What role does 的 play in the sentence 我不明白你刚说的第一句话? I take 我不明白你刚说的第一句话 to mean

"I don't understand what you said in the first line"

I'm trying to understand what 的 does in this sentence (or grammar function).
Relatedly, would it be possible to omit it and still have a well formulated sentence?

Thanks in advance!

A completely parallel English version of the Chinese would be:

I didn't (or don't) understand the first word (or sentence) that you just said.

的 is functionally equivalent here to 'that':

the first word (or sentence) | that | you just said.
你刚说 | 的 | 第一句话

Notice that the order of the clause is reversed in Chinese and English.  This is because Chinese treats "the first word" as the head of the phrase, and puts it where all heads in Chinese phrases go: on the right side.  It treats 你刚说 as if it were modifying the head, and puts it where all modifiers (attributives) go in Chinese phrases: on the left side.

Notice that this is exactly parallel to how adjective - noun phrases are treated in Chinese:

the red | _ | pen
紅色 | 的 | 筆

So Chinese treats this kind of adjectival phrase in the same way that it treats relative clauses. This is very logical, since in both phrases the descriptive part and the head part get the exact same treatment.

English, on the other hand, is weirdly inconsistent, putting head first in relative clauses and head last in adjectival phrases, where it doesn't even bother to mark which is which.

In both these cases in Chinese the 的 is required. To omit it will confuse people and even if they can figure out what you mean, they will feel you have said something very odd.

的 is really a hard word to learn. It has toooooooooooooooooo many usages

Here the structure of "verb + 的" (说的) is used as a noun, which means "what you just said"

also, "verb + objective + 的" is a different structure, which means "the person who do it"


What is the function of 一次 in "去一次"? I came across these translated examples:

[Talking about a place]:

明年夏天我打算去一次。
Mínɡnián xiàtiān wǒ dǎsuàn qù yí cì。
I plan to go there next summer.

三年以前我去过上海，去年我又去了一次，明年我想再去一次。
Sān nián yǐqián wǒ qùguò shànghǎi, qùnián wǒ yòu qùle yīcì, míngnián wǒ xiǎng zài qù yīcì.
I went to Shanghai three years ago, I went there again last year, and I want to go again next year.

In English (or Spanish), typically we would not say "you go one time to a place", one time is already implied in the verb to go and it feels weird to state it unless you want to emphasize for some reason "you are going just one time". Why 一次 is specified in these examples? Previously, I had understood the use of 一次 in the second example was required for 又 and 再, however the first example does not have any special structure.

Grammatically, 次 is a verbal classifier (a classifier proper), which expresses how many times the action indicated by the verb occurs. The origin of your confusion comes because classifiers are not used in English but they are natural in Chinese.
Classifiers (verbal or nominal) must come with a numeral phrase. In this sense, the numeral 一 (one) might be interpreted here having more a grammatical function than a semantic function (i.e., it doesn't carry enough meaning to be translated in the target language). Indeed, it is possible to omit the entire numeral phrase 一次 and just say 明年夏天我打算去, provided the place is clear from the context.
As an example, the sentence 我昨天买了一本书 presents a slight ambiguity, right? It could be "Yesterday I bought a book" ("one" has grammatical function, translated as indefinite article) or "Yesterday I bought one book" ("one" has semantic function, translated as "one"). Though without further context, you should favor the former, because of what I said above.
Finally, whereas the number "one" may or may not be semantically relevant, any other numeral is likely to be so.
As always, check the context:

老朱呢？我来叫他一声 = Where's Lao Zhu at? Let me call him ("one" is grammatical)
我叫了他两声，他还不听 = I called him twice, he still doesn't listen ("two" is semantic)
那本书我不太记得，我只看了一遍 = I don't quite remember that book, I only read it once ("one" is semantic)
请你来帮我一下忙 = please give me a hand ("one" is grammatical)
我被他骂了一堆 = He scolded me badly (literally, a pile) (verbal measure word (!), "one" is grammatical)

Because we lack of adverb that describes "again". So we have to specifically use "once more" to describe "again". 再一次 function as again.


how to use 对此 in a sentence? What do you think should be done about it?
你觉得对此该做什么？

this is the translation online I found for this English sentence. The translation makes some sense, but I'm not quite sure what the point of "对此" is. I know it means "towards this" but I don't know why it's used here.

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".

I think it's just an emphasis. Actually you can just leave it out if the context is clear.


How to say "trash talking"? I was watching a Chinese student play pool against an American, and the American was getting destroyed, but ended up winning in the end by default (Chinese student scratched on the 8 ball).

So the American jokingly said "not even close".

And I was trying to explain to the Chinese student that it was just trash talking, but wasn't sure how to say that.

Bonus question, what would be an equivalent translation of "not even close", in a joking, trash-talking context?

In this case, what the American said was more a 風涼話 (the game was already over)

風涼話
sarcasm; cynical remarks (made after the fact)

As for trash talk:

trash talk
disparaging, taunting, or boastful comments especially between opponents trying to intimidate each other

It is similar to 吹牛皮 (boasting), 耍貧嘴 (babble with cynical words)  or 耍毒舌 (taunting with mean and provocative words)
牙斬斬 ; 狗噏 in Cantonese:

More importantly, the purpose of 'to trash talk' is 'to trash your adversary'
The most accurate translation of 'trash talking' should be: "自我吹擂，貶損對方 " (boast oneself and disparage the other)

A O wrote:

what would be an equivalent translation of "not even close", in a joking, trash-talking context?

It would be '差遠了'

You could say 休想, which means in your dreams..or never.

废话 means to trash talk.

Use this resource to determine what is most suitable..you can add negation to any of those terms and use a term like 进　to mean close/near.

Chinese has a lot of room to work with your meaning, so it really is up to you.

You can also call someone 牛B


What's the meaning of 厨 in internet slang? I was in a Chinese forum for manga fans and I saw a user who introduced himself saying this sentence:

一个普通的《X》厨

Going by the context, I understand 厨 here means something like "fan of X",  but I would like further information about the way Chinese people use this word and what it means to them. The dictionary only has "kitchen" and "cupboard" as meanings in English.

厨二病
Japanese
Etymology
Derived by replacing the 中 (chū, “middle [school]”) with 厨 (chū, “freak; nerd”).
厨二病 (hiragana ちゅうにびょう, rōmaji chūnibyō)
Alternative spelling of 中二病

This usage of 厨 here came from Japanese 'ちゅう' (kanji: 厨 ). Which means "freak or nerd"
"XX 厨" = "XX nerd"  or "XX freak". Anime and manga fans would be familiar with this term
Other Japanese terms imported to Chinese via manga (mostly circulated among manga readers in written form)

醬(ちゃん).

"XX 醬" = "XX 小妹妹" (Dear little XX)

宅(taku)  came from Otaku (a young person who is obsessed with computers or particular aspects of popular culture to the detriment of their social skills..)

"XX 宅" = "XX obsessed" e.g. "軍事宅" means "a person obsessed with military"

一个普通的《X》厨

I might be wrong. My first impression is that it can be analogous to 她还是个"厨", meaning she is still virgin. So, I might think 一个普通的《X》厨 means he/she doesn't have much experience or knowledge about 《X》( not as much knowledge/experience as a normal fun has).


What is the difference btween 看样子 and 看起来 I just learned that you could use 看样子 to mean something similar to 看起来. Is there a difference in usage? Is one more formal than the other?

From Iciba.com
好天气看样子要过去了

他看起来很生气

From the comment by @user6065

Similarities and differences of '看来', '看起来' and '看样子'

Similarities:

They are all conjunctions, used to make judgements or predictions based on a specific situation.
They could be used at the beginning of a sentence.
They are interchangeable sometimes
Examples:

天一下子阴了，看来(看起来/看样子)要下大雨了。

It is cloudy all of a sudden, looks like it is about to rain.

赵娜老打哈欠，看来(看起来/看样子)昨天晚上没睡好。

Zhao Na keeps yawning, looks like she didn't sleep well last night.

雨下个不停，看起来(看来/看样子)我们这几天去不成海边了。

It is still raining, looks like we can't go to the seaside in a few days.

看起来(看来/看样子)，这条马路到年底也修不好。

Looks like this road won't get fixed by the end of year.

杰克笑嘻嘻得走过来，看样子(看来/看起来)他今天心情不错。

Jack is coming with smile on his face, looks like he is feeling good today.

王经理一直没出声，看样子(看来/看起来)他对这个计划并不满意。

Mr.Wang didn't say anything, it looks like he is not satisfied with this plan.

Differences:

"看来" is to represent the inference by analysis (little bit). While "看起来" and "看样子" represent the inference more obviously, such as the inference easily made according to appearance.
"看来" is only used before Subject most of the time. While "看起来" and "看样子" could be used before or after Subject.
"看来" could be used in these structures: "从...看来", "在...看来", "由此看来", "照我看来", which refer to get the inference via different perspectives. "看起来" and "看样子" cannot be used in these structures.
Examples:

他看起来(看样子)像个40多岁的中年人，哪像个20多岁的小伙子？

He looks like around 40 years old. How could he look like a 20-year-old guy?

这些花看起来(看样子)像是真的一样，其实是假的。

These flowers looks like authentic, but they are artificial.

他看样子(看起来)很老实，其实狡猾得要命。

He looks like honest, but he is cunning.

这些菜看样子(看起来)就很好吃，我今天要多吃几碗饭。

These dishes looks tasty. I would like to have more today.

They both are just used orally. and in most cases you can just either one, native speaker could understand you


Is the "to" in "Let's meet from 4 _to_ five", 到？ A simple question, trying to say, let's have a lesson from 4 to 5 -- want to make sure that "to" is indeed 到.

到 is OK. You could also use 至. 到 is more colloquial. In many cases they are interchangeable, for example: 从古到今/从古至今（from ancient times to the present）, 直到此刻/直至此刻（up to now）. But you could only say 自始至终（from the beginning to the end），从这到那（from here to there） because 自始至终 and 从这到那 are kinda like set phrases.


Why 天 is chosen for counting days instead of 日 in Mandarin? In Classical Chinese, the proper word for counting days is 日. In Southern Chinese languages, 日 is more prevalent in counting days. Why 天 is chosen for counting days in Mandarin instead of 日?

Edit

More, in Mandarin it is quite usual to replace 日 with 天 for some words related to day. For example:

星期日 禮拜日 (Sunday) to 星期天 禮拜天
明日 (Tomorrow) to 明天
改日 (another day) to 改天
日日 (Everyday) to 天天
當日 (At that day) to 當天

Interesting question. Is there a preference when it comes to using 天 for 日?

In my opinion, there are no such a strict rules when it comes 天vs日.(I was born and raised in southern China, lived in the North for several years. I speak Cantonese, Mandarin, Hakka)

Basically, 周天and周日, 星期日and星期天,明日and明天, 改日and改天 are all equivalent. But why people prefer one to another?

There're some reasons:

In some south-western dialects, 日and一 have similar pronunciation. So people prefer use 周天than周日。
Speaking in rhyme. 天tian1, 日ri4. So in some cases, it sounds weird to use天, but in another case, it sounds weird to use 日。That's depends.

In Hong Kong or GuangDong, Cantonese still use 日 for 'day.' For example: ' 几日返来啊？' For Mandarin speakers, 天 tian is easier and more natural  to pronounce than 日 ri.

Also, 日 sounds like 入 (enter). Which is the F word in Chinese.

Last but not least, it's also because of the Japanese invasion of China. Japan in Chinese is 日. Since general Chinese didn't like Japan, they unconsciously avoided using 日.


What's wrong with this sentence 我终于快到中国了 It is from my correct-the-sentence exercise.
我终于快到中国了。

I asked a Chinese, he said that this sentence is understandable.
In my opinion, "终于" seems redundant. If not, the original sentence should be put in a particular context to be understood, e.g it expresses the eagerness of a person after a long time away from China.
Please tell me your opinion on this sentence, does it need to be corrected?

我快到中国了。 I will arrive in China soon (O)
我终于到中国了。 I finally arrived in China (O)
我终于快到中国了。I finally arrive in China soon (?)
'finally' refers to the present or past events (you cannot say 'I finally arrive tomorrow'), while 'soon' referring to the upcoming events (future). These two words are conflicting with each other
Some said 我终于快到中国了 is understandable. In that case, 终于 would act as an exclamation (not adverb) --  "我终于快到中国了" could be interpreted as "Finally, I will arrive in China soon!"

does it need to be corrected?

To avoid confusion, you should change it to '我快到中国了' or '我终于到中国了'
If you really want to use 终于 as an exclamation, you should say  '我终于， 快到中国了'
There's another reason I don't like this sentence. It is like counting chickens before they hatch. Imagine, someone saying "Finally, I am going to be promoted soon" before he actually got the promotion, and ended up didn't get it?

no grammar problem, but it would be making much sense with "我终于快到达中国了". Since you are expressing "I'm finally arriving in China". Use "到达-arrive" instead of "到-come".


