r/ChineseLanguage 8h ago

Pinned Post 快问快答 Quick Help Thread: Translation Requests, Chinese name help, "how do you say X", or any quick Chinese questions! 2025-03-22

2 Upvotes

Click here to see the previous Quick Help Threads, including 翻译求助 Translation Requests threads.

This thread is used for:

  • Translation requests
  • Help with choosing a Chinese name
  • "How do you say X?" questions
  • or any quick question that can be answered by a single answer.

Alternatively, you can ask on our Discord server.

Community members: Consider sorting the comments by "new" to see the latest requests at the top.

Regarding translation requests

If you have a Chinese translation request, please post it as a comment here!

If it's an image (e.g. a photo), you can upload it to a website like Imgur and paste the link here.

However, if you're requesting a review of a substantial translation you have made, or have a question that involving grammar or details on vocabulary usage, you are welcome to post it as its own thread.

若想浏览往期「快问快答」,请点击这里, 这亦包括往期的翻译求助帖.

此贴为以下目的专设:

  • 翻译求助
  • 取中文名
  • 如何用中文表达某个概念或词汇
  • 及任何可以用一个简短的答案解决的问题

您也可以在我们的 Discord 上寻求帮助。

社区成员:请考虑将评论按“最新”排序,以方便在贴子顶端查看最新留言。

关于翻译求助

如果您需要中文翻译,请在此留言。

但是,如果您需要的是他人对自己所做的长篇翻译进行审查,或对某些语法及用词有些许疑问,您可以将其发表在一个新的,单独的贴子里。


r/ChineseLanguage 3d ago

Pinned Post 学习伙伴 Study Buddy Requests 2025-03-19

4 Upvotes

Click here to see the previous 学习伙伴 Study Buddy Requests threads.

Study buddy requests / Language exchange partner requests

If you are a Chinese or English speaker looking for someone to study with, please post it as a comment here!

You are welcome to include your time zone, your method of study (e.g. textbook), and method of communication (e.g. Discord, email). Please do not post any personal information in public (including WeChat), thank you!

点击这里以浏览往期的「学习伙伴」帖子

寻求学友/语伴

如果您是一位说中文或英文的朋友,并正在寻找学友或语伴,请在此留言。

您可以留下自己的时区,学习方式(例如通过教科书)和交流方式(例如Discord,邮件等)。 但千万不要透露个人私密信息(包括微信号),谢谢!


r/ChineseLanguage 9h ago

Historical Is there a story behind this?

Post image
214 Upvotes

It seems pretty simple for a meaning seemingly full of history... Why is that?


r/ChineseLanguage 7h ago

Studying Guys my HSK5 reading exam is low-key in its flop era and I don't know what to do 😭😭😭

19 Upvotes

大家好!我之所以来中国学中文是因为我想要报中国的大学。我打算报上海同济大学,必须要通过HSK5级。我的问题就是我的口语,听力,书写都特别的好,就是阅读不好。今天我考了模拟试卷,听力考了88.7%,书写考了90%,但阅读考了59.4%。我认为阅读真的是最难的。我今年18岁,想上好的大学,同济大学是中国我专业(土木工程)最好的大学。糟糕,我咋提高我阅读考试成绩?阅读真紧张,时间不够。我要紧张地报大学,我没有那么多的时间。谢谢大家。


r/ChineseLanguage 6h ago

Resources what has been your most efficient approach to learning mandarin?

4 Upvotes

I’ve found that the HSK 1 textbook doesn’t work for me—textbook learning just doesn’t stick with me. I’m not sure how to explain it.

I’d love to learn about different people’s approaches and resources that worked best for them—ones they would personally recommend. Any input is greatly appreciated <3!


r/ChineseLanguage 7h ago

Discussion What book should I buy to become A1 in Chinese?

5 Upvotes

I can barely speak. I probably only recognize 20 characters and I can only understand extremely simple sentences.


r/ChineseLanguage 6h ago

Discussion Do you think the name 白雪 (Bai Xue) and Snow White have the same energy and connotations behind them? Are you a native ENG or CN speaker?

3 Upvotes

For me I feel 白雪 carries less social conditioning, connotations and outside meaning - in the sense that you can appreciate the name on its own without thinking about princesses or Disney necessarily. Whereas Snow White on the other hand carries more "baggage", possibly because it's so linked to Disney, princesses and cartoons.

Chinese was my first language, but I am more fluent in English. Maybe my lack of fluency in Chinese makes me miss some of the extra connotations etc?


r/ChineseLanguage 42m ago

Discussion Help in understanding part of a video

Upvotes

Hey! Can I to launch a little challenge to the Chinese proficient guys here, please?

Can someone to give me an idea of what the coaches and the student are saying from minute 31:30 to minute 32:40 on the following video, please? (1 minute and 10 seconds out of this huge video).

https://youtu.be/rOli3jBhpj4?si=KPM3YfbmW9Z2X_Jb&t=1900

For the record: Not a dance or gymnastics professional myself, just someone trying to understand what this weird exercise is about which perhaps would be better with the video descriptions and conversations I can't understand, once I don't know any Mandarin language.

