With the outbreak of coronavirus, people following the news have probably seen the following words pop up over and over, but may be unsure what the difference is: “感染 (gǎnrǎn)” and “传染 (chuánrǎn)”. Today I’ll tell you how to use them.
感染 (gǎn rǎn): infection/infect.
(1) Pathological reactions caused by pathogenic microorganisms and parasites invading the body,growing, multiplying, and causing damage to the body.
Example:
轻度感染 (qīng dù gǎnrǎn): mild infection.
(2) Pathogens invade another body through a certain route from the source of infection.
Example:
tā gǎnrǎnle àizī bìngdú.
他感染了艾滋病毒。
He is infected with HIV.
(3) Arouse the same thoughts and feelings of others through language or other forms.
Example:
tā de xiào shēng gǎn rǎn le quán bān tóng xué.
她的笑声感染了全班同学。
She infected the whole class with her laughter.
传染 (chuán rǎn):infection/infect/be contagious.
(1) Caused by the spread of the disease
Example:
传染病 (chuánrǎn bìng) :infectious disease
(2) Refers to the intrusion of pathogens from diseased organisms to other organisms, usually infectious means that the pathogens of infectious diseases can be transmitted from one person to another through a certain route .
Example:
tā bǎ liúgǎn chuánrǎn gěile tóngxué.
他把流感传染给了同学。
He transmitted the flu to his classmates.
(3)Arouse the same thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of others through words or actions.
Example:
tā de kǒng jù yě chuán rǎn gěi le wǒ .
她的恐惧也传染给了我。
I was infected by her fear.
Differences and connections
(1) Both can be used to express resonance through language, words, behaviors, etc.
(2) Both are invaded by pathogens. “感染(gǎn rǎn)” focuses on being directly invaded by pathogens, and “传染 (chuán rǎn)” focuses on pathogens invading from one individual to another.
Common sentence structure:
n.+传染(chuán rǎn)+给了(gěile)+n.
n.+感染 (gǎn rǎn)+了(le)+n.
Please select the correct words and fill in the blanks
A. 感染 (gǎn rǎn)
B. 传染 (chuán rǎn)
1. tā nà jiāndìng de xìnxīn ______ le wǒmen.
他那坚定的信心 ______ 了我们。
2. tā bǎ xīnguān bìngdú ______ gěile tā de jiārén.
她把新冠病毒 ______ 给了她的家人。
3. xīnguān bìngdú ______ le hěnduō rén.
新冠病毒 ______ 了很多人。
Challenge Yourself to Identify More Similar Chinese Words:
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Do you have 微信(Wēixìn) or 威信 (Wēixìn)?Confused?Take This Quiz!”
“What’s the Difference Between “几 (Jǐ)” and “多少 (Duōshao)”
Zhōngguó zhēn de shì wŏ zuì xĭhuan de dìfang zhī yī.
“中国 真 的 是 我 最 喜欢 的 地方 之 一。”
Translation: “China is really one of my favorite places in the world.”
During the Beijing Olympic Games in 2009, he told the media:
Zhōngguó jiùxiàng wŏ de dì èr gùxiāng, zài zhè ér wŏ găndào bīnzhìrúguī. Zhōngguó
“中国 就像 我 的 第二 故乡, 在 这 儿 我 感到 宾至如归。 中国
rén de rèqíng zhīchí zŏngshì jīlì zhe wŏ dă hăo lánqiú.
人 的 热情 支持 总是 激励 着 我 打 好 篮球。”
Translation: “China is like my second hometown. Here I feel at home when away from home. The enthusiasm and support of Chinese is always a huge motivation for me to perform better and better.”
The following is an interview excerpt between Kobe and CCTV journalist Xiaojie:
Kē bĭ: Wŏ ài Běijīng, ài zhè zuò wěidà de chéngshì, Běijīng zuò wéi zhǚrén, chénggōng yănyì
科比:我 爱 北京,爱 这 座 伟大 的 城市, 北京 作 为 主人, 成功 演 绎
le àoyùnhuì, lái dào Běijīng wŏ fēicháng kuàilè.
了 奥运会, 来 到 北京 我 非常 快乐。
Kobe: I love Beijing and it is a great city. As the host of the Olympics, Beijing did a successful job. I’m very happy to be here.
Xiăo jié: Nĭ de jiārén hé péngyou zěn me kàndài zhè cì Běijīng zhī xíng?
小 节: 你 的 家人 和 朋友 怎 么 看待 这 次 北京 之 行?
Xiaojie: How do your family members and friends think of this trip to Beijing?
Kē bĭ: Wŏ de jiārén hé péngyou duì wŏ cĭ cì lái dào Běijīng cānjiā àoyùnhuì găn dào fēicháng
科 比: 我 的 家人 和 朋友 对 我 此次 来 到 北京 参加 奥运会 感 到 非常
jiāo ào, zhè shì wŏ zhěnggè jiāzú de róngyù.
骄 傲, 这 是 我 整个 家族 的 荣誉。
Kobe: They are very proud of my taking part in Beijing Olympics. It is the honor of my whole family.
