it being used as often as the more generic 你 anymore, however。

And no. There is no connotation re: breasts of milk with the use of the word.

Not sure why some posters have the assumption that 你 is only used for both male and female in Simplified Chinese. Is it how it is used in Taiwan? As someone who can only write in Traditional Chinese, it seems that 你 is used interchangeably for the most part (even among my friends from Taiwan on social media, and books from Taiwan, etc.). Some people do use 妳 for female, but it seems rather uncommon nowadays.


How to say "home improvement" in Chinese?

Are you looking for something to do it yourself? Try 家居装修DIY


Why 你在笑什么？, why not 你笑在什么？

「在」in「你在笑什麽」is not equivalent to English at in what are you laughing at?. To demonstrate by analogy:

你在吃什麽 - what are you eating?
你在做什麽 - what are you doing?

「在」is actually equivalent to the suffix -ing in laughing, eating, doing. It is English which grammatically requires something as a target for the verb laughing; this requirement is redundant in Chinese.

  你在笑什麽

  Literally: You (你) [action in progress / -ing] (在) laugh (笑) what (什麽)?

Perhaps it is easier to see what's being omitted in English.

你在笑什麽 - about/at what are you laughing?
你在吃什麽 - what [food] are you eating?
你在做什麽 - what [action] are you doing?


Speculations as to why pigs rather than cows form part of the character meaning home comes from some misunderstandings about the characters. Specifically,

「家」 contains 「豕」 as a corrupted phonetic component rather than a semantic component;
「牢」 did not originally contain 「宀」, which is a corruption of a drawing of an animal pen.

Shuōwén's explanation of 「家」 is very close, and it traced the source of the phonetic hint of the character correctly.

商甲甲207合集20268

「家」 (Baxter-Sagart OC: /*kˤra/, home/dwelling) was originally comprised of semantic 「宀」 (building) and phonetic 「」 (also /*kˤra/). In the character 「家」, 「」 was very early on corrupted into 「豕」, leading on to the modern form.

商甲乙1047合集13584西周金毛公鼎集成2841秦簡法106睡虎地秦簡今楷

「」 (male pig) was originally a picture of a pig 「豕」 with an emphasised reproductive organ, and this word is now written as 「豭」. The glyph evolution compared with 「豕」 is as follows:

商甲京津1048合集15346西周金頌鼎集成2829篆彑部說文解字隸定

商甲佚43合集20723西周金圅皇父簋集成4141篆豕部說文解字今楷

Yes, Shuōwén is a source of some egregious graphical corruptions, and it simultaneously remains as one of the most important sources of modern character standardisation. It is a good starting point for character analysis that shouldn't at all be relied on.

Shuōwén's explanation,

  “家，居也。从宀，豭省聲。”

  「家」 means dwelling, and is comprised from semantic 「宀」 and abbreviated phonetic 「豭」.

correctly determined the vocabulary source of the phonetic hint, but did not correctly determine the actual character representing the vocabulary source.

The other explanations which interpret 「豕」 as a semantic hint are (in my opinion) rather far-fetched, although these explanations will pop up everywhere in more conservative accounts of the character. At the very least, the non-association of characters for non-pig animals with the character for the meaning home/dwelling strongly suggests the importance of the phonetic role of 「」.

Finally, 「牢」 did not originally contain 「宀」.

商甲摭續90合集33631

The original character was a picture of an animal pen, and sometimes, 「羊」 (sheep), 「馬」 (horse), or 「牛」 (cow) was added to the character:

商甲乙1983合集903商甲1.522寧滬新獲甲商甲甲392合集33314

The form with cow is the shape which has survived ...

西周金貉子卣集成5409

... and the animal pen component was later corrupted into 「宀」 (building).

戰國・楚簡2.77包山楚簡秦簡日甲65背睡虎地秦簡今楷

References:

黃德寬《古文字譜系疏證》
季旭昇《說文新證》
小學堂
國學大師

郭沫若《甲骨文合集》
中國社會科學院考古研究所《殷周金文集成》

中國哲學書電子化計劃

宋・徐鉉等奉敕校定　漢・許慎《說文解字》


I don't know which vocab book you are using, but to my native ears, your conjunction examples sounds a little bit weird! I would have added a 说 at the end of 比方 to mark the use of conjunction.

比方说 would mean

for example： 他去过很多国家，比方说美国，英国，中国等
if(colloquial)：比方说你是我，你会怎么办

Note that I personally have never used it in the second meaning. It is understandable, but not very common. I would use 如果/要是 instead. I also must contest the notion that 如果 is only for informal use. It can definitely be used in formal context as well, though probably less pretentious then 假使

hope it helps


块子
There are two possibilities, 炒面块子 and 大酱块子.

炒面块子

用炒过的糠粃，加在煮熟的红薯里捣烂和匀，压成块状晒干制成的食品。常为北方穷人家过冬的粮食。

The bran/chaff (糠 kāng) and unripe grains (粃=秕 bǐ) are stir-fried.
The red sweet potatoes are cooked and smashed.
Mix together evenly and then press into blocks (块子).
Insolate.

It is often the winter food for the northern poor people.

东北大酱

(November/December) The soybeans are cooked with water for two to three hours.
Crush and make into blocks (大酱块子).
Wrap with paper.
Ferment.

(May) Clean the surfaces with brush.
Cut into small pieces and put them in a big container.
Add water and salt.
Cover with cloth.
Ferment.
Stir every day for more than a month.

BTW
Korea has the doenjang (韩国大酱).
Japan has the miso (味噌).
They are all made out of the soybeans, the paste and fermentation.

（我）还看到了小时候才看到（的）块子
I also saw the chunks that I saw when I was a child.


How did 索性 get translated as "you might as well (do it)"

Here’s a highly unsatisfying answer.
《汉语大辞典》has a definition of 索 that defines it as:

索性；干脆。

And they give the example:

《警世通言·庄子休鼓盆成大道》
早知死後無情義, 索把生前恩愛勾。

《现代汉语大词典》also has an entry on 索 that defines it as:

干脆。如：索性；索兴。

Outlier gives the following meaning tree which maps out the development of word meanings and it seems to show that this meaning was originally of a different tone:

MEANINGS
Character meanings
suǒ
1 (orig.) two hands holding a rope made of plant stalks and leaves
2 → rope
3 ⇒ to search, follow a line
4  to ask, demand
suó
1 ⇒ strip, line
2  simply

It would seem that suó was later merged into suǒ.


用 with
你給我 you gave me
翅膀 the wings
飛 fly

你給我的翅膀 the wings you gave me

fly with 你給我的翅膀

用你給我的翅膀飛
fly with the wings you gave me.

What you missed is the meaning of 用.
It is a preposition here and is equivalent to 以.

用...工具 ＝ 以...工具 ＝ with ... tools/instruments

You won't miss it if the sentence is 以你給我的翅膀飛 .


本质 here means root; ultimate.

本质目的 = end goal. You can also say 根本目的.

Your sentence sounds fine but isn't the best example to demonstrate usage, because it's kind of obvious. A better example might be:

  商业活动的本质目的是盈利。The end goal for any commercial activity is making profit.


In 繁體字 證 and 証 are two different characters. As stated in 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 of Taiwan,

  證

  verb
  1 告發。說文解字：「證，告也。」論語˙子路：「其父攘羊，而子證之。」
  2 用憑據、事實來表明或斷定。如：「證明」、「證實」。莊子˙秋水：「證曏今故，故遙而不悶﹑掇而不跂，知時無止。」

  noun
  1 憑據。如：「人證」、「停車證」、「借書證」。
  2 病症、症候。如：「三焦辨證」、「血分證」。列子˙周穆王：「遇老聃，因告其子之證。」

and

  証

  verb
  諫正。如：「証諫」。戰國策˙齊策一：「士尉以証靖郭君，靖郭君不聽。」

  =>「證」的異體字（07937)

So if you are using 証 for its only rarely-used meaning of admonish, remonstrate, then it cannot be replaced by 證.

In other cases 証 is used as an 異體字 (informal) variant of 證, acceptable but less preferable.

However, this post from Taiwan maintains that 証 is an erroneous form of 證 out of the reason of orthodoxy (despite the fact this variant is widely accepted).

Another post from HK gives more references. (It's written in Cantonese, though.)

In 簡體字 there is no such trouble since both of them are simplified to 证 (according to 新华字典).


Your question should be " when can I omit the possessive 的 "

  The adjective suffix 的 cannot be omitted when it is needed. For example: 强大,勇敢的人；身形高大的人; Adjectives that do not need adjective suffix can directly apply to the object. For example 好(good) in  好女儿(good daughter)

The possessive 的 in 这是我的太太; 他是我的女儿；陈先生是我的上司 can be omitted to 这是我太太; 他是我女儿；陈先生是我上司 when there's a verb to act on the object, for example 是 is the verb and 我(的)女儿 is the object.

You cannot omit the possessive 的 when there's no verb to act on the object . That's why you have to say 再见了, 我的朋友 but not 再见了, 我朋友.

Unless you also omit the subject. In this case, 我. Then you can omit the possessive 的 along with the subject and write 再见了, 朋友.

More examples:

In 你打了我的女儿 - 打 is the verb and 我(的)女儿 is the object, therefore, you can omit 的 and write 你打了我女儿
In 你好吗？我的好女儿，there's no verb to act on the object 我的好女儿, therefore, you cannot omit the sentence to 你好吗？我好女儿
In 我(的)上司是陈先生 - 我(的)上司 is the subject, 的 can be omitted'
In 我(的)女儿打了人 - 我(的)女儿 is the subject, 的 can be omitted


Why is 系 pronounced xì (not jì) in the idiom 解铃还须系铃人?

You should know that, the pronunciation of 解铃还须系铃人 is a long lasting debate. If you want to take an exam in mainland China, you must remember the most updated pronunciation in the dictionary. Otherwise, you're free to choose the one you feel the most feasible. The closest meaning of xi and ji as a verb are shown below. Quoted 百度百科.

"系（jì）"是单义词，只有一个义项：打结、扣。运用范围很小，只用于“系鞋带”、“系围裙”、“系领带”、“系扣子”、系红领巾等词语中。

“系（xì）”是多义词，在《现代汉语词典》上有8个义项：
...
(7) 拴、绑、束缚：系马、系缚、不系之舟
...


What is written in this satellite photograph? (Characters identified: 忠于毛主席)

The characters read:

忠于毛主席
Zhōng yú Máo zhǔxí

忠 means faithful;
于 is a multi-use preposition which, to me, sounds a bit archaic/formal, and here means "to", but can also mean "in" or "on";
毛 is Mao Zedong's surname;
主席 means "chairman".

So this translates to "Faithful to Chairman Mao". By the way, if you give the correct characters to Google, the translation it gives is Loyal to Chairman Mao.


Operational Procedure = liu shui; which characters?

I just got confirmation from one of my (Chineses) Colleagues that this actually is 流水 (flowing water).


What’s the difference between 实在 and 确实?

Both 实在 and 确实 can mean indeed or really. However, 确实 sounds more factual, so it's often used in a formal context. E.g. 经证实，此事确实与他无关。实在 sounds a bit 'emotional' or 'subjective' (增加了一点个人的感情色彩) and it's often used in informal or casual speech. E.g. 我实在是不知道！(it could imply that I really don't know and please don't ask me again, please trust me, and etc.) If you say 我确实是不知道，you try to emphasize the fact that you don't know (may not necessarily have any other implications).

On the other hand, 实在 has other meanings. E.g. 他这个人很实在 means he is quite honest. You can check on more meanings in a dictionary.


In 淘, how does its semantic component 氵appertain to 'naughty'?

淘 has the meaning of wash
'washing' is related to water
The action of washing is rapid and energetic
淘氣 (mischievous) is mostly used to describe an unruly child and we identify a child as unruly when that child doesn't seem to be able to sit still for a second
淘 itself doesn't contain the meaning of naughty; mischievous


An acceptable translation will be "(You) overestimated him/her".


Are these two Chinese words the same ( 更容易，才能)


Does Chinese have any disparaging terms for left-handed people?

