只管，尽管 and a return to the days of useless 语法

Back when this blog started I thought it was going to filled with useless and rarely used 语法 of the likes of 万万， 偏偏， 索性。 Well, strangely it seemed to wade through slightly less moronic waters．　UNTIL, until I got a new book by the eminent 梁鸿雁 and now I can spend hours a day pondering the endless uses and significant of mandarin all-stars such as 那会儿 and 多会儿. But on a serious not, I don't think I'm going to keep on using her book unless I really decide I hate myself and want to subject myself to grammar and words I can be guaranteed will not only not be used in real life, on the tests, or even in much 北语式 material, but most certainly will cause even a seasoned prof to scratch her head and ask if 梁鸿雁 really does have a death wish and or have her address listed. (That is not a threat, 中国当局, no need to come to my house and make me write a self-criticism. I know you're reading too CIA, we love you too. :>)


Ok, back to 文法。

never used: 只管：


Use 1:
梁红涵 试题： 你对我有什么意见， (只管）讲。 Here it means 随便。 Feel free to ask any question you might have.

尽管 shares this first use exactly.

Use 2. Actually, use two we are going to avoid dealing with until we run across it in real life.

尽管 jǐnguǎn, a rare 3rd tone jin, is used as a 虽然 surrogate. Everyone learns this and you recognize it in context, but why would a test want you to recognize something in context?

Dict:

尽管病的严重，他仍然去上班了。 Despite being really sick, he still still went to school.

Ok, a long time ago I got the impression that 尽管 was always more like despite, in spite of, in english and since I either don't see it that much or it doesn't make that much of an impression on me, I still have that impression. 虽然 because the more vanilla 'although'.