Backward-slanting commas

[abcdefg]

Here comes another really dumb question, but that should no longer be a surprise. I’m writing more in Chinese these days and some native speakers correct my punctuation by using a “backwards comma” that I cannot find anywhere on my keyboard. Other native speakers ignore them and leave them the way they are. It seems some prefer the backward commas to separate a series of items.

Example sentence: 我们吃了烤鱼，菠萝饭，和蒜泥空心菜。

Is there a way can I do that myself, or should I even worry about it since it seems kind of optional. I only know how to make standard English-type commas, even when typing Chinese. I would ask my teacher, but at the moment I don’t have one.

Thanks.

[anonymoose]

Yes, you should use the dun comma (顿号) when appropriate, as it is technically different to the regular comma.

How you input it will depend on the system you are using for inputting Chinese. I use NJStar, which requires pressing v and then choosing from the list of option.

[abcdefg]

Yes, you should use the dun comma (顿号) when appropriate, as it is technically different to the regular comma.

I see. I really didn't know there were two kinds of commas until recently. I use the pre-installed Windows Far Eastern language pack for typing Chinese. I'll hunt around in the help menu for how to input them.

Thanks.

Here's part of a message I just got from a friend about how to make dumplings which shows these commas in action.

辅料：澄面、肉馅、白菜、葱、姜

调料：盐、味精、白糖、胡椒粉、香油

[skylee]

I guess you just need to press the "" key when in Chinese input mode.

[jbradfor]

、、、、、

,,,,,

Skylee, that does it.

I'll take abcdefg's dumb question one further：when typing in Chinese, should one ever use a '，', or should one always use '、'?

[skylee]

It seems some prefer the backward commas to separate a series of items.

It is not because of preference. The 、 mark is indeed used when you list a series of items. Take a look at this -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_punctuation

The enumeration comma, known as the "pause mark" in Chinese (simplified Chinese: 顿号; traditional Chinese: 頓號; pinyin: dùnhào; literally "pause mark"), must be used instead of the regular comma when separating words constituting a list.

I don't know why some people don't use it. Perhaps they have not been taught about it.

[abcdefg]

I guess you just need to press the "" key when in Chinese input mode.

Wow! That works great. Thanks a lot.

Now I can at least type authentic looking dun commas. Next I'll have to master when to use them instead of the ordinary ones. Before long I'll have a teacher who can help with things like that. It's only recently that I've been writing much in Chinese except for 短信 on my 手机。

Clearly, learning Chinese is an ultra-marathon; it's definitely not a sprint.

[animal world]

Skylee, I would like to thank you but the last time i did it had bizarre repercussions

In English i sometimes use the emdash. It's also used in Chinese but its symbol is about four times as long. How do i type that in the editor?

In case you're not familiar with the emdash, here's a silly example:

She had been studying Chinese for over 200 years—would she ever truly master that blasted language?—when she learned to her dismay that China intended to replace Mandarin with Esperanto.

[OneEye]

It is used to list items. So for instance:

我去過法國、英國、日本、臺灣。

You don't use it as a pause or to set off a phrase like a regular comma, just in a list.

[imron]

See this thread for more info about punctuation and what to type to produce which punctuation mark.

[gougou]

I don't know why some people don't use it.

I guess it's the same reason some people don't use punctuation marks altogether - laziness.

[jbradfor]

Is it due to ignorance or laziness? I don't know and I don't care