Differences between Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese - 汉语繁简差异

This manual only provides explanations in standard Chinese (Mandarin, Mandarin). There are local dialects in various parts of China (including Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan). Please refer toPhrasebook#Chinese branch. For languages ​​spoken by ethnic minorities in China, please refer toPhrasebook#Chinese Minority Languages. For the overall language distribution in China, please refer toChinese language。

Chinese(Also calledChinese、ChineseEtc.) is the most spoken language in the world, spoken by more than 1 billion people in Greater China alone. However, due to various reasons, there have been some obvious differences in the shape, pronunciation, and vocabulary of Chinese in different regions. This article aims to provide some common differences that are useful to travelers.

The standard language of mainland China is based on Beijing accent, called "Mandarin」。

In Taiwan, "Standard Chinese" is also based on Beijing accent, called "Mandarin of the Republic of China"(Usually referred to asMandarin), but the pronunciation of some characters is different from that of mainland Mandarin.

Although Hong Kong and Macau passCantonese, But in recent years, with the liberalization of free travel, many businesses have also begun to use Putonghua, but there are many local expressions that must be paid special attention to.

Traditional and simplified glyphs

In the middle of the 20th century, the People's Republic of China simplified Chinese characters. After that, the Chinese mainland began to use simplified characters (commonly known as "simplified characters"). Singapore and Malaysia formally adopted simplified Chinese characters in 1974. Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and some overseas Chinese communities continue to use the original glyphs. Taiwan is generally known as "traditional characters" and "national characters" (also known as "traditional characters"), and other regions are commonly referred to as "traditional characters".

Differences between traditional and simplified fonts Simplified Chinese Traditional Chinese Shenyang Shenyang sink Sink/sink Tokyo Tokyo Seoul Seoul Manila Manila Jakarta Jakarta international Hotel international Hotel restaurant restaurant

Internal Differences in Traditional Chinese Included in Mainland Chinese Dictionaries Actual use in Hong Kong Actual use in Taiwan Production Produce Produce Chicken Chicken Chicken Record record record Kai (start) start start Say Say Say Yan (yan) Gorgeous Gorgeous All Crowd Crowd

Punctuation difference (subject to horizontal arrangement) name Mainland China Hong Kong and Taiwan customary illustrate comma period ，。 ，。 Mainland China is at the bottom left, Hong Kong and Taiwan are at the center. quotation marks “ ‘ ’ ” 「 『 』 」 Hong Kong uses a mixture of the two. Title Number 《》 《》 Hong Kong and Taiwan also use quotation marks in informal occasions (「 『 』 」) Instead of the title number.

Comparative reading

Simplified

Traditional Chinese

Traditional Chinese art forms include Chinese music, opera, calligraphy, Chinese painting, literature, ceramic art, sculpture, etc., and traditional entertainment activities include chess, go, and mahjong. Chinese martial arts martial arts are world-renowned. Tea, wine, vegetables and chopsticks are China's characteristic food culture, and the Spring Festival (Xia Li New Year), Lantern Festival, Qingming Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Chinese Valentine's Day, Mid-Autumn Festival, Double Ninth Festival, Winter Solstice, etc. are traditional festivals. China is traditionally a Confucian country, with the Xia calendar as the calendar, the five moral principles as the moral code, and the Hanfu as the national service. The Chinese have a strong patrilineal clan concept and ancestor worship, so they put the surname representing the family before the personal name. The Chinese also attached great importance to education and the selection of talents. During the Spring and Autumn Period, Confucius started to run private schools to train talents. In the Han Dynasty, officials were selected by scrutiny and elections. In the Sui Dynasty, imperial examinations were adopted to select talents among civilians. He has made achievements in ancient culture, science, technology, etc. Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, modern science and technology and democratic political ideas from the West have been introduced into China.

Traditional Chinese art forms include Chinese music, opera, calligraphy, Chinese painting, literature, ceramic art, sculpture, etc., and traditional entertainment activities include chess, go, and mahjong. Chinese martial arts martial arts are world-renowned. Tea, wine, vegetables and chopsticks are China's characteristic food culture, and the Spring Festival (Xia Li New Year), Lantern Festival, Qingming Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Chinese Valentine's Day, Mid-Autumn Festival, Double Ninth Festival, Winter Solstice, etc. are traditional festivals. China is traditionally a Confucian country, with the Xia calendar as the calendar, the five moral principles as the moral code, and the Hanfu as the national service. The Chinese have a strong patrilineal clan concept and ancestor worship, so they put the surname representing the family before the personal name. The Chinese also attached great importance to education and the selection of talents. During the Spring and Autumn Period, Confucius started to run private schools to train talents. In the Han Dynasty, officials were selected by scrutiny and elections. In the Sui Dynasty, imperial examinations were adopted to select talents among civilians. He has made achievements in ancient culture, science, technology, etc. Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, modern science and technology and democratic political ideas from the West have been introduced into China.

pronounce

Phonetic method

phonetic notation

Mandarin phonetic symbols were formulated in the first year of the Republic of China (1912) and began to be used in 1918. Later, when the two sides of the strait were divided and ruled, the mainland switched to using pinyin characters (that is, Hanyu Pinyin) to spell the pronunciation of Chinese characters, while Taiwan continued to use phonetic symbols. Use phonetic symbols to indicate the pronunciation of Chinese characters. "Zhuyin" starts with "ㄅ" and ends with "ㄦ". It is divided into initials and vowels. There are 37 in total.

