当 - equivalent to 'when...' in English?

[Guest]

Hi guys,

 

I'm currently reading the following snippet of a passage in my textbook:

 

当你无聊或者难过的时候，真正的朋友会陪在你身边，想办法让你感到幸福。

 

In my mind, I'm translating this as 'when you're bored or going through hard times, true friends can stay (lit. 'accompany') by your side and think of ways to make you happy.'

 

Am I correct in reading 当 and 'when' in this sense? A 'key vocab' list to the side of the passage lists 当 as being 'just at (a time or place, prep)', but this sounds clunky. Is 'when' a good alternate?

 

Also, while I'm here, may I ask how to use '当‘ in the sense of 'to be?' Would ’我不会当好的丈夫，因为我没有妻子‘ be a good example?

[Guest123]

难过 means being sad

 

当 as 'being just at time or place' is pronounced with 4 tone

as 'during, when' is pronounced with 1 tone.

[Guest]

 

难过 means being sad

 

当 as 'being just at time or place' is pronounced with 4 tone

as 'during, when' is pronounced with 1 tone.

 

You're wonderful. Thank you!

[陳德聰]

难过 means being sad

当 as 'being just at time or place' is pronounced with 4 tone

as 'during, when' is pronounced with 1 tone.

Keep in mind it doesn't always mean "sad", and I pronounce "at time or place" 當 in the first tone...

[Angelina]

 當 definitely means when in this context 

 

 

 

it goes together with 時候 

 

當 －什麼什麼－ 的時候 

[LinZhenPu]

So is 当 -什么什么- 的时候 wrong? Or is it simply different pronunciation of the same meaning?

[Guest123]

 

 

and I pronounce "at time or place" 當 in the first tone... 

WEll, I'm not sure your personal habits are necessary the best criteria  

Anyway all dictionaries give this distiction

[Angelina]

LiZhenPu

I think the use of -時候 when talking about 當 having an equivalent meaning with English when should not be overlooked 

 

 

Edita

that's how language works, dictionaries can only serve as reference 

[Guest123]

 

 

dictionaries can only serve as reference 

Yes, but they are a reference, The way you or I speak may be not. People often pronounce words or form phrases as they like, as they are used to - it's a question of comodity. Everybody undesrtands and it's OK. The learner may know that in real life language is not perfect (as anything else), but it's not what you take as reference when you learn.

[Angelina]

Yes, but they are a reference, The way you or I speak may be not. People often pronounce words or form phrases as they like, as they are used to - it's a question of comodity.

 

 

 

Can you say that the way language is used can't be taken as reference? Dictionaries can be helpful, but if you can't find a certain use in a dictionary, it might still exist. 

[Guest123]

 

 

but if you can't find a certain use in a dictionary, it might still exist. 

Of course it can. Dictionaries are too small, they do not contain everything.

[Angelina]

Certainly  

[陳德聰]

Edita:

 

Perhaps I misunderstood you. 当时，当天，当年 all use the meaning of "at that time", and all are pronounced in first tone. Perhaps I should not have said "I" pronounce it a certain way. What exactly do you see as the difference between "when" and "just at time or place"?

 

Maybe you can point me to the dictionary where you are seeing it. When 当 is pronounced in the fourth tone, I think of 恰当，妥当，适当, none of which are related to time. I am aware that 当年 can be pronounced dang4 nián, and 当日  is a word.

[Silent]

Maybe it's my English, but to me the difference between 'when' and 'at that time' isn't that big. Maybe 'when' is a bit more generic as the condition following is not neccesarily a time condition.  

[roddy]

当 as 'being just at time or place' is pronounced with 4 tone

as 'during, when' is pronounced with 1 tone.

 

Perhaps a clearer way of explaining this...

当。。。的时候, first tone, to all intents and purposes can be regarded as 'when'

当 fourth tone can combine with 日，地，月 to mean something like 'the same, this/that' - ie, 当地时间 is 'local time' - which could mean 'here', but could also be the place under discussion. What time do we get to New York? Local time will be.... Similarly, you might be able to borrow something any day next week, but you'll need to return it 当日。

 

I like the idea that dictionaries are 'only' references. They're reference books. 

[Guest]

 

 

当。。。的时候, first tone, to all intents and purposes can be regarded as 'when'

 

That definitely clears things up! Thanks, Roddy.

[LinZhenPu]

I'd like to put this here.

[roddy]

Do you want to tell us why so we don't have to do a forensic read of the topic to try and figure out what point you're trying to make? Or is it just a plea for us to buy you a decent dictionary?

[LinZhenPu]

Roddy, it's to illustrate that there are two pronunciations of the Chinese character 当 in Modern Standard Chinese/普通话/Mandarin, the two pronunciations being dang in the first tone and dang in the fourth tone in accordance with the Hanyu Pinyin romanisation system and it depending on the context in which 当 is in or what meaning it is that you are conveying.

[陳德聰]

当 fourth tone can combine with 日，地，月 to mean something like 'the same, this/that' - ie, 当地时间 is 'local time' - which could mean 'here', but could also be the place under discussion. What time do we get to New York? Local time will be.... Similarly, you might be able to borrow something any day next week, but you'll need to return it 当日。

Honestly this feels kind of surreal to me. I don't think I have ever heard anyone say "dàng"dì shíjiān in my life. Can anyone confirm whether this is an actual thing people do in their real speech or whether it's one of those things that just shows up in dictionaries but nobody actually does?