Zhong Shan Suit Inner Shirt Cantonese Name I would like to ask the Cantonese speakers about the 中山裝.

As we know, 中山裝 is similar to the western suit, 西裝, it is designed with the jacket (外套) and the inner shirt (長袖衫). However, my friends told me that the "長袖衫" is called 底 (pronounced as 桶底 tung2 dai2) in Cantonese.

So, is it correct?

CantoDict doesn't contain a word like「底」, and given that the character「」is located in the CJK Unified Ideographs Extension B block, it's not a common use character. An appropriate reading and meaning for「」appears in the Kangxi Dictionary:

However, that definition says「衣短袖」, which is almost the exact opposite to「長袖衫」. If whoever you heard it from is not mistaken, then that will be a Cantonese dialect word, and not Standard Cantonese.

The closest entry in CantoDict which matches the meaning is「底衫」(dai2 saam1, undershirt). I'm going to note here that「長袖衫」doesn't actually mean inner shirt, it means long-sleeved shirt, and if this tailor that you're seeing designs inner shirts with short sleeves instead then「底」(or maybe「底衫」) sounds entirely appropriate.

The name Zhong Shan comes from the name of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, but this jacket is also known as Lenin suit (Lenin being the leader of the former USSR) or Indian suit (a little different though), so the inner shirt is no more than the shirt westerners wear for a suit. It is not the original product of Guangdong Province of China.


What would a good gaming translation for 灵术 be? I found this online, and I'm not really sure how it can be translated to english.

灵 = spirit

术 = technique/surgery

So I think it would either be spirit technique, or spirit surgery, but neither makes sense in terms of games.

I doubt it is AP/Magic power, because that's 魔术 and not 灵术.

Without knowing the full context, my best guess is that 灵术 means spirit magic.

When translating, especially between unrelated languages like English and Chinese, there is often a lack of one-to-one correspondence between words. This is why when you look in a dictionary for the English definition of 术, you get multiple options like technique/surgery. However, when this character is paired with others, it can also take on the meaning of magic. This works the other way around too; when you try to translate magic to Chinese, you get multiple options as well, like 魔术 (magic as in magicians) or 魔法 (magic as in Harry Potter).

You probably won't find "灵术" in a dictionary. Since your context is video games, it's most likely that this is a constructed word for a specific type of magic, which usually have the "X术" form. To demonstrate, here are some other "X术" words that are specific types of magic:

妖术, lit. "supernatural magic", often translated as "sorcery"
巫术, lit. "witch magic", translated as "witchcraft" or "black magic"
通灵术, lit. "communicate with spirits magic", sometimes translated as "necromancy". Note that "ouija board" in Chinese is 通灵板.
仙术, lit. "divine magic", translated as "theurgy"

Interestingly, there are many "X术" words that have nothing to do with magic, such as 医术 (medicine) and 武术 (martial arts). This goes back to traditional Chinese culture, especially Taoism where there is no clear distinction between the natural and supernatural, and that many physical phenomena also have supernatural links, like the concept of qi.

just a magic associated with spirit,you can consider it as AP/magic


Translating the last verse of “Si maritau Rosa” into Chinese Background

I am making a Chinese singable version of a Sicilian song called "Si maritau Rosa" (Rosa has gotten married). I have three questions about how to best render the last verse. Here are the lyrics of said verse:

  Siđđu n'atturna pòrtunu | If people bring an atturna*
  Nta lu quartèri miu, | In my quarter,
  M'affaccia 'nu disiu, | A desire is born in me,
  Nun pozzu cchiù durmì. | I can no longer sleep.
  Alleggiu alleggiu apru | I quietly open
  'A porta a vvaniđđuzza, | The door, making a little slit,
  Vidu ca è p' Annuzza | I see it's for Annuzza
  E ttornu a llacrimà. | And go back to crying.

The asterisk is on a part that will be explained in one of the questions.

Here is my current translation:

  如果在我四等分
  有人来唱小夜曲,
  心里长大了愿望
  就不再能睡觉.
  悄悄地将我的门
  来打开得裂缝啊,
  看是为了小婷婷
  就回到流眼泪.

Question 1: 四等分 | quarter

I found 四等分 via Google, I guess, and have just noticed it's under "verb", so how do I translate "quarter" in the sense of "part of a city" (sense 2.1 here)?

Question 2: atturna

One version of the song is the above, another one reads «Siddu a nutturna portunu», other versions have «Quannu» for «Siddu». I prefer "siddu" (if) to "quannu" (when), but that is just me. As for "a nutturna" vs. "n'atturna", I choose the latter because it uses an indefinite article (n') vs. the definite "a" of the former. Both seem to be a reference to the Siracusan festival of Our Lady the Immaculate Conception, which starts with the band going around the roads playing cheerfully and waking everyone up. I thus interpret this "to bring an atturna" as a group of people with instruments going up and down a road playing love songs for someone living in that road. This needs confirmation, but it's going to be hard to find it.

Admitting the above interpretation is the correct one, what is the best way to render this in Chinese? Is there a similar Chinese custom I could refer to?

Question 3: vanidduzza

This word is a diminutive of "vanedda", which is found online to mean either "slit" or "country road". The latter interpretation is what gave my very first traslation 我就悄悄来打开 / 小路上的那扇门. I prefer the former, however, because:

I prefer the furtivity of the slit rather than the specification of where the door goes;
Another version of the song has «Tegnu la porta aperta / La mettu a padiduzza» which suggests this is the meaning of "apru / a porta a vanidduzza";
Sicilian Wiktionary has the expression "chiùdiri a vanedda", "close into a slit" (horrible translation but you get the picture), so if that exists, I'm betting that with "to close" it means the door is open and you almost-close it, only leaving a slit between it and the wall, whereas with "to open" (as in the song) the door is closed, and you open it a little.

With that, how do I render this "apru / a porta a vvanidduzza" into Chinese? Is my above attempt OK?

Extra

Full lyrics and translation here, if anyone's curious about this song. Any comments are welcome. It should be noted that you can find wildly varying lyrics online (the "padiduzza" quote above is from here and is an example of the "wildly varying" part.

sorry, don't have any ideas about the song. UR translation is very good, except “quarter”、“desire”.
1、Quarter may mean “角落”、“世界”、“地盘” in this song, so "In my quarter" means "在我的世界，我的地盘，我的心里".
2、Desire is a very strong, and true feeling at present，but“愿望” in Chinese is just a hope for future, and isn't strong as desire in English. so "desire" means "渴望、强烈的欲望，强烈的愿望"
3、my translation for your reference:
If people bring an atturna* In my quarter|他哼着小情歌闯入我的世界。
A desire is born in me|炽热的心开始按耐不住，
I can no longer sleep|（使我）不再入眠。
I quietly open The door, making a little slit|忐忑地打开一丝心扉。
I see it's for Annuzza，And go back to crying|而他，只是路过。


What is the function of 了 in the sentence "她会杀了你的"? What is the function of 了 in the following sentence? Does it imply a sequence of actions?

  她会杀了你的。"She will kill you."

A small class of verbs (including 杀，喝，吃，扔，忘) can take 了 as a resultative complement meaning 掉. These verbs can use 了 in places where it might otherwise sound odd. In this case, 杀了 is not expressing completed action; rather, it expresses the result of the verb.

Some other examples:

  我不会忘了。 I won't forget.
  把它吃了！ Eat it!
  他把旧的衣服都扔了。He threw out all the old clothes.

Grammatically, 了 here functions as an indication of the verb's result. In the last case, it simultaneously expresses completed action (and, I suppose, new situation.)

EDIT:

Here is a more complete lists of verbs which can use 了 in this way (from the very useful 《现代汉语八百词》):

忘、丢、关、喝、吃、咽、吞、泼、洒、扔、放、涂、抹、擦、碰、砸、摔、磕、撞、踩、伤、杀、宰、切、冲、卖、还、毁

了 indicates present perfect. For instance:

  杀  kill
  杀了 have/has killed


What does 就那样吧 mean? This is a conversation with my friend and she started to live in Moscow recently.

I: 你莫斯科生活怎么样？
She: 就那样吧

Pleco showed 那样 means "like" or "that kind", but in this case that doesn't make sense. I feel this is an idiom, but what does 就那样吧 mean in this context?

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.

It literary translates to:

就  那   样  吧 =
"And that like !" or "Thus that like !"

where 吧 is a kind of "!" sign.

So in human language it should be something like this: "And like that!" or "Aaaand it's like that. Do it!" or "Thus (it should) be like that!"


What does this structure (有 … 才有 …) mean? My book says the 有 … 才有 structure is the same as 只有 … 才, but it doesn't give me any examples.
Are the following both equivalent and correct?

只有他才知道怎么解决这个问题
有他才有知道怎么解决这个问题

If not, how should I use 有 … 才有 and what does it mean?

They both mean the first part is the necessary (under many situations, also sufficient) condition of the second part.

有A才有B means only if A exists, then B exists. Here 有 has real meaning.

只有A才B means only if A then B. Here 有 does not have its real meaning, but is part of the conjunction.

Example:

有国才有家 (Only if the nation exists, does family exist)

只有有国，才会有家 (same meaning, grammatically correct, but rarely seen)

只有国，才有家 (wrong)

You don't just replace 只有…才… with 有…才有… literally. It doesn't work that way. You could say"只有他才知道怎么解决这个问题" with 只有…才…, and you can also say "有他才有解决这个问题的方法" with 有…才有…
It's the same meaning, two different sayings.


Must 怎么 be right after 你 in this sentence: 你怎么知道我的名字 When you ask someone his/her name, you can say: 你叫什么名字
什么 is not right after 你
but when you ask someone how he/she knows your name, you say: 你怎么知道我的名字
Must 怎么 be right after 你 in this sentence? Is 你知道怎么我的名字 also correct? So the structure of this sentence the same as 你叫什么名字

什么 is a modifier for 名字 in 你叫什么名字
怎么 is a modiifer for 知道 in 你怎么知道我的名字
You cannot move 怎么 in the sentence. And you can see that they are actually of different structure.

你知道怎么我的名字 is incorrect.
怎麼你(會)知道我的名字 is correct. Add 會 would be more fluent.


How many characters do Chinese pupils know at different ages? I'm looking for data that would let me estimate how much written language young Chinese at different ages know, in terms of number of characters they can read/write.

Examples of materials that would help answer this question:

lists of characters that Chinese pupils learn at different grades at school (ideally official lists, if there are any)
statistics of how many new characters they learn at each grade
information about how many hours at every grade are dedicated exclusively to learning characters

I'm interested in data from China and from other Chinese-speaking countries.

Children usually go to grade 1 at the age of 6 or 7 in China.

According to "全日制义务教育语文课程标准", the character number that children should learn is:

Grade 1 to Grade 2: can read 1600 characters, and write 800 characters;

Grade 3 to Grade 4: can read 2500 characters, and write 2000 characters;

Grade 5 to Grade 6: can read 3000 characters, and write 2500 characters;

Grade 7 to Grade 9: can read 3500 characters, and write 3000 characters.

Chinese is one of the most remarkable pieces of art in language that human kind has ever made. In elementary school, Chinese teachers ask their students to write not only correct but beautifully by printing a picture for each character. Chinese is different from other western languages such as German, French, or English because it has no alphabet. Instead, it contains 50,000 characters. If a person knows 5000 of the most commonly used characters, he or she can read a newspaper. How many characters a person knows indicates how intellectual that person is. Chinese is one of the world’s oldest languages, and its written form, like that of most languages, developed from the pictograph.


What's the difference between 载体 and 媒介？ They both mean medium, so they are probably the same.  Are they?

The difference between "载体" and "媒介" in Chinese is equivalent to the difference between "Carrier" and "Medium" in English. So, you pretty much can figure this out immediately after I told you that, if your English is well enough.

这可能有习惯用语的成分在里面，通常：

声音以空气为媒介传递，而较少说声音以空气为载体。
通灵师（从事迷信活动并获得报酬的人）的肉体可以作为现世（the alive world)与彼岸（the dead world)联系的媒介，而较少说通灵师的肉体是某载体。
信息传输以电磁波或光波为载体，而较少说信息传输以电磁波为媒介。
磁带作为信息的载体，而较少说磁带作为信息的媒介。
蜜蜂充当了花粉授粉的媒介，而较少说蜜蜂充当了授粉的载体。

可以认为，载体是一种媒介物，因此媒介的范畴通常要宽泛一些，但考虑到一些习惯用法因此实际上并不绝对。


translate "percent" in chinese 百分之 or 百分比? is there one by the two words above usually used for " percent " ?

or is it usual  to use any of them ?

wenlin software  gives 百分比 as percent.

mdbg dictionary on line gives 百分之   :-)

Matter of taste. You want prefix style, use 百分比, as in 五个百分比. Suffix style, use 百分之, as in 百分之五.