Although the mainland has abolished the phonetic symbols, some dictionaries still mark the phonetic symbols of Chinese characters. In addition, Hanyu Pinyin follows the arrangement of phonetic symbols (ㄅㄆㄇㄈ… → b p m f ...), so there is no need to re-memorize the sequence when learning another phonetic method.

Comparison of phonetic symbols with Chinese phonetic alphabet (arranged by phonetic keyboard)

ㄅ b	ㄉ d			ㄓ zh			ㄚ a	ㄞ ai	ㄢ an	ㄦ er
ㄆ p	ㄊ t	ㄍ g	ㄐ j	ㄔ ch	ㄗ z	ㄧ i	ㄛ o	ㄟ ei	ㄣ en
ㄇ m	ㄋ n	ㄎ k	ㄑ q	ㄕ sh	ㄘ c	ㄨ u	ㄜ e	ㄠ ao	ㄤ ang
ㄈ f	ㄌ l	ㄏ h	ㄒ x	ㄖ r	ㄙ s	ㄩ ü	ㄝ ê	ㄡ ou	ㄥ eng

Chinese Pinyin

In addition to the original phonetic symbols, Taiwan has introduced the same Hanyu Pinyin as the mainland since 2008. Hanyu Pinyin is the most common in street traffic signs and MRT stations. E.g:

Zhongxiao East Road	Zhongxiao E. Rd.
MRT Ximen Station	MRT Ximen Station
Xinbeitou	Xinbeitou

The popularity of Chinese Pinyin among the people in Taiwan is still not as good as the phonetic symbols and the universal pinyin; Hong Kong and Macau use Cantonese pinyin, but no Chinese pinyin is introduced.

Tone and key signature

The tones of Mandarin are mainly divided into four tones, "Yinping" is one tones, "Yangping" is two tones (ˊ), "Shangsheng" is three tones (ˇ), and "Qusheng" is four tones (ˋ), and a small part uses " Softly" (˙). Tone is very important to Mandarin. If the tone is not correct, it may cause misunderstanding.

Three People's Principles	ㄙ ㄢ ㄧ ㄣ ㄓ ㄨ ㄧ ㄧ	sān mín zhǔ yì
He comes to write	ㄊ ㄚ ㄌ ㄞ ㄒ ㄧ ㄝ ㄗ ㄗ	tā lái xiě zì
News Advertising	ㄒ ㄧ ㄣ ㄨ ㄣ ㄍ ㄨ ㄤ ㄍ ㄠ	xīn wén guǎng gào
OK	ㄏ ㄠˇ ㄉ ㄜ˙	hǎo de

Common pronunciation differences

Both mainland China and Taiwan promote their own standard language, but their standards are different. In addition, here are some common mispronunciations in dialect regions.

Chinese character	Mainland Mandarin	Taiwanese Mandarin	Common misreading	Note
Send/send	fà/ㄈㄚˋ	fǎ/ㄈㄚˇ	fā/ㄈㄚ	"发" is also a simplified word for "发", pronounced fā/ㄈㄚ.
micro	wēi/ㄨㄟ	wéi/ㄨㄟˊ
Knowledge/knowledge	shí/ㄕˊ	shì/ㄕˋ		Polyphonic characters are also pronounced "志".
Quality/Quality	zhì/ㄓˋ	zhí/ㄓˊ	zhǐ/ㄓˇ	In Mandarin, it is a polyphonic character and is pronounced as "to" when used as a "mortgage" (such as pledge, hostage).

vocabulary

Obviously, the meaning of the word "computer" in the mainland and Taiwan is different. The "computer" in the mainland is a computer (a widely accepted form) everywhere, and the "computer" in Taiwan, Hong Kong (and even Guangdong) is the "calculator" used by the mainland to settle accounts. The difference between traditional and simplified vocabulary is reflected in every aspect of life, but the vocabulary of information technology (IT) is more different-from computer games to system software.

The following vocabulary is based on local writing, and there will be no conversion between traditional and simplified. To avoid misunderstandings, the corresponding English is listed for each vocabulary. Some words that are usually only used in a certain region or a certain dialect are marked with the region or dialect behind them.

