LESSON XX More Verbal Idioms
Reading edition
Tuk dzu° (得住) and ’veh dzu° (勿住) are often used after the verb Lih (立) to stand, and give the sense of “able to stand,” or “unable to stand.” Thus Lih-tuh-dzu° (立得住) means “able to stand,” and Lih-’veh-dzu° (立勿住) unable to stand. The same words are used after other verbs also. Thus we have Khau°-tuh-dzu° (靠得住), meaning “Worthy to be trusted” and Khau°-’veh-dzu° (靠勿住), meaning “Unworthy to be trusted.”
Tuh-koo° (得過) is also used after verbs, and ’Veh-koo° (勿過). Thus we have °Tang-tuh-koo° (打得過), meaning “Able to beat him.” Literally “Beat, obtain surpass.” °Tang-’veh-koo° (打勿過) means “Unable to beat him.” Literally “Beat, not surpass.”
The expressions I°-tuh-koo° (意得過) and I°-’veh-koo° (意勿過) are also idiomatic. The former means, “Within the range of pity;” the latter “Beyond the range of pity,” or “greatly to be commiserated.”
VOCABULARY
Year, nyien 年, or soe° 歲.
To steal, theu 偷.
To beg, °thau 討.
A beggar, °thau-van°-kuh 討飯個. Lit. “To beg rice,” or kau°-hwo°-°ts 告化子.
To marry a wife, °thau-nyang-°ts 討娘子. Lit. “To beg for a wife.” See note.
To tie (as a small parcel), tsah 紥.
To bind with a cord, °paung 綁
To command, fung-foo° 分付.
Price, ka°-dien (價錢) or ‘aung-dzing 行情. Most frequently used is the market.
How much is it, or what is the price? Sa° ka°-dien? 啥價錢 or sa° ‘aung-dzing?
A soldier, ih kuh ping-ting 一個兵丁.
A thief, ih kuh zuh 一個賊.
A robber, ih kuh °jang-°dau 一個強盜.
A magistrate or mandarin, ih kuh kwen-°foo, or ih kuh kwen 一個官府. ih we° (一位) is often used as the classifier.
Mandarin dialect, kwen wo° 官話 or kok-nyui° 國語.
Shanghai dialect, °Zaung-°he °thoo-bak 上海土白.
A Buddhist priest, ih kuh oo-zaung° 一個和尙.
A Taoist priest, ih kuh dau°-z 一個道士.
A nun, ih kuh nyi-koo 一個尼姑.
Number, soo°-mak 數目.
Tsang (張) is the classifier used for sheets of things.
A newspaper, ih tsang sing-vung-°ts 一張新聞紙.
A proclamation, ih tsang kau°-z° 一張告示.
A sheet of paper, ih tsang °ts-deu 一張紙頭.
Pau (包) is the classifier used for bales of things.
A bale of merchandize, ih pau hoo°-suh 一包貨色.
Te (堆) is the classifier used for piles of things.
A pile of timber, ih te mok-deu 一堆木頭.
A pile of bricks, ih te lok-tsen 一堆䃙磚.
°Kwen (管) is the classifier for tubular things.
A flute, ih °kwen dih 一管笛.
A pen, ih °kwen pih 一管筆.
A pencil, ih °kwen khan-pih 一管鉛筆.
Green, lok 綠.
Red, ‘oong 紅.
Blue, lan 藍.
Yellow, waung 黃.
Black, huh 黑.
Few, °sau 少.
Truly, zeh-°dze 實在.
More than, ’veh °ba 勿罷. More than a hundred men is ’veh °ba ih pak nyung 勿罷一百人.
Less than, ’veh siau 勿消, or ’veh °men 勿滿.
A small quantity of, °tien (used after the verb) 點.
People, pak-sing° 百姓.
Tea, dzo 茶.
Tea leaf, dzo-yih 茶葉.
The whole of a thing, ih tshih 一切.
A man or two, koen-°po-nyung 干把人.
About (used with a number), °po 把.
About a hundred, pak °po 百把.
Nearly, mau 毛.
Nearly three miles, mau san °li-loo° 毛三里路.
