LESSON XXI Verbal Idioms, Ordinals, and Remarks on the Expression of Time

To express the idea of “about to do a thing” in Chinese you can use the words tsiang-iau° (將要). Tsiang-iau°-chi° (將要去) means “about to go.” Tsiang-iau° °si (將要死) means “about to die.” Another way of expressing the same idea is by adding kwha° tse after the verb. Kwha° means “fast.” Chi° kwha° tse (去快哉) means “I will go fast,” that is, in a moment. Le kwha° tse (來快哉) means “will come fast,” that is, in a few minutes. Thih-°tsung is often used, meaning “just on the point of doing a thing.” Thus °Ngoo thih-°tsung iau° chi° (我貼準要去) means “I was just going.”

The expression “According to,” or “as it seems to me,” is expressed in Chinese by the words tsau° °ngoo khoen° (照我看). Tsau° °ngoo (照我) used alone would mean “Follow me,” “Follow my example.”

The Ordinals are formed from the Numerals in a very simple way. The word deu (頭) is prefixed before the first numeral and di° (第) before all the others. Thus “the first” is deu ih (頭一), the second is di° nyi° (第二), the third is di° san (第三), and so on. When first is used with the verb in the sense of the action being prior to some other action the word sien (先) is used. Thus we have Noong° veh zung tsheh chi° kuh zien-deu °ngoo sien iau° kau°-soo° noong° ih tsaung z°-°thi (儂勿曾出去個前頭我先要告訴儂一莊事體), meaning, “Before you go I first want to tell you something.” Again Sien tsoo° di°-yang° nan-meh tsoo° i-yang° (先做第樣難末做伊樣) means “First do this and then do that.” Again we have for the same expression Sien tsoo° di° kuh, man° tsoo° i-kuh (先做第個慢做 伊個), “First do this, slowly do that.”

REMARKS ON TIME

About midnight, pen°-ya°-°po 半夜把.

Just before daylight, thien-liang°-kwha° 天亮快.

In the evening, waung-hwung-deu 黃昏頭, or waung-hwung-°doong 黃昏動.

Last month, zien-nyoeh 前月, or zien kuh nyoeh 前個月.

Next month, °‘au-nyoeh 下月, or °‘au kuh nyoeh 下個月.

First part of the month, nyoeh deu 月頭, or nyoeh-deu-laung° 月頭上.

The end of the month, nyoeh °ti 月底.

The middle of the month, nyoeh-pen° 月半.

Every month, nyoeh-nyoeh 月月, nyoeh-too 月多, or °’me-nyoeh 每月.

First day of the month, tshoo-ih 初一; second day of the month, tshoo nyi° 初二, and so on up to the tenth day of the month, which is tshoo zeh. After that di° 第 is used instead of tshoo. Thus the thirteenth of the month would be di° zeh-san 第十三.

A year, ih-nyien 一年.

Half a year, pen°-nyien 半年.

This year, kyung-nyien 今年.

Last year, jeu°-nyien 舊年.

Next year, khe-nyien 開年, le-nyien 來年, ming-nyien 明年.

Every year, nyien-nyien 年年, each year, °’me-nyien 每年. (See note).

The new year, sing-nyien 新年.

New year’s day, nyien-tshoo-ih 年初一.

The end of the year, nyien ya° 年夜, literally “the night of the year.” Also we have nyien-°ti 年底.

At the beginning of the year, nyien-deu-laung° 年頭上.

To pass from the old year to the new, koo° nyien 過年.

°Zaung-pen° and °‘au-pen° are used with year, month, and night, just as they are used with day to denote the first half and the second half. Thus we have °zaung-pen°-nyien 上半年 for the first half of the year, and °‘au-pen°-nyien 下半年 for the second half.

Rice (bought in the shop), °mi 米.

Work, sang-wei 生活.

Answer, we-sing° 回信.

Beginning, °chi-deu 起頭.

Again, tse° 再.

EXERCISES

(Translate into English)

(1) Leh-la° nyoeh-pen°, nyoeh-liang° °ting °hau khoen°.

(2) °Hoo-loo iau° °iung kwha° tse °soo-°i iau° ka-°thien me.

(3) Tsau° °ngoo khoen°, di° kuh nyung °z khau°-’veh-dzu° kuh.

(4) °Tsau-zung-deu nyih-deu tsheh le, ya°-kwha° lauh-san.

(5) Di°-kuh °z °ngoo di° nyi° kuh nyi-°ts, deu ih kuh °i-kyung tsheh mung tse.

(6) Nyien tshoo ih too-hau° nyung chi° pa° nyien.

(7) Jeu° nyien °mi kyui°-le-°si, kyung nyien jang tse.

(8) Noong° °‘a-°li-deu koo° nyien? °Ngoo °siang la° ok-°li koo° nyien.

(9) Noong° su dok°-ts °kyi-z tse? Pih-koo° pen° nyien.

(10) Nyien ya° nyung nyung °yeu z°-°thi, sing-nyien °li °loong-°tsoong nyung beh-siang°.