First of all I'd like to point out that the most commonly used term is 左撇子. Technically, 左撇子, together with the ones you have mentioned (if they do exist, I think I've heard of 左拐子 but not the others, of course they are probably dialectal and someone who knows more about dialects may correct me), is actually derogatory. However, this term is so widely used that people often say it without any prejudice intended. For a specific conversation, you will have to tell from the context. If you want to avoid being accidentally offensive, you can say 惯用左手的人(someone who is more comfortable using the left hand). A more technical term is 左利手, which is not disparaging in any way but also a lot less common.


The book is correct and your teacher is correct with their other suggested meaning.
KEY defines 着呢 as:

1 {colloquial} quite (intensifying particle following an adjective, e.g., yuǎnzhene 遠著呢/远着呢)
2 (following an action verb, stresses the action is ongoing [and unfinished]) ‖ (pronounced "zhine" in Beijing colloquial)

So if you see 着呢 after an adjective it probably means “very,” or “quite.” But, if you see it after a verb it’s most likely telling you that something is still ongoing.


What does the 月 (moon/month) in the Taiwanese MRT platform's 月台 refer to?

None of the references is very authoritative, but all of the search results agree with each other, that 月台 for 'railway platform' is an extended meaning from its original meaning 'moon-watching balcony' which refers to a platform that protrudes from a building.

月台 （建筑样式） 编辑 讨论
在古时建筑上，正房、正殿突出连着前阶的平台叫“月台”，月台是该建筑物的基础，也是它的组成部分。由于此类平台宽敞而通透，一般前无遮拦，故是看月亮的好地方，也就成了赏月之台。而现代的月台通常指进入火车站后方便旅客上火车的一段与火车车门踏步平行的平台。

https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%9C%88%E5%8F%B0/871716

https://www.guokr.com/question/543681/

https://www.rrb.gov.tw/07211.aspx?id=652

https://www.zhihu.com/question/29310884


(1) A排除对B的需求 - A eliminates the need for B

(2) A消除对B的需要 - ditto

Don't forget to use 对 as 'preposition'.


How to pronounce 學 "shwehh", "shoo-ehh", or "xüüehh"?

I must say that the differences are not negligible to Chinese people, because they won't have a "sh" followed by "w", and that's not the same problem as "where ya goin".
To your first problem, I think it's because you're still not skilled enough to pronounce "x" (because this consonant is absent in English, French, and many European languages, and people often use "sh" to replace it). If you really feel hard to go this way, choose "sy" or "xi" instead of "sh", like "sy-ü-ehh", and slowly progress towards the correct "xue" (note that in Pinyin orthography, the umlaut is omitted).
EDIT: I answered this question based almost on instinct at that time. I'll explain more about it now.
Modern Mandarin pronunciation was finally set during early 1910s with one last big change: the "merge" of jianyin (lit. "sharp consonant") and tuanyin (lit. "round consonant"). Since then, consonant /z/, /c/ and /s/ cannot be followed by /i/ or /ü/, only their counterpart /j/, /q/ and /x/ can (e.g. /sing/ and /xing/ were different before this change, but then they merged into /xing/. Note that this merge does not apply to some topolects). Therefore, it is much easier for learners to imitate /xi/ or /xü/ from /sy/ or /sü/ instead of /shy/ and /shü/. You just need to lift the middle of your tongue to the upper gum from /s/ to pronounce it.


The usage of 醒来 vs. 睡醒, and a little bit about 睡觉。

醒: wake

醒来: wake up

睡醒: wake from sleep

睡觉: (go) sleep

I am a native Chinese speaker, IMO 我想在你的身边睡醒 and 我想在你的身边醒来 or 我想在你身边醒来 (no的) sound equally fine.  我想在你的身边醒来 is slightly more spoken expression, while 我想在你的身边睡醒 is slightly more written.

睡醒 and 睡觉 do have opposite meanings, but a better antonym for 睡醒 is 睡着，which means "fall asleep".

睡了 and 睡觉了 both sound Ok to me to express "go to sleep".

in 睡觉, 睡 is actually the verb "sleep" while 觉 is the noun "sleep". I think 睡觉 become mainstream just because nowadays the chinese spoken language like to use phrases with two phonemes.


怼 is fairly new internet slang.
MDBG defines it as:

怼
duǐ
(Internet slang) to attack verbally / to publicly criticize / to call out

notice: it is read in the third tone here and basically means to lay into.
With the rise of popularity of 怼, many new words came out and have started popping up everywhere.
Not to get off topic too much, but another common new word is 怒怼.
MDBG:

怒怼
nùduǐ
(Internet slang) to chastise / to angrily denounce

This hopefully gives a better overall view of what 怼 actually means.
Another new word, that would answer your question more clearly, that has come out is 回怼:
MDBG

回怼
huíduǐ
to retaliate verbally / to hit back (at critics)

So back to your question:

怎么怼回去?

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has been attacked and now they’re asking how to retaliate or how to hit back at their attackers.


This is a seal on a porcelain piece. I am not sure if it is from China or Japan. Can anyone tell me what it says? (Characters identified: 大明嘉靖年製)

From right to left, up to down:

大明嘉靖年製
Made during the Jiajing era of Great Ming

大明 is the official name of the Ming dynasty. 嘉靖年 refers to the Jiajing era (1521–67). 製 is a verb meaning 'to make', here it is passive. So assuming this not being a counterfeit, it is from China.

An old character for 明 is 朙 (seen here), which is frequently adopted in seal scripts.


When and why did Cambridge go from being 康桥 and become 剑桥?

英国的康桥，如今大部份人都称之为剑桥，这个译法很特别，但是居然
还是被人们接受了。一般来讲，中国人翻译外国的地名大多采用音译，
如“翡冷翠”、“枫丹白露”，都是其中的上乘之作；也有不多的一些
外国地名是采用字面的义译，如“牛津”、“地中海”，可算别具一格，
但鲜有音译和义译混合的。“剑桥”是少见的一例，剑桥的“剑”乃是
“Cam”的音译，“桥”是“Bridge”的义译。由此可以推断，
当初作如此翻译的人士，出身大概总归是在闽粤两地，那里的方言仍然
保留着古汉语的入声，因此才会想到把“Cam”译作“剑”。
《两处康桥的回忆》，维一《域外怀旧录》

Weiyi, the author of this essay thinks, the translator who had translated "Cambridge" as "剑桥" comes from Fujian or Guangdong because the people in these two areas say "cam" as "剑", it's their accent. Obviously, the people who speak Mandarin Chinese won't think "cam" is similar to "剑", maybe a bit like "卡姆", but "卡姆桥" sounds "ugly" and too ordinary.
In Chinese-Western languages translation, this situation is very very common, because many reasons. For example, Florence went from being "翡冷翠" and became "佛罗伦萨" because "翡冷翠" is from "Firenze", "Florence" in Italian, and "佛罗伦萨" is from English. Germany(Deutschland) went from being "独国" and became "德国" because "独" isn't a common "译名用字": Chinese think some special Chinese Characters are commonly use in foreign proper nouns, such as "尔", "斯", "格", "德", etc. If you can use these to translate names of people or places or other words from Western countries, choose them.


Please correct my chinese "Today is my day"

今天是我的日子 is not something a Chinese person would say, because it is a direct translation of an English colloquial phrase.

If you want to express your happiness on this day, you can say:

光棍节真是为我设计的 (Single's Day was created for me).

光棍节了真开心， 都来祝贺我啊~ (I am so happy that it is Single's Day. Everyone congratulate me).

These are informal ways of talking, which may have better results if you want to make a joke :)


The particle 的 ties two nouns closely. For instance, 電影的情節 (the plot of the film) emphasizes the plot of a film but that 電影情節 is about the plot and the film which is loosely connected and the meaning of each noun is stressed.


在一篇台湾小说里的句子“当下、梦和回忆”中，“当下”指的是什么？

The clue is "三样东西" (three things)
当下, 梦 and 回忆 are the three things in question. 当下 is a noun for "the present". 梦 (dream) and 回忆 (memory) are the other two.

当下、梦、回忆是这么容易分辨的三样东西吗 -- Are the present (reality), dream and memory the three things that can be easily distinguished?

除了当下、梦和回忆，现在又多了一个让我混乱的项目：故事

故事 (story) is the latest item that is hard to distinguish from the other three

Now he cannot distinguish the difference between reality, dream, memory, and story. His mind is confused
Normally we would use 现实 instead of 当下 for 'reality'. I guess the author just want to add some literary flair to his writing


I dont know answer the question, could anybody help me?

This means you need to set a security question to protect your QQ account. QQ is a social media and it's easy to be hacked, set a security question can help you find your account back.


快 vs 快点, what's the point of "点" in this case?

点 (or 点儿 in Northern-speak) is short for 一点 (一点儿) / "one bit", so 快(一)点(儿) means "quick by a bit" = a bit more quickly (than the speed at the point of speaking).

I love the pun in your "What's the point of 点..."; one of the definitions of 点 is "point / dot" (as in decimal point; 5.3 = 五点三).


How can I say someone is doing their work in a half-assed manner?

敷衍 as an adjective or adverb can be used to describe a perfunctory attitude; consider the phrase 敷衍了事 (lit. to skimp through so as to finish something), or the idiom 敷衍塞責. Synonyms include 馬虎 and 草率, which are slightly more colloquial. As in, for example, 做事馬虎, 辦事草率. Or even 馬馬虎虎, but seldom 草草率率, nor 敷敷衍衍. 搪塞 also works, but only as a verb. If you want to comment on the lack of quality of someone's work as a result of their attitude, you may want to use these.

全力以赴, 盡力而為, 出盡全力, 用盡全力 and the like all describe the opposite; you may accuse (or rather, encourage) someone for not making their utmost effort by negation, such as adding 沒有 before these phrases. Or even 付出100%的努力 (lit. to pay 100% of one's effort, as stated in your question) is perfectly understandable.


What is the grammar of : 除非，你堅持躲在潮濕的甲殼裡更快樂。

First off, this is not well written Chinese since it could lead to different interpretations.
One:

除非，你堅持(認為)躲在潮濕的甲殼裡更快樂。
Unless, you insist that hiding in a moist carapace is happier.

Two:

除非，你堅持躲在潮濕的甲殼裡更（讓你）快樂。
Unless, keeping your self hidden in a moist carapace (makes) you happier.

Although the essential meaning is similar. There are different interpretations because 堅持 used in the sentence is not clear enough.
堅持 could have two different meanings in the sentence:

persist in: Basically, it means keep doing something persistently.

insist (that.../on):
In this case, it's actually means 堅持（認為）、堅持（覺得）、堅持（要）and the words in the brackets can be omitted if there is no ambiguity.

With appropriate pauses in speaking, this ambiguity can be avoid. In written, normally, such ambiguity is avoided by proper punctuation. However in this case, additional words might be necessary to avoid misinterpretation.


When did 像 become the 'proper' form for "to be like"/"to resemble"?

From 1986/10.

“像”字有这么多含义，但在《现代汉语词典》中只有第一个“画像、雕像”的意思，这是因为《现代汉语词典》是在1964—1968年期间出版的。 1964年，经中国国务院批准，公布了《简化汉字总表》。在这个总表中，“像”是作为“象”的繁体字出现的，但注明“象和像意义可能混淆时，仍用‘像’ 字”。所以在此之后出版的词典仍保留了“像”字，但是只有第一个含义，也就是说，只有在涉及到“人像、画像、塑像”等情况时，才用“像”，其余都用 “象”。
所以后来经专家学者研究讨论，在1986年重新公布《简化汉字总表》时，对个别字作了调整，其中就包括恢复“象、像”的原状，“象”不再作“像”的简化字。

According to the 《简化汉字总表》 published in 1964, 像 is treated as the traditional character of 象, only used for the meaning of appearance;looks;statue;picture. For other cases 象 should be used.
From 1986 it's repealed, 像 was not treated as the traditional character of 象 again, and regained its meaning of "resemble;be like;take after;similar;alike".
Even it has benn corrected but the confusion still continues. That might be why the book in 1987 still used 象.
像和象的用法有什么区别
像和象的区别


Depends how you look at it but you could equate them to the following English:

電視上 = on the tv
電視裡 = in the (tv) show

In the second one I'm inclined to treat 電視 as a noun meaning "TV show," whereas in the first one it's more likely to just be "TV" on its own.


What are the most accurate Chinese to English translation APIs?

