"Chinese" & "Mandarin"?

[jilang]

On this forum what's the difference between the Chinese section and the Mandarin section? I thought they were the same.

[webmaster]

On this forum what's the difference between the Chinese section and the Mandarin section? I thought they were the same.

Only subtle. The Chinese section is supposed to be more broad dedicated to the Chinese language group (the Chinese languages in general, classical Chinese etc.)
The Mandarin section focuses on modern standard Chinese (putonghua or guoyu).

Regards.

[jilang]

Ok, so the Chinese section is just chinese languages in general?

[jilang]

Sorry, couldn't find an edit button.

So the mandarin section is specifically the standard chinese used now and chinese includes previous ones?

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[Glacier]

I explain it for you. I'm Chinese.
The English word "mandarin" is known by me the first time just here.
I think many Chinese only know the word "chinese" rather than "mandarin".
In spelling a Chinese character, we only use the word 'chinese'.
What is 'mandarin' ? It's used only for pronunciation. Because China is a huge geographical country. Most of people use Chinese Simplified. But there are so many Chinese dialects. So a Chinese character is spelled the same, but in pronunciation is different. The word 'mandarin' means the most standard and popular pronunciation.
"chinese includes previous ones?"
Answer: Chinese character has two kinds of spelling, which are Chinese Simplified and Chinese Traditional. Today, Over 98% of chinese people use Chinese Simplified and only a little chinese use Chinese Traditional. Nearly all the chinese can recongize the two types and know the meaning. You must know the difference between them. A simple and new ones, a traditional and old ones.
OK?

[ds333]

Sounds complicated. Mandarin in translator mean a man who work for government with high welfare

[BellaVega]

Is Mandarin a dialect like a southern dialect in the U.S.? Or is it different characters and words completely? How many different dialects exist in the country of China and which one is more common?

[Chrisss]

Chinese is a wide scale in meaning; it may refer to Chinese people, Chinese language and China’s. But Mandarin only refers to the standard official Chinese language.

Chris

[japo12]

Thanks a lot. I like Chinese.

japo12