| Change log entry 53778 | |
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| Processed by: | richwarm (2014-05-07 22:37:46 UTC) |
| Comment: |
<< review queue entry 51485 - submitted by 'brianlawrence' >> So I'm a little nervous about this, since it's a very well-known word and I can't find any Chinese-English reference that supports what I'm saying, but: I think 空调 and 暖气 don't exactly correspond to "AC" and "heating." In the English I speak, the difference between an air conditioner and a heater is that an air conditioner makes air cooler and a heater makes air warmer. I have never heard a native English speaker use "air conditioner" to mean a device for heating air. (I am a native speaker and have lived on both coasts of the US.) In Chinese, my understanding (confirmed with native speakers) is that 空调 refers to any device that uses a forced-air mechanism to heat or cool, and 暖气 is reserved for 暖气片, i.e. radiators, which have pipes with hot water and work by convection, not forced air. (I'm familiar only with Mainland usage.) In China one often hears that 南方没有暖气, even though the temperature in southern China can get down to freezing. This does not mean there is no artificial heating whatsoever. It means that buildings in southern China generally use forced-air heating, rather than central radiant heating. (In the places I have stayed in southern China, the forced-air heating is usually a window unit, and it is customary to turn off the unit when leaving the room -- so someone returning from a day at work would come home to a cold room. One can see why this is less pleasant than central heating with radiators, which keep the room warm all day long.) According to 现代汉语词典： 空调：空气调节器，能够调节房屋、机舱、船舱、车厢等内部的空气温度、湿度、洁净度、气流速度等，使达到一定的要求。 空调: "Air-adjusting device." It can regulate the temperature, humidity, level of cleanliness, flow, etc., of the air in a room, aircraft cabin, ship cabin, train car, etc., making (the temp and other properties) reach a desired level. 暖气：（1）利用锅炉烧出蒸汽或热水，通过管道输送到建筑物内的散热器（俗称暖气片）中，散出热量，使室温增高。管道中的蒸汽或热水叫做暖气。（2）指上述的设备。（3）暖和的气体。 暖气: (1) (There is a device that) uses a heating element to create steam or hot water, then sends the steam or hot water through pipes to a heat dissipater (commonly called 暖气片) inside a building; there the heat in the water dissipates, warming the room. The steam or hot water in the pipes is called 暖气. (2) The device described above. (3) Hot gas. New Oxford American Dictionary: air conditioning: a system for controlling the humidity, ventilation, and temperature in a building or vehicle, typically to maintain a cool atmosphere in warm conditions. heater: a person or thing that heats, in particular a device for warming the air or water. As I said, I'm somewhat nervous submitting this, because it's a basic, commonly used word, and I'm saying that standard references are wrong. But I am fairly confident that the Chinese and English words mean different things, and the difference in meaning can lead to confusion. So I'm submitting this in the hope an editor can get to the bottom of it. I will also submit a change to 暖气. |
| Diff: |
- 空調 空调 [kong1 tiao2] /air conditioning/air conditioner/CL:臺|台[tai2]/ # + 空調 空调 [kong1 tiao2] /air conditioning/air conditioner/air conditioner or heater that uses a forced-air mechanism (as opposed to a radiator)/CL:臺|台[tai2]/ + 空調 空调 [kong1 tiao2] /air conditioning/air conditioner (including units that have a heating mode)/CL:臺|台[tai2]/ |