As a native speaker and a programmer myself, I have not found any good translation engine that does a good job in English/Chinese translation. It sucks because most of the engines are more or less doing literal translation, while for Chinese, understanding the context is the important part of how to translate a sentence. Something needs AI to achieve that.


Monosyllabic colors names (e.g. 红, 蓝) as predicates with and without 色

1， “Adj 不 Adj?” is just a short form for "是不是 Adj 的?"
For example, I drink a lot of wine and want to know if my face turns red, so I ask my friend.
Q: "我的脸红不红？"
A: "你的脸很红。"

2， "adj 吗" is an even shorter form.
Q: "我的脸红吗？" A：“你的脸很红。”

3， 红 can also be a verb but that means "turns red", there must be a transition.
Q: "我的脸红没红？"
A: "你的脸红了。"
Ref:
zdict 紅〈动〉(1)


What is the difference between 打算 (dǎ suàn) and 计划 (jì huà)

打算 means 'intend to'(v) ; 'intention'(n) .

Edit:

'打算' can mean 'to plan' (e.g. 为将来打算) or 'intend to' (e.g. 打算将来去英国) in English

A '打算' can be an 'intention' or a 'plan'

  计划 means 'to plan' (v) ; 'plan' (n).

When you 计划 (plan) something, you are formulating a workable plan with at least some form of mental calculations, and the objective should be a specific one. For example, 政府計劃[十年內逐步削減赤字, 達到收支平衡]. Which is a very specific objective

A '计划' is a 'plan'


How does 你的健康都难得到保证，就更别说幸福了 work?

"难得到" is short for "难以得到" (hard to get). It is not a standard phrase

(連)*你的健康都难得到保证，(就)*更别说幸福了

There is a common grammar structure here:

[連 (X) 都 (+ statement) , 更别说 (Y)了]
[even (X) (+ statement) , let alone/ not to mention (Y)]
[even (your health) (cannot be guaranteed/ ensured), let alone/ not to mention (your happiness)]
If your health cannot be guaranteed/ ensured , then it is even less likely that your happiness can be guaranteed

連 is omitted in your sentence
就 can be omitted in your sentence
More example of [連 (X) 都 (+ statement) , 更别说 (Y)了] structure:

連(我)都打不過他, 更别说(你)了
even (I) can't defeat him, let alone (you)
If I can't defeat him, it is even less likely that you can defeat him


Quote Investigator http://quoteinvestigator.com/2015/12/18/live/ may be helpful here in terms of background. It could not find an earlier citation than a "March 1936 newspaper report in “The Yorkshire Post”:

Sir Austen Chamberlain....said: “It is not so long ago that a member of the Diplomatic Body in London, who had spent some years of his service in China, told me that there was a Chinese curse which took the form of saying, ‘May you live in interesting times.’ There is no doubt that the curse has fallen on us. We move from one crisis to another. We suffer one disturbance and shock after another.


In all your examples, it is more productive to think of 法 as having the pronunciation of fǎ and that alone. But your examples illustrated 2 systematic situations where tones are customarily shifted:
Situation 1

when followed by a character with the third tone, third tone is shifted to second tone

In 法子, outside of colloquial use or regional dialect, 子 has the third tone. Thus 法 which usually has the third tone now has second tone. In actuality, you are welcome to pronounce both in third tone. But I suspect it will sound like second + third nevertheless.
Situation 2

In dialects

法儿 is a dialectic idiom for "method". This Baidu page on Beijing dialect contains the word. To someone not from the area, 法儿 is still a legible word but the dialectic pronunciation is not known. Hence, the word may be used but pronunciation is the standard fǎ. The interesting thing is that standard Mandarin is supposed to have modeled after Beijing dialect. At least pronunciation should have. But that's clearly not being the case.
法子 (with 子 pronounced as the shortened neutral tone) is also a colloquial idiom for "method". I would not be surprised if it is pronounced differently in different regions. I can see both second and third tone being used. (It can potentially mean a person in ~Warring Era due to 子. In that case it would not have this pronunciation of 子.)
Situation 3

When 1st tone is at the end of a word, in certain cases, it is shortened.

That's story of another day.

most Taiwanese people use “Fà” even in modern times. Is this correct?

Not sure about most. But I have heard it as Fà many times and have not heard otherwise from Taiwanese.

The people who study phonetics do have particular theories on why and when tones shift. They have more to do with way sounds are made -- not mechanically second -> third. Phonetic studies in Chinese start way way way back as well, without which we would not know how to pronounce classical Chinese and classical poetry. But at this moment in history, tones are much simplified in Chinese. This double third tone -> second + third scenario is one of the few 'rules' that are still prevalent.


I like your use of 飛揚 here. While it is comical or cultural to use an otherwise unrelated word to signify an elision – e.g., consider 醬子 in place of 這樣子 in Taiwanese Mandarin internet slang – if you are looking for an answer of more academic rigour, IPA should be used, not Chinese characters or pinyin. (Because after elision, what you spell may not always be orthographic.)

In Taiwanese Mandarin, Chung (2006:77) notices function words (虛詞) tend to get deemphasised via elision. 非常 is an intensifier (somewhat functional), so the following elision can be observed:
非常 fēi cháng /feɪ˥˥ ʈʂʰɑŋ˧˥/ → [feɪ˥˥ ɑŋ˧˥] or [feɪ˥˥ hɑŋ˧˥]
Notice how usually the initial of the second syllable tends to get dropped in quick speech.
Your including a voiced palatal approximant [j] between the two syllables (i.e., [feɪ˥˥ jɑŋ˧˥], which just so happens to be the pronunciation of 飛揚 fēiyáng) is permissible, perhaps serving as a 'glide' between ɪ and ɑ.

The following is an example where there are no Chinese characters or pinyin that can properly describe the elision of 今天:
今天 jīn tiān /tɕɪn˥˥ tʰjɛn˥˥/ → [tɕɪ‿ɛn˥˥]
While there is 雞 jī /tɕi˥˥/, when pronouncing i in the pinyin ji, your mouth is more closed and your tongue is more front than when pronouncing i in jin. This subtlety can only be reflected using IPA. Whereas obviously there is no /ɛn/ as a syllable in Mandarin.

References
Chung, Karen Steffen. "Contraction and Backgrounding in Taiwan Mandarin." Concentric: Studies in Linguistics, vol. 32.1, 2006, pp. 69-88.


It is dialect:

  　　水最大的特点是没有根基，喜流动。好个重庆城，山高地不平。水就更容易流动。天上一下雨，地上流成河。雨过天晴，刚才还流得像河一样的雨水，便不见了踪影。那雨水流到长江嘉陵江中，也不会停止脚步，继续流动，浩浩荡荡，汹涌澎湃，汇于朝天门外，奔向朝阳升起的东方。在重庆方言中，“水”的这种特性得到引申，得到凸现。

  　　“水”就是说话不算数，就是办事不牢靠。这事“水”了，就是说这事没有办好。


Why does 定 (dìng) disable the monsters' movement in the movie 捉妖记 (Monster Hunt)?

I know the magic "定身法"(the body-immobilization magic) from the very famous TV show 《西游记》, in which the protagonist "孙悟空" uses it to immobilize monsters. The magic spell he uses is a single character "定". It went viral since then. Kids would joke around about it.

Nowadays, almost every native speaker knows this magic, given that 《西游记》 is such a popular TV show as well as its book.


Chinese Translation With Sentences Including 像。。。一样，各种各样，。。。以上

I don't see any problem for the first four translations, but for the last one, you used 會 to translate 'can', which is problematic: while English does not make the distinction between ability and permission when using 'can', Chinese does.

When you say 會, as in 我會游泳 (I can swim), you are indicating ability (I am able to swim).

When you say 可/可以, as in 你可以在這裡游泳 (You can swim here), you are indicating permission (You are permitted to swim here). The fifth sentence is such a case. Being over 18 years old is a prerequisite in obtaining the permission to work here. So better say 十八歲以上的人可（以）為我們工作. Using 會 for ability does not make sense.


Sources: this short article, another blog post, and iChaCha.

Sapphic stanza = 萨福诗律 or 莎孚诗选
Alcaic = 阿尔凯
glyconic = 格莱坎诗体
asclepiad = 阿斯克莱皮亚底斯(诗体) [in most online dictionaries it simply gets described] or 阿斯克里皮亚底斯(诗体) [according to Wikipedia's article on the eponymous originator]

The Roman and Greek classics are of course very rarely studied in the Sinosphere (Japan's (Western) Classics probably being the most advanced). But there are some initiatives.


Requesting something to be done for me in cantonese

First you say "would you please", which is "唔該"(please/ excuse me- more colloquial) or "請你" (would you please- more literary); you can even say "唔該" and "請你" together and say "唔該請你" (excuse me, would you please)
then you say "help me/ for me", which is "幫我" or "同我"
then you state your request.

For example: "打開度門" (open the door)

The whole sentence would be:

"唔該幫我打開度門" or  "請你同我打開度門"

You can substitute "打開度門" with any request

To be extra polite you can replace "請你" with "麻煩你/ 勞煩你" (trouble yourself)

If it was a command, you can just state your request directly. e,g. "打開度門!" or simply "開門!"

Cantonese use final particle much more often than Mandarin. The most native way to say it, is "唔該幫我打開度門吖" -- using final particle '吖' to soften the tone and make it sound less demanding


Is there an Android app that pressing on words translates them?

I found the Pleco app manages to do this task using the (free) option Screen Reader:

For example, browsing online in a website:

If we press on the button
, the app recognizes the characters and pressing on any character gives the pinyin and the translation:

You can even listen to the selected character or the whole text with the corresponding buttons: .
From my testings, this function works fine in Whatsapp, Instagram and Facebook chat. But it does not work in Wechat or Facebook posts.


我认为，我觉得，依我看，在我看来，依我之见，etc.
In your condition both are okay. But in daily life I would say 我觉得 since it's more common and informal.
窃以为 is an ancient-feel formal word for that , so is 恕我愚见.


English name translation of “Jerron” into chinese

Foreign names are customarily not translated but transliterated into Chinese.
It is extremely rare to use a straight translation even when the foreign name is a common noun.
We do not translate the name 'Mr. Stone' to '石先生'. The name 'Stone' is transliterated to '斯通' /sī tōng/
We do not translate the name 'Mr. White' to '白先生', The name 'White' is transliterated to '怀特' /huái tè/
One thing about transliteration is there are many homophones in Chinese, not to mention each of them also has dozens of similar-sounding characters. Therefore the same English name can be transliterated in many different ways using different characters.
For example, Nixon is currently transliterated to 尼克松 /níkèsōng/ or 尼克森/ níkè sēn/ in Chinese, but some transliterated it to 尼克虫 /níkè chóng/ before he visited China and improved the relationship between China and The United States -- ( 松 = pine; 森 = forest; 虫 = worm)

Google Translate result for 'Jerron' is '杰伦' /jié lún/ and it is acceptable.

杰伦 can easily be a real Chinese first name

Note: It is also a common practice for foreigners not using a transliteration of their own names, but pick a meaningful real Chinese name for themselves instead.


费解 = have difficulty understanding (You can't think of any reason for that to happen)
令人费解 (make people have difficulty understanding) = incomprehensible
Example:

Your friendly dog suddenly attacks you is an incomprehensible event (you cannot think of any reason for that to happen)

Ignoring more guns lead to more gun violence  is an incomprehensible act (you cannot think of any reason for anyone to think like that)

难懂 = difficult to understand (something is too complex or confusing to be understood)
Example:

The Mandarin he speaks is difficult to understand because of his heavy Cantonese accent (you get confused)

Calculation of rocket trajectory to the moon is difficult to understand (too complex for a layman)

1.这句话让我很费解。 这句话让我很难懂。

这句话很让人费解。 这句话很难懂。

Better use 让人费解 (make everyone have  difficulty understanding) instead of 让我费解 (make only I have difficulty understanding) to express 'incomprehensible'

2.这真令人费解。 这真令人难懂。

这真令人费解。 这真难懂。

3.他的一番莫名其妙的话让我费解。 他的一番莫名其妙的话让我难懂。

他的一番莫名其妙的话让人费解。 他的一番莫名其妙的话十分难懂。

4.这本书比较难懂。 这本书比较费解。

这本书比较难懂(O)。 这本书比较费解 (X)。

费解 (have difficulty understanding) is rarely used alone, It is always 令人费解 (make people have difficulty understanding = incomprehensible)

令我难懂/令人难懂 (make me/ people difficult to understand) is not grammatical-- 令人 is a verb, 难懂 is an adjective


It's not a good practice to put 也 and 都 together.

