First of all, from the appearance, the body of mandarin fish is oval, brightly colored, usually orange or red, with many black spots. Its head is very special, and there are two bright "beards" on the gill cover. In contrast, Siniperca chuatsi has a long body, flat side, light color, usually silver gray, no obvious spots, and no special "beard" on its head.

Secondly, they have different tastes. Mandarin fish is very tender and delicious, so it is often used to make various delicacies, such as steaming, stewing or roasting, or it can be made into traditional dishes, such as mandarin fish sauce. Mandarin fish is tender and delicious. It is usually used to make steamed, braised or spicy dishes. In addition, osmanthus fish soup is also a very popular food.

Finally, they grow in different environments. Mandarin fish mainly live in freshwater lakes, rivers and ponds in the south, such as the Yangtze River, Pearl River and Taihu Lake. They like to live in lakes with lush aquatic plants, or inhabit slow-flowing water bodies. Mandarin fish are mainly distributed in rivers and lakes in the south, such as the Yangtze River, Qiantang River and Minjiang River. They like to live in clean still water or slow-moving water bodies, especially those with sediments or stones at the bottom.