<p>I often find, in such situations, it helps to find a different phrase with the same meaning. How about you translate 'working knowledge' to 'a fair/reasonable grasp of' then put that in Chinese?</p>

<p>Chinese is really not my strong point, but maybe:
I have a working knowledge of maths.
I have a reasonable grasp of maths.
我掌握数学得不错。</p>

<p>Or something similar with '合理‘</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-11T15:05:42.773Z
I think he means a "firm" or "solid" grasp.  The adj. "working" there sounds like "functional", "practical", "useful" and even some sense of "profound".
Henry HO
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2015-05-11T10:48:25.253Z
2015-05-11T10:55:06.997Z
2015-05-11T10:55:06.997Z
Pedroski
<p>bruce lee i think you mean 'practical knowledge'. meaning useful knowledge or limited understanding<br>
 yes that's right, working is in theory a 'practical toil' that ought to feed you at the end of  the day ,as in work for your peanut butter or in your case you'll understand 'hard labour' better or you could say a 'grasp' of optical physics/Optics' before you can focus your camera onto the stars now get back to work or learning so you can practice what' you've learned 
Capish ?? </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-11T09:09:13.227Z
2015-05-11T09:09:13.227Z
marxengels
<p>Though I myself am a native Chinese speaker, up to now I still have not yet figured out an appropriate explanation of the phrase "working knowledge" to any one that is not highly educated. </p>

<p>The difficulty vanishes when the person I am talking to is sufficiently educated so that I can use examples to hint him and then he will immediately get what I am trying to say. But for a person who is not that educated, say a junior-high or high-school student, the example approach fails. So in this case I have to precisely characterize the essential meaning of the phrase "working knowledge".</p>

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2015-05-11T06:29:52.440Z
Your question is hard to understand, after 2 minutes I still can't figure out what  it is that you are asking.
flaudre
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2015-05-11T06:45:11.493Z
Sorry, what is the difficulty? I just ask for some explanation of "working knowledge" in Chinese, is not it?
Yes
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-11T08:12:44.447Z
Tell us your definition in English.  ^_^
Henry HO
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2015-05-11T08:33:21.530Z
Okay. For example,  you should have good working knowledge in calculus before you take a course in multivariate calculus.
Yes
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-11T10:48:44.787Z
I am afraid you are not using the term in the same sense(/means) as others .... see http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/working_knowledge
Henry HO
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-11T11:08:17.230Z
@HenryHO: Interesting is why you take it as something "canonical" or "authoratative". :)
Yes
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-11T14:58:47.910Z
@Chou: Or http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/learner-english/working - "knowledge about something that is good enough to be useful"; the wiktionary version just makes it more explicit.
Henry HO
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-11T21:05:43.840Z
@Chou for your example in the comment "good working knowledge in calculas before...", the term 'working knowledge' can be replaced by just 'knowledge'.  It might helps if you could provide an example on how you explain the term to both group you mentioned.
Alex
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-12T00:01:29.383Z
@Alex: Thanks for your interest. I think about another instance: A person is suggested to have a good working knowledge in linear algebra before the person enters a STEM phd program.
Yes
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-12T14:11:22.440Z
@CHou hm again, we can just replace working knowledge by 'knowledge'.  As many have suggested, does "Practical", "functional", or "profound" knowledge fits?  Or you might want to try to think of an example that we cannot simply replace the term with just 'knowledge'
Alex
<translation><phrase>
What is a proper explanation of "working knowledge" in Chinese?
# What is a proper explanation of "working knowledge" in Chinese?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-05-11)

Though I myself am a native Chinese speaker, up to now I still have not yet figured out an appropriate explanation of the phrase "working knowledge" to any one that is not highly educated.

The difficulty vanishes when the person I am talking to is sufficiently educated so that I can use examples to hint him and then he will immediately get what I am trying to say. But for a person who is not that educated, say a junior-high or high-school student, the example approach fails. So in this case I have to precisely characterize the essential meaning of the phrase "working knowledge".

**Tags:** translation, phrase

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Your question is hard to understand, after 2 minutes I still can't figure out what  it is that you are asking.  
> **username_0**: Sorry, what is the difficulty? I just ask for some explanation of "working knowledge" in Chinese, is not it?  
> **username_2**: Tell us your definition in English.  ^_^  
> **username_0**: Okay. For example,  you should have good working knowledge in calculus before you take a course in multivariate calculus.  
> **username_2**: I am afraid you are not using the term in the same sense(/means) as others .... see http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/working_knowledge  
> **username_0**: @username_2: Interesting is why you take it as something "canonical" or "authoratative". :)  
> **username_2**: @Chou: Or http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/learner-english/working - "knowledge about something that is good enough to be useful"; the wiktionary version just makes it more explicit.  
> **username_3**: @Chou for your example in the comment "good working knowledge in calculas before...", the term 'working knowledge' can be replaced by just 'knowledge'.  It might helps if you could provide an example on how you explain the term to both group you mentioned.  
> **username_0**: @username_3: Thanks for your interest. I think about another instance: A person is suggested to have a good working knowledge in linear algebra before the person enters a STEM phd program.  
> **username_3**: @CHou hm again, we can just replace working knowledge by 'knowledge'.  As many have suggested, does "Practical", "functional", or "profound" knowledge fits?  Or you might want to try to think of an example that we cannot simply replace the term with just 'knowledge'  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2015-05-11. Score: 1

I often find, in such situations, it helps to find a different phrase with the same meaning. How about you translate 'working knowledge' to 'a fair/reasonable grasp of' then put that in Chinese?

Chinese is really not my strong point, but maybe:
I have a working knowledge of maths.
I have a reasonable grasp of maths.
我掌握数学得不错。

Or something similar with '合理‘

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: I think he means a "firm" or "solid" grasp.  The adj. "working" there sounds like "functional", "practical", "useful" and even some sense of "profound".  

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### Answer by username_5 on 2015-05-11. Score: -1

bruce lee i think you mean 'practical knowledge'. meaning useful knowledge or limited understanding  
yes that's right, working is in theory a 'practical toil' that ought to feed you at the end of the day ,as in work for your peanut butter or in your case you'll understand 'hard labour' better or you could say a 'grasp' of optical physics/Optics' before you can focus your camera onto the stars now get back to work or learning so you can practice what' you've learned
Capish ??


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