我们俩也都觉得你喜欢她 might be ok, but 我们俩也觉得你喜欢她 or 我们俩都觉得你喜欢她 sounds more natural.

我们俩也觉得你喜欢她 and 我们俩都觉得你喜欢她 have slightly different meanings. 我们俩也觉得你喜欢她 implies that there are someone else already thinking you like her and we also think so. 我们俩都觉得你喜欢她 just means both of us think you like her.


lost in translation lah :(

according to wiki: the main actress is a fairy in charge of begonia (掌管海棠花)

the main actor, he change into "鯤" a legendary big marine creature, its body is more than several thousand chinese miles long (鯤之大・不知其幾千里也).

"big fish" is a good enough name for such marine creature.

anyway, it's an anime for children, need to have a simple, easy to comprehend name, for both the local & foreign kids.

have fun :)


Is there a word for Chinese songs that rhyme like Jay Chou's 迷迭香 and JJ Lin's 伟大的渺小?

We call it 单押 in Chinese，which means that sentences have the same or similar vowels between sentences. The end of each sentence has the same vowel. It's a type of rhyme scheme，not a type of music though. You can find it in many types of music.
Here's some other examples:

东风破 (by Jay Chou),
一路向北 (by Jay Chou),
禅舞不二 (by Wilber Pan).


Essentially, your question concerns the positioning of the auxiliary verb 來[来] in a sentence. There are two meanings of 來:

To indicate an observed movement caused by the main verb (帶[带]) towards the speaker

To indicate the start (or in a more abstract sense, consequence) of the action caused by the main verb

It is good practice to place it immediately next to the main verb of the sentence, especially if it only consists of one character. You may also treat 帶來 as a compound verb.
I am in no position to say that the second sentence is ungrammatical, perhaps just a bit too colloquial. Because there are indeed situations where the 來 can be placed after the object (i.e. 很多衣服 in your sentence). In fact, your second sentence even sounds perfectly fine to my Cantonese ear. Here are three grammatical examples in written Chinese where the 來 is placed after the object:

The famous nursery rhyme 掀起了你的蓋頭來 [掀起了你的盖头来] (lift your veil [lit. head cover])
A primary school text titled 讀出許多東西來 [读出许多东西来] (inferring [lit. read out] a lot of things)
Or this biblical excerpt: 「就像一個家主從他庫裡拿出新舊的東西來。」 [就像一个家主从他库里拿出新旧的东西来] (“Like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” Matthew 13:52)

Note that the main verb of these three examples are already compound in nature: 掀起 (lift up), 讀[读]出 (read out/infer), and 拿出 (bring out). It may then be permissible to put the auxiliary verb 來 after the object, perhaps for the sake of readability.


Does the usage of the word "proud" (骄傲, 自豪, or 而荣) in Chinese differ from that in English?

Not really.  If you check the meaning of 傲 and all the associate proverb, it is not rare. Indeed, the more normal translation of "proud of someone" is 引以为傲, 以某某为敖。

And many other associated word for proud you will rarely encounter in daily life usage , e.g.

傲骨 ， 傲气

Some is neutral

傲岸 haughty
傲视 despise

傲 also used negatively in following case

傲慢 arrogant


What is the translation of "attached to X"?

My best guess would be: 迷恋 (mí liàn). There are some other ways to translate attachment (as an emotional affection, not a physical one), but in many cases this attachment is related to a person, not objects, and those translations would be inadequate.

他十分迷恋财富与货币.

Probably not a perfect translation, I hope others will improve it.


Here's an alternative point of view.

谦恭 is an okay Chinese name, albeit "uncommon."

If you check out this article on zhummzyking的博客 it talks about 谦 as a surname.
Under part two origins the article explains:

二.姓氏渊源：
第一个渊源：源于礼法，出自春秋时期君子之道，属于以儒家礼法为氏。
谦，是春秋时期儒家学派所提倡的礼法，提倡恭谦退让为尚，有心谦和面谦之分，儒家强调以君子之风，面对同等地位之人，应在内心上恭顺谨慎、文良逊让，以显尊敬，其在史籍《史记·乐书》中就有记载：“君子以谦退为礼。”当然，如若社会地位不对等者，儒家就不讲求什么“谦”了。
春秋后期，有一些人以君子自诩，遂改以礼法为姓氏，即称谦氏，后有不少人改回原姓氏，但仍有坚持为谦氏者，世代相传至今，其姓源繁复，不可一论。

Then it talks about a fairly well known monk by the name of:

谦开善.

The page also mentions a second origin but I won't paste that here.

谦 is not a common surname, but it is indeed a last name.

How about 恭 then?
This is where the China Biographical Database (CBDB) comes in handy.
A search for names with 恭 in them provides many names, alternative names and courtesy names.
Names like:

陳彥恭

程嗣恭

孫恭

Multiple people have the posthumous name:

文恭

including 王珪 and 王綯.
If you go through CBDB's name list the number of 恭's is immense.

恭 is a legit name.

You might see some complaints about your name, but Chinese names are diverse and varied and after all you have evidence to back you up.


Not clear what or who the subject of these sentences is

有些人[你]不必理会. 你 is dropped as the context is clear. If you read the sentence again, it starts with:

  当你长大，你慢慢学会几件事情；有些人不必理会...

Chinese is a pro-drop language, you will encounter this quite often. 理会 here does not mean understand, but to bother or care about. So, it is saying, there are some people that you don't need to care about.

  有些人永远成不了你的敌人，[你]不必抬举他，这种人太看得起自己了，以为拼命攻击你伤害你，就能够被你所恨。

Some people will never become your enemy; there is no need to flatter them. This kind of person thinks too highly of himself and assumes that by attacking and harming you relentlessly, he will be hated by you.

There is no double meaning here for 敌人. It is just a philosophical statement advising you not to bear grudge against an unworthy opponent.


What does 我三谁了 mean in 我也不知道，我刷四绝朋友告诉我有人刷喇叭骂我小三，我不知道我怎么就小三了，我三谁了?

This sentence is not grammatically correct, and will not be understood without context. However, with the full context, I think most natives would be able to understand it.
Here it means "to whom I became a mistress?"


Analog of Hong Kong grade level for Chinese characters?

Of course we have, you can see it on baidu.com.

But because in China many provinces now have the right to have their own teaching syllabus, they may have different categorization of characters. But all the characters must come from the most common used 2500 characters. Then spread to the  other characters.


Characters with only horizontal 横 strokes

亖 there is, also, this alternative character for 四.

 is an alternative form of 上.

 is an alternative form of 下.

 is an alternative form of 二 (and also apparently the Japanese Ditto mark).


射 was originally written 䠶, that is a body and an arrow, giving the meaning shooting. But 身 is here a phonetic component, which just happens to also have a symbolic sense. 寸 is just how the original 矢 has been distorted in writing.

短 is actually an arrow 矢 shot into a 豆, which is not a bean but some sort of vessel. Why it means short is unknown, but we can note that another word for short, 矮, also contains 矢.


Is there an online program that can type pinyin for traditional Chinese?

I use Sogou input, there's a preference setting for it. And I believe many Chinese input have it too.


How do I say "they discount so much I can't help but buy" using 打折? Also how do you say "unlike" in Mandarin?

"They discount so much I can't help but buy!"

Direct translation : “他们打了那么多折，我不买不行呀！”

But for the part "I can't help but buy!" can translate into many option, i just pick out one that i think is the suitable ones.

small info : the discount compare to china is a different phrase. If is 25% discount in mandarin we would say 七五折, which is 75% of the original price.

For Unlike, 不像 i think is acceptable.


What is the difference between 电视 and 电视上?

Well, as a native speaker, I would say there is no rigid rule for the usage under consideration. Both sentences precisely express what you would like to express.

So yes, they are identical in meaning.


要 goes for 将要 or 需要, which indicates will or need.

Normally, 将要 + verb and 需要 + noun.

For distinction, the sentence 我要去北京 goes like this:

我(将)要去北京(了), which indicates 去北京 an action
我(需)要去北京(一趟), which indicates 去北京 an adj and 去北京一趟 a noun

If the tone or the circumstances indicate "I need to go to Beijing (to)", that is only half of the sentence in Chinese, I will ask "to do what". While if it is "I will go to Beijing", the question I will ask is "When". But it is ambiguous indeed without explanation.

Anyway, to be honest, if someone literally says 我要去北京
The point is 北京, not 要, as all roads lead to Rome.


水平 VS 程度 in the context of language proficiency

I think there are differences regarding the terminology usage from different regions.

To me, 我的中文水平不夠 sounds more natural. I guess 我中文程度不够 could be more natural to folks from Taiwan. If you add a modifier for 程度: 我中文理解程度不够, then it would be more natural to me。

水平 means 'level' and it's typically measured by 高（high） and 低（low）. For example, you could say 我中文水平不高, 我中文水平比较低.

程度 means 'extent', it's typically measured by 深（deep） and 浅(shallow) . For example, 我对中文理解程度不深, 我对中文理解的很浅.

There are also some other alternatives to express 我中文水准不够: 我中文水平不行， 我中文不行，我中文水准不行， 我中文水准不够, 我中文不够水准.


Does Chinese distinguish between (western) pole dancing and Chinese pole dancing? If so, how?

What's the Chinese for the dance or acrobatics described in the English edition Wikipedia article "Chinese pole"?

杂技马戏。Circus & Juggling

According to pics from Wikiwand page for "Chinese pole", the person who performs the act is clearly not dancing but performing climb, slide down.

Check Wikiwand page if you wonder. You can tell them from the pics.


Windows 8 Chinese Input: Trackpad and Stylus

Mainly two ways for you to input Chinese:

1) Use a Free PinYin inputter such as Sogou:http://pinyin.sogou.com/

2) After installing, you can do writing with TouchPad on your notepad：


The Japanese term 勤續 means "duty"

結婚勤續二十周年紀念 literally means "20th Anniversary of marry duty

It is better to translate it as  "20th Anniversary of Diligent Marriage"


How to say "this" in "This is my third time in Taiwan"?

You should say something like:

  這是我第三次到臺灣來

  This is my third time coming to Taiwan

You do not say「這個」, because the measure word (in this situation) for travelling/trips is「次」(which you've already said) and not「個」.


What is the difference between 目前 and 現在?

The pair of words "目前" and "現在" draws parallel to "for the time being" and "now" in English. In many circumstances you can use them interchangeably, but in some cases, "目前" has an additional implication that that the current conditions are subject to change shortly. If you want to use a stronger word than "目前" to stress that the situation is volatile, use "暫時" ("provisionally") instead.


In what contexts would someone say 她说话很刻 (tā shuōhuà hěn kè) ("she's got a sharp tongue")?

To be honest, 她说话很刻 is hard to understand; I think 她说话很刻薄 would be more natural. Basically it means saying something unkind/acerb/acrid etc.

Here's an explanation about 刻薄.

◎ 刻薄 kèbó
(1) [cutting;harsh;caustic;mean;acrimony]∶待人处事挑剔、无情
那个人为人奸狡诡谲,残忍刻薄
刻薄话


Any english equivalent for "前輩" or "晚輩"?

I believe there is no English equivalent, but there are some equivalents that I know of.

Senior/Junior

older/younger in age or higher/lower in rank.

Examples:

  Bob is the senior developer in our team.

Bob 是我們團隊裡最資深的程序員。

  James is 5 years my junior.

James 比我小五歲。

  Being a senior, I shall take the duty.

作為最資深的人，我應該要拿下這份職務。

Predecessor

person who has a job/position prior to another.

Examples:

  Larry, the new coach of Mickey (I made this up), is way more experienced than his predecessors.

米奇隊的新教練Larry比他的前輩（之前的教練）有經驗多了。

Note the subtle difference between predecessor and senior – predecessor has to be someone that pre-existed in the setting, whereas senior is someone that co-exists in the setting.


