LESSON IX The Use of Dzak, Reduplication of Verbs, Reflexive Pronouns
Reading edition
In expressing the carrying of the action of the verb into effect dzak (着) is often used after it. Thus: zing-dzak (尋着) means that a thing has been actually found. Zing means ‘to find’. There are a great many active verbs which can take the dzak after them. For example we have tuh-dzak (得着), meaning a thing has been obtained. Tuh means ‘to get’. Bang°-dzak (掽着) means a person or thing has been met. Bang° (掽) means ‘to strike against’.
Verbs are often repeated for emphasis. We have had an example of this in the expression °zoo °zoo, meaning “sit down” Thus khoen° khoen° (看看) means “Look, look.”
In many cases ih (一) is inserted between the verbs, as khoen° ih khoen°. In such cases the last verb is changed into a verbal noun. Literally it would be “Look a look.”
The Reflexive Personal Pronouns hardly require any explanation. They are formed by adding z°-ka (自家) after the Personal Pronouns. Thus “I myself” would be °ngoo z°- ka (我自家). “You yourself” would be noong° z°-ka (儂自家) and so on for the rest.
VOCABULARY
To teach, kau° 敎.
To write, °sia 寫.
To ask, mung° 問.
To pay, foo° 付.
To build, °zau 造.
To look for, zing 尋.
To hear, thing 聽 or thing kyien° (heard) 聽見.
To know a Chinese character, suh 識.
To strike against, bang° 掽.
To get, tuh 得.
A mason, ih kuh nyi-°s ziang° 一個泥水匠.
A water buffalo, ih tsak °s-nyeu 一隻水牛.
An apple, ih tsak bing °koo 一隻蘋果.
A dining table, ih tsak chuh-van°-de-°ts 一隻吃飯檯子.
An office desk, ih tsak °sia-z°-de-°ts 一隻寫字檯子.
A Chinese character, ih kuh z° 一個字.
A drawer of a table, ih tsak tsheu-thi 一隻抽屜; ih tsak tsheu-teu 一隻抽斗.
An unmarried woman, ih kuh °siau-°tsia 一個小姐.
Tea, dzo 茶.
Now, yien°-°dze 現在.
Not yet, ’veh zung 勿曾.
Still not yet, wan ’veh zung 還勿曾.
Why? we°-sa° 爲啥 or we°-sa°-°lau 爲啥佬.
Because, iung-we° 因爲 or we°-ts 爲之.
In using iung-we° the particle °lau (佬) is generally added at the end of the clause. Thus: “Why did you not go? Because I did not want to go” is noong° we°- °sa ’veh chi°? Iung we° °ngoo ’veh iau° chi° °lau (儂爲啥勿去? 因爲我勿要去佬.)
EXERCISES
(Translate into English)
(1) °Tshing sien-sang kau° °ngoo dok Tsoong-kok su.
(2) Yien°-°dze °ngoo iau° ‘auh °sia Tsoong-kok z°.
(3) Noong° °ma-°ts ih tsak °sia-z°-de, doong-dien foo° meh? ’Veh zung.
(4) Di°-kuh z° °ngoo ’veh suh.
(5) Zak-zen noong° ’veh suh meh °khau-°i mung° sien-sang.
(6) Vaung-°ts °zau °hau meh? Wan ’veh zung.
(7) °Ngoo kuh sen°-°ts °tshing noong° theh °ngoo zing zing-khoen°.
(8) Sen°-°ts °i-kyung zing-dzak tse.
(9) Noong° we°-sa°-°lau ’veh zung chi°? Iung-we° °ngoo iau° dok su °lau.
(10) °Tshing sien-sang chuh dzo.
(11) °Tshing sien-sang yoong° dzo.
(12) Zak-zen nyung m-meh °nyi-°too, yi-la ’veh nung-keu° thing.
(13) °Ngoo ’veh zung tau° Tsoong-kok le, °s-nyeu ’veh zung khoen°-kyien° hyih.
(14) Nyi-°s-ziang° bang°-dzak hyih meh? ’Veh zung.
(15) °Sia-°z-de-°ts laung° kuh su °z sa° nyung kuh? °Z °ngoo-z°-ka kuh.
(16) °Ngoo kyau° noong° faung° °ngoo-kuh i-zaung la° tsheu-thi °li, noong° we°-sa° ’veh zung faung° kuh?
(17) Chi° khoen° khoen° sien-sang le meh.
(18) °Ngoo kuh san° noong° zing-dzak meh? Zing-’veh-dzak.