A queue, ih diau °bien-°ts 一條辮子.
Hair on the head, deu-fah 頭髪.
News, sing°-sih 信息.
To take things by force, °tsiang 搶, or °tsiang doeh 搶奪.
To tie up, °paung 綁, or vok 縳.
To put forth a proclamation, tsheh kau°-z° 出告示.
EXERCISES
(Translate into English)
(1) I-kuh zuh dzang-tsaung le theu meh-z°, tsauh dzak-ts meh iau° °paung yi °chi-le.
(2) °Ngoo khoen°-kyien° sing-vung-°ts laung° wo° kwen-°foo °i-kyung tsheh kau°-z° tsha ping-ting chi° tsauh °jang-dau°.
(3) Noong° na°-nung °lau peh yi °tang, iung-we° °ngoo °tang-’veh-koo° yi °lau.
(4) °Ngoo la° miau° °li khoen°-kyien° too-hau° ‘oo-zaung° la° pa° boo-sah.
(5) Noong° iau° ‘auh kwen-wo° nyi ‘auh °Zaung-°he °thoo-bak.
(6) ‘Oo-zaung° tah-ts dau°-z° °z °liang yang° kuh, ‘oo-zaung° m-meh deu-fah, dau° z° °yeu °bien-°ts kuh.
(7) °Ngoo dzang-°yoen ’veh khoen° sing-vung-°ts tse, kyung-tsau °yeu sa° sing°-sih va°?
(8) Di°-kuh ih pau hoo°-suh sa°-ka° dien?
(9) I-kuh °siau-noen °kyi soe° tse? Lok soe°.
(10) Nyi-°s-ziang° °i-kyung °ma-ts ih te lok-tsen yui°-be° °zau vaung-°ts.
(11) Ya°-°li °yeu nyoeh-liang°, nyung hwen-°hyi tsh dih.
(12) Di°-kuh ih pau °li-hyang° °yeu °kyi °kwen pih? °Yeu ih pak °kwen.
(13) Yi we°-sa°-°lau ’veh °thau-nyang-°ts? Iung-we° yien°-°dze °thau-’veh-°chi °lau.
(14) San laung° °Ngoo khoen° too-hau° hwo, °yeu ‘oong °lau waung °lau bak, zeh-°dze °khau-°i wo° °ng-ngan-loh-suh kuh.
(15) Nga°-kok nyung hwen-°hyi yoong° khan-pih °sia z°.
(16) Tau° °Zaung-°he ’veh °men nyan° °li-loo°, °lau ’veh °ba zeh-nyi° °li-loo°.
(17) Iung-we° °ngoo khoen°-kyien° i-kuh °thau van°-kuh dzang-°yoen ’veh chuh sa°, keh-°lau kyau° yoong°-nyung peh °tien meh-z° yi chuh.
(18) Di° kuh pau iau° tsah °hau tan tau° tien° °li chi°.
(19) °Lau-zeh kau°-soo° °ngoo °z zeh-ke° ka°-dien ’va°?
(20) S° °lau tshih °lau pah °z sa° kuh soo°-mak? °Z zeh °kyieu.
(21) Nyi-koo °z, ’veh tsheh ka° kuh °siau-°tsia.
(一) 伊個賊常莊來偷物事捉着之末要綁伊起來.
(二) 我看見新聞紙上話官府已經出告示差兵丁去捉強盜.
(三) 儂那能佬撥伊打? 因爲我打勿過伊佬.
(四) 我拉廟裏看見多化和尙拉拜菩薩.
(五) 儂要學官話呢學上海土白.
(六) 和尚搭之道士是兩樣個和尙無沒頭髪道士有辮子個.
(七) 我常遠勿看新聞紙哉今朝有啥信息否?
(八) 第個一包貨色啥價錢?
(九) 伊個小囝幾歲哉? 六歲.
(十) 泥水匠已經買之一堆碌磚預備造房子.
(十一) 夜裏有月亮, 人歡喜吹笛.
(十二) 第個一包裏向有幾管筆? 有一百管.
(十三) 伊爲啥佬勿討娘子? 因爲現在討勿起佬.