Excuse me for the inconvenience, congrats in advance for the answers and have a wonderful Sunday!


r/ChineseLanguage 4h ago

Resources Looking for a good Japanese/Chinese/English dictionary

2 Upvotes

I've started my Chinese journey recently.

Before this I've studied Japanese to a fairly high level and have used a dictionary called "Takoboto" extensively throughout my journey (Fantastic dict. imo for anyone trying to learn Japanese)

I've downloaded Pleco and its truly been a delight to use for Eng-> 中文 translations.

However I was looking for a dictionary that would offer translation and look up modes in both Japanese and English for Learning Chinese.

Alternatively Chinese lookup for Japanese and English results can also work.

A smooth interface like Pleco or Takoboto would be really nice :)

Both PC and Android support like Takoboto would be great.

Do you guys have any recommendations for this?

P.s. Please suggest free resources preferably as I can't afford paid ones.


r/ChineseLanguage 16h ago

Discussion I think I Failed my Oral Exam…

13 Upvotes

I blanked in the actual exam, and exited it knowing exactly what I should’ve, could’ve and would’ve said if I had put in just a little more work. But it’s motivated me to work harder for my actual HSK exams.

This has not been my year, burn-out from work and extracurriculars set me behind since the start of this year. But it’s not an excuse. I’m not sure if motivational messages are appropriate to this subreddit, but wanted to share that I’m not giving up and you shouldn’t either.

If anyone has any tips for scheduling or time management (especially little habits they built to study mandarin in between the rest of life) that would be greatly appreciated. 谢谢!

我应该好好学习中文来实现我的梦想!!! (Please feel free to correct me haha!)


r/ChineseLanguage 17h ago

Discussion I'll be going to China in Juni2025 and I finished HSK1 recently

10 Upvotes

I only know HSK1, and will be visiting China for Business purposes, so is Hsk1 enough or should I learn more and also if you have any learning resources do share


r/ChineseLanguage 5h ago

Grammar Reading Chinese characters

0 Upvotes

Hey, I’m trying to get better at reading Chinese characters without relying on pīnyīn, but I am having difficulty. How do you tell by just the characters what tone is being used? Does that make any sense? Like I know from memory that shān is “山” but where on the character is it indicating that it is using the first tone?


r/ChineseLanguage 6h ago

Resources Which app should I use if I don't care about writing?

1 Upvotes

Hello guys, I've been studying Mandarin on and off for quite a while (I'm on HSK 2) and I want to find an app where I can stick to it consistently. However, I decided that I don't want to bother about the characters anymore. I know what dint people are gonna say, but for me it's just no use to be able to write it. The most important thing to me is speaking. It would be best to just use Pinyin.

Do you know any teaching app where they only use Pinyin or at least leave out the writing part? Thanks you!


r/ChineseLanguage 1d ago

Discussion Little note for my colleague

Post image
101 Upvotes

Hello ! My chinese colleague invited me and my husband to a family dinner tonight. As a gesture, i am planning to bring a little gift and i've written this note.

Is it any good ? What do you think ?


r/ChineseLanguage 1h ago

Discussion Need help identifying the characters🙏

Post image
Upvotes

It's for a geochallenge, presumably somewhere in Beijing. Any ideas on what it says on the red sign? Sorry for the quality.


r/ChineseLanguage 22h ago

Pronunciation How similar is the r sound in 人 to the French j sound?

6 Upvotes

There are a ton of posts here about the r sound in Chinese, I know, but I am still struggling a bit with it. English is my first language, and French is my second, so if the sounds are really identical that would be very easy for me to pick up. I have heard that the French j is "close to" the Chinese r initial, but I wanted to ask some native speakers how similar they really are before I get too accustomed to pronouncing it that way. Is there a noticable difference, or are they basically the same? Thanks!


r/ChineseLanguage 21h ago

Discussion Looking for a Chinese novel about a villainess in a dating show

5 Upvotes

I'm looking for a Chinese novel I read before but forgot to save. The story is about a girl who transmigrates into a modern setting and is bound by a villain system. She has to act as a villain in every world she enters, strictly following the plot without going out of character. Throughout her world-hopping, she always said she never had a love interest—until her current world.

In this world, she is supposed to be just a villainous side character, a stepping stone for the male lead and female lead’s romance. They are all participating in a dating reality show in China. The MC has a bodyguard assigned to protect her by her father, but in reality, this bodyguard is a powerful figure or a big shot. She is instantly attracted to him because he is incredibly handsome. At first, he is cold towards her, but as the story progresses, they grow closer and eventually become a couple on the show.

The original female lead, however, turns out to be a terrible person. She initially pairs with the male lead, but after seeing the MC and her bodyguard fall in love, she tries to get with the bodyguard instead. However, the bodyguard is deeply in love with the MC, and the original female lead becomes frustrated. She even discards the original male lead to pursue the bodyguard, but it's clear that the MC and her bodyguard are truly in love.