百分之 is a sentence pattern, and requires a number. 百分比 is a noun, and also means percentage on its own.

https://www.mdbg.net/chindict/chindict.php?page=worddict&wdrst=1&wdqb=e%3Apercent

The answer is there. 三七開定論, 百分率


What is the exact meaning of 吃豆腐, and where does the expression come from? I'm not talking about eating tofu, but the expression that means something more like taking advantage of someone. What exactly does 吃豆腐 mean, and where does this expression come from?

I've only heard it used in describing sexual situations, and wiktionary.org describes its usage as follows:

  This idiom usually only refers to a man taking advantage of a woman in a sexual situation.

A typical example would be some creepy guy pinching the flight attendant's backside as she walks past.

There's also a good discussion at wordreference.com.

  不要吃我豆腐 is telling someone not to take advantage of me, but specifically in a sexual way, as in inappropriate touches etc. However, the accusation is not very serious in Chinese, and sometimes said in a joking manner. I would translate it as "Don't harasse me!", "Get your hands off me!" etc., but understand that the Chinese expression is softer.

I found an origin story on chinese-forums.com, but I'm not sure how reliable it is.

  It’s said that tofu shops usually were run by wife and husband in the old days. Female boss in a tofu shop took tofu as their daily food, which made their skin tender and smooth. On one hand their fine skin helped attract more customers, on the other hand it showed some kind of coquetry to them. Men liked to take “to eat tofu” as an excuse to go to a tofu shop and flirt with the female boss there, verbally or even physically. Therefore, wives, feeling jealous, scolded their husbands, “Today, you went to eat tofu again?!” Now, “eating tofu” has become a word to describe man flirts with woman.

Used to refer to men who just want sex from a woman.


Do most native speakers understand these Chengyus at all? 霽範永存, 亹亹不卷, 巾袖無光, 鑿枘不入 I am learning some Chengyu but after a google search with inverted commas, only a very small number of usages are found:

266 results for 霽範永存;

720 results for 亹亹不卷;

817 results for 巾袖無光;

886 results for 鑿枘不入.

The small numbers seem to indicate most people do not use these Chengyus, and some people may not even understand them.

Are these Chengyus considered as outdated? Do most native speakers understand these Chengyus at all?

I would like to say they are uncommon variants of common 成语 or just single case originated from some literature, which I think I am inventing such 成语 everyday. But it requires high level of classical Chinese skills to recognize.

Here I would show what I thought before I search for more info.

霁范永存

身正为范。范乃楷模之意。

又，光风霁月。霁乃晴明之意。

又，正气永存。

So I guess it means:  高节永为世人之楷模。

After searching: Exactly as what I thought.

亹亹不卷

亹亹文王，令闻不已！

勉励的文王啊，他的美名没有止尽。

又，孜孜不倦。

So I guess 卷 is the ancient variant (or origin?) of 倦. So this 成语 means 勤勉而不知疲倦.

After searching: 今作：娓娓不倦，多指谈话娓娓不绝，不知疲倦。

巾袖无光

巾，手帕。袖，衣袖。

又，黯淡无光。

不考虑比喻，似乎就是：衣服不起眼，或陈旧。不能推断意象。

After searching:形容穿戴的服装敝旧不华丽。孤例。

凿枘不入

This is obvious~

方枘圆凿。

They are the same.

After searching: Yes!

P.S.

It is not any four-character, concise word that can be categorized as 成语! A 成语 should be popular enough (at least in its time)!

彼素苑囿籍典，兀兀以穷；今闻鱼跃之喜，定不自胜，故延亲邀友，飨于庭园。倾以仪狄，馔以凤肝，奏以焦尾，焚以龙涎，欢歌笑语，春风踌躇。

See? I use A LOT OF four-character verse, but they are (mostly) not 成语, but my personal invention.

Never heard of them. Dead Chengyu at most.


How to correctly translate 为达目的不择手段 in English? I have a lot of context that I want to use this phrase to describe a certain type of people. I tried to translate it as "Not being ashamed of using evil methods to accomplish goals". But I think my translation is still a little bit redundant and not formal enough. Can someone help me make it less redundant and more accurate?

Update

Sometimes the context might not be "by immoral means", it also encapsulated a context of "by unusual means". For ex, someone has solved an engineering problem by extremely brutal force which violated existing engineering standard and regulations, it works, but it also makes it way harder to integrate his solution into a more comprehensive system. Colleagues might think he's too achievement-oriented that breaks certain rules and conditions that other people have maintained.

Generally speaking, I encourage you to check out the meaning in Chinese when you encounter 成语. It took me a while to finally get to know that it is hard to understand what a given 成语 means in English but is clear enough once I read the explanation in Chinese (this holds true of any words but especially so in the case of 成语, which is closely related to the culture).
Back to the topic, 不择手段 means:

指为达到某种目的，什么样的手段都可以使出来。

In English, the word means:

In order to achieve a goal, a person uses whatever he or she could (including anything considered immoral or dishonest by others).

Don't try to understand it by an English dictionary as the listed meaning is quite awkward and hard to grasp. For example, in the case of 不择手段:

unscrupulously

by fair means or foul

These explanations sound less redundant, but seems to me the loss of original meaning.

I’ll do whatever to achieve whatever.
and how about “by all means”?


Is Hakka spoken the same in Guangdong and Taiwan? In Taiwan Hakka is the 3rd most popular language, and the MRT in Taipei makes all announcements in 4 languages; Mandarin, Minnan, Hakka, and English.

It is also a minority language in Hong Kong and neighbouring Guangdong.

A Hong Kong Hakka friend of mine said they did not understand the MRT announcements.

Is the Hakka spoken in Taiwan the same as that in Hong Kong and Guangdong?

Although I don't speak Hakka (one of my PhD advisors studied a Hong Kong Hakka dialect, so I have a vague idea about it) I live surrounded by Hakka people, in Guangdong, and I go frequently to Taiwan for work. In Taiwan, I noticed that the HSR announcements in Hakka sounded very different from the "regular" Hakka I can hear in Guangdong.

There's a bunch of Hakka dialects, but you can (over)simplify by saying that Guangdong-based Hakka people speak 梅縣 Hakka (Moiyan Hakka: 梅州, 慧州, etc) while Taiwan-based Hakka people speak 海陸 Hakka or 四縣 Hakka, which present large phonetic differences.

Also, Hakka is influenced by the other main language of the region it's spoken in. In HK, and parts of Guangdong, Cantonese influences greatly the local Hakka dialects -- phonetics, vocabulary. In north-eastern Guangdong, 梅州 and around, where Hakka is the standard and the main language, it's probably less influenced by other languages -- rather the Cantonese spoken there sounds more Hakka-influenced.

I [guess] maybe little difference exists.
I do not use Hakka but as a chinese, I know that the accents may even be different for one kind of dialect in a short range.


What is the Chinese translation for "endure and move on"? I've been trying to get the Chinese word with meaning of the phrase

endure and move on.

It has something to do with a break up with a girlfriend and wanting to endure it and move on. I've tried googling it and found the following. (This is also how I found this website.) I just want to know if I got the right translation. Here's what I found:

忍和想开

Here's my questions: 1. Is this the right right translation? 2. Do I really need to put the 和 ("and") in the middle or is there no need for that?

To be honest, I'll have it tattooed in my arm. That's why I'm trying to keep it as short as possible, but of course I want to have the correct message of the tattoo. Also, my father is pure Chinese but he was naturalized in our country since 1980's. That's why I want to have it in Chinese characters. (It will add more meaning to the tattoo.) Sadly, I can no longer speak to him and that's why I have to ask this question here, and I didn't study in a Chinese school.

It's often better to provide the whole English sentence for translation. As divergent as the two language can go, a phrase-to-phrase translation is often less than pragmatic.

What I can get is "忍受悲伤, 继续前行". But as Stan said, if you move on, you usually put away your sorrows, or 抛却悲伤 instead.

There is a phrase from classical Chinese, "隐忍以行". It is an exact structural match to your phrase. However, it implies endurance for a greater cause than love.

忍过了，你的人生还得继续
"忍和想开" seem wired, "and" can translate as "然后"  “忍忍，然后想开点"is better


"to slice or cut (a finger)" in Traditional Chinese / Spoken Cantonese? Haven't managed to find a usage that speaks specifically to cut or slice open a body part.

Also seeing contradictions (or perhaps information gaps) between CantoDict and Pleco.

Some notes:

CantoDict says '開面' means 'slice open' while Pleco describes this as a face-painting technique for Cantonese opera.
'切片' seems like it could apply, though Pleco suggests more of a Medical context.

How many variants can you make of "I sliced my finger" in Traditional Chinese / verbal Cantonese (slang)?

I would say that "開面" as "to slice open" in cantodict is wrong. Have a look at 國語辭典, these two terms are listed:

http://dict.revised.moe.edu.tw/cgi-bin/cbdic/gsweb.cgi?o=dcbdic&searchid=Z00000076573

http://dict.revised.moe.edu.tw/cgi-bin/cbdic/gsweb.cgi?o=dcbdic&searchid=Z00000099591

About "I sliced my finger", you may consider:  (u+20779). I guess that your computer / tablet needs to have a suitable font in order to display it.

Usage:
Your colleague asked "What happened to your finger?"

Answer: "比張紙親" (Click each character for its sound file :)

Roughly, "比張紙" is "by a piece of paper"; "親" is "sliced".

Be careful :)

Edited.

Of course you can :)

"比" (u+6bd4), or "俾" (u+4ffe) are equal in this context, you can use either one, I quoted "比" just because it's simpler, has fewer strokes.

Now, here's another one: "畀" (u+7540), which is the ancestor of the above two. It existed since oracle bone script, used commonly in literatures of yore. Unfortunately, nowadays this original character is not well recognised; that's why people are using "比" or "俾" most of the time.

Haven't managed to find a usage that speaks specifically to cut or slice open a body part.

剖開 - cut open.
Examples: 剖開胸部 (cut open the chest);剖開腹部 (cut open the abdomens)


What would 黑著臉 mean? 黑著臉, Directly translating it, it would be "blacking his face", so is it something like "his face went dark" (Not even sure if that means anything or is proper in english).

Could it also be something like "his face was replaced with a scowl" or something similar?

It means someone is not happy about things that are going on, it can be a disapprove to the decision other people made, anger about people's comment, behavior.
黑 in this phrase describes a negative mood in one's face, as if someone is so mad at something, his/her heart begin beating faster, his/her face turns into a dark color than usual. Similarly you may see红着脸(flushed with fever or success or pride)， 绿着脸(bad stock market or unhappiness)，青着脸(angry or discontent about something). Other than color, there are also 板着脸，绷着脸，拉着脸，蒙着脸 etc.

The Great God 百度, who knows all, has:

板着脸
显示出一种不开心或不满意的申请
不明白欢迎来追问!


Is “事出必有因” the most accurate translation for "everything happens for a reason"? Is “事出必有因” the most accurate translation for "everything happens for a reason"?

If not, what is it?

no smoke without fire
where there’s smoke there’s fire
there are no waves without wind
nothing is born in a vacuum
...


What do chinese people understand by word 漫画 "manhua"? I mean, do they use this term to name comics from all the world, or just those native, from China? Has something changed about naming with time? Does anyone still uses term 连漫画？
谢谢！

Nowadays, Chinese usually use 漫画 for comics from all the world, including Japan/America/Europe etc.

And the term 连环画 (小人书/小儿书) is usually used for those native ones of China, almost published in the last century.

Reference:
绘本、连环画、漫画你知道他们有什么不同吗？
绘本、漫画和连环画的区别是什么？

It's basically just Chinese comics that were produced in Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. The term "manhua" had existed even before the Japanese term "manga" did. Nowadays manhua just means Chinese comic materials, plus most manhua have fully colored pages, so (other than country of origin) that's how it differs from the traditional black and white of Japanese Manga.


Chinese input on Windows based on pinyin and tones What is the best way for me to type pinyin using a keyboard on Windows?

I've tried the built-in IMEs, but... they don't feel very intuitive to me. For example, if I want to get wǔ, I need to type wu, then select from a list of possible options.

Instead, I'd like to type something like wu3 to get wǔ

Is there anything built in to Windows to allow that? Or are there any suggestions for applications to let me input pinyin like this?

I like the pinyinput input method editor. Just type the letters for the syllable followed by a tone number, and it will combine them in the usual way.

I just created https://www.pinyin-editor.com/ a couple of days ago, that might help especially if you try to do things on mobile.


Can 太久 be used to refer to time past between two dates? As an example, if I am making plans to meet with a friend, and I say I am free on a specific date, say 2 weeks from now, and then I follow up by asking my friend "Or is that too far ahead?" To translate "Or is that too far ahead?" into Mandarin, can one say "会不会太久？“? Or is there a better translation?

