Chinese Language Weekly Newsletter - Friday, November 28, 2014

Chinese Language newsletter

Top new questions this week: 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? Thanks! translation word-choice vocabulary characters meaning-in-context   asked by john 6 votes answered by user6857 6 votes When should I use the 是...的 construction? I've been told that 是...的 is used to put emphasis on something, but I'm not sure when or why I should use it. grammar meaning usage   asked by Friso1990 6 votes answered by NS.X. 4 votes What is the verbatim translation for "都什么时候了" ? "什么时候" means verbatim "what time" But, when i add 都 (adverb meaning "all") and 了(particle indicating either change of state or completion), i can not grasp what meaning is conveyed by this phrase. ... translation grammar meaning phrase   asked by meireikei 6 votes answered by Drunken Master 4 votes Semantic Puns and Alternative Hanzi There seems to be a set of Chinese words that have alternatives (disregarding the traditional/simplified split). For example, 借 and 藉. Within this class of alternatives, however, seems to be a set of ... characters traditional-chinese   asked by Seralt 6 votes answered by Ding-Yi Chen 1 vote How does inserting 起来 into 请客 as in 请起客来 changes the meaning? 请客 is a verb-object-verbal phrase (联合词), therefore it is able to seperate both parts and put further structures in between. I read I could put 起 in between together with 来 at the end to form a so ... grammar syntax   asked by meireikei 4 votes answered by S.Rhee 5 votes What's the correct classifier for `房子`? In my little bit of Mandarin experience, I have got that the classifier for 房子 is 座, and also felt that 座 is usually used to refer to a building. However, I have just read that someone here over ... mandarin classifiers   asked by Gardecolo 4 votes answered by Drunken Master 7 votes Is there a difference in meaning between 那年夏天 and 那个夏天 I asked a native speaker whether these phrases were equivalent in meaning and she said no (although agreeing that they both ultimately do "point" to the same concept). I asked if 年 here is basically a ... grammar classifiers measure-word   asked by Matt Chambers 3 votes answered by NS.X. 11 votes Greatest hits from previous weeks: 哪儿 vs. 哪里, Difference in Meaning? Is there any difference in meaning between 哪儿 and 哪里? If not, then how did the two different words come to be employed? Does 儿 have a meaning, or is it just a sound? I know that there are many ... meaning etymology history   asked by Anthony 6 votes answered by Semaphore 8 votes How to say "A Person's Strength" Is there a good translation for "strengths" in Chinese? I am trying to say strengths as in 'We should try to improve our strengths, not our weaknesses'. I know that 强项 is one phrase that has a ... grammar   asked by Stephen 5 votes answered by user3306356 4 votes

Subscribe to more Stack Exchange newsletters Unsubscribe from this newsletter or change your email preferences by visiting your subscriptions page on stackexchange.com. Questions? Comments? Let us know on our feedback site. If you no longer want to receive mail from Stack Exchange, unsubscribe from all stackexchange.com emails. Stack Exchange, Inc. 110 William St, 28th Floor, NY NY 10038 <3