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Allenjy Posted 14 years ago
Vocabulary

Putonghua or Mandarin ? both are fine?

Hi guys, I just saw a title which is "Putonghua news" from a Hong Kong tv channel. I used to think Putonghua is just a Chinese word. But it seems that the word " Putonghua " is widely used by people as well as the word " Mandarin". Can anyone explain the difference between Putonghua and Mandarin?

Thanks!
  

Top answer

Hi, Here is a little bit of background. org/wiki/Standard_Chinese As a Westerner, I am familiar with the term 'Mandarin' but I have never encountered 'Putonghua'. Clive

— Clive

  • Hi, Here is a little bit of background.
  • org/wiki/Standard_Chinese As a Westerner, I am familiar with the term 'Mandarin' but I have never encountered 'Putonghua'.
  • Clive
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3 Answers
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Hi,

Here is a little bit of background.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Chinese

As a Westerner, I am familiar with the term 'Mandarin' but I h
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CliveAs a Westerner, I am familiar with the term 'Mandarin' but I have never encountered 'Putonghua'.
Clive
That's because "Putonghua" is a chinese word meaning 'common speech'. We call that Mandarin (Chinese).
On the other hand, chinese people don't use words like 'Mandarin' or 'Cantonese' because they are not chinese words.
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Hi,

Chinese people

Chinese words

Clive
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