(19) Zak-zen m-meh sien-sang meh, noong° z°-ka °khau-°i dok su.
(20) Iau° °ngoo foo° doong-dien meh, kyau° yi-la z°-ka le nau.
(一) 請先生教我讀中國書.
(二) 現在我要學寫中國字.
(三) 儂買之一隻寫字檯銅錢付末? 勿曾.
(四) 第個字我勿識.
(五) 若然儂勿識末可以問先生.
(六) 房子造好末? 還勿曾.
(七) 我個扇子請儂忒我尋尋看.
(八) 扇子已經尋着哉.
(九) 儂爲啥佬勿曾去? 因爲我要讀書佬.
(十) 請先生吃茶.
(十一) 請先生用茶.
(十二) 若然人無沒耳朵, 伊拉勿能彀聽?
(十三) 我勿曾到中國來, 水牛勿曾看見歇.
(十四) 泥水匠掽着歇末? 勿曾.
(十五) 寫字檯子上個書是啥人個? 是我自家個.
(十六) 我叫儂放我個衣裳拉抽屜裏, 儂爲啥勿曾放個?
(十七) 去看看先生來末?
(十八) 我個傘儂尋着末? 尋勿着.
(十九) 若然無沒先生末, 儂自家可以讀書.
(二十) 要我付銅錢末, 叫伊拉自家來拿.
(Translate into Chinese)
(1) Why don’t you pay it?
(2) Why do you do this?
(3) When will you do it?
(4) I don’t want it now.
(5) When did you go?
(6) I do not want to go now, but I will go to-morrow.
(7) Does the teacher teach well?
(8) Does the pupil write well?
(9) Why do you not look for my fan? Because I have already found it.
(10) This carpenter can make a dining table.
(11) Go, see if the doctor has come.
(12) They themselves said they wished to build a new house.
(13) I told the table boy to go to the city and buy me four chairs, a trunk, a bed, and an office desk.
(14) When the teacher comes, ask him please to be seated and to take some tea.
(15) If one does not study he is unable to know characters.
(16) My office desk has three drawers.
(17) This unmarried girl also wishes to study.
(18) Have you bought the apples? They cannot be obtained.
(19) Do you know whether the guest has already arrived? I do not know.
(20) Can you obtain these? They are unobtainable.
(一) 儂爲啥勿付個?
(二) 第個儂爲啥做個?
(三) 儂幾時要做個?
(四) 現在勿要.
(五) 儂幾時去個?
(六) 現在勿要去, 明朝要去.
(七) 先生教來好否?
(八) 學生子寫來好否?
(九) 儂爲啥佬勿尋我個扇子? 因爲已經尋着哉.
(十) 第個木匠可以做一隻吃飯檯.
(十一) 去看看醫生來末.
(十二) 伊拉自家話, 伊拉要造新個房子.
(十三) 我叫細崽到城裏去, 買四把椅子, 一隻箱子, 一隻牀佬一隻寫字檯.
(十四) 先生來仔末請伊坐坐佬吃茶.
(十五) 若然一個人勿讀書, 伊勿會識字.
(十六) 我個寫字檯有三隻柚屜.
(十七) 第個小姐也要讀書.
(十八) 苹果買好末? 買勿着.
(十九) 客人已經到儂曉得否? 我勿曉得.
(二十) 第個儂可以得着否? 得勿着.
Notes.
（1）In the seventh sentence of the first exercise notice the khoen° after the reduplicated verb zing. This gives the force of try to look for it. “Look, look, see.” Khoen° is used after many verbs in this way. Thus: Tsoo° tsoo° khoen° 做做看 means “try to do it.” °Sia °sia khoen° 寫寫看 means “try to write it.” Wo° wo° khoen° 話話看 means, “try to say it.” S° S° khoen° 試試看 means “try to do it.”
（2) In the tenth and eleventh sentences of the first exercise we have two ways of asking a person to drink tea. The second is the polite form. Literally it means that you ask a person “to use tea.”
（3) In the nineteenth sentence of the first exercise, notice the use of meh for euphony after sien-sang, and so also in the twentieth after doong-dien.
（4) In the eighteenth sentence of the first exercise, notice the way in which ’veh comes between the zing and the dzak. This means “seek not find” or “it can not be found.” So also in the second exercise in the eighteenth sentence “They cannot be obtained” should be translated °ma-’veh dzak? and in the twentieth sentence “They are unobtainable” should be tuh-’veh-dzak.