期限 -- 限期 difference? 有分别马？

[kudra]

From Written Standard Chinese, Vol3, chap 39.

The authors Huang and Stimson, introduced 期限 with the gloss /time limit/, and use it in the following context in the phrases and shorter sentences section

已經過了期限

已经过了期限

my translation: /already past the deadline, the time limit has already passed./

Then in chapter 40in the longer sentences section we have this:

(3) 這兩個計謀大同小異所著的就是完成限期不一樣其中有一個早十天完成。

(3) 这两个计谋大同小异所著的就是完成限期不一样其中有一个早十天完成。

my translation: /these two plans are alike in the main, but differ in the

details, of which(details, for example) the deadline to finish are not the

same, among them (there is) one is (to be) finished 10 days earlier./

I have 2 questions.

1a. How is my translation? specifically adsotrans.com has 所著的 glossed as

/well-known/, whereas I am taking it in the sense of "所有的" 的"所" , hence my clunky "among them"

1b. Any other issues with the translation besides the fact that it is not flowing idiomatic English?

2. In (3) we have 限期 instead of 期限. Are these interchangeable? If not,

can someone give some examples using each so I/we/us students can figure

out when to use which?

I haven't quite finished the long passage in chap 40, so there may be another

example or two in the text. However, 限期 does not appear in the vol 3 vocabulary

index, although 期限 does.

Thanks.

[studentyoung]

(3) 这两个计谋大同小异，所著的就是完成限期不一样，其中有一个早十天完成。

I think maybe the sentence doesn’t run smoothly. I try to put it into normal way.

这两个计划大同小异，就是所著的完成限期不一样，其中有一个早十天完成。

Well, usually we don’t say ”计谋”, if you mean “plan” here. We usually translate “plan” as “计划”.

所著的means “marked”, according to the contexts.

So the whole sentence can be translated as, “The two plans are basically the same, but they are just different in the deadlines marked, one should be finished ten days earlier.

期限means you should finish something within some given/limited time, which stresses on a period of time.

这项任务期限为十天，你干得了吗？

The term for the task is ten days. Can you handle it?

限期 means the deadline for a task, which stresses on some specific date or time.

明天就到限期了，我们该怎么办啊？

Tomorrow is the deadline! What should we do?

In (3) we have 限期 instead of 期限. Are these interchangeable?

Yes, sometimes they are. For example: 我连期限/限期都不知道，叫我怎么敢接这活儿？

I have had no idea on the term/ the deadline yet, how dare I take the work?

Cheers!

[shibo77]

Right they are similar meanings, 期限qīxiàn is a noun that means a deadline, a time limit; 限期xiànqī is a noun also but it has a verbal feel to it, it is a time period that is allotted that is prescribed by someone. But I think both are interchangeable.

-Shìbó

[kudra]

Follow up question.

I had assumed that 著 functioned as zhe, but that doesn't seem go along with studentyoung's gloss as /marked/ (I assume 所 gives the "according to contents" meaning).

So I would like to know the pinyin for 著 in this case. I am guessing zhu4, as in

/to make known/to show/to prove/to write/book/outstanding/

from mandarintools.

outstanding, as in :

"These two plans are alike in the main, but differ in the

details, the outstanding difference of which is that ...."

or , " ... the most noticeable difference being that ...."

Thanks.

------------ edit addition -------------------

studentyoung's gloss 'marked' makes sense as in

"There is a marked difference between these these two plans"

meaning "significant difference" as opposed to marked with a pencil.

I rarely say this, but I seem to recall in this case "marked" can be pronounced in

English as two syllables, mark-ed, although that might be old fashioned or just imagined on my part.

-------------

[studentyoung]

OK, I see what confused you.

1.Yes, 著 pronounces as “zhu4” here. And 著here means “marked” or you can take it as "given", according to the contexts. Please check the link below.

http://cb.kingsoft.com/search?s=%D6%F8&t=word〈=GB2312&location=1

2. 所 means “that” or “the” here.Please check the link below.

http://cb.kingsoft.com/search?s=%E6%89%80&t=word〈=utf-8

(Please kindly note that this “金山词霸” website doesn’t work well from time to time recently. So if it doesn’t show rightly on your screen, please be patient and try it later.)

Cheers!

[kudra]

studentyoung,

Thanks for the link to the site. That is a nice way to get a lot of sample sentences for a given character.

[chenpv]

所著的就是完成限期不一樣

I doubt that we commonly use '限期' like that. and IMHO, '限期整改' is more comfortable. Here '限' in '限期' means 'to set'.

'著' means 'to write down' or 'to note down' as in the word '著书'

所 means “that” or “the” here.Please check the link below.

I am afraid i cant agree with you. It is a standard structure of '所'字句（结构), like '所见的，所闻的'. the character here shows no specific meaning but suggests a certain sentence pattern.

所著的------ (All the contents) written down here.......

所见的-------(All the things) seen by (me).........