It's pretty good.

Besides, I want to explain the difference between "太久" and "太迟".

"太久" means you spend long time. "太迟" means you spend long time and don't know whether something will what happen.

for example:

Your friend live the same city with you. You are going to visit him after two weeks.

you can say "我两个星期后来看你，会不会太久？";

Your friend has a trip in your city. You plan to meet him after two weeks. But you don't know when he will return home, you are afraid that he will have gone back home by the time you visit him.

You can say "我两个星期后来看你，会不会太迟？";

For "is that too far ahead", it should be “太旧*之后*”,
For "too long (PERIOD)", it should be ‘太久’.


What is 吐槽? How should I translate it? I am having a hard time explaining the concept of 吐槽 to a foreigner. How can I explain the nature of 吐槽? I tried something like this but it doesn't seem to convey the art of 吐槽 in full:

  吐槽 is the act of making a random, half-serious comment on something, usually not relevant to the point of that "something".

I feel like this explanation is not good enough. Is there a better way to explain it?

MDBG:吐槽

(slang) to roast
to ridicule

I'd also opt for to make fun of sth/sb.

To explain it in chinese.
抱怨，怨天尤人，发牢骚，说闲话。


Is there a Chinese phrase equivalent to "difficult to eat"? I wonder if there is a Chinese word or phrase equivalent to "difficult to eat" or "hard to eat".
For example, someone said that pomegranates and artichokes are among the 19 most hard-to-eat foods.
I thought it would be "难吃" or "不方便吃", but the former literally means "taste bad" and the latter means "it's not the right time to eat".
石榴很**
I know a long answer: 吃起来不方便. For example, 石榴吃起来不方便。
Is that the best/only expression?

You could try: 吃起来很麻烦
I can't agree with the list of hard to eat foods!

Yes for example 不好吃  味道一般
These two words are not offensive


For 錢應該花在刀口上, 錢 and 刀口 are so different things... why associate 錢 with 刀口? For 錢應該花在刀口上。刀口…… and spending money. How is spending money related to 刀口?

Look here: http://www.zdic.net/c/0/3f/99108.htm

刀口 means the right spot 花 means spend

钱要花在刀口上 You should spend/use your money where it is most needed.

There is another idiom in Chinese culture：

  一分钱当两分钱花。

Literally, it means one spend one dollar as two dollars. It is usually used to describe that kind of people who are shrewd in money matters。

So,I think the connection between money and 刀口 is because if you intend to  一分钱当两分钱花, then you have to cut one dollar into halves.

By the way, we usually say 刀刃 rather than 刀口。 But the two words have basically the same meaning.


Can anyone tell me what this jacket says (Characters identified: 盖世英雄) Help i have a jacket here that I want to buy but I need to know what it says and the site does not provide that information

read right to left, top to bottom:

盖世：gàishì：unrivalled
英雄: yīngxióng: hero

The circle with an arrow makes no sense to me. However, I think 盖世英雄 is used to refer to 项羽, who was the number one hero at his time but was defeated by 刘邦 who had a low beginning, and was not considered very righteous, but who made the first emperor of Han dynasty.


How to distinguish two words the same pronunciation but different meaning (gāo jià) I just wonder about how to distinguish the words 高价 vs 高架. Both of them seem to have the same pronunciation gāo jià.

Are there any additional cues for distinguishing them in a sentence? or Do people use contextual information to distinguish them?

As a Chinese native speaker, I use contextual information to distinguish them while listening. It's very common.

Different tones also used to distinguish them. Same pronunciation and same tone is not very common in different Chinese phrase.

Every Chinese pronunciation has many different characters, so you can easily distinguish them by their shapes while reading.

You can not distinguish two different words with the same pinyin. As the sounds of Mandarin are quite limited, and each character has only one syllable, the result is that it is inevitable that many words sound either the same or similar.

My favourite example is
事事, 试试, 事实，实施，失实，石狮，史实

These words can be very confusing using pinyin, but not in characters. Once these words are written in characters, the meanings are crystal clear without the need of any context to explain.

If interested, take a look at this article, https://www.mslmaster.com/index.php/teaching-learning-resources/10-resources/48-why-learning-mandarin-using-only-pinyin-will-create-more-hurdles


Is 朱日和 the homophone word of 诛日俄？ Yesterday China held a large scale field parade in the training base of 朱日和. Usually a place is named after something or someone, but that name sounds like a name of a former celebrity, but there was not such a person in China's history, so it is not surprising for me to think it might be a homophone of something. Do you think 诛日俄 is a justified choice?

The base is located in the 朱日和, which is a town in Inner Mongolia, it means 'courage' in mongolian language.

This town includes 15 villages, the training base is built from a 1950s armored troops training base.

So I don't think they give a new "fancy" name to that town.

sounds like 中日俄， representing three countries, China, Japan and Russia.

It's a place's name, so skip my answer here.


How can I change the icon used for a keyboard input type in Mac I do a lot of writing in different languages and have keyboard input types set up with hot keys so I switch easily.

I'm currently in Taiwan studying Mandarin and added the "traditional" Chinese input type along with the "simplified" that I already had.

The problem I'm having is that the trad and simple input methods have the same icon and I sometimes don't know which one I'm on, and can easily mistake one for the other.

This isn't the end of the world, but if anyone knows a hack to change this (maybe just the color or something) I would be very happy.

you can click on the icon, it should provide a drop-down menu with a bunch of preferences and options.

Select "Show Input Source Name" - then select your preferred keyboard language.
It should come up with the icon, PLUS something like "Pinyin - Simplified".

This worked for me, hopefully works for you too!

Update: I was not able to find out how to change the actual icon, but a quick fix was to select the "show input source name" in the dropdown on the top bar. I was just seeing the icon before, and now I can see the full name. This is fine but takes up 4x more space in my crowded top bar that it needs to.

I'll consider it a shim.


Videos for learning Chinese Mandarin I am well aware there of posts such as this, but I am specifically looking for videos that would be on youtube, for example. There are many videos on youtube, but I have been able to find anything that is like a lecture. I have only been able to find short videos here and there, but nothing that follows some sort of syllabus (lesson 1, 2, 3, etc.). Are there any such resources?

As what you said, Television also helps you that have all been in your seen post:

CCTV 4 (mms://8.3.230.132/cctv-4/cctvNews01.wmv)
NJTV 1 - Nanjing TV (mms://218.94.122.203/njtvxw)
XZTV1* (mms://218.3.205.21/xwzhpd)
XZTV2* (mms://218.3.205.21/jjshpd)
XZTV3* (mms://218.3.205.21/shzfpd)
NYTV - Nanyang TV (mms://61.136.113.41/nytv_1)

Besides, you can also see this:

快乐汉语

跟我学汉语

environment is the most important. buy a ticket and fly to China, rare a house and then you would learn Chinese in 6 months. ( in Beijing, you can rare a house at $500 ~ $1000 per month )

but, I suggest you first of all have the basics of Chinese, such as: pronouciatin, the gramma, and learn more than 2000 characters.

don't study from CCTV news... even we Chinese people can not understand some of the them, such as: '一手抓农业结构的战略性调整'... '大力开展。。。把XX政策落实到实处'...


Any Chinese-English economics and business related vocab list online? Apologies to those who are irritated by resource request questions.

What would you recommend to brush up and expand economics and business related vocabulary? Ideally I am looking for something that covers a few hundred terms in the area of business, economics and related topics. It doesn't need to include pinyin, and a Chinese-German or a Chinese-French list would also fit my needs. The format is irrelevant (pdf, html, txt, etc.)

I think these are the somewhat basic terms and you probably will hear them quite often.

