Difference between 发现 and 找到

[Chilimili]

Hi.

This seems like the best section to post this.

 

I don't understand the difference between 发现 and 找到. Both can mean "to find", but are they synonymous or do their use vary according to the context?

 

Would appreciate if someone could clarify this for me.

 

Thank you.

[Demonic_Duck]

发现 is "find" only in the limited sense of "find out" or "discover" ("the researchers found that more than 90% of respondents preferred vanilla over horse manure as an ice-cream flavour"; "I only found out later that the reason the audience had been laughing was the gaping hole in my trouser crotch exposing my Bob the Builder underwear").

 

找到 is "find" in the more basic sense of finding something that was previously lost ("I found my car keys behind the sofa").

 

If you want to get more technical, you'll find (发现) that "发现" is a simple verb, whilst "找到" is actually a verb ("找") plus complement of result ("到"). "找" on its own means "search for", whilst "到" indicates that the searching was successful. So if you want to say you can't find something, you say "找不到".

[edelweis]

I think 发现 can also have a meaning similar to 觉得 no? that is, to "find" as in expressing an opinion or feeling about something.

 

How about when you find the solution to a problem, such as a maths class exercise, is is 发现 or 找到？

[会弹钢琴的狼]

@Chilimili

'找到' is a verb and means a real action.

'发现' is an ideal of 'find'.it's more like 'discover' in English.

 

@edelweis

'我找到这个问题的答案了', I found the anwser for this question.

'我找到了一个解决方案', I found a solution.

'我发现了一个新的解决方案', I found a new solution.

 

[Chilimili]

Thank you all very much for your answers.

I'm clarified about this question now.