Arrival and travel

Mainland Chinese	Hong Kong and Macau terms	Taiwanese	Ma Xin Glossary	English
Bicycle / Bicycle / Bicycle	bicycle	Bicycle / Bicycle / Bicycle / Iron Horse (Taiwanese) / Kongming Car (Taiwanese)	Bicycle / Bicycle	bicycle / bike
motorcycle	Motorcycle	Locomotive / Motorcycle	Motorcycle/Motorcycle/Motorcycle	motorcycle
Bus / bus / bus	Bus	Bus / Bus (Taiwanese)	Bus	bus
Long-distance bus / long-distance bus		Passenger transport	Intercity Bus	coach
Boarding / boarding	Ride	Take a ride	Ride	ride
Taxi / taxi / taxi	Take a taxi	Take a taxi	Taxi
Taxi / Taxi / Taxi	Taxi	Taxi / Little Yellow	Taxi	taxi
subway	subway	MRT	subway	metro / underground / MTR / MRT

Sightseeing and activities

Mainland Chinese	Hong Kong and Macau terms	Taiwanese	Ma Xin Glossary	English
pingpong	pingpong	Billiards	pingpong	table tennis
billiards	Billiards	Billiards	Billiards	billiards

Shopping

diet

Mainland Chinese	Hong Kong and Macau terms	Taiwanese	Ma Xin Glossary	English
Ice cream / ice cream / ice cream	ice cream	ice cream	ice cream	ice cream
Popsicle / Popsicle	Snow strips	Popsicle	Popsicle	popsicle
tuna	Tuna / Tuna	tuna	Tuna / Tuna	Tuna
Salmon / salmon / salmon	Salmon / salmon	Salmon	salmon	salmon
Tomato / Tomato / Persimmon	tomato	tomato	Tomato / red tomato	tomato
Sweet potato / sweet potato / sweet potato	Sweet potato	Sweet potato / sweet potato	Sweet potato	sweet potato
Potato / potato	Potatoes / Potatoes	potato	potato	potato
Peanuts / Groundnut	peanut	Peanuts / Groundnuts / Potatoes	Peanuts / potatoes	peanut
Pineapple / pineapple	Poirot	pineapple	Yellow pear	pineapple
Instant noodles / instant noodles	Instant noodles / instant noodles / instant noodles / cup noodles	Instant noodles	Instant noodles / quick-cooking noodles / quick-cooking noodles	instant noodles
Yangchun noodles / smooth noodles / clear soup noodles	Clean face	Yangchun noodles / clear soup noodles	Soup noodles	noodle soup
Instant coffee	instant coffee	instant coffee	instant coffee	instant coffee
Vegetable market / market	Market / Vegetable Market	Vegetable market / market	Market / Vegetable Market	market
ketchup	Tomato sauce	ketchup	ketchup	ketchup

Nightlife

Mainland Chinese	Hong Kong and Macau terms	Taiwanese	Ma Xin Glossary	English
nightclub	nightclub	Hotel / Nightclub	nightclub	nightclub

stay

Mainland Chinese	Hong Kong and Macau terms	Taiwanese	Ma Xin Glossary	English
Hotel/Restaurant	hotel	Big Hotel / Hostel (Small)	hotel	hotel
Youth Hostel / Youth Hostel	Youth Hostel	Youth Hostel	Backpacker Inn	youth hostel

service

Mainland Chinese	Hong Kong and Macau terms	Taiwanese	Ma Xin Glossary	English
Lady / miss	Miss	Miss	Miss	miss
waiter	Waiter	Waiter/waitress	Waiter	waiter(ess)
Police / Public Security	Police / messenger / security police (Macau) / police officer (Macau)	Police / Police	police	police

communication

Mainland Chinese	Hong Kong and Macau terms	Taiwanese	Ma Xin Glossary	English
Operator	Operator	Operator	Operator	operator
smart phone	smart phone	Smart phone	smart phone	smart phone
Short message	SMS	Newsletter	Newsletter	short message (SMS)
Mailbox / mailbox	mailbox	mailbox	mailbox	mailbox
Network / Internet	the Internet	Network / Internet	Internet/network/network	network / Internet

other

Mainland Chinese	Hong Kong and Macau terms	Taiwanese	Ma Xin Glossary	English
new Zealand	New Zealand / New Zealand	New Zealand	New Zealand	New Zealand
Italy	Italy	Italy	Italy	Italy
North Korea / North Korea	North Korea / North Korea	North Korea	North Korea / North Korea	North Korea
San Francisco	San Francisco	San Francisco	San Francisco	San Francisco
Laser / Laser	Laser / Laser	Laser / Laser	Laser/Laser	laser
Hard drive	Hard drive	Hard drive	Hard drive	hard disk
software	software	software	software	software
U Disk	USB finger	Flash drive	Flash drive	flash drive
Run	implement	implement	Run/execute	run
Mouse	mouse	mouse	mouse	mouse
Laptop/laptop	Laptop	Laptop/notebook	Laptop/laptop	laptop
Digital camera	Digital camera	Digital camera	Digital camera	digital camera
refrigerator	Refrigerator	refrigerator	refrigerator	refrigerator
Meter	Meter	Meters / meters	Meter	metre / meter
inch	Inch / inch / inch	Inch / inch / inch	Inch	inch