LESSON XVII More Verbal Idioms
Reading edition
In asking questions °yeu tuh? (有得) sometimes precedes a verb with the sense, “is there to be had?” Thus °Yeu-tuh °ma va°? (有得買否) means, “Is there to be bought?” °Yeu-tuh chuh va°? (有得吃否) means, “Is there anything to eat?” The answers to these questions would be °yeu-tuh °ma kuh (有得買個), °yeu tuh chuh kuh (有得吃個), “It can be bought.” “There is something to eat.”
’Veh pih (勿必) means “It is not necessary.” Thus ’Veh pih khok (勿必哭), “It is not necessary to cry.” ’Veh pih chi° (勿必去), “It is not necessary to go.”
Ih ngan ’veh (一顏勿) before the verbs means, “Not at all.” Thus °Ngoo ih ngan ’veh °hyau-tuh (我一顏勿曉得) means, “I do not know at all.” Ih ngan ’veh zung khoen°-kyien° hyih (一顏勿曾看見歇) means, “I have not seen it at all.” Ih ngan ’veh iau° khoen° (一顏勿要看) means, “I do not want to see it at all.”
VOCABULARY
To visit, to pay respects to, maung° 望, or pa° maung° 拜望.
To worship, pa° 拜.
To pay a ceremonial visit, pa° khak 拜客.
To bathe, zing° yok 淨浴.
To catch, seize, arrest, tsauh 捉.
To prepare, to provide, yui°-be° 預備.
To move a thing, °doong 動.
Loose, unstable, °doong °lau °doong 動佬動.
Immovable, °doong-°‘a ’veh-°doong 動也勿動.
To remove (a residence), pen 搬, or pen-dzang 搬塲.
To commence work, °doong °seu 動手, or khe koong 開工.
To open school, khe ‘auh 開學.
To dismiss school, faung° ‘auh 放學.
A finger, ih tsak tsih-deu 一隻指頭.
A toe, ih tsak kyak-tsih-deu 一隻脚指頭.
A cup, ih tsak pe-°ts 一隻杯子.
A clock, ih tsak z°-ming-tsoong 一隻自鳴鐘.
A watch, ih tsak piau 一隻表.
A well, ih tsak °tsing 一隻井.
A basket, ih tsak lan 一隻籃.
An apple, ih tsak bing-°koo 一隻平菓.
A crab apple, ih tsak hwo-‘oong 一隻花紅.
A towel, ih diau °seu-kyung 一條手巾.
A life, ih diau sing°-ming° 一條性命.
A hill, mountain, ih zoo° san 一座山.
A board, ih kwhe° °pan 一塊板.
Fok (幅) is the classifier of paintings or engravings.
A painting, ih fok wo° 一幅畫.
A chart or map, ih fok doo 一幅圖, or ih fok di°-°li-doo 一幅地理圖.
A picture, ih fok wo° doo 一幅畫圖.
One time, ih we 一回, ih thaung° 一盪.
Two times, twice, °liang we 兩回, or °liang thaung° 雨盪.
Whosoever, van-i° 凡係.
No matter who, ’veh lung° sa° nyung 勿論啥人.
Whatsoever, no matter what, ’veh lung° sa° 勿論啥, dzoe-bien°-sa° 隨便啥, or ’veh kyui-sa° 勿拘啥.
Whichever, dzoe-bien° 隨便.
Whatever time you please, dzoe-bien° °kyi-z 隨便幾時.
Wet, sak 濕.
Dry, koen 乾.
Always, dzang-tsaung 常庄, or dzang-dzang 常常.
EXERCISES
(Translate into English)
(1) Z°-ming-tsoong kuh yoong°-deu °z peh nyung hyau°-tuh zung-kwaung.
(2) I-tsak mau ’m-sa° yoong°-deu, ih ngan ’veh we° tsauh lau-°ts.
(3) Ming-tsau °ngoo iau° tsheh chi° maung° bang-°yeu.
(4) °Ngoo thing-tuh sien-sang ’m-sa° °hau °soo-°i le maung° maung°.
(5) °Ngoo mung° mok-ziang° °zau vaung-°ts °kyi-z iau° °doong-°seu.
(6) °Liang tsak °seu °yeu zeh tsak tsih deu, °liang tsak kyak °yeu zeh tsak kyak-tsih-deu.
(7) Sang bing° meh tsoong-iau° °tshing i-sung we°-ts nyung kuh sing°-ming° °z iau° °kyung kuh.
(8) °Zaung san °z van-nan, °‘au san °z yoong-yi°.
(9) Di°-foong sing° iau° sa° nyung tan chi°? ’Veh lung° sa° nyung °khau-i tan chi°.
(10) Kyung-ya°-deu iau° yui° be° °hau, we°-ts ming-tsau °tsau-zung-deu iau° °doong-sung.
(11) Yien°-°dze chi° ok-tse ming-tsau chi°, dzoe-bien° noong° meh tso.
(12) °Tsing °li °s °i-kyung koen tse, ’veh hyau°-tuh na°-nung tsoo°-deu.
(13) Zing°-ts yok iau° yoong° °seu-°kyung kha koen sung-°thi.
(14) Khan-khan °ngoo faung° nyan tsak bing-°koo la °lan °li, yien°-°dze pih-koo° °yeu °so-°ng tsak, ’veh hyau°-tuh sa° nyung tan-theh kuh.
(15) °Tsh-di° piau °yeu-tuh °ma va°? °Tsh-di° yang° yang° °yeu tuh °ma kuh.
