LESSON XXII On Comparison

The usual way of forming the Comparative Degree of Adjectives has already been stated.

When two things are compared with one another in Chinese the words °pi (比) or °pi-ts (比之) are used between them. Thus °Mo °pi-ts °keu doo° (馬此之狗大) means, “the horse is larger than the dog.” Yi °pi noong° °hau (伊此儂好), “He is better than you.”

There are a good many other ways of expressing comparison. Thus ’Veh jih (勿及) means, “not equal to.” Also we have ’Veh zu (勿如), meaning, “not equal to, or not up to.”

VOCABULARY

To present or send, to escort a person on the way, soong° 送.

To count, °soo 數.

To reckon, soen° 算.

To send (a person), tsha 差.

To send a letter, kyi° 寄.

To deport oneself, to treat others, °de 待.

To treat rudely, °de man° 怠慢.

To keep, observe, °seu 守.

To knock the head on the ground, to kowtow, kheh-deu 磕頭.

A loaf, ih kuh men-deu 一個饅頭.

A stone mason, ih kuh zak-ziang° 一個石匠.

A hammer, ih kuh laung-deu 一個榔頭, or ih °po 一把.

A wine shop, ih ban °tsieu tien° 一爿酒店.

Te° (一對) is the classifier denoting a pair or a brace.

A pair of fowls, ih te° kyi 一對雞.

A pair of candles, ih te° lah-tsok 一對臘燭.

A husband and wife, ih te° foo-tshi 一對夫妻.

°Kheu (口) is the classifier for some articles of furniture, and for a well.

A book case, ih °kheu su-dzu 一口書櫥.

Convenient, bien°-taung° 便當.

Clever, wise, tshoong-ming 聰明.

Propriety, custom, kwe-°kyui 規矩.

Coffin, ih °kheu kwen-ze 一口棺材.

Sometimes, dzang-z 常時.

As if, like, °hau-°ziang 好像.

To compare, °pi 比.

An account, tsang° 張.

Reason, yoen-koo° 緣故.

EXERCISES

(Translate into English)

(1) La° nyien ya° kauh nyung iau° soen° tsang°.

(2) Noong° we°-sa°-°lau iau° chi°? iung-we° yi tsha °ngoo chi° °lau.

(3) Sing° kyi°-tsheh chi° meh? ’Veh zung, zieu° iau° kyi° chi°.

(4) Zak-ziang° iau° yoong° °kyi kwhe° zak-deu? °Ngoo ’veh hyau°-tuh ’veh-zung soen° koo° hyih.

(5) Yi dzang-tsaung °de °ngoo ’man °hau, °soo-°i °ngoo iau° soong° °tien meh-z° la° yi.

(6) Su-dzu °li noong° °pa-ts °kyi °pung su? ’Veh °hyau-tuh we°-°ts ’veh zung °soo °lau.

(7) Khak nyung tsheh chi° meh iung-ke soong° yi tau° mung-°kheu.

(8) Di°-°kheu kwen-ze sa° nyung tsoo° kuh? Mok-ziang° tsoo° kuh.

(9) Noong° kuh °mo °pi °ngoo kuh kwha° too-hau°.

(10) Di°-kuh ‘auh-sang-°ts °pi-ts i-kuh tshoong-ming °tien.

(11) Di°-kuh ih te° lah-tsok °khau-°i °pi °pi khoen°, ih ngan m-meh doo° °siau.

(12) I-kuh °liang kuh nyung siang-mo° kuh yoen-koo° °z we°-°ts la° °tsieu tien° °li too-chuh-ts °tsieu °lau.

(13) Yien°-°dze foo° tsang° ’veh bien°-taung°, °tung tau° °‘au kuh nyoeh.

(14) Di°-kuh ih te° foo-tshi ’man °hau ih ngan ’veh siang-mo°.

(15) Di°-kuh nyung tsoo° z°-°thi, ’veh jih i-kuh nyung °hau.

(16) Pa° nyien kuh z-‘eu° °siau-noen iung-ke te° doo° nyung kheh-deu.