Xiăo jié: Nĭ zuì xĭhuan chī shénme Zhōngguócài?
小 节:你最 喜欢 吃 什么 中国菜?
Xiaojie: What is your favorite Chinese dish?
Kē bĭ: Jiăozi, fēicháng hăo chī.
科 比: 饺子, 非常 好 吃。
Kobe: Dumplings, very tasty.
Xiăo jié: Kăoyā ne?
小 节:烤鸭 呢?
Xiaojie: How about Peking duck?
Kē bĭ: Qiē chéng báopiàn zhān shàng táng, fēicháng měiwèi.
科 比: 切 成 薄片 沾 上 糖, 非常 美味。
Kobe: If sliced and added sugar, it would be very delicious.
Xiăo jié: Nĭ néng yòng zhōngwén wènhòu yí xià wŏmen de guānzhòng ma?
小 节:你 能 用 中文 问候 一 下 我们 的 观众 吗?
Xiaojie: Can you say hello to our audience in Chinese?
Kē bĭ: Zăoshang hăo.
科 比: 早上 好。
Kobe: Good morning.
生词 (shēng cí) Vocabulary:
One's life is composed of the motivation in one's heart and action: the motivation of one's heart is to yearn for the desired goal and the action is to move towards the destination on foot. Our lives can go further as long as we combine our heart's motivation with our feet's movement.
— From 俞敏洪 (Yú Mǐnhóng) Yu Minhong, the CEO of New OrientalEducation & Technology, the biggest comprehensive education group in mainland China.
Vocabulary:
心动 (xīndòng): n. the motivation of heart
行动 (xíngdòng): n. action
向往 (xiàngwǎng): v. to yearn for
结合 (jiéhé): v. to combine
We live in the same world, and we should respect and treasure each "member" of this big family.
—From 李连杰 (Lǐ Liánjié) Jet Li, a Chinese Actor on 19th, Jan. 2011.
A quote from Jet Li, when he saw a picture of people killing a shark in order to eat the shark's fin. The term "家人 (jiārén) family member" here refers to the shark.
Grammar points–Chinese tones:
The Chinese pinyin for "一" is usually "yī," but you may have noticed that we pronounce it as "yí” in this quote. Actually, in different situations, the tone for "一" changes.
When we use "一" alone or when "一" is the last word in a phrase or sentence, it is pronounced "yī”. For example: "一 (yī) one," "统一 (tǒngyī) to unify."
When "一" is placed before a word which uses the fourth tone, then "一" changes its tone to "yí." For example: "一片 (yí piàn) a piece."
]]>Opportunities must lie in the bubbles, and Facebook is much like a bubble.
—From 宋保强 (Sòng Bǎoqiáng) Song Baoqiang, engaged in IT technology in China.
Vocabulary:
机遇 (jīyù) n. opportunity
泡沫 (pàomò) n. bubble
Culture Note:
Renren.com, widely said to be the Chinese version of Facebook, was originally called xiaonei.com. It was set up in December, 2005 and was the earliest social networking site for university students in China.
]]>Actually, the best feeling is to exceed yourself. Trust yourself, for all your achievements are from your confidence.
— From 刘翔 (Liú Xiáng) Liu Xiang, a famous track athlete in China.
Vocabulary:
超越 (chāoyuè): v. to exceed
成绩 (chéngji): n. achievement
自信 (zìxìn): n. confidence
"Openness and Sharing" is neither a slogan, nor a simple concept. I prefer to thinking of openness as an ability, rather than an attitude.
—from 马化腾 (Mǎ Huàténg) Ma Huateng, CEO of Tencent which owns brands such as QQ, on Jan. 5th, 2011
Vocabulary:
开放 (kāifàng): n. openness
能力 (nénglì): n. ability
No matter how you choose to marry, it's a mistake. To stay married long-term is to make the best of the mistake without correcting it.
—A Line from "非诚勿扰2 (Fēi chéng wù rǎo èr) If You Are The One II"
Culture Note:
If You Are The One I was released in 2008 and became one of the most popular movies in China in 2009. It roused public discussion on love and marriage. On December 18th, 2010 If You Are The One II was released.
Vocabulary:
婚姻 (hūnyīn): n. marriage
长久的 (cháng jiǔ de): adj. long-term
将错就错 (jiāng cuò jiù cuò): to make the best of a mistake without correcting it
It's been twelve years and we haven't allowed ourselves to rest easy. In our mind, every day it's as if we are skating on thin ice. We refuse to let our customers down as we know that one careless omission can make users walk away from us.
—From "马化腾(Mǎ Huàténg) Mǎ Huàténg," CEO of Tencent (QQ).
Vocabulary
高枕无忧 (gāozhěnwúyōu): v. to rest easy
疏漏 (shūlòu): n. omission
Liu Xiang is still the only superstar. Who else can take over as the new leader in sports?
—reported by Xinhua net after Liu Xiang won gold in the men's 110 meter hurdles during the 16th Asian Games on Nov. 24, 2010.
Key Learning Points
巨星(jùxīng): n. superstar
领军人(lǐngjūnrén): n. leader