(十四) 山上我看多化花有紅佬黃佬白實在可以話五顔六色個.
(十五) 外國人歡喜用鉛筆寫字.
(十六) 到上海勿滿念里路佬勿罷十二里路.
(十七) 因爲我看見伊個討飯個長遠勿吃啥蓋佬叫傭人撥點物事伊吃.
(十八) 第個包要紥好拿到店裏去.
(十九) 老實告訴我是實蓋價錢否.
(二十) 四佬七佬八是啥個數目? 是十九.
(廿一) 尼姑是勿出嫁個小姐.
(Translate into Chinese)
(1) If you do not read the newspaper, you will not know the news, and then when you converse with others, you will have nothing to say.
(2) When a man dies the Chinese invite Buddhist and Taoist priests to the house to perform funeral ceremonies.
(3) I put my pen and pencil on my writing table, but now I cannot find them; has any one been in and taken them?
(4) Which do you think is the pleasanter to listen to, mandarin or the Shanghai dialect?
(5) When I was young I very much liked to play the flute.
(6) A thief enters secretly and steals things, a robber kills men and enters and takes things by force.
(7) Chinese are called yellow men, foreigners white men.
(8) When you go to the shop, ask the price of the boots, and come and tell me.
(9) I caught the thief and bound him to the tree.
(10) If you use a foreign pen to write Chinese characters, they do not look well; you must learn to use a Chinese pen.
(11) The Chinese beggars in the city are numberless.
(12) When the Mandarin has important things to announce to the people, he puts forth a proclamation.
(13) I saw more than a thousand soldiers.
(14) The merchant bought more than five hundred chests of tea.
(15) Are three hundred dollars sufficient to buy the house? Less than three hundred will do.
(一) 苦然儂勿看新聞紙信息儂勿會曉得難沒儂搭別人白話儂無啥好話.
(二) 人死之末中國人請和尙佬道士到屋裏來念經.
(三) 我個筆佬鉛筆擺拉寫字檯上但是現在尋勿着, 有啥人進來拿脫否?
(四) 儂想官話佬上海土白那裏一樣好聽點?
(五) 年紀輕個時候我蠻歡喜吹笛.
(六) 賊末偷伴之進來偷物事強盜末打殺之人佬進來搶物事.
(七) 中國人是叫黄人外國人是叫白人.
(八) 儂到店裏去問鞋子個價錢來告訴我.
(九) 我捉之伊個賊佬綁伊拉樹上.
(十) 若然用外國筆佬寫中國字是勿好看個儂終要學用中國筆.
(十一) 城裏個告化子無數目拉.
(十二) 官府有要緊個事體對百姓話末伊要出告示.
(十三) 我看見勿罷一千兵丁.
(十四) 生意人買之勿罷五百箱個茶葉.
(十五) 買房子三百塊洋錢有末? 勿消三百塊個.
Notes.
(1) To marry a wife is expressed by °Thau nyang-°ts. When we speak of a woman being married we use the expression Tsheh ka° (出嫁), literally to go forth from the house or family. The woman leaves her own family entirely and joins the family of the husband whom she marries.
(2) The words ’Veh-°ba (勿罷), more than, and ’Veh siau (勿消), less than, are used in answer to questions. The words ’Veh-°men (勿滿) are often used for less than, meaning literally “Not full.”
(3) In the second sentence of the Second Exercise “to perform funeral ceremonies” should be translated Tsoo° koong-tuh (做功德), or Nyan°-kyung (念經). It means to say masses for the soul of the departed.
(4) In the thirteenth sentence of the Second Exercise, “More than a thousand soldiers” can be expressed Ih tshien too (一干多) and in the fourteenth sentence “More than five hundred chests of tea” °Ng pak too (五百多).
(5) In the fifteenth sentence of the Second Exercise the answer would be ’Veh siau san pak kwhe° (勿消三百塊).
(6) In the fifth sentence of the Second Exercise “When I was young” is translated Nyien kyi° chung° kuh z-‘eu° (年紀輕個時候), literally “The time when my years were light”.
(7) In the eleventh sentence of the Second Exercise “Numberless” is translated m-soo°-mak (無數目), literally “Without number.”