A word I have misused for years and an ambiguous word

[Carl Chen]

OMG....I just find out a word that I have misused for years.

 

I think most of the Taiwanese also misuse this word because everyone as well as mass media uses that wrong one, and the two words are very similar!!

 

That word is 已 in 已經 vs. 己 in 自己.

 

The phrase that we misuse is "久久不能自己" (己 in 自己)

Correct one should be 久久不能自已 (已 in 已經)

 

已 also means stop

不能自已 means can't stop personal (usually negative) emotion (can't calm down)

 

For example,

他聽到媽媽的死訊,便久久不能自已.

他看到感人的電影立刻哭了出來,久久不能自已

 

I guess that only language learners and Chinese-majors may be more aware of the nuance between 已 and 己.

 

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I also find out an ambiguous word used in Taiwan.

 

The word is 燒 (burn).

 

it's common usage when we said 燒錄CD/燒CD/燒光碟片 (burn a CD).

 

This morning, when I chat with my friends that, "其實可以把影片燒給他當作紀念品"

We are talking that we should burn a CD with some videos.

And give it to my friend as a souvenir because he is graduating.

 

But when I said this word, I feel a little bit embarrassed because this word has another meaning which is frequently used.

 

燒 is also referred to 'send something to dead person'

 

For example,

把這些紙錢燒給爺爺.

這是他生前最愛的CD,我想把這片CD燒給他

 

[Demonic_Duck]

There's also “情不自已”, which I'm pretty sure I've heard a Chinese person get wrong before.

[Carl Chen]

What we frequently use is 情不自禁

 

Actually I seldom heard 情不自已

However, it is still understandable because 已 equals to 禁 (stop).

[Demonic_Duck]

It's in the lyrics of 曲婉婷's ever-popular 《我的歌声里》:

 

没有点点防备

也没有一丝顾虑

你就这样出现

在我的世界里

带给我惊喜

情不自已

[Carl Chen]

Thanks for the example.

What i meant is that we seldom use it in everyday conversation.

We use 情不自禁 very often.

[Demonic_Duck]

I guess she probably uses it there so that it rhymes with the previous two lines (although I don't think it's strictly necessary to have a rhyme there).