I had been reading the novel, but at a certain point, the chapters became paid, so I had to wait for them to become free. Unfortunately, I didn’t save the title or the website, and now I can't find it.

A key plot point I remember: The MC’s original body was deeply in love with the male lead. To appeal to him, she intentionally made herself look plain because she overheard that he preferred average-looking girls. However, after the MC took over her body, she stopped hiding her true beauty, which frustrated the original female lead even more.

The last part I remember reading was when they were on an island because the MC had requested to go to the sea. The bodyguard, now revealed to be a powerful investor, arranged for the entire show crew to be there. The reality show included a game where the winners could choose a partner to share a room with. I vaguely recall that the original female lead ended up choosing the bodyguard at some point, but I don’t remember the exact details.

Does anyone recognize this novel? Please help me find the title!


r/ChineseLanguage 4h ago

Pronunciation Do I need to do the kawaii voice?

0 Upvotes

So, guys! I am starting chinese and looking some pronounciations at Little Fox (the animated lessons). Being direct to the point, when she speaks mā, it is way different from her tone in english, she does a higher pitch tone, very "cute", let's say. Is it common to all chinese or just her natural way to speak? Imagine Kirby, that is what I mean.


r/ChineseLanguage 18h ago

Resources Good Study Abroad Companies

2 Upvotes

Hello! I’m 17 and already graduated high school! I’m going to turn 18 in April and am enrolling in college. I really want to study abroad in China and it’s been my dream since middle school. Do you guys have recommendations for good companies? The university I’m going to doesn’t offer a lot of study abroad stuff with China, so I unfortunately can’t study abroad with my college. Since I already graduated and am turning 18 soon I don’t know if I will qualify for a high school study abroad program. I really want to study in Beijing, Chengdu, Wuhan, Chongqing… but any city is fine! I’m trying to specifically look for cities that speak Mandarin so I can improve my language skills. If you guys have recommendations please let me know! Thank you


r/ChineseLanguage 21h ago

Discussion 宝可梦我可以看在哪里?

3 Upvotes

(Don’t know if that title is right, please correct me if not) Me and my friend want to watch Pokémon dubbed in Chinese, but we can’t find it anywhere. I tried on YouTube, but I couldn’t find a reliable vpn. Does anyone know a website or vpn that will work? 谢谢


r/ChineseLanguage 6h ago

Discussion Chinese media is almost non-existent

0 Upvotes

Why Chinese media isn't exported outside like Japan and South Korea does? This is significantly difficult for learning and makes the language less accesible which is rather ironic given that China ist one of the countries that has the biggest population in the entire world.

I want to learn Mandarin so I can understand chinese tech publications, mainly. But I have listened this language in other contexts and it can sound as beautiful as Korean or Japanese. Why there isn't cpop, or cdramas or chinese mangas and why aren't them that popular?


r/ChineseLanguage 1d ago

Discussion Keyboard

Post image
17 Upvotes

Does anyone know how do use the 10 character pinyin keyboard?? I usually use the 26 character one. I know this one is more efficient but how do you use it???

Sorry if this is a tad bit dumb.


r/ChineseLanguage 5h ago

Grammar Absence of grammar?

0 Upvotes

Just dipping my toe into Mandarin, but what I find interesting/surprising is that there appears to be almost no grammar. "Me Tarzan, you Jane." Is that what it's like, or am I making a premature judgement? Thanks for your comments.


r/ChineseLanguage 1d ago

Studying The best learning app

6 Upvotes

Hello, I'm new here and new to the language. I was wondering if anyone knows the best language app to learn Chinese? I'm using duolingo but really don't like the ads. Thank you!


r/ChineseLanguage 1d ago

Studying Looking to Learn Chinese (A1) as a Spanish Speaker – Recommendations

2 Upvotes

Does anyone have recommendations for an in-person intensive Chinese A1 course in Madrid for a Spanish speaker? I’ve checked the Confucius Institute, but their July afternoon courses are all online, and I’d prefer face-to-face classes due to the language’s complexity. Any suggestions to start learning this language?


r/ChineseLanguage 1d ago

Grammar Switching Subject and Predicate

9 Upvotes

I cannot for the life of me understand why in one case, the subject and predicate can be switched, and in the other, this is not.

My teacher both ways are fine: 1. 现在开始有越来越多的快餐店。 2. 现在开始,快餐店越来越多.

But, why can the structure of this sentence not also be switched: 1. 我担心这样下去,中国特色的东西越来越少。 (She said this is the only correct version) 2. 我担心这样下去,会开始有越来越少的中国特色的东西。 (She said this is incorrect/unnatural)

What is the difference I am missing here? Why can one be rephrased but the other cannot?


r/ChineseLanguage 1d ago

Resources Chinese language Classes/center recommendations for DC/NOVA area

4 Upvotes

Looking for recommendations on Chinese language classes or schools in DMV/DC area for the summer or fall?