(16) °Loong-°tsoong kuh z°-°thi °ngoo °i-°kyung hyau°-tuh, noong° ’veh pih te° °ngoo wo°.
(17) Di°-°pung su ih ngan m-meh wo°-doo.
(18) I-tsak pe-°ts °li °yeu sa° meh-z°? Pih-koo° °lang °s.
(19) Tsoo° di°-tsak de-°ts iau° yoong° °kyi kwhe° °pan?
(20) Di° sen tshaung tsoo° le ih ngan ’veh °hau, dzang-tsaung °doong-°lau °doong.
(21) Chi° koo° hyih meh? Chi° koo°-°ts °liang we.
(22) Sien-sang wo° ming-tsau ’veh °hau le, we°-ts iau° pen-dzang °lau.
(23) Van-i° nyung yoong° sing meh °khau-°i dzung-koong z°-°thi.
(一) 自鳴鐘個用頭是撥人曉得辰光.
(二) 伊隻貓無啥用頭一顔勿會捉老鼠.
(三) 明朝我要出去望朋友.
(四) 我聽得先生無啥好所以來望望
(五) 我問木匠造房子幾時要動手.
(六) 兩隻手有十隻指頭兩隻脚有十隻脚指頭.
(七) 生病末總要請醫生爲之人個性命是要緊個.
(八) 上山是煩難下山是容易.
(九) 第封信要啥人担去? 勿論啥人可以担去.
(十) 今夜頭要預備好爲之明朝早辰頭要動身.
(十一) 現在去或者明朝去隨便儂末哉.
(十二) 井裏水已經乾哉勿曉得那能做頭.
(十三) 淨之浴要用手巾揩乾身體.
(十四) 纔纔我放廿隻平菓拉籃裏現在不過有十五隻勿曉得啥人担脫個.
(十五) 此地錶有得賣否? 此地樣樣有得賣個.
(十六) 攏總個事體我已經曉得儂勿必對我話.
(十七) 第本書一顔無沒畫圖.
(十八) 伊隻杯子裏有啥物事? 必過冷水.
(十九) 做第隻檯子要用幾塊板.
(二十) 第扇窗做來一顔勿好常庄動佬動.
(廿一) 去過歇末? 去過之兩回.
(廿二) 先生話明朝勿好來爲之要搬塲佬.
(廿三) 凡係人用心末可以成功事體.
(Translate into Chinese)
(1) When I have finished studying, I shall go to visit my friends.
(2) No matter who comes; tell him I am busy (have affairs).
(3) When the weather is wet I cannot go out to walk.
(4) The pupils should not eat apples in the school room.
(5) Children like to play the game of catching men.
(6) The pupils read badly to-day; I think they did not prepare.
(7) At what time does the school open, and at what time does it close?
(8) I shall be pleased to have a conversation with you whenever you come.
(9) This child does not want to study a bit; I think it would be best for him to go and do business.
(10) I have already told you two or three times; do not forget.
(11) Next month we shall remove our residence.
(12) Near Shanghai there are no high hills, only grave mounds.
(13) I cannot open this window; it is immovable.
(14) Has the clock already struck?
(15) How many eggs are there in the basket?
(一) 我讀罷之書要出去望朋友.
(二) 勿論啥人來對伊話我有事體.
(三) 天濕末我勿能彀出去跑路.
(四) 拉學堂間裏學生子勿應該吃平菓.
(五) 小囝歡喜做捉人個勃相.
(六) 今朝學生子讀來勿好我想伊拉勿曾預備.
(七) 啥辰光開學, 啥辰光放學?
(八) 儂隨便幾時來我蠻歡喜對儂白話.
(九) 第個小囝一顔勿歡喜讀書我想頂好伊出去做生意.
(十) 我已輕對儂話兩三回勿要忘記.
(十一) 下個月我伲要搬塲.
(十二) 近上海無沒高山必過坟山.
(十三) 第扇窗開勿來個動也勿動.
(十四) 鐘已輕敲過末.
(十五) 籃裏有幾個蛋?
Notes.
(1) In the fourth sentence of the First Exercise ’m-sa° °hau means “not at all well.”
(2) In the eleventh sentence of the First Exercise the expression Dzoe-bien° noong° meh tse is one very frequently used. It implies, “do it whenever and however you please”
(3) In the fourteenth sentence of the First Exercise Tan theh means “take away.” We have already had the use of Theh after verbs, as Thoeh-theh, “to take off clothes.” It can be used with almost any verb of motion. We have Peh theh, “to give away.” Chuh-theh, “to eat up.” Chi°-theh, “to cast off, disown.” Ma°-theh, “to sell away, etc.”
(4) In the fifteenth sentence of the First Exercise Yang° yang° repeated means, “Things of every sort.”
(5) Note that the usual expression in Chinese to say you are busy is °Ngoo °yeu z°-°thi. It is never very polite to tell any one that you are busy. A person asking whether you were busy would say maung va°? “Are you busy?”
(6) In the fifth sentence of the Second Exercise the game Tsauh nyung, frequently played by Chinese children, is referred to.
(7) In the eighth sentence of the Second Exercise the clauses should be reversed. Noong° dzoe-bien° °kyi-z-le should come first.
(8) In the ninth sentence of the Second Exercise “to go and do business” is Chi° tsoo° sang-i°.
(9) In the fourteenth sentence of the Second Exercise Tsoong khau koo° meh is the usual way of asking the question. Tsoong is shortened form of Z°-ming tsoong.