似乎

[xiaocai]

好像 definitely has two meaning, but both are "idiomatic". The distinctness is that one is used as 连绵词 while the other is 合成词 and thus it is impossible to differentiate them without context. I can not remember how many mistakes i've made but I'm thinking it's really hard for me to confirm which 好像 was discussed in this post.

[HashiriKata]

You're very cute, xiaocai!

Are you a girl? :mrgreen:

[xiaocai]

There is nothing to do with my sex, i'm just a middleschool student who want to improve my English and help everyone who want to learn Chinese with my limited Konwledge, so all of us will understand what is what.

However, if you'er so curious about that, I say, guess.

[HashiriKata]

Just as I thought!

No, it doesn't have much to do with sex but I wouldn't want to use the word "cute" towards a man. That is why I asked.

Cheers,

[xiaocai]

your weight or your height?

[HashiriKata]

Both!

(It was only a joke. I'll edit that, ok? )

I hope you'll enjoy helping here. It's also one of the best ways to learn.

[HashiriKata]

Sorry, I only read hashirikatas quote, so I guess he just made a typo.

nipponman,

No, I didn't made the typos. I only copied & pasted the examples from the post before mine. After you pointed out one of the typos, everyone (except me) edited their posts and I bear the crux for it!!!

(The flurry in editing even prompted you to edit your own post. A simple typo got everyone running??? It's New Year, relax! )

[nipponman]

Oh, I wish someone would have responded sooner, when everyone edited their messages I didn't know so I edited mine! Quite a chain reaction.

[xiaocai]

OK, so I made my edition of conclusion of this post and another. I feel so tired even it is Spring Festival, cause there are so many homework to do. Meanwhile, reading and posting in the forum could be an extra exercise, an elective.

First about this thread. Zhende ma asked how to use 似乎 appropriately and he definitely knew the meaning of it.

似乎 is used as an ordinary adverb. There is only one thing special that it must be followed by another adverb indicating degree to modify an adjective.

But you said 似乎 can be used in the same way as 好像. I don't think so. Even yourself had said 好像 has 2 separate meanings. Did Zhende ma know that? I could hardly find out in this thread. Also, it is really difficult for me to figure out which one you were talking about in your first post, so I just gave a opposite example. Unfortunately, I used a nonstandard form that may cause controversy;hence I explain what I've learnt about 好象 and 好像 in my schoolbook.

Then I was aware of that there was no need to discussion, the problem had alrealdy solved, everyone would be clear, time to stop.

Now I consider no one made mistake but only misunderstanding. I've never use the word "mistake". Maybe my pool English arose the debate. Am I cute? I don't know, I just said what I want to say by no means offending anyone.My joking in English my be inapposite, sorry again for my crude imitation. However, I felt a little bit unpleasant about your question about my sex. Still, now I ascribe this to the difference cultrue.

In the 找到 thread, until now I couldn't see how I have offended you again, really. Possibly I am insensitive or you are too sensitive?

I've nearly forgotten the "Nominalisation", astonished you still remember that. It is my first "offence". And it made me felt panic when you said I had "offended everyone". It seems that 鷄肋 was misunderstood, again I explained in Chinese to make it less "offensive".

That's all, I have offended you time after time. So I decide never follow your post to make me a polite young people.

[HashiriKata]

That's all, I have offended you time after time. So I decide never follow your post to make me a polite young people.

Good idea!

And you've had your last words on the matter. Are you happy now?

[nipponman]

XiaoCai, I don't think you should worry too much about Hashirikata's sayings. I don't think you've been offensive, period. Hashirikata may have overstepped his bounds when he assumed I was offended by your 鷄肋 comment. Also, I think Hashirikata should give a native a little more credit than he has, xiaocai may not have been speaking from a purely grammatical standpoint, (in the 找到 thread) but from a colloquial, standard standpoint. If you read (English) government documents they will be litered with superfluous and "big" words, that to a native would not be necessary, such is the case here. Maybe Hashirikata's translation was correct but not the more favourable one. (I don't know, not being a native and all ) But Hashirikata's response did seem a little sensitive. Now,

to xiaocai's English, XiaoCai,

OK, so I made my edition of conclusion of this post and another. I feel so tired even it is Spring Festival, cause there are so many homework to do.

This is very awkward English, and should be rendered as such:

Ok, these are my thoughts on the events of this post and another post.

I feel so tired even though it is Spring Festival, cause there is so much homework for me(optional, but sounds go) to do.