Why is it suggested to "范畴论" translated with "general nonsense"?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abstract_nonsense

  In mathematics, abstract nonsense, general abstract nonsense, and general nonsense are terms used by mathematicians to describe abstract methods related to category theory and homological algebra. More generally, “abstract nonsense” may refer to a proof that relies on category-theoretic methods, or even to the study of category theory itself.


About an extra sentence in a Min song in a CD

The meaning of the last sentence is:

如果沒有線，要如何補被單？
How do I mend the sheets if there is no thread?

If we put it in Min Nan, the sentence is 若無線，怎樣補被單.

In this case, we can use 添 instead of 補 in 閩南語.

So, it becomes 若無線，怎樣添被單.

nā bô suànn, tsuánn iūnn thinn phuē tuann?


"Whatever you can do today, don't postpone it to tomorrow"

This common Chinese saying may had the same origin as the quote in the question:

"今天的事今天做"
"Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today."
This phrase is so common, it is in grade school textbooks
variant: 今日事今日做

The idiom 坐言起行 express a similar sentiment in a stronger sense.

"坐言起行"
Once decided, act immediately; When plan is formulated, implement it without delay

There's also a common Chinese expression expressing the similar sentiment

"有花堪折直須折, (莫待無花空折枝)"
"Pick the flower when it is time , (don't wait til there's no flower but stem left to be picked.)"

Original poem:

金縷衣(七言樂府詩)
勸君莫惜金縷衣，勸君惜取少年時。
花開堪折直須折，莫待無花空折枝。
作者: 杜秋娘
Gold Linen Jacket (seven words Yuefu poem)
"You should not cherish gold linen jacket, you should cherish youthful days."
"Pick flower when it blooms, don't wait til there's no flower but stem left to be picked."
Author: Du Qiuniang

Side note :
A completely opposite sentiment expressed in another poem is also very famous.
"今朝有酒今朝醉，(明日愁來明日憂)"
"Drink when you have wine today, (worry about tomorrow's problems when tomorrow comes)"
Original poem:

唐·罗隐
得即高歌失即休，多愁多恨亦悠悠。
今朝有酒今朝醉，明日愁来明日愁。


What are the characters in this seal? (Characters identified: 白云長滿目)

The characters are 白云長滿目, which roughly translates to

The vast expanse of white clouds, filling one's sight,

coming from the poem 《送廬山人歸林慮山》 by the Táng Dynasty poet Huángfǔ Rǎn.
「云」 is particularly difficult to identify, and is worthy of some additional explanation.

商甲乙12合集21021商甲前6.43.4合集17072春秋金姑發劍集成11718戰國・楚簡緇衣・35郭店楚簡說文古文雲部說文解字楷
「云」 (Baxter-Sagart OC: /*[ɢ]ʷə[r]/, clouds) is comprised of semantic 「」 (up/above, now written 「上」) and phonetic
商甲京津4726合集21324
(/*[ɢ](r)ə[r]ʔ/). This character is 「旬」 before the addition of a 「日」 component.
Occasionally, the 「」 part of 「云」 may be partially or fully omitted, and the remainder may be rotated or distorted in some way. This forms the inspiration behind
說文古文雲部說文解字
which is the shape in the seal.

References:

季旭昇《說文新證》
小學堂字形演變
國學大師

郭沫若《甲骨文合集》
中國社會科學院考古研究所《殷周金文集成》

宋・徐鉉等奉敕校定　漢・許慎《說文解字》


Your understanding is correct.

1. 他没有我高。-> he <  me
2. 他不比我高。-> he <= me

Comparing with the 1st one, the 2nd one is usually used for the situation to explain sb/sth is not bad relatively. Such as:

他不比我高。
-> I'm as tall as him at least, he's not taller than me, connote that I'm not bad comparing with him.
本公司的技术水平已经不比国际上的一流水平差。
-> Our technology level is not worse than international advanced level, connote that we're at the same level at least.


開眉 implies 眉開眼笑 (happy expression)

愁眉 implies 愁眉苦臉 (sad expression)

One cup of raw rice can only make two bowls of cooked rice (飯)
One cup of raw rice can make up to eight bowls of congee (粥)
粥 is watered-down 飯
Poor families often only have enough raw rice to make congee for every member to have a full bowl of staple food
"寧吃開眉粥，不吃愁眉飯" literally means "rather eat congee with a smiling face than eat cooked rice with a frowning face". It is a metaphor for "Better  live a poor but happy life than a rich but unhappy one"
(diminish the importance of material wealth)
You can use this expression to describe a situation like someone rather take a low paying job than earning money with immoral acts
Side note:
Cantonese expression: 有粥食粥，有飯食飯 = through thick and thin


If you can use Chinese nouns as verbs, or vice versa

Many Chinese nouns can also be verbs; and many Chinese verbs can also be nouns-- but not all of them, just like in English

  Please go into more detail how you can use nouns as verbs, what the rules are generally

Typically, a word was either coined for a noun or verb first, and then its meaning extended to other word type for convenience's sake.

For example, It is possible that when people invented drill, they called it '鑽' (n); later when they needed a word to describe the action of 'to drill' , it is very convenience to add the meaning to the existing noun and make '鑽' both noun and verb.

Or it is the other way around, people called the action of 'to burrow' as '鑽'(v); when 'drill' was invented, they just use the verb '鑽' to name it, because a drill 'burrow' into things.

So, when a noun is closely associated with an unique action (verb), it would be used as a verb eventually; similarly when a verb is closely associated with an object (noun), it would be used as a noun eventually

The nouns that cannot be use as a verbs are mostly something that do not associate with a specific action, for example:  劍(sword). We cannot use 'sword someone' to describe 'to stab someone' because there are too many other objects you can use to stab someone
The verbs that cannot be use as a nouns are mostly intransitive, or something that do not associate with any particular object. For example 插(stab),  You can stab with too many objects to make 插(v) a noun for any of them

It is always "插(stab)你一劍(sword)" , never  "劍(stab?)你一插(sword?)"

The best way to make sure you can or cannot use a Chinese noun as a verb or vice versa is to check a dictionary-- Just like in English


We don't usually say 贷钱, but we do say 贷款 a lot, which is a more official way of saying 借钱. For example,

  If you borrow money from your friend, you 借钱 from your friend.

In this case it's more casual, and the amount of money is usually not too much.

  If you go to the bank for a loan, you 贷款 from the bank.

In this case it's more official, and the amount of money is usually a lot.

So in general, 借 and 贷 have very similar meaning, but can be used in different phrases for different context.


It means exchanging sth slinkingly.

狸猫换太子 is a famous legend story supposed happened in Song dynasty.

  戲曲劇目。宋代故事戲。敘述宋真宗妃劉妃因妒李妃產子趙稹，以貍貓偷換太子，誣李妃產妖，使其貶入冷宮，劉妃得以冊立為后。後又火燒冷宮，李妃在逃出後流落民間。李妃原命人將趙稹投入河中，幸經太監搭救，送往八賢王府，長成繼帝位為宋仁宗。後包拯巧遇雙目失明的李妃，得知實情，乃大力審案，終使真相大白。劉妃被打入冷宮，迎李妃入宮，故事圓滿結束。

Here's an explanation of the story on wikipedia.

  Wild Cat Exchanged for Crown Prince (狸貓換太子): Bao Zheng met a woman
  claiming to be the mother of the current Emperor Renzong. Dozens of
  years ago, she had been Consort Li, an imperial concubine of Emperor
  Zhenzong's, before falling out of favour for supposedly giving birth
  to a bloody dead wild cat. What really happened was a jealous Consort
  Liu plotting with eunuch Guo Huai (郭槐) to secretly swap Li's infant
  with a skinned wild cat minutes after birth and order palace maid Kou
  Zhu (寇珠) to kill the baby. But Kou gave the baby to chief eunuch Chen
  Lin (陳琳) who secretly brought the child to the Eighth Prince, a
  younger brother of Emperor Zhenzong. Kou was later tortured to death
  by Guo when Consort Liu began to suspect about the fate of the baby
  child. The child was raised by the Eighth Prince as his own son and
  was subsequently selected to ascend to the throne as Emperor Renzong
  after Emperor Zhenzong died without an heir. Due to the passage of
  time, getting evidence presented a challenge. With the help of a woman
  dressed as Kou's ghost, Bao dressed himself as the hell overlord Yama
  and used Guo's fear of the supernatural and guilt to extract his
  confession. When the verdict was out, the emperor was reluctant to
  accept Consort Li. Bao then admonished the emperor and ordered a set
  of beatings for him for lack of filial piety. The emperor's Dragon
  Robe was beaten instead. Emperor Renzong eventually accepted his
  mother and elevated her as the new empress dowager.


interesting question :) i answered the easier parts first:

  玄导时

the modern text should be interpreted as "玄導時代"

the era (時代) of "玄導" (a monk's dharma name 法號)

  母段, 妻扈

the surname of the mother of "楊社生" is 段. then a space, the surname of mrs "楊" is "扈".

  住僧可考的

this modern text would be

[the era name (年号), donors (施主),] monk-in-charge (住僧) which can be (可) researchable, provable (考 --> 考據, 考證)

  齐成正觉

"齊成正覺", though i can't recognise this verse from the picture, it's quite likely correct. it means

all together (齊) achieve (成 --> 成就) enlightenment (abhisaṃbudhya　正覺 is a specialised buddhism term)

ok, my recognition & best guess:

３２１
家母雍ａ
眷段州ｂ
屬　櫟ｃ
緣妻陽ｄ
此扈縣ｅ
功息游ｆ
德懷騎ｇ
齊慶將ｈ
成玄軍ｉ
正嗣守ｊ
覺玄左ｋ
　黎衛ｌ
　玄涿ｍ
顯貞城ｎ
慶女府ｏ
六大左ｐ
年娘果ｑ
二二毅ｒ
月娘都ｓ
八隸尉ｔ
日利楊ｕ
造庄社ｖ
　山生ｗ
　　　ｘ
　．．ｙ
　．．ｚ

judging from the heart sutra on the right, the inscription on the left had three column, each had 26 characters.

  雍州櫟陽縣

in 661, 雍州 was the prefecture where the capital (aka 長安) located, 櫟陽縣 is a county in the prefecture 雍州

edited. well, in the past, it's common to declare one's ancestral home (籍貫), in front of their name. e.g. "通州雷學淇", "武昌劉禺生"

  游騎將軍守左衛涿城府左果毅都尉

"游騎將軍" is a rank name

守 --> 駐守 ~ to station, guard / defend

"左衛ｘｘ府" or "右衛ｘｘ府" indicated the place stationed, ｘｘ is the name of prefecture.

涿城府 is a prefecture name. now, it's 涿州市, located southwest of peking.

"左果毅都尉" is a post name, another post is, "右果毅都尉"

  楊社生

donor, with surname "楊", name "社生"

all together, 雍州櫟陽縣游騎將軍守左衛涿城府左果毅都尉楊社生 means:

雍州櫟陽縣 --> mr 楊's ancestral home

游騎將軍 --> his current rank

守左衛涿城府  --> stationed 守 in (left guard, 左衛?) of prefecture 涿城府

左果毅都尉 --> his current post

楊社生 --> his surname & most likely, his courtesy name (字)

guess

１ｘ:  deliberate space

１ｙ: 父 (father)

１ｚ: ? (character of his father's name)

end of guess

  母段　妻扈

explained, just to remind "段" & "扈" are surname

  息懷慶玄嗣玄黎玄貞

息 is 子息 --> son

so, mr "楊" had four sons, named "懷慶", "玄嗣", "玄黎", and, "玄貞"

  女大娘二娘

daughter (女), named "大娘" & "二娘"

guess

  隸利庄山

assistant [in the office] (隸), with surname "利", and name "庄山"

２ｘ: deliberate space

２ｙ: 及

２ｚ: 其

end of guess

  家眷屬緣此功德齊成正覺

if one added "及其" in front of this verse, it would become "及其家眷屬緣此功德齊成正覺", which would be interpreted as:

[the above named persons] and (及) their '其" family (家) members (眷屬), caused by (緣) this (此) merit (功德) [of donating to the buddhism texts inscription project], all together (齊) achieve (成 --> 成就) enlightenment (abhisaṃbudhya　正覺)

guess

３ｌ & ３ｍ : deliberate space

end of guess

  顯慶六年二月八日造

ok, i recommend this site to exchange lunisolar & gregorian calendar:

兩千年中西曆轉換, by academia sinica, taiwan

so, 顯慶六年二月八日 was 13th march 661 ad

"造" means "made"

have fun :)


Does ‘Exchange English to Chinese and learn both’ mean ‘把英文翻译成中文，可以同时学习两种语言’ in Chinese, properly translated?

