Chinese Word for Different and Difference

By Sujanti Djuanda

I. As a noun, 区别(qūbié= difference), 差别(chā​bié= difference),不同(bùtóng=difference) and 不一样(bù​yī​yàng= difference) are interchangeable, but 不同(bùtóng=difference) and 不一样(bùyīyàng= difference) are more used in daily conversation.

Example 1:

What is the difference of them?

那些(nà​xiē=those)有(yǒu=have)什么(shén​me=what)区别(qū​bié= difference)?

You can replace区别(qūbié= difference) with差别(chā​bié= difference), 不同(bù​tóng= difference) or 不一样(bù​yī​yang= difference).

Example 2:

What is the difference between Etawah goat milk and cow milk?

爱塔瓦(àitǎwǎ=Etawah)山羊奶(shānyángnǎi=goat milk)和(hé=and)牛奶(niú​nǎi=cow milk)有(yǒu​=have)什么(shén​me=what)区别(qū​bié=difference) (or 差别(chā​bié= difference) or 不同(bù​tong= difference) or 不一样(bù​yī​yàng= difference))？

II. 不同(bùtóng=different) and 不一样(bù​yī​yàng =different) can be used as an adjective but 区别(qūbié=difference) and 差别(chā​bié= difference) cannot.

Example 1a:

Of course, it’s very different. (adjective)

当然(dāng​rán​=of course)很(hěn=very)不一样(bù​yī​yang= different) (or 不同(bùtóng= different)) 。

You cannot say : 当然(dāngrán=of course)很(hěn=very)不(bù=not)区别(qūbié=difference) (or 差别(chābié =difference))。

Compared with Example 1b:

Of course, the difference is very big. (Here区别(qūbié=difference) or 差别(chābié= difference) is used as a noun).

当然(dāngrán=of course )区别(qūbié=difference)(or 差别(chābié= difference))很(hěn=very)大(dà=big)。

Or区别(qūbié=difference)(or 差别(chābié= difference))当然(dāngrán=of course ) 很(hěn=very)大(dà=big)。

III. 区别(qūbié=to distinguish) can be used as a verb, but 差别(chā​bié), 不同(bù​tóng​) and 不一样(bù​yī​yàng​) cannot.

Example 1

How to distinguish the real and the fake one?

真的(zhēnde=the real one)假的(jiǎ​de=the fake one)怎么(zěn​me​=how)区别(qūbié= to distinguish)呢(ne)？

Example 2

It’s really not easy to distinguish the real and the fake one.

要(yào​=want)区别(qūbié= to distinguish)真的(zhēnde=the real one)假的(jiǎde=the fake one)真的(zhēnde=really)不(bù=not)容易(róng​yì=easy)。

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