(17) °Nga-kok nyung chuh van° kuh zung-kwaung hwen-°hyi chuh men-deu.

(18) Di°-kuh nyung ih ngan ’veh °toong sa°, °z °hau-°ziang ’veh zung dok hyih su.

(19) Sien-sang dzang-tsaung kyau° ‘auh-sang-ts° °seu kwe-°kyui.

(20) ’Veh iau° °de man° bih nyung.

(一) 拉年夜各人要算帳.

(二) 儂爲啥佬要去? 因爲伊差我去佬.

(三) 信寄出去末? 勿曾, 就要寄去.

(四) 石匠要用幾塊石頭? 我勿曉得勿曾算過歇.

(五) 伊常莊待我蠻好所以我要送點物事拉伊.

(六) 書橱裏儂擺之幾本書? 我勿曉得爲之勿曾數佬.

(七) 客人出去末應該送伊到門口.

(八) 第口棺材啥人做個? 木匠做個.

(九) 儂個馬比我個快多化.

(十) 第個學生子比之伊個聰明點.

(十一) 第個一對臘燭可以比比看一顔無末大小.

(十二) 伊個兩個人相駡個緣故是爲之拉酒店裏多吃之酒佬.

(十三) 現在付帳勿便當等到下個月.

(十四) 第個一對夫妻蠻好一顔勿相駡.

(十五) 笫個人做事體勿及伊個人好.

(十六) 拜年個時候小囝應該對大人磕頭.

(十七) 外國人吃飯個晨光歡喜吃饅頭.

(十八) 第個人一顔勿懂啥好像勿曾讀歇書.

(十九) 先生常莊叫學生子守規矩.

(二十) 勿要待慢別人.

(Translate into Chinese)

(1) The Chinese use rice to make wine.

(2) This man treats his servants very well.

(3) According to Chinese custom before a man dies his coffin is made.

(4) If I wish you to come, I will send you a letter.

(5) To take the child along with us will not be convenient.

(6) He is older than you.

(7) The stone mason uses stones, the carpenter uses wood.

(8) I pay my bills at the end of the month.

(9) He and I have had a quarrel because he treated me rudely.

(10) I wish the carpenter to come and make a book case.

(11) Because I have forgotten so many characters, it is as if I had not read this book before.

(12) A scholar is wiser than a farmer.

(13) If a man takes too much wine he can not do his work.

(14) My friend came to visit me, and then I escorted him to his home.

(15) This book I will present to you, do not return it.

(一) 中國人用米做酒.

(二) 第個人待伊個用人蠻好.

(三) 照中國規矩一個人勿曾死先要做棺材.

(四) 若然要儂來末我寄一封信來.

(五) 帶小囝去是勿便當.

(六) 伊比之儂年紀大點.

(七) 石匠用石頭木匠用木頭.

(八) 我個帳是拉月底付個.

(九) 因爲伊待慢我所以我對伊相駡.

(十) 我要木匠來做一口書橱.

(十一) 因爲我忘記脫之多化字所以好像我勿曾讀歇第本書.

(十二) 讀書人比之種田人聰明點.

(十三) 若然一個人多吃之酒伊勿會做生活.

(十四) 我個朋友來望望我後來我送伊到伊屋裏去.

(十五) 第本書我送撥儂勿要還個.

Notes.

(1) In the fifth sentence of the First Exercise notice the use of Soong° °tien. °Tien means “a few things.”

(2) In the ninth sentence of the First Exercise kwha° too-hau° means “very much faster.”

(3) In the sixteenth sentence of the First Exercise the expression Kheh-deu refers to the most formal salute of the Chinese. It is used by an inferior before a superior. The usual polite salutation is to clasp the hands together and move them from the feet to the forehead. This is called Tshaung° zo° (唱喏) or Tsauh-ih (作揖).

(4) In the nineteenth sentence of the First Exercise we have the expression °Seu kwe-°kyui (守規矩). This is very frequently used. It means to act according to the laws of propriety. It is a command frequently given to children.