Listed in http://www.hxen.com/word/changyong/2009-01-04/65060.html
经济学词汇

A

accounting:会计

accounting cost :会计成本

accounting profit :会计利润

adverse selection :逆向选择

allocation 配置

allocation of resources :资源配置

allocative efficiency :配置效率

antitrust legislation :反托拉斯法

arc elasticity :弧弹性

Arrow's impossibility theorem :阿罗不可能定理

Assumption :假设

asymetric information :非对称性信息

average :平均

average cost :平均成本

average cost pricing :平均成本定价法

average fixed cost :平均固定成本

average product of capital :资本平均产量

average product of labour :劳动平均产量

average revenue :平均收益

average total cost :平均总成本

average variable cost :平均可变成本

B

barriers to entry :进入壁垒

base year :基年

bilateral monopoly :双边垄断

benefit :收益

black market :黑市

bliss point :极乐点

boundary point :边界点

break even point :收支相抵点

budget :预算

budget constraint :预算约束

budget line :预算线

budget set 预算集

C

capital :资本

capital stock :资本存量

capital output ratio :资本产出比率

capitalism :资本主义

cardinal utility theory :基数效用论

cartel :卡特尔

ceteris puribus assumption :“其他条件不变”的假设

ceteris puribus demand curve :其他因素不变的需求曲线

Chamberlin model :张伯伦模型

change in demand :需求变化

change in quantity demanded :需求量变化

change in quantity supplied :供给量变化

change in supply :供给变化

choice :选择

closed set :闭集

Coase theorem :科斯定理

Cobb—Douglas production function :柯布--道格拉斯生产函数

cobweb model :蛛网模型

collective bargaining :集体协议工资

collusion :合谋

command economy :指令经济

commodity :商品

commodity combination :商品组合

commodity market :商品市场

commodity space :商品空间

common property :公用财产

comparative static analysis :比较静态分析

compensated budget line :补偿预算线

compensated demand function :补偿需求函数

compensation principles :补偿原则

compensating variation in income :收入补偿变量

competition :竞争

competitive market :竞争性市场

complement goods :互补品

complete information :完全信息

completeness :完备性

condition for efficiency in exchange :交换的最优条件

condition for efficiency in production :生产的最优条件

concave :凹

concave function :凹函数

concave preference :凹偏好

consistence :一致性

constant cost industry :成本不变产业

constant returns to scale :规模报酬不变

constraints :约束

consumer :消费者

consumer behavior :消费者行为

consumer choice :消费者选择

consumer equilibrium :消费者均衡

consumer optimization :消费者优化

consumer preference :消费者偏好

consumer surplus :消费者剩余

consumer theory :消费者理论

consumption :消费

consumption bundle :消费束

consumption combination :消费组合

consumption possibility curve :消费可能曲线

consumption possibility frontier :消费可能性前沿

consumption set :消费集

consumption space :消费空间

continuity :连续性

continuous function :连续函数

contract curve :契约曲线

convex :凸

convex function :凸函数

convex preference :凸偏好

convex set :凸集

corporatlon :公司

cost :成本

cost benefit analysis :成本收益分

cost function :成本函数

cost minimization :成本极小化

Cournot equilihrium :古诺均衡

Cournot model :古诺模型

Cross—price elasticity :交叉价格弹性

D

dead—weights loss :重负损失

decreasing cost industry :成本递减产业

decreasing returns to scale :规模报酬递减

deduction :演绎法

demand :需求

demand curve :需求曲线

demand elasticity :需求弹性

demand function :需求函数

demand price :需求价格

demand schedule :需求表

depreciation :折旧

derivative :导数

derive demand :派生需求

difference equation :差分方程

differential equation :微分方程

differentiated good :差异商品

differentiated oligoply :差异寡头

diminishing marginal substitution :边际替代率递减

diminishing marginal return :收益递减

diminishing marginal utility :边际效用递减

direct approach :直接法

direct taxes :直接税

discounting :贴税、折扣

diseconomies of scale :规模不经济

disequilibrium :非均衡

distribution :分配

division of labour :劳动分工

distribution theory of marginal productivity :边际生产率分配论

duoupoly :双头垄断、双寡

duality :对偶

durable goods :耐用品

dynamic analysis :动态分析

dynamic models :动态模型

E

Economic agents :经济行为者

economic cost :经济成本

economic efficiency :经济效率

economic goods :经济物品

economic man :经济人

economic mode :经济模型

economic profit :经济利润

economic region of production :生产的经济区域

economic regulation :经济调节

economic rent :经济租金

exchange :交换

economics :经济学

exchange efficiency :交换效率

economy :经济

exchange contract curve :交换契约曲线

economy of scale :规模经济

Edgeworth box diagram :埃奇沃思图

exclusion :排斥性、排他性

Edgeworth contract curve :埃奇沃思契约线

Edgeworth model :埃奇沃思模型

efficiency :效率，效益

efficiency parameter :效率参数

elasticity :弹性

elasticity of substitution :替代弹性

endogenous variable :内生变量

endowment :禀赋

endowment of resources :资源禀赋

Engel curve :恩格尔曲线

entrepreneur :企业家

entrepreneurship :企业家才能

entry barriers :进入壁垒

entry/exit decision :进出决策

envolope curve :包络线

equilibrium :均衡

equilibrium condition :均衡条件

equilibrium price :均衡价格

equilibrium quantity :均衡产量

eqity :公平

equivalent variation in income :收入等价变量

excess—capacity theorem :过度生产能力定理

excess supply :过度供给

exchange :交换

exchange contract curve :交换契约曲线

exclusion :排斥性、排他性

exclusion principle :排他性原则

existence :存在性

existence of general equilibrium :总体均衡的存在性

exogenous variables :外生变量

expansion paths :扩展径

expectation :期望

expected utility :期望效用

expected value :期望值

expenditure :支出

explicit cost :显性成本

external benefit :外部收益

external cost :外部成本

external economy :外部经济

external diseconomy :外部不经济

externalities :外部性

F

Factor :要素

factor demand :要素需求

factor market :要素市场

factors of production :生产要素

factor substitution :要素替代

factor supply :要素供给

fallacy of composition :合成谬误

final goods :最终产品

firm :企业

firms’demand curve for labor :企业劳动需求曲线

firm supply curve :企业供给曲线

first-degree price discrimination :第一级价格歧视

first—order condition :一阶条件

fixed costs :固定成本

fixed input :固定投入

fixed proportions production function :固定比例的生产函数

flow :流量

fluctuation :波动

for whom to produce :为谁生产

free entry :自由进入

free goods :自由品，免费品

free mobility of resources :资源自由流动

free rider :搭便车，免费搭车

function :函数

future value :未来值

G

game theory :对策论、博弈论

general equilibrium :总体均衡

general goods :一般商品

Giffen goods :吉芬晶 收入补偿需求曲线

Giffen's Paradox :吉芬之谜

Gini coefficient :吉尼系数

goldenrule :黄金规则

goods :货物

government failure :政府失败

government regulation :政府调控

grand utility possibility curve :总效用可能曲线

grand utility possibility frontier :总效用可能前沿

H

heterogeneous product :异质产品

Hicks—kaldor welfare criterion :希克斯一卡尔多福利标准

homogeneity :齐次性

homogeneous demand function :齐次需求函数

homogeneous product :同质产品

homogeneous production function :齐次生产函数

horizontal summation :水平和

household :家庭

how to produce :如何生产

human capital :人力资本

hypothesis :假说

I

identity :恒等式

imperfect competion :不完全竞争

implicitcost :隐性成本

income :收入

income compensated demand curve :收入补偿需求曲线

income constraint :收入约束

income consumption curve :收入消费曲线

income distribution :收入分配

income effect :收入效应

income elasticity of demand :需求收入弹性

increasing cost industry :成本递增产业

increasing returns to scale :规模报酬递增

inefficiency :缺乏效率

index number :指数

indifference :无差异

indifference curve :无差异曲线

indifference map :无差异族

indifference relation :无差异关系

indifference set :无差异集

indirect approach :间接法

individual analysis :个量分析

individual demand curve :个人需求曲线

individual demand function :个人需求函数

induced variable :引致变量

induction :归纳法

industry :产业

industry equilibrium :产业均衡

industry supply curve :产业供给曲线

inelastic :缺乏弹性的

inferior goods :劣品

inflection point :拐点

information :信息

information cost :信息成本

initial condition :初始条件

initial endowment :初始禀赋

innovation :创新

input :投入

input—output :投入—产出

institution :制度

institutional economics :制度经济学

insurance :保险

intercept :截距

interest :利息

interest rate :利息率

intermediate goods :中间产品

internatization of externalities :外部性内部化

invention :发明

inverse demand function :逆需求函数

investment :投资

invisible hand :看不见的手

isocost line :等成本线，

isoprofit curve :等利润曲线

isoquant curve :等产量曲线

isoquant map :等产量族

K

kinded—demand curve :弯折的需求曲线

L

labour :劳动

labour demand :劳动需求

labour supply :劳动供给

labour theory of value :劳动价值论

labour unions :工会

laissez faire :自由放任

Lagrangian function :拉格朗日函数

Lagrangian multiplier :拉格朗乘数，

land :土地

law :法则

law of demand and supply :供需法

law of diminishing marginal utility :边际效用递减法则

law of diminishing marginal rate of substitution :边际替代率递减法则

law of diminishing marginal rate of technical substitution :边际技术替代率

law of increasing cost :成本递增法则

law of one price :单一价格法则

leader—follower model :领导者--跟随者模型

least—cost combination of inputs :最低成本的投入组合

leisure :闲暇

Leontief production function :列昂节夫生产函数

licenses :许可证

linear demand function :线性需求函数

linear homogeneity :线性齐次性

linear homogeneous production function :线性齐次生产函数

long run :长期

long run average cost :长期平均成本

long run equilibrium :长期均衡

long run industry supply curve :长期产业供给曲线

long run marginal cost :长期边际成本

long run total cost :长期总成本

Lorenz curve :洛伦兹曲线

loss minimization :损失极小化

1ump sum tax :一次性征税

luxury :奢侈品

M

macroeconomics :宏观经济学

marginal :边际的

marginal benefit :边际收益

marginal cost :边际成本

marginal cost pricing :边际成本定价

marginal cost of factor :边际要素成本

marginal physical productivity :实际实物生产率

marginal product :边际产量

marginal product of capital :资本的边际产量

marginal product of 1abour :劳动的边际产量

marginal productivity :边际生产率

marginal rate of substitution :边替代率

marginal rate of transformation 边际转换率

marginal returns :边际回报

marginal revenue :边际收益

marginal revenue product :边际收益产品

marginal revolution :边际革命

marginal social benefit :社会边际收益

marginal social cost :社会边际成本

marginal utility :边际效用

marginal value products :边际价值产品

market :市场

market clearance :市场结清，市场洗清

market demand :市场需求

market economy :市场经济

market equilibrium :市场均衡

market failure :市场失败

market mechanism :市场机制

market structure :市场结构

market separation :市场分割

market regulation :市场调节

market share :市场份额

markup pricing :加减定价法

Marshallian demand function :马歇尔需求函数

maximization :极大化

microeconomics :微观经济学

minimum wage :最低工资

misallocation of resources :资源误置

mixed economy :混合经济

model :模型

money :货币

monopolistic competition :垄断竞争

monopolistic exploitation :垄断剥削

monopoly :垄断，卖方垄断

monopoly equilibrium :垄断均衡

monopoly pricing :垄断定价

monopoly regulation :垄断调控

monopoly rents :垄断租金

monopsony :买方垄断

N

Nash equilibrium :纳什均衡

Natural monopoly :自然垄断

Natural resources :自然资源

Necessary condition :必要条件

necessities :必需品

net demand :净需求

nonconvex preference :非凸性偏好

nonconvexity :非凸性

nonexclusion :非排斥性

nonlinear pricing :非线性定价

nonrivalry :非对抗性

nonprice competition :非价格竞争

nonsatiation :非饱和性

non--zero—sum game :非零和对策

normal goods :正常品

normal profit :正常利润

normative economics :规范经济学

O

objective function :目标函数

oligopoly :寡头垄断

oligopoly market :寡头市场

oligopoly model :寡头模型

opportunity cost :机会成本

optimal choice :最佳选择

optimal consumption bundle :消费束

perfect elasticity :完全有弹性

optimal resource allocation :最佳资源配置

optimal scale :最佳规模

optimal solution :最优解

optimization :优化

ordering of optimization(social) preference :(社会)偏好排序

ordinal utility :序数效用

ordinary goods :一般品

output :产量、产出

output elasticity :产出弹性

output maximization 产出极大化

P

parameter :参数

Pareto criterion :帕累托标准

Pareto efficiency :帕累托效率

Pareto improvement :帕累托改进

Pareto optimality :帕累托优化

Pareto set :帕累托集

partial derivative :偏导数

partial equilibrium :局部均衡

patent :专利

pay off matrix :收益矩阵、支付矩阵

perceived demand curve :感觉到的需求曲线

perfect competition :完全竞争

perfect complement :完全互补品

perfect monopoly :完全垄断

perfect price discrimination :完全价格歧视

perfect substitution :完全替代品

perfect inelasticity :完全无弹性

perfectly elastic :完全有弹性

perfectly inelastic :完全无弹性

plant size :工厂规模

point elasticity :点弹性

post Hoc Fallacy :后此谬误

prediction :预测

preference :偏好

preference relation :偏好关系

present value :现值

price :价格

price adjustment model :价格调整模型

price ceiling :最高限价

price consumption curve :价格费曲线

price control :价格管制

price difference :价格差别

price discrimination :价格歧视

price elasticity of demand :需求价格弹性

price elasticity of supply :供给价格弹性

price floor :最低限价

price maker :价格制定者

price rigidity :价格刚性

price seeker :价格搜求者

price taker :价格接受者

price tax :从价税

private benefit :私人收益

principal—agent issues :委托--代理问题

private cost :私人成本

private goods :私人用品

private property :私人财产

producer equilibrium :生产者均衡

producer theory :生产者理论

product :产品

product transformation curve :产品转换曲线

product differentiation :产品差异

product group :产品集团

production :生产

production contract curve :生产契约曲线

production efficiency :生产效率

production function :生产函数

production possibility curve :生产可能性曲线

productivity :生产率

productivity of capital :资本生产率

productivity of labor :劳动生产率

profit :利润

profit function :利润函数

profit maximization :利润极大化

property rights :产权

property rights economics :产权经济学

proposition :定理

proportional demand curve :成比例的需求曲线

public benefits :公共收益

public choice :公共选择

public goods :公共商品

pure competition :纯粹竞争

rivalry :对抗性、竞争

pure exchange :纯交换

pure monopoly :纯粹垄断

Q

quantity—adjustment model :数量调整模型

quantity tax :从量税

quasi—rent :准租金

R

rate of product transformation :产品转换率

rationality :理性

reaction function :反应函数

regulation :调节，调控

relative price 相对价格

rent :租金

rent control :规模报酬

rent seeking :寻租

rent seeking economics :寻租经济学

resource :资源

resource allocation :资源配置

returns :报酬、回报

returns to scale :规模报酬

revealed preference :显示性偏好

revenue :收益

revenue curve :收益曲线

revenue function :收益函数

revenue maximization :收益极大化

ridge line :脊线

risk :风险

satiation :饱和，满足

saving :储蓄

scarcity :稀缺性

law of scarcity :稀缺法则

second—degree price discrimination :二级价格歧视

second derivative :--阶导数

second—order condition :二阶条件

service :劳务

set :集

shadow prices :影子价格

short—run :短期

short—run cost curve :短期成本曲线

short—run equilibrium :短期均衡

short—run supply curve :短期供给曲线

shut down decision :关闭决策

shortage 短缺

shut down point :关闭点

single price monopoly :单一定价垄断

slope :斜率

social benefit :社会收益

social cost :社会成本

social indifference curve :社会无差异曲线

social preference :社会偏好

social security :社会保障

social welfare function :社会福利函数

socialism :社会主义

solution :解

space :空间

stability :稳定性

stable equilibrium :稳定的均衡

Stackelberg model :斯塔克尔贝格模型

static analysis :静态分析

stock :存量

stock market :股票市场

strategy :策略

subsidy :津贴

substitutes :替代品

substitution effect :替代效应

substitution parameter :替代参数

sufficient condition :充分条件

supply :供给

supply curve :供给曲线

supply function :供给函数

supply schedule :供给表

Sweezy model :斯威齐模型

symmetry :对称性

symmetry of information :信息对称

T

tangency :相切

taste :兴致

technical efficiency :技术效率

technological constraints ；技术约束

technological progress :技术进步

technology :技术

third—degree price discrimination :第三级价格歧视

total cost :总成本

total effect :总效应

total expenditure :总支出

total fixed cost :总固定成本

total product :总产量

total revenue :总收益

total utility :总效用

total variable cost :总可变成本

traditional economy :传统经济

transitivity :传递性

transaction cost :交易费用

uncertainty :不确定性

uniqueness :唯一性

unit elasticity :单位弹性

unstable equilibrium :不稳定均衡

utility :效用

utility function :效用函数

utility index :效用指数

utility maximization :效用极大化

utility possibility curve :效用可能性曲线

utility possibility frontier :效用可能性前沿

V

value :价值

value judge :价值判断

value of marginal product :边际产量价值

variable cost :可变成本

variable input :可变投入

variables :变量

vector :向量

visible hand :看得见的手

vulgur economics :庸俗经济学

W

wage :工资

wage rate :工资率

Walras general equilibrium :瓦尔拉斯总体均衡

Walras's law :瓦尔拉斯法则

Wants :需要

Welfare criterion :福利标准

Welfare economics :福利经学

Welfare loss triangle :福利损失三角形

welfare maximization :福利极大化

Z

zero cost :零成本

zero elasticity :零弹性

zero homogeneity :零阶齐次性

zero economic profit :零利润

I'm in the same situation, and have just come across Brainscape:

https://www.brainscape.com

They have a really good (at first glance) Chinese business vocab list which is free. It uses flashcards. Very nice interface

Cheers
Charlie


茶 - How to identify varieties of tea? I'm looking for vocabulary to help puzzle-out the kind of tea contained in various packages from the Chinese characters on their labels.

