Definition
差 (chà) has three senses: (1) 'poor/inferior' in quality (not financial poverty like 贫困/贫穷); (2) 'wrong/mistaken' in an action (not just 'different' 不同, nor a formal error 错误); (3) 'to lack/be short of' a specific amount (colloquial, like 缺 but often with numbers).
adjective
poorinferiornot up to standardwrongmistaken
verb
to be short ofto lack
Easily confused
- 善shànlook-alikevirtuous; kind-hearted; benevolent
- 查chásound-aliketo look up (a word, information in a reference)
- 着zhelook-alike(particle) indicates an action in progress or a continuing state
- 茶chásound-aliketea (the drink)
- 样yànglook-alike(classifier) kind, type, variety
- 插chāsound-aliketo insert, to stick into
- 痒yǎnglook-alikeitchy
- 叉chāsound-alike(noun) fork, pitchfork, forked tool
- 岔chàsound-alike(noun) fork in the road, bifurcation, branch (of a road, river, mountain range)
Examples
- 差。Zhège shǒujī hěn chà.This phone is very poor.
- 差。Hái chà liǎng kuài qián.Still short two yuan.
- 差。Nǐ xiě chà le.You wrote it wrong.
Grammar
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