Discussion of 天然 [tiān rán] natural

Discussion of 天然

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〈例〉天然呆dai1・天然萌meng2
〈例〉[[天然角色]]．[[天然性质]].[[自然特征]]

娜哇🐸

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自然 can be a noun, adjective, adverb, and verb. 天然 is only an adjective. When 自然 and 天然 are both adjectives, they are slightly different:

自然, as an adjective, has two pronunciations which correspond to different meanings:
- zi4 ran2: natural (natually existing, coming from nature). Examples: 自然景观 (natural landscape); 自然灾害 (natural disaster)
- zi4 ran5: free from affectation, unaffected. Example: 他讲话的时候很自然。 (When he talks he is very natural.)

天然, as an adjective, also means "natural". The difference is that 天然 indicates the attribute or property of a noun. It means "natural" as opposed to "man made, artificial or synthetic". 天然 is used on things that can be man made. Example, 天然橡胶 (natural rubber). There is natural rubber and there is also synthetic rubber.

Sometimes 天然 and 自然 are interchangeable when they mean "natural". The only difference is when 天然 is used we are emphasizing on the fact that it's not artificial or man made. Example: 自然景观 vs 天然景观 (as opposed to 人造景观).

lisaC

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