So far I recognize 茶(tea) and 叶(leaves).  (Apparently these are simplified-Chinese forms.)

On the label i have in front of me, I can't even tell where the variety is named (as opposed to brand name, promotional adjectives, etc.)
The biggest character, I assume, is just a stylized caligraphic 茶(tea):

The other main parts are near the top, in the middle below the big 茶(tea), and at the bottom:

I am not sure where to look even, and I don't have a way to find or enter characters for searching, so any help with tea-variety vocabulary or other hints would be appreciated.

铁观音　Tie Guanyin Tea / tat-kuan-yin Tea / Iron Buddha Tea
乌龙茶　Oolong Tea
黑茶　Dark Tea
红茶　Black Tea
龙井茶　Longjing Tea / Lungching Tea / Dragon Well Tea
君山银针　Junshan Silver Needle Tea
碧螺春　Biluochun Tea
牡丹绣球　Peony Jasmine Tea
黄山毛峰　Huangshan Maofeng Tea
岩茶　Rock Tea
冻顶乌龙　Dongding Oolong Tea
菊花茶　Chrysanthemum Tea
台湾阿里山乌龙　Taiwan Alishan Oolong Tea
大红袍　Dahongpao Tea (Wuyi Mountain Rock Tea)
普洱　Pu'er Tea
祁门红茶　Keemun Black Tea
茉莉花茶　Jasmine Tea
陈年普洱　Aged Pu'er Tea
立顿红茶　Lipton Black Tea
台湾冻顶乌龙　Taiwan Dongding Oolong Tea
绿茶　Green Tea
太平猴魁　Taiping Houkui Tea 　(A kind of Green Tea)
西湖龙井　Xihu Longjing Tea 　(A kind of Green Tea)
大白毫　White Milli-Silver Needle Tea
信阳毛尖　Xinyang Maojian Tea　 (A kind of Green Tea)

Source : http://www.dxmtea.com/captions.asp?id=585, and multiple others

So your package showed 铁观音 (Tie Guanyin Tea) 神品(Shen Pin, This is a brand maybe) 藏香 (Stock Flavored) 真空无氧包装(Vacuumed and oxygen-free packaging) 茶叶新鲜原味(Fresh and Original Flavor Tea).

铁观音 is a kind of Oolong Tea here, this package assumes you already knew it's a name of tea.

Thanks to @Stumpy Joe for his comment above about translation of tea colours. For completeness, note that 红茶 （lit. 'red tea') is 'black tea' in English, while 黑茶  (lit. 'black tea') is usually translated as 'dark tea'.

See @tomriddle's answer for a very good run-down of the more popular kinds of tea.


Is this book simplified or traditional? I'm learning Chinese and I would like to buy a book in simplified chinese.

I tried to look for "简体中文" but could not find it. Could you tell me if this is simplified?

http://www.huawenbookshop.com/1201443864.html

It is Simplified Chinese, as inferred by the text used on the cover.

It is chinese. But I think this book may be a bit hard to understand because there are so many words that only appear in chinese mythology.


What is the difference between 走路, 行走, and 步行? Are these words perfectly synonymous, or are there rules to distinguish them? Google Ngram shows that they're all used with about the same frequency.

I don't like it when several different words have the same meaning because I'm forced to learn each of them if I don't wanna look stupid when someone uses the one I don't know.

走路, 行走, and 步行 all mean 'walk'

走路 emphasizes the 'traveling a distance on foot' aspect. e.g. 走路去要十分鐘 (traveling on foot need 10 minutes)

行走 emphasizes the 'moving' aspect. e.g. 御前待衞可以在禁宮行走 (Royal guards could walk (move) around within the Forbidden City); 電動車充一次電祇能行走五十公里 (Electric vehicles can only run for (move) 50 kilometers on one charge)

步行 emphasizes 'the act of walking (use of legs/ by foot)' aspect. e.g. 病臥床上，不能步行 (sick on bed, can no longer walk)

If you walk a distance to a destination, you should use 走路 or 步行
If you are walking (moving around) in an area, you should use 行走
If you are doing the action of walking (a few steps attempt or a few miles travel) you should use 步行

More examples:

走路上京 (go to the capital on foot)

行走江湖 (traveling around the country)

步行健身 (walking for fitness)

You cannot say 行走上京，走路江湖， 步行江湖， 走路健身，行走健身

步行上京 (go to the capital by foot) is acceptable, but 上京 implies a long distance travel, it is better to use 走路 in this instance. Meanwhile 步行到街口 is better than 走路到街口

Almost no differences, you can use them interchangeablely.

  走路 walk + road

  行走 moving + walk

  步行 step + walk

  徒步 only steps

All these four expressions mean the same. They are synonyms. You can use them interchangeablely.

  I don't like it when several different words have the same meaning

It does not matter whether you like it or not. There are words with exactly the same meaning. This is how languages work.

  How do you go to school?

  A. I walk to school.

  B. I go to school on foot.

Anything different?

  你平时怎么上学的？

  A. 我走路去上学。

  B. 我步行去上学。

  C. 我徒步去上学。

  D. 我行走去上学。

Anything different?

While some people may try to find out some differences, I have to say. Those are only the differences in their local dialects. China is a big country, so the expression may vary from place to place. In some dialects, 走路 may even mean to “go on the road” (by car, ship, metro, bike, etc)

Here are the examples:

https://www.zhihu.com/question/263505147


How to translate "build server" (software terminology) The definition of "to build", in software, is:

the process of converting source code files into standalone software artifact(s) that can be run on a computer

I'm working with a software development team and I'm struggling with specific software-related vocabulary.
There are a few potential direct translations of the verb "to build", in Mandarin: 建设 and 建造 seem related to physical construction. 构建 and 搭建 seem more abstract in use, though they sound like "to compose", "to put together".
The relevant Wikipedia page offers 组建 instead.
What is the correct technical translation for "to build" a software?

You can say:

build server: 编译服务器

to build: 编译（编译整个工程)

a build: 一个版本的编译，编译的一个版本

a code drop: 一个代码实现 （minor milestone）

BUILD SERVER 搭建服务器，for both hardware and software terms.
A BUILD, depends on the context, can be translate as 一款软件建成的版本


Can 丢 refer to people? I'm looking for the right word to use in the situation where you are looking after a child and they wander off. In English I would say "I lost my child!"

Is 丢 the proper word? Google wants to say "我失去了我的孩子", but my dictionary indicates that 失去 means more like bereavement.  Zhongwen.com  has "迷路" for 'to be lost' but I think that is what the child would say.

丢

KEY

  6 {colloquial} (of a person, child, etc. that went missing) have disappeared, gotten lost

ex.:

我们的孩子丢了
发现孩子丢了，第一时间并不是去报警
公安刑侦局打拐办主任：孩子丢了要立刻报警
梦见孩子丢了，是什么意思？

you can use 丢 for money ,books, key,clothes,animals and so on,use 失去for chance,good future,sb's love,dream,and other abstract things


Why not include "的" in "传统音乐"? I have found the following two sentences:

他们正在演奏传统音乐。
这是一个传统的玩具。

Why does the former not use 的 but the latter does? I know you can remove 的 if you express family's relation as stated in other question, but this is not the case here...

Is there any other rule to remove 的 in Mandarin?

The words "的" for adjectives or "地" for adverbs are optional. e.g. 快速上升 = 快速地上升 (ascend rapidly), 聪明人 = 聪明的人 (clever man). Ancient Chinese didn't have these conjunctions/sometimes used other conjunctions(e.g. 然). You might treat the version without these conjunctions as a bit more formal/written, but that's not always the case. Either version is perfectly understandable/acceptable to people.

他们正在演奏传统的音乐。
这是一个传统玩具。
you can think above is  the same as your example.

because "的" can be omitted.
just remember this reason  and use it  as if idiomatically


What does the phrase "这才是快给我住手" mean? I just have a quick question about a phrase I've come across twice now, but I'm unsure of it's meaning exactly, I found it in this sentence:

  「这才是快给我住手。我可没那个意思陪你去自杀喔」

I feel like it would translate as something like "too quick for me to stop" but I also feel that might be too literal and it doesn't seem to fit the context?

These words came from the translation of a Japnaese manga, 死神 BLEACH Can't Fear Your Own World.
「这才是快给我住手。我可没那个意思陪你去自杀喔」

The original Japnaese words are shown below.

それこそやめとけ。

Stop it!
Just stop it!
That's it!
停！
這就算了吧！
這就省了吧！

This sentence may have the meaning of 才.
But, we don't have to translate it word by word.

「这才是快给我住手。我可没那个意思陪你去自杀喔」

I think a punctuation mark is missing.

It should be: 「这才是! 快给我住手。我可没那个意思陪你去自杀喔!」"Now this is the right thing to do! Stop at this instance. I really have no intention of committing double suicide with you!"


What's the difference between 了解 and 理解？ I've asked some of my Chinese friends what the difference was. Most couldn't explain. Some said that you 了解 people but you 理解 things. What's the difference?

From 《商务馆学汉语近义词词典》：

同：
都有“知道”的意思。但意思和用法都有不用，一般不能互换。

异：

用于事物，“了解”指知道得很清楚，强调知道事物的情况和过程，“了解”是一种感性的认识；“理解”强调懂得事物的意义和内容，明白为什么会是这样，是一种理性的认识，比“了解”更深入

这件事我一点儿也不了解，不可能谈出什么意思。
你了解这家公司的基本情况吗？
亨利非常了解中国历史和文化。
你这样说是什么意思，我还不能理解。
这篇文章内容太深，学生们理解不了。
发生这样的事真让人不可理解。

用于人，“了解”表示对此人知道得很清楚，知道此人的情况，性格，爱好，等；“理解”表示懂得此人的心，明白此人为什么要这样做，能谅解，宽容此人

我好久没有跟他谈过了，我真的不了解他有什么想法。
你们刚认识，应该互相了解。
我和刘芳是好朋友，所以我很了解她。
虽然我跟李立是好朋友，但我真的不理解他为什么要这样做。
夫妻之间最重要的是互相理解。
这件事我不能帮你，希望你能理解。

“了解”还有“打听，调查”的意思，还可以重叠；“理解”没有这样的用法

这次去中国农村，我们了解到喝多情况。
火灾很严重，市长亲自到现场了解情况。
他的情况我已经了解过了。
你去了解了解这个人的情况。

“了解”，“理解”在使用中有一些习惯搭配，不能互换

了解到 - 进行了解 - 深入了解 - 向人了解 - 了解得很清楚
得到理解 - 深刻理解 - 表示理解 - 理解能力 - 理解得很正确
我想向老师了解一下这里的招生情况。
校长深入到师生之中，了解到了事情的真实情况。
通过调查，我们对事情的经过已经了解得很清楚了。
我对你的这种心情表示理解。
这句话的意思你理解得很正确。

Both 理解 and 了解 can be used with human objects. However, at least colloquially, 理解 often implies empathy (concerning the person's circumstances), in addition to mere understanding, whereas 了解 does not.


Can Chinese readers scan large amounts of text faster/more accurately than their alphabet-using counterparts? I was browsing one day and came across this comment in this discussion(italics mine):

  I feel English is a reading language, if you are reading an English book, you watch the word and make sound in your brain. But Chinese can be a watching language, take a Chinese book, I can watch over a paragraph and get the meaning of most part. Well, you may not believe, but it's true. Compare Yahoo.com and Sina.com for example, you can see that Yahoo.com is simple and clear, but Sina.com like a mess. You maybe surprise how can Chinese find the information in this mess. Well, native Chinese will get the most part easy by scrolling down and take a glance. – Xiè Jìléi Apr 4 at 9:45

Is there any science behind this? Or does the commenter just refer to scanning text.

I checked out a number of other search engines(eg naver.com(Korean); the-search.jp(Japanese)) and found no correlations myself.

Can Chinese readers scan large amounts of text faster/more accurately than their alphabet-using counterparts?
So if we placed a native Chinese speaker next to a native English speaker having the same education and literacy levels and gave them both a text of the same length and complexity in their respective languages, would one of them a) finish faster? b)comprehend more accurately? c)better retain read information?

This research seems to be relevant.

Your question seems to be closely related to rapid reading techniques. Looking on those techniques, you may notice that many of them don't apply to Chinese, simply because logographic writing systems naturally allow rapid reading with no extra training.
There is even an idiom, 一目十行 -- "reading ten lines at the same time"; literally, "one eye ten lines`.

