The Chinese word 差 can have several meanings depending on the context, but generally it refers to a difference or a gap between two things. It can be used to describe a deficiency or a shortcoming, as in “我的中文水平还差得远呢”, which means “My Chinese level is still far from good”. It can also be used to express the idea of “almost” or “nearly”, as in “我差点儿迟到了”, which means “I almost arrived late”.
Translation
Verb: to lack, short of
Adjective: poor
Pronunciation
Example Sentences
| Chinese | Pinyin | Engish |
|---|---|---|
| 我们的时间差不多了 | wǒmen de shíjiān chà bùduō le | Our time is almost up |
| 这两个方案的差别很大 | zhè liǎng gè fāng’àn de chābié hěn dà | There is a big difference between these two plans |
| 我的汉语水平和他的差距很大 | wǒ de hànyǔ shuǐpíng hé tā de chājù hěn dà | There is a big gap between my Chinese proficiency and his |
| 这个产品的质量差得让人无法接受 | zhège chǎnpǐn de zhìliàng chà de ràng rén wúfǎ jiēshòu | The quality of this product is so poor that it’s unacceptable |
| 我们需要弥补这个差距 | wǒmen xūyào míbǔ zhège chājù | We need to make up for this gap |
| 这个数字和实际情况有很大的差异 | zhège shùzì hé shíjì qíngkuàng yǒu hěn dà de chāyì | There is a big discrepancy between this number and the actual situation |
| 我们需要找出问题所在，解决差错 | wǒmen xūyào zhǎo chū wèntí suǒ zài, jiějué chācuò | We need to find the problem and fix the error |
HSK
差 is part of HSK Level 3 in HSK 2.0. In the newer HSK 3.0 it is part of HSK Level 1.
Learning Card
