On Tuesday, November 8th 2016, the United States will elect a new president to begin serving in January of 2017. The two candidates this year are Donald Trump, representing the Republican Party and Hillary Clinton, representing the Democratic Party. These two candidates received more votes earlier this year in the “primary elections” than the other candidates in their parties and are now in direct competition for the presidency. Since being chosen as the nominees, the candidates have been “facing off” in political debates, as well as attacking each other in interviews, speeches and TV commercials. Of course, this process is familiar to Americans, as it happens every four years, but this year’s face off has been particularly heated. So, how can you describe this coming November 8th in Chinese?
We can call this kind of contest a “对决 (duìjué)”. The descriptive noun can be used to describe a showdown, a confrontation, a contest, or a face off. We may use it in the context of a debate/election, a championship game, or a fight between a superhero and a villain in a Hollywood movie.
Let’s break down “对决 (duìjué)”:
对 (duì): right / couple / correct
决 (jué): to decide / to determine / to execute (somebody)
An example of “对决 (duìjué)” in a sentence:
Měiguó zǒngtǒng dàxuǎn, xīlālǐ yǔ chuānpǔ de duìjué.
美国 总统 大选，希拉里 与 川普 的 对决！
The United States presidential election showdown between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
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In Dialogue:
Érzi: ”Bàba, zhè shì zhēn de jiàn ma?”
儿子: “爸爸，这 是 真 的 剑 吗？”
Son: “Dad, is this a real sword?”
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Bàba: “Dāngrán, zhè kě shì yī chǎng duìjué!”
爸爸: “当然， 这 可 是 一 场 对决！”
Dad: Of course, it is a duel!”
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Quiz:
1. An example of a 对决 (duìjué) is all of the following, except for:
A. The Super Bowl in NFL Football
B. Batman fighting the Joker at the climax of the movie
C. Passing your exam with a perfect score
See Answer