I'm assuming that the Chinese is the original because it makes more sense and is much better formed than the English.
The sentence provided:

把英文翻译成中文，可以同时学习两种语言

My rough, direct, translation:
Take the English and translate it into Chinese, (that way) you can learn two languages at the same time.
The biggest problem with the English sentence you provided, apart from its ambiguity, is with the word exchange. It does not convey the idea of translating rather the idea of two people who speak two different languages communicating with one another while teacher their language to the other person.


“作”, when as a verb in this context, means "to make trouble".

“作”, when as an adjective in this context, means "loving to make ridiculous troubles (being likely to be a trouble-maker)".

“大作” means to make big troubles, usually causing bad consequences.

“小作” means to make small troubles, normally not really harmful.

"她是个很作的女孩” means she is a trouble-making ridiculous girl.(For example: She wants gifts every month and will be very angry if not; she gets upset ridiculously when you contact some other young girls, etc..)

By the way, with this meaning, officially, it should be pronounced as "zuò" even though most normal native speakers pronounce it as "zuō".


What it mean the name Alexander Esam Abood in Chinese and what it is it’s calligraphy?

Chinese do not usually translate foreign names by their meanings, we transliterate them.
For example, we do not translate the name 'Armstrong' as '手臂(arms)强壮(strong)' ; we transliterate it as '阿姆斯特朗 (Āmǔsītèlǎng) in Mandarin and '岩士唐'(ngaam4 si6  tong4 )  in Cantonese
'Alexander Esam Abood' could be transliterated as 亚历山大 伊泌 亞甫戶 and the meanings of individual characters in this transliteration are irrelevant.

Alexander means protector of men.
Esam means the one who guard.
Abood means unity.

If you know the origin meaning of the English name, you can just translate the origin meanings.

"Alexander Esam Abood" means "the one who guards, protects and unifies men"
"亚历山大 伊泌 亞甫戶" 的意思是 "守护，保护和达成统一的人"


Where can I find examples of how to use the new Chinese words I learn,like a website?

http://chinesepod.com/dictionary/english-chinese/

Just enter the character you're interested and it'll list several sentences containing the character, I can't guarantee the quality though, I rarely use this service.

https://chinese.yabla.com/chinese-english-pinyin-dictionary.php

This is my go-to dictionary, for many characters it'll show you the stroke order and for many words it'll even show you example usage, though to be honest I've noticed that the example usage doesn't always align with the definition given.


I'm wondering why there's 会 used here.

会 in here mean always. I'm always getting headaches.

Would this sentence be correct? 我常常头疼

Yes, it is correct

Would this sentence be correct? 我头疼

Yes, it is correct

So would this sentence be correct? 我有头疼

Incorrect. You can't use 有 in this sentences. If you want to use it, the correct should be 我刚刚有头疼


It is part of the construction:

在....前
'before....' (used as a conjunction).

Here it means 'Before you close the file, do you want to save it?' The 在 effectively indicates a point in time, i.e., 'at' a particular time. (Literally translated into English, this would become 'at [the time] before you close the file').
This is typical of constructions like:

在...前
'before'
在...时
'when'
在...后
'after'
当...时
'when'

This tends to be a written usage and is omitted in conversation (and often in writing).


What is the difference between 汉语 and 普通话?

“汉语” is a general scope of Chinese language, it is spoken in several countries including China. “普通话” is the modern name of “现代标准汉语”(Standard Chinese), it can be considered as the “official dialect” of “汉语”.

As you can see, the difference is the scope. Most Chinese speak “汉语”, but not all of them speak “普通话”.


Edit:

After reading fefe's comment, I did more search and found this 方舱医院是什么

  方舱医院是以医疗方舱为载体，医疗与医技保障功能综合集成的可快速部署的成套野外移动医疗平台

So  "方舱" is obviously referring to those rectangular mobile units.

方舱医院 should be translated as "mobile cabins hospital"

As for the relationship between 方 and 方舟, may just be a coincidence

It is easy for people who never heard of 方舱 to link  方 with 方舟, due to the current crisis. If 方舱医院 didn't exist before this pandemic, my previous theory would be a fitting one

Previous theory:

"Noah's Ark" in Chinese is 「諾亞方舟」 or 「方舟」 (literally mean 'square ship')
「方艙」(Fangcang)  is made up of 「方舟」and 「艙」(cabin)
"Fangcang hospital" literally mean "Cabins of Noah's Ark hospital"
We all know what the term 'Noah's Ark' implies


List of historical Chinese currency terms

The most used ones are 钱、文、贯、吊、千 and 万。They are not names for money, they are quantitive nouns. Read more: http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B0%BA%E8%B4%AF%E6%B3%95

Originally, 钱 is a very small mass amount. However, as time went by, it became the name for money.

There are other nominative words to refer to currency itself: 贝(shell)、币(刀币as referring to antique money)、帛(fine silk that can be used in barter trading)、锱铢(bronze or cast steel coins)、孔方(bronze coins with a hole)、元（圆）(coin)、金(metals)。Sometimes we also use 元宝、锭 for different shapes metals are made. For the modern world, we sometimes use 刀 or 美刀 to refer to USD.

Others are quantitive words. They might be quite confusing because traditionally we think it a vulgar doing as to refer to money directly, or because it is inconvenient to compose quantitive word and the noun itself together. Fortunately today we only use a little of them now. Note that in strict grammar, quantitive words are a special kind of nouns.

However, sometimes ancient people pay their debts in precious metal like gold / silver / bronze. Then we use mass units to count.

The following are quantitive words for counting money.

文(historical "small")=枚(when you don't know the coin's value, "a small piece")=元("the basic")=圆("a round stuff")=块(“a bulk”)=1 main unit coin.

角(litterally a corner / a horn of an animal)=毛(litterally "a feather of a bird")=1/10 the main unit.

分(litterally "a part")=1/100 the main unit.

厘("nuance")=1/1,000 the main unit.

毫("body hair of a beast")=1/10,000 the main unit.

贯(historical,"to string up")=千("a thousand")=1,000 main unit

Note: In classical Chinese scripts, since there is no clear difference between quantitive and nominative words, it is possible to say 二百又一錢, which equals to 二百零一块钱 in mandarin.


What 什么
you 你
think 觉得
should 该
done 做
about 对
it 此

So, 对此 is used because of "about it".


Does 石 have two dissimilar pronunciations?

Of course it's not an error.

Any respectable dictionary will have

石   shi2

and

石   dan4

Variant readings refer to when one character has more than one pronunciation - based, usually, on different meanings.

Taking 石 for instance: when we're talking about rocks and stones - it is pronounced shi2; when we're talking about a specific measurement unit it is pronounced dan4.


What is the difference of use between 没空 and 没(有)时间?

「時間」means time, but「空」means free/leisure/spare time. Correspondingly,「沒（有）時間」means don't have time, but「沒空」means don't have free/leisure/spare time.

While「時間」works in all situations,「空」does not; there are situations where using「空」gives a strange impression or makes little sense, such as

  我沒空打工賺錢 - I don't have the free time to go to work to earn money
  我的孩子沒空上學 - My children don't have the free time to go to school

In the above, by using「空」, there's a feeling that the task described is trivial or unimportant, which comes across as abnormal if the people around you would consider otherwise.

「沒空」is otherwise more colloquial than「沒時間」, which means that you should use the latter when presenting written work.

Further notes:

「空」here means spare or vacant, and by extension spare time, pronounced in the fourth tone. Air is not the correct interpretation (and is pronounced in the first tone), although it would be related to vacant in meaning.
For「沒」vs.「沒有」, see  What is the difference between 没有+V. and 没+V.?


What word could you use to approach your friend in Chinese with?

Words you could use to approach your friends in Chinese with are:

老爸 (lao ba) for a dad or 老妈 (lao ma) for a mom. 老兄 (lao xiong) and 老哥 (lao ge) for older male persons and 老姐 (lao jie) for an older female person. 老弟 (lao di) for a younger male person and 老妹 (lao mei) for a younger female person.
In all of the mentioned examples, 老 (lao) doesn't mean old. Its closest English equivalent might be "dear". As in "dear ((younger)(fe)male) friend", "dear mother" etc.

Another way for approaching a good friend with whom one shares a lot of interests is 好小子 (hao xiao zi), which is an expression used irrespective of age.


It is from 'Multiplier table'

Normally, saying 81 days is enough, saying 九九八十一  emphasize nine circles of nine days periods
The most commonly quoted Multiplier table phrase is 七七四十九日 (7x7=49). emphasize seven circles of seven days periods. Because  traditionally Chinese believe after a person died, his soul would go through a procedure every seventh day, until the seventh seventh day. After that, the fate of his soul is determined and the mourning period is over
As for the nine days cycles, Nine is a significant number for Chinese, it represent 'infinity' among other things

为了成佛，他得经历(九九)八十一难
In order to become a Buddha, he had to go through (nine sets of nine) eighty one catastrophes/ challenges

I presume each set of nine is harder than the previous set of nine
Another commonly quoted one is .三七二十一 (3x7=21) As in "不管三七二十一" (meaning 'no matter what')
Also there is a saying :三三不盡六六無窮 (3x3 and 6x6 represent 'endless, infinite')


If you're dual booting into Windows as your primary operating system from Mac OS, you might have more luck with Siri on Mac, which works well for me personally.


Adding to Ciaocibai's answer:

"你给我滚" could be same to "给我滚" and then further reduced to "滚".

In both "你给我滚" and "给我滚", personally, I think the "给我" part is used to make emphasis on strong emotions, such as contempt or strong anger. It will therefore depends on the tune/context to translate it.

E.g. "给我滚一边去", can be used by a gangster head to someone else who is not important, to show his/her contempt and therefore show his/her superiority in the gang.

Or when a father is really angry at his son who commit a crime, he is furious and shouts out loud "给我滚!"


Generally, both are the same meaning of "speak". But still have a little difference:

"讲" usually used in oral Chinese,and sometimes it means speak by one person without others' opinion on the topic he talked about

"说" different from "讲", it always used in written chinese and refers to many people,they are discussing and expressing their different opinions or one express his opinion with others agree with that.

"讲"--(as a verb) to speak, to give a speech, to say something in a logical way
"说"--(as a verb) to say, to talk

"说" and "讲" can be tricky, when both 说 and 讲 are interchangeable, 讲 feels a little more colloquial whereas 说 is usually used on formal occasions.

Example: 说谎 = To tell a lie
         说明 = to explain (literally, say clear).
         说不定 = perhaps/maybe.

Example when both are interchangeable
         说话／讲话 = speak/talk
         说故事／讲故事 = tell a story
         你说什么？／你讲什么？ = What are you saying?


Colloquial Equivalent of: Speedy Gonzales

Speedy Gonzales as a cartoon character is translated to 飞毛腿冈萨雷斯. Not many Chinese know this cartoon character, but 飞毛腿 as a noun can be used to describe people running very fast. It literally means flying hairy legs.

Less frequently seen but still recognizable, you can use 神行太保. It's a nickname for a 水浒 character who is known to be able to run very fast. It literally means miraculously walking prime minister. In fact his job is the messenger.


就那样吧 is the same as 也就那样吧 in this case, which is a colloquial phrase, not an idiom.
It means: "just so-so", "it's just ok", "things going just like that".
It conveys her life in Moscow is not that good, or not as good as she — or someone else — expected.
You can take it as a shortened form of 生活就那样吧 or 生活也就那样吧.


Did the ancients really think mangoes were garlic like?

