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individual things, people — generic measure word (usage of this classifier in conjunction with any noun is generally accepted if the person does not know the proper classifier) 根: gēn gan1: gan1 kun thin, slender, pole, stick objects (needles 針 / 针, pillars 支柱, telegraph poles, matchsticks, etc.); strands 絲 / 丝 (e.g. hair ...
Loanwords have entered written and spoken Chinese from many sources, including ancient peoples whose descendants now speak Chinese. In addition to phonetic differences, varieties of Chinese such as Cantonese and Shanghainese often have distinct words and phrases left from their original languages which they continue to use in daily life and sometimes even in Mandarin.
Lin's Chinese-English Dictionary of Modern Usage comprises approximately 8,100 character head entries and 110,000 word and phrase entries. [10] It includes both modern Chinese neologisms such as xǐnǎo 洗腦 "brainwash" and many Chinese loanwords from English such as yáogǔn 搖滾 "rock 'n' roll" and xīpí 嬉皮 "hippie".
Exclamative particles are used as a method of recording aspects of human speech which may not be based entirely on meaning and definition. Specific characters are used to record exclamations, as with any other form of Chinese vocabulary, some characters exclusively representing the expression (such as 哼), others sharing characters with alternate words and meanings (such as 可).
Chinese adjectives (simplified Chinese: 形容词; traditional Chinese: 形容詞; pinyin: xíngróngcí) differ from adjectives in English in that they can be used as verbs [1] (for example 天 黑 了; tiān hēi le; lit. "sky black perfective") and thus linguists sometimes prefer to use the terms static or stative verb to describe them.
However, modern Chinese words average about two syllables, so the high rate of syllable homophony does not cause a problem for communication. [2]) Many Chinese take great delight in using the large amount of homophones in the language to form puns , and they have become an important component of Chinese culture . [ 3 ]
'Comprehensive Chinese Word Dictionary'), also known as the Grand Chinese Dictionary, is the most inclusive available Chinese dictionary. Lexicographically comparable to the Oxford English Dictionary , it has diachronic coverage of the Chinese language , and traces usage over three millennia from Chinese classic texts to modern slang.
The Chinese word for bird "niǎo"(鸟) was pronounced as "diǎo" in ancient times, which rhymes with (屌) meaning penis or sexual organ. [15] It also sounds the same as "penis" in several Chinese dialects. Thus, bird is often associated with 'fuck', 'penis' or 'nonsense'： wǒ niǎo nǐ (Chinese: 我鳥你) = I give a shit about you (Beijing ...