# to correct



## yuechu

大家好！

There are many words in Chinese that mean "to correct." I was wondering, if I wanted to tell someone "Thank you for correcting me!" (for example, if I made a mistake while speaking or writing Chinese), which word should I use? (改正? 纠正？)
Thanks!


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## Skatinginbc

指正


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## yuechu

Thanks, Skatinginbc! So would it be "谢谢你指正我了"? (Are 改正 and 纠正 more formal?)


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## SimonTsai

謝謝改正。
改正 is normally a transitive verb.

謝謝糾正。
糾正 literally means 糾察、指正. I do not hear it very often and would doubt whether it is accepted here.

謝謝指正。
This is the normal way that we do it.


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## yuechu

OK! Thanks, SimonTsai!


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## retrogradedwithwind

改正错误
纠正偏差
谢谢您的指正。


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## SimonTsai

yuechu said:


> So would it be "谢谢你指正我了"?


And note that 了 should not have been used this way.

了 normally implies the perfect tense. When in doubt, think whether your sentence sounds good if you add 已經:

我吃飽了。/我已經吃飽了。
謝謝你指正我了。/謝謝你已經指正我了。



yuechu said:


> Are 改正 and 纠正 more formal?


I would not say that any of the two is more formal.

指正 itself is formal enough. Below is what you could say in daily conversations:

Oops! I didn't notice that. Thanks for correcting me!
啊！我沒注意到。謝謝你告訴我（錯在哪／正確應該要怎樣）！


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## philchinamusical

Correct, as a verb, can be translated into the following means in Chinese:

指正；
更正；
纠正；
改正；
In my opinion, the translation can be a little bit different depending on the degree of the "correction".

If it's a misunderstanding or unintentional error, both 1 and 2 are fine. However, 2 is more formal and polite.
“之前我说墨西哥首都是哈瓦那确实不正确，谢谢您的指正/更正”。

If it's a mistake causing some negative results but somehow not ill-intended, 3 and 4 are both proper expressions to show your remorse. But usually it will be an action taken by the speaker her/himself.
“我昨天在论坛上对XXX进行了人身攻击，有点冲动了，我一定纠正/改正自己的态度/行为”。
Hope that helps.


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## SimonTsai

philchinamusical said:


> 我昨天在论坛上对XXX进行了人身攻击，有点冲动了，我一定纠正/改正自己的态度/行为。


糾正 would not work for me.

To me, normally, it is someone else rather than yourself that 糾正 your behaviour, given that 糾正 = 在糾察中發現錯誤，給予指正.


philchinamusical said:


> 之前我说墨西哥首都是哈瓦那确实不正确，谢谢您的指正/更正。


I would not say that 謝謝您的更正 is wrong, but I am unfamiliar with it.


philchinamusical said:


> Correct, as a verb, can be translated into the following means in Chinese:
> 
> 指正；
> 更正；
> 纠正；
> 改正；


矯正 is also an option.


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## philchinamusical

@SimonTsai 我们这边“矫正”现在一般多指对实物的correct，比如“矫正牙齿”这样的。


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## retrogradedwithwind

有些词汇别讨论太细，太细了就分不出对错。有的搭配有些人可以接受，其他人不能，也很正常。

矫正错误，纠正行为习惯。这些搭配，意义上都是通顺的，无非习惯说法不同。我都可以接受。


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## philchinamusical

倒不是要论对错，语言上习惯用法本来就无对错，所以我也是说“我知道的...”“我常见的...”“我认为的...”。只是因为语言文字都是发展的，汉语分布广泛，各地用法不一，所以如果有可能，尽量说明各种差别，也许能避免一些误会呢。


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## SimonTsai

philchinamusical said:


> 我们这边“矫正”现在一般多指对实物的correct，比如“矫正牙齿”这样的。


I agree. And I am more inclined to say 齒列矯正.

Other examples include 矯正坐姿, 矯正拿筆姿勢, 矯正視力, and *矯正拿筷子的方法*.

Alberta was visiting China and was in a restaurant. The food there was mouth-watering; however, she had trouble using chopsticks, and there were neither knives nor forks. Thankfully, someone helped her, teaching her the correct way to hold chopsticks.

Alberta was an apt pupil; she learnt very quickly and succeeded in using chopsticks, so she said, 'Thanks for teaching/correcting me!'

In the scenario above, the person 教導 (自始不能/原先認知有誤) / *矯正* (原先認知有誤) Alberta('s) *拿筷子的方法*.​
But 矯正 could also be used with someone's behaviour or character, as in 性向矯正 (conversion therapy).


retrogradedwithwind said:


> 有的搭配有些人可以接受，其他人不能，很正常。


I cannot agree with this more.

And I would like to say sorry if anyone find me quarrelsome or argumentative.


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## philchinamusical

@SimonTsai 我不能代表其他人，但是请相信我绝对没有觉得您的意见建议有什么不妥的地方。

其实我在这里提出我的看法，也是希望通过大家的评判，了解一下自己的习惯和知识是不是需要更新补充了呢。不交流肯定不会有这些收获的。


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## Skatinginbc

Say, Ghabi found a typo in the thread title and _changed_ (更/改) it for me. ==> 謝謝 Ghabi 替我更正/改正.
Say, Ghabi found an error in my post and _pointed_ (指) it out to me. ==> 謝謝 Ghabi 的指正.
Say, Ghabi _adjusted_ (矯) the font size or _aligned_ (矯) the text for me. ==> 謝謝 Ghabi 替我矯正.
Say, Ghabi took necessary action to _rectify_ (糾) the misconduct of some forum members. ==> 謝謝 Ghabi 糾正他們的不當言行.
Say, Skatinginbc has _changed_ (改) from an ill-mannered person to a nicer one. ==> 謝謝 Skatinginbc 的"改正" (改邪歸正)  (just kidding)


yuechu said:


> would it be "谢谢你指正我了"?


谢谢你的指正.


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## SuperXW

SimonTsai said:


> 糾正 would not work for me.
> To me, normally, it is someone else rather than yourself that 糾正 your behaviour, given that 糾正 = 在糾察中發現錯誤，給予指正.


This could be a regional difference. In Mainland China, 纠正错误 can be used on anyone, including oneself.


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