soeng1 gwai2 zai3雙軌制双轨制
Definition
Double-track system; a dual or binary system, such as the co-existence of state-planned and market prices.
How it's used
Originally referring to the economic policy in mainland China during the 1980s where state-planned prices coexisted with market-driven prices, the term has evolved to describe any dual-track approach. It is now frequently used in policy discussions to describe systems that maintain two parallel standards or methods of operation. It carries a formal, analytical tone and is rarely used in casual, everyday conversation about personal life.
Examples
Related words
Common phrases
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a literal railway term, but it is almost exclusively used in political, economic, or administrative contexts. Do not use it to describe actual train tracks or physical paths.
Grammar color guide
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
