<p>Oh dear, AI can't cope with the difference between through and past!</p>
<p>I ran past the department store.<br />
我跑着路过百货商店。</p>
<p>I ran through the department store.<br />
我跑着穿过百货商店。</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-10-09T04:04:41.503Z
2024-10-09T04:04:41.503Z
Pedroski
<p>I ran &quot;<strong>past</strong>&quot; <strong>a</strong> department store - 我跑步&quot;<strong>經過</strong>&quot;<strong>一家</strong>百貨公司 (You were running on the street in front of the store)</p>
<p>&quot;I ran &quot;<strong>through</strong>&quot; <strong>the</strong> department store&quot; - 我跑步&quot;<strong>通過</strong>&quot;<strong>那家</strong>百貨公司 (You were running across/inside the store from one entrance to the other)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-10-09T15:45:13.370Z
2024-10-09T15:45:13.370Z
r13
<p>ran past and ran through are two different things. When you are running on the street and passing the department store on your way, you are running past it. When you run into the department store from one end and run out from the other end, you run through it.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>&quot;I <strong>ran past</strong> the department store&quot; can be translated as &quot;我<strong>跑步經過</strong>一家百貨公司&quot;  (can be reduced to 我跑經一家百貨公司 or  我跑過一家百貨公司)</p>
</li>
<li><p>&quot;I <strong>ran throug</strong>h the department store&quot; should be translated as “我跑步<strong>穿過</strong>一家百貨公司” (reduce it to 我跑過一家百貨公司 would cause ambiguity; reduce it to 我跑穿一家百貨公司 sound unnatural)</p>
</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-10-09T03:27:44.483Z
“路過" might be a more precise choice here
Kassian Sun
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-10-09T03:31:09.180Z
經過 and 路過 are both correct for passing, not 穿過
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-10-09T03:36:47.407Z
經過 has more abstract meaning than 路過, it might be used more often in some specific dialect, but in mainland madarin it's rarely used like this in daily dialog. And also 經過 can express "through" like 我跑步經過公園, it's hard to tell whether you ran though the park or past the park (a bit more tending to "through", but that's why I say it's rarely used in daily dialog)
Kassian Sun
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-10-09T14:00:34.707Z
@KassianSun "經"為"道", "道"為"路"; 經過 = 路過. "through" means 通过, 穿过, 贯穿.
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-10-10T03:37:26.533Z
@r13 No, Chinese doesn't work like this xD
Kassian Sun
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-10-09T03:24:28.850Z
2024-10-09T03:29:42.590Z
2024-10-09T03:29:42.590Z
Tang Ho
<p>If you ask Google to translate</p>
<p>&quot;I ran past the department store&quot;</p>
<p>and</p>
<p>&quot;I ran through the department store&quot;</p>
<p>the output is the same &quot;我跑過百貨公司&quot;</p>
<p>How would you translate it so as to highlight the difference?</p>

<translation><vocabulary><preposition>
Go through vs go past: best translation?
# Go through vs go past: best translation?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-10-09)

If you ask Google to translate

"I ran past the department store"

and

"I ran through the department store"

the output is the same "我跑過百貨公司"

How would you translate it so as to highlight the difference?

**Tags:** translation, vocabulary, preposition


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## 3 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2024-10-09. Score: 2

Oh dear, AI can't cope with the difference between through and past!

I ran past the department store.  
我跑着路过百货商店。

I ran through the department store.  
我跑着穿过百货商店。


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### Answer by username_2 on 2024-10-09. Score: 0

I ran "**past**" **a** department store - 我跑步"**經過**"**一家**百貨公司 (You were running on the street in front of the store)

"I ran "**through**" **the** department store" - 我跑步"**通過**"**那家**百貨公司 (You were running across/inside the store from one entrance to the other)


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### Answer by username_3 on 2024-10-09. Score: 0

ran past and ran through are two different things. When you are running on the street and passing the department store on your way, you are running past it. When you run into the department store from one end and run out from the other end, you run through it.

* "I **ran past** the department store" can be translated as "我**跑步經過**一家百貨公司" (can be reduced to 我跑經一家百貨公司 or 我跑過一家百貨公司)
* "I **ran throug**h the department store" should be translated as “我跑步**穿過**一家百貨公司” (reduce it to 我跑過一家百貨公司 would cause ambiguity; reduce it to 我跑穿一家百貨公司 sound unnatural)

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: “路過" might be a more precise choice here  
> **username_3**: 經過 and 路過 are both correct for passing, not 穿過  
> **username_4**: 經過 has more abstract meaning than 路過, it might be used more often in some specific dialect, but in mainland madarin it's rarely used like this in daily dialog. And also 經過 can express "through" like 我跑步經過公園, it's hard to tell whether you ran though the park or past the park (a bit more tending to "through", but that's why I say it's rarely used in daily dialog)  
> **username_2**: @KassianSun "經"為"道", "道"為"路"; 經過 = 路過. "through" means 通过, 穿过, 贯穿.  
> **username_4**: @username_2 No, Chinese doesn't work like this xD  

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