User Comments - John
John
Posted on: The Stingy Boss
October 8, 2011 at 2:42 AMGood question.
Normally a time word comes right after the subject, but it can also be the first word in a sentence. When it's the first word in a sentence, it often emphasizes the time, whereas when it comes after the subject (in the "usual place"), it adds no particular emphasis.
Also, time words in Chinese are not adverbs, so they don't actually come "immediately before the verb;" that's where adverbs like 也, 都, etc. go. So time words typically come after the subject, next come adverbs, then the verb.
Posted on: Detective Li 9: Final Mission (Part 3)
October 7, 2011 at 3:43 PM错！不是我。
Posted on: Thanking a Hospitable Friend
October 7, 2011 at 3:42 PMI think there's a "rule" about 2 or 3.
As a foreigner, you can easily get away with 1 or none. :)
Posted on: Napping in the Meeting
October 4, 2011 at 3:04 AMI'm currently accessing the site without a proxy in Shanghai.
Does it work for you now?
Posted on: Plane Ticket Prices
September 30, 2011 at 2:45 AMAw, thanks!
Posted on: Tables and Chairs
September 29, 2011 at 1:38 AMThere are definitely some guidelines to be aware of, but don't get too hung up on the difference. There are also gray areas with no right or wrong answer.
Posted on: How to Weigh an Elephant
September 20, 2011 at 2:13 AMYes, you're right that the two aren't exactly the same, and that Archimedes tackled a more difficult (and less intuitive) problem. But I still think they're related, in that if you know the story of Archimedes, the elephant weighing issue seems pretty easy. Still, though, if you've never heard either story (and especially if you're a kid), I don't think it's entirely intuitive!
Posted on: Where Are You Going In China?
September 14, 2011 at 5:05 AMTony,
和 (hé) means just plain old "and," connecting two nouns. You and me, China and Japan, lakes and mountains, etc.
还有 (háiyǒu) means something closer to "and also," and doesn't have the "nouns only" restriction. Thus, it is both suitable for use at the end of a list of items, as well as adding a new sentence with additional information.
So, to answer your questions:
1. No, it wouldn't be in correct to use 和 (hé), because they're all nouns.
2. 还有 (háiyǒu) is perhaps favored when the list is long (or seems like a lot).
Posted on: Airport Check-In Problems
September 13, 2011 at 10:19 AMThat's correct.
Posted on: Automated Phone Recordings
October 8, 2011 at 3:03 AM提示 is more literally "prompt." So if someone can't guess a riddle, or something like that, they need to be prompted with some additional clue.
暗示 is more like "to hint at."
So "give me a hint" should be 给我一个提示. (*给我一个暗示 is not correct.)
Refer to the expansion section for more help on this; two of the sentences there for 提示 are of the "hint" variety, using it as both a verb and a noun.