Sub-vocalization, a process of associating a text with its phonetic representation. It slows down reading in any language, but Chinese symbols are always monosyllabic, and the majority of dictionary words consist of only two syllables.
Replacing a sequential word-by-word reading to seeing a whole page at once (or, actually, square blocks of text). Chinese text is naturally a grid by itself.
Related to above, but different, avoiding linear reading. Alphabetic writing systems imply the words aligned horizontally. Your eyes follow a word and it's difficult to follow several lines at once.
Seenig the shape of the wrods, not redaing them in detial. (how many typos did you see here?). In Chinese, you don't look at each stroke or radical, you just get the entire character at once.
Look here: someone can recognize 300-800 characters, but admits that he/she still needs 5-10 seconds to recall a single one.

"You maybe surprise how can Chinese find the information in this mess." To my opinion, Chinese has much more characters than English, each character is quite different form another, and when they consist of one word, it gets more different from other words, so we can easily find some key words in a text. You can practice.


Happen to (in questions) I'm aware that you can use 正好 or 碰巧 to express low probability in statements, equivalent to English "happen to" .

我正好是有你要的那种啤酒。

我发现他碰巧就是我的一个远亲。

How can you use this same idea in a question?

"Do you happen to have an eyeglass screwdriver?"

Edit: I want to express that I'm aware the probability of them having the [unusual item] is low, but that I'm asking anyway.

Normally you wouldn't translate happen in questions like the one you proposed.

But, if you really wanted to - the best equivalent I can think of for doing this would be by adding:

  顺便问一下

at the beginning of a question.

So your question would end up being something like:

  顺便问一下，你有没有眼镜护理螺丝刀呢？

We use 正好 more in daily conversation between friends or family talking cause this is not a word that formally.

So we would probably not use this word to someone we don't that familiar with.


Why in Chinese Bible (和合本), "you" was translated as "你" instead of "您"? For example, in 詩 篇 Psalms:
102:1       〔 困 苦 人 發 昏 的 時 候 、 在 耶 和 華 面 前 吐 露 苦 情 的 禱 告 。 〕 耶 和 華 阿 、 求 你 聽 我 的 禱 告 、 容 我 的 呼 求 達 到 你 面 前 。
102:2       我 在 急 難 的 日 子 、 求 你 向 我 側 耳 、 不 要 向 我 掩 面 ． 我 呼 求 的 日 子 、 求 你 快 快 應 允 我 。
I thought 您 is more polite and honorific and thus should be used when address Jehovah. Why was "you" translated as "你" instead of "您"?

"I thought 您 is more polite and honorific and thus should be used when address Jehovah. Why was "you" translated as "你" instead of "您"?"

你 is, in fact, the correct translation, not only linguistically; but theologically as well. Because God is Father, the familiar form of the second person is appropriate.
A little diversion on the English terms, "thou" is the singular form in Early Modern English, and "you" the plural. The plural form came to be used as a polite form of address later, and "thou" the singular and familiar form. Over time, "you" took over and now Modern English uses "you" as both singular and plural and that distinction between formal (polite) and informal (familiar) is lost.
The translation of the Bible into English has maintained the difference between formal and informal; and it is also correct to maintain the same when translating into Chinese, "Thou/ thee" (informal and familiar) as "你" and "thy" as "你的". It is linguistically faithful. Theologically it is also the correct form since we are talking about a father-child relationship, and it is definitely not formal.

“您”属于北方方言，在普通话推广前并不通用。
“您” belongs to the northern dialects, it is not used by a lot of areas in China before Mandarin education becomes mandatory.  Bible wants to reach the majority of people, thus the more generic “你” is used.


Reference: 'hou' in Sichuanese meaning 'to eat' Looking for a reference.

Apparently 'hou' (pronunciation roughly similar to '候') means eat in Sichuanese, at least in some dialects.

For instance:

hou饭
出去hou
hou东西
hou()
hou酒

I've gone through about nine different dictionaries to just find a simple reference for this word, but with no luck.

A wild guess is it would be this character: 餱 but I have no way to prove that.

I don't have a reference handy. But as other commenters have stated, it's probably a regional form the word that means "to drink" in Mandarin and is written 喝. Words for "to eat" and "to drink" tend to cross over a certain amount between those exact senses.

As for the sound that reminds you of hou, the open final -e in Mandarin is a rather rare sound in Chinese — it's a diphthong whose phonetics are roughly [ɯɘ] or [ɯə] in Standard Mandarin — and regional equivalents are typically forms of [o].

This meaning "to consume [food]" is a fairly recent association for the character 喝 — with the modern pronunciation hè, it's attested in the meanings "to frighten" and "to berate", and is seen in those meanings in old texts. There's another reading yè for meanings connected with choking or sounds of choking, but these uses are only found in pre-modern writing.

Though neither the word nor the character is likely to be related to hè 嚇 'to frighten" or hē 訶 "to berate".

We still use 喝 in the pronunciation hè to mean "to cry out", as in yāohe 吆喝 "to shout one's wares (said of peddlers)" and hècǎi 喝彩 "to cheer (as at a sports event)". The character is attested in this sense by the Sòng.

According to http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_502f95d6010171cq.html

  吃饭是总称。“喝饭”是吃饭过程中某一具体动作。把米放进锅里煮成的叫做饭，再用勺子盛进碗里，端起来同喝水相似，故曰“喝”（我们这里都这样说）。说“吃”也可，反正都是送进嘴里。喝粥可以，喝饭就不行了？您说呢老大姐？再细分的话，一顿饭就有两种说法，一般食用固态食物时说“吃”，如吃馒头，吃菜等。食用液态食物时说“喝”，如喝粥，喝饭，喝汤等。

  他们当地俗语就是把“吃饭“说成是“喝饭”，看来我是孤陋寡闻了。这让我想起四川方言中的一种说法，四川方言将“抽烟”说成吃烟，将“喝水”说成“吃水”，川人还说 吃茶，吃酒，吃汤，吃奶，看来四川人把所有进嘴的东西都叫吃，不管是液体固体还是气体，倒也省事。不仅四川话将喝水说成吃水，南方有些省份也将喝水说成“吃水”，如江西瑞金沙洲坝的红井旁就立有“吃水不忘挖井人”的碑，当然碑上的“吃水”应该是“用水”之意，大于高于一般的“吃水”,上海人也说吃烟吃水的，仔细想来，烟和水怎么能吃？“吃”这个动词有一个食物在嘴中的咀嚼过程，而喝却是直接进喉咙，吃烟？把烟放在嘴里咀嚼，那不成了异食癖吗？吃水？水是液体，进入嘴里它也不会让你有咀嚼的机会呀！所以烟只能是抽或者吸，水只能喝不能说吃，喝饭也好，吃烟吃水也罢，都得服从语法，从语法角度看，它们都是有语病的，即动宾搭配不当，在这一点上，普通话最为准确，写文章当以普通话为准，除非文章的特殊需要。


Question about complement of frequency? (Using 过 and 次) I know that it is grammatical to say "我游了三次泳."

If I wanted to say, "I saw you three times," could I say it as "我看过你三次见"?

Thank you,
Rachel

No, you can't.

The first sentence: 游 is a verb. 泳 is a noun.

The second sentence: 看 is a verb. 見 is an adverb. It is not the same structure as the first one.

You should just say 我看過你三次 or 我見過你三次.

When a verb has an object, the verb has to be repeated before a time/frequency complement. In this case, this would result in

我見過你見過三次。

Another way to handle objects and complements is to prepone the object:

你人我見過三次。

In 我游了三次泳, the word 游泳 is a loose verb-object pair that should be viewed as just a verb.  The 泳 is difficult to explain as an object in many grammatical constructions.


What is the significance of the phrase “二十五，糊窗户”？ The phrase “糊窗户” refers to the practice of pasting paper cutouts (similar to the one seen here) on one's windows. There's a common larger saying, “二十五，糊窗户”, which I assume means that this is usually done on the 25th day of the lunar month. (I'm not sure which one.)

What is the meaning and significance of this phrase? What does it refer to? When is it used?

Traditionally, the Spring Festival starts from 23rd December (lunar month), 23rd December is also called 小年 (little Spring Festival)

There is an old saying...

二十三，祭灶官；二十四，扫房子；二十五，糊窗户 (or 磨豆腐)；二十六，割块肉；二十七，杀只鸡；二十八，贴gaga(嘎嘎音，意为贴春联)；二十九，灌壶酒；年三十，包扁食。

Basically, it describes what people do each day from 小年 to Chinese New Year Eve (三十).

Besides the culture aspect, the significance of the phrase is rhyming. 五 and 户 share the same final sound (韵母)。


What are the radical names? I noticed the kangxi radicals all have two ways that people refer to them.
For example: 氵 is sometimes called shuǐ, sometimes called 三点水. 饣 is sometimes called shí or 食字旁.

What are the correct names for the radicals as radicals?

there's lots of these on Wikibooks and in the other way at archchinese.com.

In my opinion, 三点水 and shui3 are all correct names for 氵, so for 饣.

Actually, 氵is also 水, just in another face.
You can know this by comparing Chinese Seal Character(小篆)
河:http://www.zdic.net/z/1c/zy/6CB3.htm
水:http://www.zdic.net/z/1c/zy/6C34.htm

三点水 is more formal, shui3 is most used in computer world.

Hope my explanation can help you understand this further.

The wiki link is correct. 氵is 三点水 and 饣is 食字旁. I don't think [citation needed] 氵is a character with a real meaning. Didn't find it in the Kangxi Dictionary. I only use its pinyin "shui3" when I want to type it with a pinyin input method.

P.S. Almost all characters with the radical 氵is about water(河 river, 海 sea, 洋 ocean), and water(水) is pronounced shui3. And 饣-shi2-食 is about food/diet.


How to express that someone is old? If I am talking about someone, and want to indicate that they are very old (not in a negative way, just stating a fact), how do I do that?

Something like this?
他是老人

'他是個老人' - 'he is an old man'

It is a plain statement. The classifier 個 should not be omitted because 老人 could be a noun or adjective. '他是老人' sounds like your sentence is incomplete. Using the classifier 個 indicates it is a noun and it is a complete sentence (not "他是老人... 恊會的主席" )

'他是個老人家' - 'he is an elderly'
'老人家' is more respectful term than just '老人'

Notice '他老人家' - (he the elder) is a respectful way to address someone senior in age, or high in status.)

'他是一名長者'- 'he is an elderly'

The classifier for '長者' (senior/ elderly) should be those that reserved for human only, like '一位' or '一名'.

'他是個上了年紀的人' - 'he is a man of advanced age'

A matter of fact statement

first of all,Im chinese,if i express wrong in english grammar,hope to forgive me,welcome to make a friend to communicate chineses,english,just help each other，if you major in computer science or software,it's couldn't be better. ok,if you want to say old to people likely grandparents,you should say
'ta shi yi wei zhangbei'--'他是一位长辈'；'ta nianji henda'--‘他年纪很大’；'ta shangle suishu'--‘他上了岁数’；‘tashi zhangzhe’--‘他是长者’;'tashi laorenjia'--'他是老人家'


How is "biang" as in "biáng biáng miàn" pronounced in other dialects? To my understanding, "biáng" is not a sound that exists in Mandarin, though there's some argument on the hypothetical phonological possibility of such here. One might assume therefore that it is a character either unique to or else created within Shaanxi dialect (given the alleged origins of the word). If such a character is read by a speaker of another dialect, how would it be pronounced? How might, say, a Cantonese-speaker or Hokkien-speaker read it?

I don't think this is the answer you want but it's the answer you're getting, at least from me.
明末洪帮图符研究 on the Wikipedia page for Biángbiáng面 notes:

流传于四川盆地的两个妇孺皆知的复杂汉字“”和“”，其内部结构与“缺字图片”字十分类似。类似结构的汉字流传于10多个省市，300多年来均有出现，却仅限民间相传，从无传统典籍收录。
重庆一带的“”字和四川一带的“”字，均念为“ zuí ”，即当地方言中的“贼”，意指强盗。为了方便记忆，它们同样也有歌谣对应[注 8][注 9][注 10]，在当地乡村中人人均能背诵。[14][13]

According to:

余云华. 怪字“”、“”、“”考. 民俗研究. 2002, (02).

and

王纯五. 洪门·青帮·袍哥——中国旧时民间黑社会习俗. 四川: 四川人民出版社. 1993: 71. ISBN 7-220-02058-9.

The biáng character is used for the pronunciation zuí in Sichuanese and Chongqingese.
The characters, though, have slight variations:
Here's the Chongqing variation

重庆一带zuí字

and the Sichuanese variation:

四川一带zuí字[13]

According to the materials they mean the same as 贼 or thief.
Sichuanese/Chongqingese words like:

贼呵呵
贼脚摸手
贼脚摸爪
贼眉贼眼
贼娃子
贼货

Could, in theory, be written with biáng instead of 贼.