There is only one thing special, (that) it must be followed by another adverb indicating degree to modify an adjective.

get rid of "that"

Even you yourself had said 好像 has 2 separate meanings. Did Zhende ma know that?

Yourself is optional and only adds emphasis.

Then I was aware of that, there was no need to discuss, the problem had alrealdy been solved, everyone would understand, time to stop.

Disscussion is a noun, cannot be put into the infinitive position of a verb.

Understand sounds a little better here.

I'm sure you know that already is spelled like this, not alrealdy.

Wow, editing is hard work, I'm gonna stop now though cause I'm so tired.

Nipponman

[Claw]

The thread is locked now but I wanted to respond on this...

By the way, regarding this thread, interested people would ask what difference Claw's version and mine would make, and not which is the best. The best for what? in what situation?

TCcookie explained the exact context he wanted the translation in, which is why xiaocai said my translation was most accurate. Your translation can still be somewhat ambiguous, which was what TCcookie was concerned about. I did not see anything in xiaocai's answer that was offensive or indicated that he/she did not understand what was going on and I found the response to xiaocai rather surprising actually.

[HashiriKata]

I thought that the matter could rest as I didn't want to carry on with xiaocai (as seen in my post above), but surprisingly...

So here I am with (hopefully) my last in this thread:

Hashirikata may have overstepped his bounds when he assumed I was offended by your 鷄肋 comment.

Nipponman,

You took xiaocai's words without reading my posts. Nowhere have I ever said or assumed you were offended by xiaocai. Please read very carefully and let me know where you find that. On top of that, as xiaocai said I was sensitive, you now said I was sensitive; as xiaocai edited her error, you followed her editing you post and attributed her error to me.

TCcookie explained the exact context he wanted the translation in, which is why xiaocai said my translation was most accurate. Your translation can still be somewhat ambiguous

Claw,

Just keep what you believe and I need to say no more about the question. Regarding xiaocai, if you really want to know why I got annoyed by xiaocai, just read this thread again and you'd no longer be surprised why I couldn't let it go on when xiaocai jumped onto my post again in another thread.

[nipponman]

Nipponman,

You took xiaocai's words without reading my posts. Nowhere have I ever said or assumed you were offended by xiaocai. Please read very carefully and let me know where you find that.

Actually you did, if you read the response you made to skylee, carefully, in the nominalization thread, you will find that you said that he/she offened the "originator of the thread", which was nipponman, which is me. And since skylee was only explaining xiaocai's use of ji lei, you were really attributing to skylee what you should have thought was xiaocai's error. Confusing? Well, that's what happens in such complex situations.

... On top of that, as xiaocai said I was sensitive, you now said I was sensitive; as xiaocai edited her error, you followed her editing you post and attributed her error to me.

I believe you're refering to the this thread, well, I admit I was mistaken in attriubuting to you xiaocai's error, but to be fair, xiaocai edited his/her post and didn't inform us, so I thought I misread his/her post and so I looked for the mistake and I only found it in your post, and thus I attributed to you the original error, again I apologize for this oversight.

Just keep what you believe and I need to say no more about the question. Regarding xiaocai, if you really want to know why I got annoyed by xiaocai, just read this thread again and you'd no longer be surprised why I couldn't let it go on when xiaocai jumped onto my post again in another thread.

I have read this thread and I still don't get why you got annoyed with xiaocai, seems to me that xiaocai is someone frustrated by your almost arbitrary attacks on her unoffensive posting. As I said above, xiaocai was only attributing what her native senses thought to be the most accurate translation, why you responded as you did, I don't know. But, anyway, as do you I desire to end this post.

Claw, just curious, why do you say this thread is locked?

[Claw]

Claw, just curious, why do you say this thread is locked?

I was refering to the 找到 thread, which was locked... but it looks like Quest has reopened it and removed the offending posts.

[HashiriKata]

And since skylee was only explaining xiaocai's use of ji lei, you were really attributing to skylee what you should have thought was xiaocai's error.

nipponman,

What I said then was clearly and explicitly to skylee (and skylee did apologize for what he said), you however seem to know my mind better than myself ???

You've got an amazing talent there, haven't you?

(but please don't bother answering, as this reply will be my last! )

Cheers,

[roddy]

Can I point out to everyone the private message function, which can be used for all the who said what to who nonsense, and contrast this with the public message function which should be used for anything of value and interest.

Roddy

[anonymoose]

Back to the original topic.....

Having thought about it, I believe 她似乎比她看上去要强 means "she seems to be stronger than she looks", and "she's stronger than she seems" should be 她比她看上去要强.