(11) Yi tsiang-iau° chi° kuh z-‘eu° °yeu nyung le kyau° yi ’veh iau° chi°.

(12) °Tshing zoo° ih hyih, sien-sang iau° le kwha° tse.

(13) Thien-liang°-kwha° °z °ting °lang kuh z-‘eu°.

(14) °‘Au kuh nyoeh °ngoo iau° tsheh mung, tau° Soo-tseu chi°.

(15) Jeu°-nyien sang-i° ih ngan ’veh °hau kyung-nyien po-maung° yi °hau-°tien.

(16) °Zaung-pen°-nyien di° kuh ‘auh-sang-°ts su dok le man °hau, °‘au-pen°-nyien ih ngan ’veh °hau.

(17) I-zak vaung-°ts °kyi-z °khau-°i °zau °hau? °Ngoo °siang khe-nyien °khau-°i °zau °hau.

(18) Lok nyoeh tshoo-san °ngoo °sia ih foong sing° peh la° yi, yien°-°dze °z tshih nyoeh tshoo-ih dan°-°z wan ’veh zung °yeu we-sing° le.

(19) Noong° ’veh zung tsheh chi°, sang-weh iau° sien tsoo° °hau.

(20) Nyoeh-deu laung° peh doong-dien, yien°-°dze ’veh °hau peh kuh.

(一) 垃拉月半月亮頂好看.

(二) 火爐要隱快哉所以要加添煤.

(三) 照我看第個人是靠勿住個.

(四) 早晨頭日頭出來夜快落山

(五) 第個是我第二個兒子頭一個已經出門哉.

(六) 年初一多化人去拜年.

(七) 舊年米貴來死今年強哉.

(八) 儂那裏頭過年? 我想拉屋裏過年.

(九) 儂書讀之幾時哉? 必過半年.

(十) 年夜人人有事體新年裏攏總人勃相.

(十一) 伊將要去個時候有人來叫伊勿要去.

(十二) 請坐一歇先生要來快哉.

(十三) 天亮快是頂冾個時候.

(十四) 下個月我要出門到蘇州去.

(十五) 舊年生意一顔勿好今年把望伊好點.

(十六) 上半年第個學生子書讀來蠻好下半年一顔勿好.

(十七) 伊宅房子幾時可以造好? 我想開年可以造好.

(十八) 六月初三我寫一封信撥拉伊現在是七月初一但是還勿曾有回信來.

(十九) 儂勿曾出去生活要先做好.

(二十) 月頭上撥銅錢現在勿好撥個.

(Translate into Chinese)

(1) We will close the school on the fifth of next month.

(2) For how many weeks will you close the school? For about six weeks.

(3) Sometimes in the evening as the sun is sinking there are many beautiful colours in the sky.

(4) As it appears to me you can finish this book in six months.

(5) Just as I was about to go to sleep, I heard some one call out that the house was on fire.

(6) The thief enters about midnight.

(7) Before you go to school you should first wash your face and hands.

(8) On the first day of the year all the shops close their doors.

(9) When will you begin to study Chinese again? I think next year.

(10) A year has twelve months, a month has thirty days or twenty-nine days. If it has thirty days, it is called a large month; if it has twenty-nine days, it is called a small month.

(11) Last month I was sick, but now I am better.

(12) Where were you yesterday afternoon? I had gone out to pay New Year’s calls.

(13) At New Year’s time every one wears their best clothes.

(14) Now I have no money; I will pay you at the end of the month.

(一) 下個月初五伲要放學.

(二) 放之幾個禮拜? 約酌六個禮拜.

(三) 拉夜快日頭落山個時候常時拉天上有多化趣個顔色.

(四) 照我看第本書儂六個月功夫可以讀完.

(五) 我貼準要困個時候聽見人喊房子火着哉.

(六) 賊進來是半夜把個時候.

(七) 儂勿曾到學堂裏先要揩面佬淨手.

(八) 拉年初一攏總個店全關門個.

(九) 儂幾時再起頭讀中國書? 我想開年起頭.

(十) 一年有十二個月一個月或者有三十日或者有念九日, 若然三十日是叫大月若然念九日是叫小月.

(十一) 前個月我生病哉但是現在我好點.

(十二) 昨日下半日儂拉那裏頭? 我出去拜年哉.

(十三) 垃拉新年裏各人着頂好看個衣裳.

(十四) 現在無沒銅錢垃拉月底撥儂.

Notes.

(1) In regard to the expressions Nyien-nyien and Nyoek-nyoeh it may be remarked that a very common way of forming the plural in Chinese is by the repetition of the noun. Thus Nyung-nyung means men in general.

(2) In the sixth sentence of the First Exercise the expression Pa° nyien means “to pay respects at New Year’s time.” Pa°, to worship, is used of worshipping deities, and also of worshipping or paying respect to men.

(3) In the fifth sentence of the Second Exercise the expression for a house to be on fire is °Hoo-dzak tze, (火着哉).

(4) In the eighth sentence of the Second Exercise “all the shops” is translated °loong-°tsoong kuh tien° zen (攏總個店全); the zen (全) makes the assertion more emphatic.