Funnily enough, though,《广安方言与民俗词典》from Sichuan has also recorded an entry for:

biáng

which they have defined as:

普通话中无“b-i-ang”发音，属于群众自创方音。象声词，本义指用力扯面中面条击打案板之声。生活中常作为口语化的象声词，如巴掌打在脸上的声音、面积较大的东西摔在地上的声音等。为了方便记忆，民间还有此字歌谣：“一点一横长，二字下来口字方，两边丝绕绕，中间马大王，你也长，我也长，心字底，月字旁，打把金钩挂衣裳。”

The rhyme matches the footnote on Wikipedia for:

重庆一带“”字歌谣为：“一点一横长，二字下来口字方；两边丝绕绕，拉根板凳来坐倒；你也长，我也长，中间夹个马儿郎；心字来打底，月字来包墙，打个金钩银钩挂衣裳。”

perfectly.

So, in Sichuan/Chongqing, is it zuí or biáng?
I guess it depends on the context.

Lastly, according to 辞书收录 on the Wikipedia page for Biángbiáng面:

《都市方言辞典（陕西卷）》[16]收录此词条，并详细介绍了相关饮食文化：
 biáng[piaŋ24]     ①“儿面”的biáng。
②指人死掉，含庆幸语气：狗日的这回才～了。
面 biángbiangmiàn[piaŋ24piaŋ24-31miã55] 详见下边词条
儿面 biángbiangrmiàn[piaŋ24.piẽr miã55] 陕西最爱吃的面食之一……

It would go to show that the majority of dialects would follow the rising tone of [piaŋ24] because after all it is a 陕西 thing.

I think we don't need to consider its pronunciation in other dialects, because this character Biáng doesn't even exist in the formal Chinese, it is brand new to people from other regions.

  入乡随俗 Do in Rome as Rome does

As Biángbiáng miàn is a Shaanxi speciality, it took its name from the sound made in the production, see here for details, in my view it doesn't matter where you come from, you should be interested in learning their culture and history


Usage of word 到 in 我很高兴见到你 Why do one need to write a word 到 in statement 我很高兴见到你? Can we omit it?
It's like being complete without that word for me. Why do we need to use it?
I found this phrase in this book.

Verbs like 见、买、吃、看、听 are all just express an action, when you want to express the result of the verb, you have to add “到”.  You will understand it better from the following  examples:

A blind man can do the action “ 看”, but he will never 看到 anything.
People can go to the train station 买 train tickets during Chinese new year, but it’s very hard to 买到 a ticket.
In this sentence “我很高兴见到你” , there is a result of the action 见， the result is 你, so you can’t omit 到.

As a Chinese, I'd like to say that you don't need to pay too much attention to grammars, for Chinese isn't a language like eurpean ones depending on syntaxes, variable genders,  plurals……ect. Chinese is a language with a lot of meanings in different kinds of situations:

In your sentence, “见到” doesn't mean I've seen you (past tense or present participle tense), This is ONLY a spoken greeting statement to say "Nice to meet you". This is a fixed phrase without a concept of time,space……ect. So just like "nice to meet you", "nice to see you", we don't care about "I won't be happy unless I see you"……right?! :D

Except the fixed greeting statements, sometimes it's time for us to pay attention to "到"'s usage:

"到" is used after a verb (usually an intransitive verb) meaning "verb's state is finished just now after a period of time, sometimes it means with tough things or not so easy". e.g:

1）我坐到你跟前（Maybe I'm walking in front of you and sit down）.

【Compare: 我坐你跟前：I'm sitting in front of you.】

2）很不容易见到你（Maybe I don't know about you at all, and I've been introduced to you by someone else and then we have a chance to meet each other）


Hanban/HSK Official Website Resources Download Does anybody know where to find the most recent HSK test materials, especially the vocabulary lists to download?

I have checked the official site, but the 资料下载 'button' doesn't work

UPDATE: Found it.

All the downloads (audio samples, .PDFs, vocab list) are on a different domain: http://www.chinesetest.cn

UPDATE2: Actually there used to be a PDF which contained the corresponding pinyins, not only the words/characters themselves. Does anybody know where could that file be found?

Scroll to the bottom for PDFs, latest tests, vocabulary lists and pretty much everything to do with HSK.
http://www.chinaeducenter.com/en/exams.php

(this is in response to the below)

UPDATE2: Actually there used to be a PDF which contained the corresponding pinyins, not only the words/characters themselves. Does anybody know where could that file be found?

I believe the 资料下载 is a title only; those below the title are the actual links


Is there a website/service that corrects Chinese essays? Recently, I've gotten into the habit of writing in a Chinese diary each night. However, I'd be disappointed if I kept on making mistakes and instead of correcting them, reinforcing them through the diary. Does anyone know of any services that correct Chinese essays?

Stephen.
I am a Chinese and interested in your Chinese essays..
Could you POST them or one to me , if i can do anything for help , i will repeat to you .
you can just post it below , or this is my email : hunter.v.wang@gmail.com

Looking forward to your essays..

[You must have 50 reputation to comment]

so , i leave the comment in answer ,sorry;

I'm not sure if there is any, but, I can't find one. Maybe you can post your essay here at Stack Exchange and ask for corrections. :)


Why does the romanization Mahjong have a final H after ma? What romanization system of what language or dialect is this from?
I've seen no other romanization of Mandarin or other Chinese languages or dialects use a final H.

Or may it be just common english-speaking use to avoid being pronounced may-jong?

Refer to Mahjong In The West

I think it is just a translation problem.

In the old times, romanisation in Chinese Language like Cantonese Romanisation is not really common, like in this case, Mahjong might be translated from the Wu Dialect or Northern Chinese Language, I'm not sure about that.

You might also refer to this The Mahjong Origin

I hope I did answer your question. :)

It's because the English spelling is based on an old Chinese romanization system called 'Wade-Giles' (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wade–Giles) (I think).


In mathematics, how to express "两者不能同时成立"? Is there any reference book from which I can learn the basic usages applied to the proofs in mathematics?
I met several problems these days, for instance, "两者不能同时成立" seems hard for me.
Thank you!

are you looking for "contradictory", in mathematic, it would be:

"contradictory opposite"　"矛盾否定"

"contradictory propositions"　"矛盾命題"

教育研究院, of taiwan has documentations of bilingual academic terms, the mathematical one is here, you may download it:

http://terms.naer.edu.tw/download/301/

This means:

If I have two conditions, ONLY one can be true.

Either A or B is true. We cannot make two conditions (both A & B) become true.


the meaning of "grass dogs (dogs of grass)" 天地不仁，以萬物為芻狗 that's Dao De Jing Chapter 5,
I give a try: heaven and earth are not benevolent (I understand)
萬物 all the creatures 為 act  芻狗 grass dogs? dogs playing on grass? dogs made of grass?
What to you think?
is my translation of the second line in the right direction?

刍狗, is made of grass and used as sacrificial offering, metaphor for humble or useless things.

天地不仁，以万物为刍狗, means heaven and earth, i.e. the nature, is not benevolent and partial, it treats all things on the earth the same and fairly.

It just reflects the ideology of 道家(taoists); 顺其自然(let nature take its course, don't intervene too much).

http://baike.haosou.com/doc/6641911-6855725.html
http://baike.haosou.com/doc/5377628-5613764.html

Dogs of grass are wild, loose dogs.  In other words, they're the bad ones.  The good ones are on the leash.  Consider the times.


为什么 “也” 发音为 "ye" 但是 “他”发音为"ta"？？？ Oh great. I have to ask in English to get it past StackExchange filters.
Characters with radicals typically have pronunciations close to the bare character.
For example: "韦“ (wei) versus "伟“ (wei) or "敢“ (gan) versus "憨“ (han)
But "也" (ye) and "他“ (ta) are very much exceptions. Why?

有部首旁的汉字的发音通常按照没有部首旁的字。 例如 “韦”/”伟“、 “清”/“青”、 “敢”/“憨”等。

但是 “也”/“他” 根本在例外。为什么？

Please refer to Old Chinese reconstructions when analysing phonetic components of characters.

他 - Baxter-Sagart OC: /*l̥ˤaj/ > MC: /tʰɑ/ > Mandarin Pinyin: tā

也 - Baxter-Sagart OC: /*lAjʔ/ > MC: /jiaX/ > Mandarin Pinyin: yě

  有部首旁的汉字的发音通常按照没有部首旁的字。

You should probably learn that 部首 is a dictionary indexing tool, and has nothing to do with the functions of character components.

Words "come" and "become" pronounce similarly. So you think "也" and "他" should also make like this way, right?

This is no Chinese thinking mind, if you study more, you will see lots of similar samples, even "己" and "已" are different on pronunciation and meaning also.


What does "你什么都不是" mean? Literal translation:

你 - You
什么 - what / who / something / anything
都 - entire / all
不是 - blame

My guess - It's all your fault?

Literally: you are nothing at all, usually used in a disparaging way from what I can gather.  It follows the common pattern of Sub+什么都不+Verb, meaning that the subject verbs nothing at all.  Ex: 我什么都不知道 = I don't know anything.


Is「天佑美國」the correct translation for "God Bless America"? Look at this mural from Chinatown, San Francisco:

Attribution: American flag in Chinatown San Francisco by Pedro Lozano. License: CC BY 2.0

It says「天佑美國」, but is that correct? Shouldn't it be「天祐美國」instead? Isn't god supposed to be a divine being?

According to Wiktionary, 保祐 is a variant of 保佑. Google Ngram Viewer also consider 天祐 to be the same as 天佑: Ngram

Actually, here in mainland China, I think 佑 is much more prevalent than 祐 (I have not been to other Chinese-speaking areas so I cannot give you a definitive answer). You can witness it from the Wikipedia translation of similar subjects, all of them use 佑 instead of 祐:

God Bless America - 天佑美國
God Save the Queen/King - 天佑女皇/女王、天佑吾皇/国王
Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser - 上帝保佑吾皇弗朗茨/天佑吾皇弗朗茨

So if you have to choose between them, I'd say 佑 is actually a safer choice.

It's 「天佑美國」. As for 佑 vs 祐, take a look here


How do you say "this article was originally published in German? How do you say "this article was originally published in German?

本文原載於德文

？

This article was originally published in German.
这篇文章最初是以德语出版的。

本文原稿(this article originally)为德语(in German)所著(published)。


Can 会儿 be pronounced 3rd tone? The word 会儿 means "a short amount of time." All dictionaries I have checked say that the correct pronunciation of this word is huìr (i.e., 4th tone). Nevertheless, I am fairly sure that I have heard it pronounced huǐr (i.e., 3rd tone) from time to time. It's especially obvious in constructions like 等会儿, where the speaker will pronounce 等 as déng in accordance with tone sandhi.

Is 会儿 ever pronounced huǐr in casual speech? Am I totally mistaken? If you're a native speaker, how do you pronounce it?

You are right.
会 is the 4th tone in the dictionary (the most official 新华字典) and if you are in a test, you'd better follow that.
However, in daily Chinese, there are a lot of people using the 3rd tone as casual speech.
Actually, 会 is a kind of popular mistake. There are a lot of examples for that.
In the ancient book POEM （诗经；shi jing）, one sentence reads 君子好逑 jun1 zi3 hao3 qiu2. But people tend to read it as jun1 zi3 hao4 qiu2. Upper level Chinese classes in Chinese high school specifically teaches the importance of these terms. But the daily talking is in a kind of casual style.
Anyway, people are able to follow your mind despite one or few pronunciation differences.

China is a large country, and people in different parts of China have different accents.
It's totally ok if you pronunce in the third tone, we can understand you.


案: why is a bench also a case? Sorry about the cryptic title.
案 is a character that can mean "bench"/"desk" but it can also mean "(legal) case" or "file":

长形的桌子或架起来代替桌子用的长木板：～子。～板。书～。条～。拍～而起。

提出计划、方法和建议的文件或记录：档～。备～。议～。提～。方～。有～可查。～卷。～牍。

How does this one character come to mean two very different things? The radicals suggest that the original definition may have only been the "bench" one, and the second definition is only incidentally related - I guess people would look at legal cases on a bench or table, but it seems a bit of a stretch.

Your understanding seems to be correct. For example, in Liu Yuxi of Tang Dynasty's 《陋室铭》:

  无丝竹之乱耳，无案牍之劳形

Where 案 means the desk, and 牍 is a type of hard wood board or pad, on which you write articles. Put together, the bisyllabic word simply means cases, articles, or documents.

Well. This is very hard to answer because Chinese characters have evolved into different shapes over time. However, if the 案 remains the same shape, we can tentatively guess its meaning.

Take a look at the upper half: it's "安“, which means the security of a town/country, etc. It might be related to some documents and cases.

Take a look at the lower half, it's "木“. You see how it is associated with tables.

If you are a language learner, you don't have to care about it. It's too trivial.