Mandarin / English News Talk - a current events group

[Kenny同志]

1. Yes, it does sound like a third tone sometimes but this is mostly in Hong Kong or Taiwan media or some overseas Chinese media. In the mainland of China, it is a fourth tone.

2. I think the author might have been intended to say 因基准价谈判陷入僵局而受到影响，the word 因 was missing.

… is affected because the negotiation of the standard prices has reached a deadlock.

We say …… 不仅没有收到影响，相反/反而……. the author’s tone sounds kind of odd and confusing.

3. 趋势是指事物或局势发展的动向, it has a much more general meaning than 走势。走势is a terminology which is often used in economy, especially in the stock market, lottery，etc.

4. I have consulted about the word “cover” in OXFORD ADVANCED LEARNER’S ENGLISH – CHINESE DICTIONARY. Cover: to report on an event for television, a newspaper, etc. ; to show an event on television. To cover something in Chinese is to 报道something.

采访is to ask someone questions in order to find out his opinions. The asker is a journalist.

5. 相差甚远is a fixed expression and can be used in spoken language but it is very formal. Its alternative used in spoken Chinese is 差得远 or 差远了, both carrying the same meaning.

6. No, all the three words you propose are not good substitutes for 取消in this sentence.

You may find these collocations of some help.

废除制度 废除法律

消除影响 消除污染 消除噪音

清除垃圾 清除杂草

取消预定 取消计划 取消机票 取消任务

7. Here 失去 is used properly and absolutely cannot be replaced by 摆脱. If you 摆脱something, you get rid of something unpleasant or unwanted, say, one’s control, poverty, bad mood, etc.

8. Both 产生and 引发have the meaning of “cause something to exist”. Here it is a matter of collocation. To my knowledge, 引发is never used this way, I mean, 引发影响。

The following words can often been seen in newspapers or books.

引发了一场口水战

引发了不小骚动

引发了一场战争

Hmm, it seems to me that 引发indicates that something happens in a very short time.

But we never say 产生一场口水战 产生一场战争 sometimes we say产生了不小骚动，引发了不小骚动

All in all, it is very hard to tell the difference between these two words.

8. 澳元兑人民币的汇率本周也一直徘徊在一澳元兑换五点七元人民币的水平以上

This sentence is wrong. The right one is澳元兑人民币的汇率本周也一直徘徊在一澳元兑换五点七元人民币的水平 and the corrected one can be refined as 澳元兑人民币汇率本周也一直徘徊在一澳元兑换五点七元人民币水平.

… 徘徊在…左右 is also used often.

I have looked up the word in 现代汉语词典( MODERN CHINESE DICTIONARY ). Here are the definitions: 1. 在一个地方来回地走( to come back and forth in a particular place)；2. 比喻犹豫不决( figuratively, it is used to describe someone when he is hesitant)；3.比喻事物在某个范围内来回浮动( figuratively, to range)

I never see 徘徊is used to describe a bystander who sticks out his head in order to get a view of the scene of an accident. Lol

9. 澳元之所以近期走强是因为。

Right sentence!

Edited August 10, 2009 at 12:47 PM by kenny2006woo

[Scoobyqueen]

Is anyone else joining this discussion on news stories? We could pick other stories if that is of more interest.

Kenny – Thank you for your copious explanations. I am going to go through them in more detail and will post later.

[Kenny同志]

CORRECTION:

5. The difference between 维持and 保持is subtle. 维持is more formal and its object, in most cases, is something of more importance than that of 保持. For example, 维持治安、维持良好的外交关系；保持城市清洁、保持关系, etc.

I have looked up the two words in MODERN CHINESE DICTIONARY

维持：1. 使继续存在下去；保持：维持秩序、维持生活、维持现状。2. 保护；维护支持：亏他暗中维持，才得以平安无事。

保持：维持（原状），使不消失或减弱：水土保持、保持冷静、跟群众保持密切关系。

The difference between these two words is subtle and hard to tell. Sometimes they can be used interchangeably.

维: to maintain

保: to keep