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Lesson 41 of 43

差 in Context

CONGRATULATIONS! 
The Character You Just Learned is Also a Common Word!

Usage 1 - "difference": 

Sentence :

他们相差几岁?   

English:

What's their age difference?

Top-Down Words:

岁 suì - age, one’s age 


*Sentence :

你和你哥哥相差几岁?

English:

What's the difference in age between you and your brother?


*Sentence :

虽然只差两岁,但他也比我大。

English:

Although there's only a difference of two years, he's also older than me.

Top-Down Words:

虽然 suīrán - although
岁 suì - age, one’s age


Usage 2 - "poor,lacking":

*Sentence:

这儿的服务态度很差。 

English:

The customer service here really sucks.

Top-Down Words:

服务 fúwù- service
态度- tàidù- attitude



Need a Reminder?

The Six Steps to Learning Words

Understanding Chinese Words - Morphemes

3 Questions About Words


Member Comments from 2019-mid-2020

Do you also want to leave a comment? You can do so below!

Neil

Shouldn't 相差 be a word in and of itself? i.e. "differ"

Mandarin Blueprint

差 and 相差 are pretty much the same meaning, so we figured seeing both is a good idea.

Great Job! Keep Going! 差不多 in Context
Comments   6

Kent Broeckelman

I'm not sure I understand this translation. Especially if it relates to the previous sentence asking the difference in age between someone and their 哥哥 (older brother) it seems quite obvious that he is older. Should this mean "bigger" in size?

虽然只差两岁,但他也比我大。

English:

Although there's only a difference of two years, he's also older than me.

REPLY

Mandarin Blueprint

In Chinese it means both, and which one it means is purely contextual. So here, for example, 大 means literally big in size.

REPLY

MB Team

This is where Luke and Phil talked about your question in the Mandarin Blueprint Podcast:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnPryzA5KYA&t=1379s

REPLY

Jonathan Glazier

Chà character 差 means poor (quality) and difference right? I get confused because the character is described as meaning poor and yet the sentences all relate to difference? soz it's been a long week.

REPLY

Mandarin Blueprint

Hey Jonathan,

Here's a reply for you:
https://www.loom.com/share/23c87af44e2e40538b760a591f5e6038

REPLY

MB Team

This is where Luke and Phil talked about your question in the Mandarin Blueprint Podcast:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vl98-5s-jxU&t=1513s

REPLY