Actually the 蒜 is evidence of a substrate influence from an Austroasiatic language (ancestor of Vietnamese xoài or Khmer ស្វាយ [svaay]) in this context. Indeed, this lexeme actually does have its own Chinese character, 檨, with Mandarin pronunciation shē (ㄕㄜ).
It is the Hakka and Min varieties which use this 檨 lexeme:

Taiwanese Min Nan: soāiⁿ (Peh-oe-ji), suāinn (Tai-lo), ㄙㄨㆮ˫ (Zhuyin)
Fuzhounese Min Dong: suông (Bang-ua-ce)
Taiwanese Hakka: sôn (Phak-fa-sü)

In many of these varieties, the pronunications of 蒜 are very close:

Taiwanese Min Nan: soàn (Peh-oe-ji)
Fuzhounese Min Dong: sáung (Bang-ua-ce)
Taiwanese Hakka: son (Phak-fa-sü)

Hence the substitution of 蒜 was motivated by phonetic similarity (假借) with the lack of "availability" of this 檨 character.
In many of these, the collocation 番檨, preferred in Min Dong and certain varieties of Hakka, may help distinguish it from just 蒜. Or it may just be that mangoes came a bit later to the northeastern Fujian area than the southern area.


Generally,

同一 means identical and is usually used on identities.

一样 means equivalent and is usually used on properties or results.

Examples:

我们去过同一个商店。We've been to the same store.
这两个商店卖的东西是一样的。These two stores sell the same stuffs.
同一首歌，不同的人唱，感觉是不一样的。The same song doesn't sound the same when it's sung by different singers.

Note there are some (idiomatic) exceptions to these rules, which can be another topic.

Since you've mentioned 'similar', neither of these two words means 'similar'. You may want to use 类似, 相似, 差不多 for similar.
For example:

我有过类似的遭遇。I've had a similar experience.
我们的性格很相似. We're much alike in character.
几个目击者的说法都差不多. What the witnesses said are pretty much the same thing.


Help me choose a Chinese name from a list of ideas

谷送慧 - "bearing wisdom."

'送' means 'send'. as a verb, it doesn't go well with a noun 慧 (wisdom)

谷秋月 - autumn moon.

Although '秋' and '月' are commonly used in female names, the name '秋月' itself is quite unisex. I meant '秋月' as a man's name is totally acceptable. (remind me of 張淡月 in 鹿鼎記) It is a good choice nonetheless.

谷和凤 - gentle Phoenix.

和 could mean 'and' ; 谷和凤 doesn't sound like a name but a phrase 'valley and Phoenix'

谷智慧 - resourcefulness, wisdom, cleverness

智慧 is a common compound word noun. It is quite unusual to be used as a name. Generally, people tend to avoid common nouns like 努力，勇敢 or 正義 when picking a name

谷美惠  - beautiful wisdom.

It sounds Japanese

谷凤智 - wise Phoenix.
谷智凤 wise Phoenix. Reverse of above.

Both sound  masculine, and reminds people of 庞统, whose nickname was 凤雏.

I want it to evoke wisdom, inner strength, peace, beautiful and serene elements of nature

I suggest 谷秋月
'月'(moon) associates with 'peace, beautiful and serene elements of nature.


Chinese characters originally looks more different when written in older script, e.g. Oracle Script, as stokes get simplified more and more and curvy strokes are then converted to straight lines and boxy characters, eventually, different characters look alike.

According to http://www.chineseetymology.org,

矢 originally looks like this in Seal Script:

  Primitive pictograph 矢. An arrow. Meaning arrow.

失 originally looks like this in Seal Script:

  Augmented pictograph 失. Augmentation 丿(something lost) to hand 手 indicating dropping something. Meaning lose.

And for reference, hand 手 in Seal Script:


最好还是问问老师吧？还是最好问问老师吧？ Which is correct? and Why is it?

There are few previous posts that addressed the adverb order. You can have a search and take a look.

For natives, we determine the order by intuition, which is formed by using/speaking the language for many years.

Back to your examples. Your first sentence, 这个问题，最好还是问问老师吧, is more natural and idiomatic. The second one, 这个问题，还是最好问问老师吧，is not that natural, but if you put it into practice, especially given that you aren't a native, it's still acceptable.

Anyhow, like other languages, we have more tolerance in colloquial speech than writing.


Does Taiwanese accent pronounce 他 as hā or am I hearing the end of tā?

No, the pronunciation of 他 can be written as ㄊㄚ in Zhuyin. And ㄊ is plosive pronunciation. So the answer is no.


弄 = "to make/ to get"
e.g.
干净= clean
弄干净 = make/ get (it) clean
错 = wrong
弄错 = get (it) wrong
清楚 = clear
弄清楚 = make (it) clear

他终于明白了 - he finally understands
明白 (understand) is a verb here

~

他终于弄明白了 - he finally figured out
弄明白 = make (himself) understand = figures out


Both are correct and natural in Mandarin, but have slightly different meanings.

沒有把你照顾好 is equivalent to 没有照顾好你, which means "the result is not good", while 没有好好照顾你 means "the effort is not enough".


Ancient Chinese Saying #437: ... 10,000 days for the sword

Conceptually, this is not that new. The Tang-dynasty poet Jia Dao (779－843) had a famous poem starting with this phrase:

  十年磨一劍 "For ten years I have been polishing this sword"

The "polishing" here is a poetic expression of his learning swordcraft. The phrase could be even shorter as 十年劍 ("ten years of sword") in Chinese is also similar to "10,000 days of sword" in stucture.
The original text from The Legend of the Condor Heroes was an explanatory description of a fighting phase-change between charaters. You could find the exact phrase online as quoted below from Chapter 20 ("The Altered Manual") in Frans Soetomo's translation:

  There is a saying among martial arts practitioners, “A hundred days to master a saber, a thousand days to master a spear, ten thousand days to master a sword,” indicating that sword techniques were the most difficult to learn.


Is it possible to type traditional characters with a pinyin IME in Windows 7?

Here's one way to do it which I figured out starting from some tips thanks to user2619 in the comments:

Right click on the keyboard/IME icon in the system tray.
Select "Settings" from the popup menu.
The "Text Services and Input Languages" dialog will appear. Use the "General" tab.
Under "Installed services" click on "Add...".
Find the section "Chinese (Traditional, Taiwan).
Select "Chinese (Traditional) - New Phonetic". Click "OK".
Left click on the keyboard/IME icon in the system tray. Select "Chinese (Traditional, Taiwan)".
Click on the "Tool Menu" icon in the IME's system tray icon. It's the 4th icon to the right of the CH icon.
Select the "Properties" menu item. Then the "Keyboard" tab.
In the section labelled "Choose your preferred keyboard layout", choose "HanYu Pinyin" from the dropdown list.

Now if you are used to the Pinyin IME for simplified Chinese in the PRC the way to select characters is totally different. I haven't figured out that part yet ...


Without 都, 从来 does not mean always. 从来 actually means from (从) past till present (来). It is obvious where the always come from by looking at the example given by NS.X:

  他每天一起床就喝咖啡，从来都是这样。

Everyday, he drinks coffee when he wakes up. From past till present, it has always been like this.

每天      他  喝    咖啡   就      一起床     从           来           都     是   这样

See grammar usage here.

If you want to say "I always buy oranges", you can try using 向来都 instead. For example:

  我向来都是买橘子的。

向来 means all along.
都 makes it always.


It's homophonic of 溜, which means proficient, smooth (in doing something) in Nothern dialects. Note it doesn't imply a top degree of mastery. It's more like nice instead of pwned.
The use of number 6 first appeared in online games, then spread to internet contents.
Some examples for the original word:

他爬树很溜（儿）。He's good at climbing trees.
他说的很溜（儿）。He gave a fluent speech.

One reference I can find: http://hs.tgbus.com/wenda/201410/20141002121649.shtml


How to translate "this person is salty or this person is feeling salty"

I tend to consider it as you were feeling 沮丧.


Are any of these honorifics still in use today? 愚, 鄙, 敝, 卑, 窃, 仆, 婢, 妾, 在下, 贱妾, 小人, 小女, 草民, 民女, 奴才, 奴婢, 奴家

Betty's answer is great. Here's some complement: Since almost every Chinese can understand these words, we use them in spoken lang occasionally, usually expressing some kind of mood or feelings.

For example, if someone adopts an arrogant and impolite attitude to you, you can use one of the honorifics to express a scatching satire to strike back.

And sometimes we use 草民 or some other worse words like 屁民 to deliver the helplessness about the status of common people in mainland. (There is even a word made for this: shitizen)

Also, there's something interesting too. We can call the company we working for 敝司, just in order to express our sense of humour. This may not be easy understood by a foreigner.


Why so many definitions associated with each word?

Chinese was once monosyllabic, where one character represented one word. But back then, thousands of years ago, pronunciation for characters was also much more distinct, and still is in certain topolects (like Cantonese).

Modern Mandarin, on the other hand, compensates for lack of precision in pronunciation by being polysyllabic, where mosts words are either disyllabic or trisyllabic. There are still monosyllabic words, but they are usually easily comprehensible by context (like 我 and other pronouns).

Most of the characters you list are rather rare, biut let’s consider the common ones. 奖 (獎), as in prize, award, is usually found in compounds such as Nuobei’erjiang (Nobel prize), jiangjin (money award), jiangpai (prize medal) and so on.

This could hardly be confused with 讲, speak, with compounds such as jiangjia (bargain), jianghua (talk), jiangjie (explain) and so on.

We could also refer to 蒋介石 (Jiang Jieshi), where 蒋 is a common family name. Context will mostly be evident when names are invoked.

Your strategy should therefore be to learn compound words. Since you do not want to learn written Chinese, just forget that there are characters, there are only words, and words are usually polysyllabic: women, gongneng, guangchang, gonggong qiche, laobanniang, dalu, mantou, chengyu, and so on.


In 很高兴认识你 is there an implied 我 at the front or is 很高兴 modifying 认识 as in "happily meet"?

很高兴认识你 is a general greeting, which is used when you meet a person for the first time. The literal translation is "Very glad to know you!". In practice, It's like saying "Nice to meet you!" in English. Nice to meet you! is shorthand for It's nice to meet you! in my opinion.

很高兴认识你 can be paraphrased as: 我很高兴认识你 (I'm happy to meet you.)or 认识你是(一件很让人）高兴的事情 (it's a very nice thing that I can meet you). Pulling 很高兴 ahead has some effect of emphasis. You can also say 认识你很高兴. With 我 implied, it sounds more like a generic formal greeting, rather than a personal one.

If you say 认识你我很高兴， that doesn't sound like a generic business meet, but rather personal(may have some romantic implication sometimes). It implies that you are  impressed by the person you meet, you are kind of person I want to meet, and those kind of ideas.


Is the title "二寡妇" synonymous with prostitution?

Short answer : No.

Longer answer :

In Chinese  traditional culture, one follows a hierarchy called relatives circle 伦理. Relatives never call each other name name directly among themselves, instead, Chinese use ordinal and the person hierarchy and relatedness according
base on one to another.

For example, if you have two elder uncle call Tom (1st) and Jerry (2nd), your father is the 3rd, two younger uncle call John (4th) , Nathan (5th). This is how you call them

Tom 大伯 （Eldest uncle ,伯 indicate he is elder than your father)
Jerry  二伯 （2nd uncle)
John 四叔 (4th uncle)
Nathan 五叔  （5th uncle, 叔 younger uncle than your father)

The society usually don't know each of your uncle name but they know each family  relatives circle hierarchy.  I.e. Say your family clan name is 白, this is how the society call your uncle (ordinal and clan name) and their wife

Tom 白大  , wife 白大嫂
Jerry  白二 , wife 白二嫂
John 白四 , wife 白四嫂
Nathan 白五 , wife 白五嫂

When Jerry pass away, his wife can maintain the relatives title(嫂) or called as widow(寡妇), then 白二嫂 can be also be identify as 白二寡妇 by the society.


In English, we use "how many" for countable nouns and "how much" for uncountable nouns. But in Chinese, there's no difference between countable and uncountable when it comes to measure or describe the quantity of something.
We say "how many men" and "how much money" ; both "how many" and "how much" in Chinese is「多少」. "How many men" = 「多少人」; "How much money" = 「多少錢」

「幾」 (adj): a few ;  several - Example: 幾個人一齊做 ( a few people do it together)

「幾」 (adv):  quite; considerably - Example: 「幾好」( quite good)，「幾快」 ( quite fast)

「幾」 (adv): how; how many / how much ; what

Examples:
「幾多?」(how many? / how much?)
「幾時?」(what time? = when?)
「(有)幾好?」(how good?)
「(有)幾快?」 (how fast?)

