Synonyms are such words with almost identical or similar meanings. In some cases, the synonymous words can be replaced each other without affecting the meaning. Nevertheless, some philologists claim that no synonyms have exactly the same meaning. The most of synonymous words are just similar in meaning but have different usage and translation. We shall pay attention to them when translating synonymous words. Here are some examples of synonyms. Bargain, Compact, Contract and Deal are synonymous words with similar meaning of “合同”, but we cannot translate them all as “合同” without considering the context. Now let’s look at the following sentences for reference.
Bargain, Compact, Contract, Deal
You should keep the bargain.
Let’s strike a bargain on that.
Tom made a bargain with his wife.
Henry finally reached a bargain with the antique dealer over the lamp.
They made a compact to control opium traffic.
The two countries made a compact to co-operate against terrorism.
The supper was a contract business, and therefore the more he ate, the better the bargain was.
He is under contract to teach here for two years.
The contract still holds.
They agreed to sign the contract.
They want to break the contract.
The two countries plan to negotiate the contract.
The two men have made a deal.
The two legislators have made a deal: “logrolling”.
“I’ll drink to that,” he said, “and a wedding two years hence. Is that a deal?”