「多少」(how many) is a phrase used to ask or talk about an amount ;「幾」 is mainly an adverb (how / what).  For example: 「幾」(how)+「多」(many) = 「幾多」(how many) ; 「幾」(what)+ 「時」(time) = 「幾時」(what time / when)
「多少?」and 「幾多?」only mean " how many?" but 「幾」has other usages.

When should I use 多少 or 几?

When asking [how many of something] or [how much of something] you can use  either[多少+(something)]or [幾多+(something)], for example: 多少人 or 幾多人
You can omit 多 in 幾多 in some cases when you want to use a more classical style of speech. Which means you can use: "幾人? " instead of "幾多人?"
Is the difference 多少 and 几 simply "how much" versus "how many"?

The different usages of 多少 and 几 have been explained in the body of this post


In standard Mandarin, the pinyin h is pronounced as [x] in IPA, like ch in Scottish English loch -- yes, you're right that there's a tiny g, because [x] is a velar consonant. However, in south China, many simply say [h], although some natural assimilation may happen. For instance, for those speakers, pinyin ha is [ha] while pinyin he becomes [xɤ] (if you get [ɤ] right, then [hɤ] simply doesn't work, you would do [xɤ] unconsciously). Therefore [h] and [x] are allophones in this sense, so don't worry about your pronunciation.


There are several ways to ask someone's age and they vary from neutral to very polite. "他几岁" implies that the answer is within 1-9 range, since 几 should not be used for numbers greater than 9.

As for other ways to ask the age question (all of them apply to adults):

你多大? - neutral
您多大年纪? - polite, usually used for eldery people
您贵庚？ - very polite and very formal


How can I skip characters I can't read when reading aloud?

I would use 什么, or 什么什么 as the placeholder for the characters I can't read.

In your exmaple, I would say: 北京 什么 西 什么, or 北京 什么什么 西 什么什么, or 北京 什么 西 什么什么, or 北京 什么什么 西 什么.

什么 or 什么什么 can substitute any numbers of characters.

I am from Northern China, and I am not sure what words people in other regions in China would use for this purpose.


Does 都 refers to the 天天 or to the 晚上 in the following sentence?

天天晚上 is a single set phrase meaning every night.

都 refers to it [each evening].

Thus we have: [I'm] very busy every night.


What is the relationship between 尉-shaped characters and the pronuncation yu?

The two syllables are related.「尉」(Baxter-Sagart OC: /*ʔut-s/) has two Mandarin descendants, which are approximately yu and wei.

Several OC syllables with initial /*ʔu-/ basically evolved into Mandarin w and Mandarin yu; you can see the same phenomenon with the phonetic component「」:

溫 wēn
慍 yùn


Mandarin: when to use 面 (mian) or 臉 (lian)?

In modern Chinese, when it comes to the meaning of "face, they basically are the same. However, in classic Chinese, they mean differently. Knowing the origin of them may help you understand how they are used in words.

面 meant "face"; however, 脸 is used to refer to face now.
脸 meant "cheek"; however, 脸颊 is used to refer to refer to cheek now.

Below is an abridge of a Ci poem written by 晏殊 in Song dynasty

原是今朝斗草赢,笑从双脸生。

Loose translation:

It's the case that (she) won the game of 斗草 this morning, (so) smiles come out of her two cheeks.

As you can see, a man can not have two "faces".
Since southern dialects remain more classic Chinese elements, you can find 面
more when it comes to face. As far as I know, in shanghai dialect, 面 is also used that way.
So a rough guideline is:
in literary and archaic words (for example, idioms), 面 is used more; while in colloquial words, 脸 is used more.
For example, there is a word 面目 (meaing: appearance,looking). However, you would say 脸和眼睛 when you refer to "face and eye". Regarding your example of "面对面", you can actually say "脸对脸". However, they are different.
you can say：

我想和他面对面地谈一谈。I wan to talk with him face to face.
他们俩脸对脸地站在那里。They two stand over there face to face.

In case 1,"面对面" actually means "physically close" (e.g., not on the phone). Your face is not neccessarily opposite his face. While in case 2, "脸对脸" means "facing each other", so their faces are opposite. If you use "脸对脸" in case 1, it sounds very strange. If you use "面对面" in case 2, it sounds too formal.


Why do some Chinese characters have multiple simplified variants?

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


踏实 seems to have two groups of meanings:

[1]

dependable; sure and steady
at ease; free from anxiety; having peace
of mind

[2]

practical; realistic; pragmatic
down-to-earth

When it comes to describing people, I'd choose "dependable" or "down-to-earth" depending on which meaning you need. If you could provide some more context, it would help in choosing the best word.


As other explained,"读书好"

reading is good

"好读书"

love reading

But "读好书” is ambiguious,which may mean "read good books",or "excellent at reading or at learning"


What does 再不起床太阳就要晒屁股啦 say?

再不起床太阳就要晒屁股啦。
  If you don't wake up, the sun will shine on your bottom.

It directly breaks down:

再不 = "if not"
起床 = "wake up"
太阳 = "the Sun"
就要 = "be about to"
晒 = "to shine one" (e.g. used for sunbaking)
屁股 = "bottom" (i.e., the body part)
啦 has no real meaning; it makes it sound cute

So that's its literal meaning, but why is this important?

  In ancient times, people paid attention to sleeping [while] facing south.  So when the Sun rises from the east, the Sun won't shine on your bottom.  When we reach noon, in the environmental timetable of the Central Plains, the Sun will only then shine on your bottom.
  古代人讲究睡觉坐北朝南。那么日出东方时太阳是晒不到屁股的，只有正午时，在中原地带的时间表环境下，太阳才可能晒到屁股啦。
  iTalki

So the sun shining on your bottom literally implies it's noon.  However, it's metaphorically used to refer to someone who is sleeping in; perhaps they're being a bit lazy, and perhaps they're a bit cute.


Why is Sherlock Holmes translated as "福尔摩斯" (Fuermosi)?

The term "福爾摩斯" was used in newspapers as a detective example (中國亦有福爾摩斯), as early as 1905.

香港華字日報, 1905-10-25

  Title: 香港華字日報, 1905-10-25 = The Chinese Mail
  Bib ID: NPTCM19051025
  Publisher: 香港 : 香港華字日報有限公司
  Date Created/Published: 1905-10-25
  Page: 7th

An article talked about this topic:

福爾摩斯譯名及其他

i edited this answer, with sound files of "福", in min nan (閩南話) and cantonese (廣東話). one may compare these with the 1st syllable of english pronunciation of "holmes", have fun

in min nan (閩南話), according to 教育部臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典:

福　hok　mp3 file

in cantonese (廣東話), according to 漢語多功能字庫, using sydney lau scheme:

福　fuk1　mp3 file


Is there an ancient chinese name for Asia?

Ancient Chinese has no concept of the modern-called continents. Instead, they describe the world as a "China-Foreign" system, while China is the centre of the world, and other countries are scattered around China.
The name of Asia firstly appeared in China in 1582, on the map Kunyu Wanguo Quantu. The name was translated by Matteo Ricci, assisted by Chinese officials.


What's the correct pronunciation for 骠骑?

Interesting, I saw reasons for several pronunciations.
(Sorry for leaving some 文言(ancient Chinese)because I don't know how to properly translate from ancient Chinese to English)
The origin of this word:《史记·卫将军骠骑列传》：

冠军霍去病既侯三岁，元狩二年春，以冠军霍去病为骠骑将军，将万骑出陇西，有功。
【集解】徐广曰：“骠，一作‘剽’” :骠 can be also written as '剽' piāo
【正义】《说文》云：“骠(biāo)，黄马鬣白色，一曰白髦尾” 骠 is yellow horse with write hair on head or neck, also said has a write tail

(Both 集解 and 正义 are famous comments on 史记)
And after looking up my dictionary, initially I think the answer is piào which means brave.
For 骑, qí means riding, jì means the person who rides horse.

以霍去病为骠骑将军，将万骑 (I simplified the sentence here)

means assigned 霍去病 as 骠骑将军, then commanded ten thousands of 骑(cavalryman)
I can't infer a certain conclusion which one should be chosen:
qí : the name is saying something about the person's riding
jì : it's 骑将军 who commands 骑(cavalryman)
Personally speaking, I think the later is more reasonable and the former is a bit meaningful.
In fact this question is somehow opinion-based because answering it requires interpreting ancient articles which is debatable.


figure out the difference between 的，地，得（all are pronounce de but with different tone)
they are fixed expressions.
chinese adj + 的 + noun.
adj + 地 + verb.
adj + 得 + degree verb.
so in this case, 深深的 is an adjective, 深深地 is an adverb.
打 means to hit which is a verb, so 用力地打 is to hit hard.
and you can say 用力打 without 地 for it is a fixed expression.
for those words/phrases can either be a verb or an adjective, you could still speak without 的/地 in most cases ‘cause we can figure out whether it is an adv + verb phrase or an adj + noun phrase according to the context.
take 打击, which means blow, for example
此次行动 对 敌人 造成了 沉重(的)打击。=> this action has made a great blow on the enemies.
此次行动 沉重(地)打击了 敌人。=> this action greatly hit the enemies.


Here is the summary of google hits on each term, including both Simplified and Traditional Chinese. Blue is for 发大财, and red is for 大发财:

So apparently 闷声发大财 is more ubiquitous, both in Simp. and Trad. Chinese.
But it is not a problem of correctness. Nothing is grammatically wrong in either form. There might be something slightly off for 大发财 because it doesn't conform to similar phrases like 吃大亏, 撞大运, etc., but it's not that important. The thing is, even if 大发财 was indeed the original form, 发大财 has already become an internet meme, and there is no way to stop that.
After careful listening, I think there is not doubt that the Chairman did say 闷声大发财. The pronunciation of 发 is hard to dismiss if you know how 入声 works.
However, there are like 1 billion native 官话(Mandarin in the broader sense) speakers who can't distinguish 入声. Also verb + 大 + object has always been a prevalent form. These could be why the 闷声发大财 version gained it's popularity.


Here 拆 means 拆解，dismantle something into basic component, so as to understand and apply it to handle complex combination.


Is there an English counterpart for 陷某某于不义之地?

[陷]某某[于]某[地] = [put]某某[in]某[position]

Example: "陷袁世凯于不义之地" = "put Yuan Shi kai in the position of being unjust"

Similar structure: [置]某某[于]某[地] = [put]某某[in]某[position]

Example: "置袁世凯于死地" = "put Yuan Shi kai in the position of certain death"

The difference between 陷 and 置 is 陷 has the added meaning of 'to entrap'

  George Chen wrote: Accurate but definitely not idiomatic or expressive.

Some common expressions that might fit:

'Set (someone) up to fail'
'Set (someone) up for the blame'
'paint (someone) into a corner'

Origin of 'paint (someone) into a corner' is: "A painter was paining a flood, he started from the exit, and at the end he found himself trapped into a corner. Any step he took would ruin his works. That's how the idiom came about. So, to put Yuan Shi kai in a position that no matter what step he took, would be seem as unjust (therefore, became a public enemy). Yuan was in effect, be painted into a corner,


絕 here means 隔絕 (cut off) or 拒絕 (reject)
It is obviously a variant of a common expression 天無絕人之路 - "heaven doesn't have a road that would cut off (reject) people. --> There's always salvation: (preservation from destruction or failure
; deliverance from danger or difficulty)
天 = Heaven
不 = doesn't
絕 = cut off; reject
人 = people
天不絕人 = "Heaven doesn't cut off/ reject people".
This expression is saying: " there's always a way" (so don't despair)


Is it OK to use 只 (only) when it already uses 只 as a measure word?

"只有20-30万只蜜蜂" is a valid sentence in simplified Chinese. You just have to read the two 只 differently, because they have different meanings.

The first "只" in the sentence means "only" in both simplified and traditional Chinese and it is read as /zhi3/.  (It can also be written as "祇" in traditional Chinese)
The second "只" in the sentence, is the simplified version of 隻 (classifier for certain animals) and it is read as /zhi1/

The sentence "只有20-30万只蜜蜂" is actually "祇有20-30萬隻蜜蜂" in traditional Chinese characters.