LESSON XXIII The Points of the Compass

The four cardinal points of the compass in Chinese are expressed: Toong, nen, si, pok (東, 南, 西, 北) East, South, West, North. Thus it will be seen that they do not follow the same order as we. North East is Toong-pok (東北), lit. East North. North West is Si-pok (西北), lit. West North. South East is Toong-nen (東南) , and South West is Si-nen (西南).

The word pien (邊) is generally added when direction or place is indicated. Thus we have for the North Pok-pien, for the West Si-pien. Pien literally means “side,” and is a shortened form of pien-deu (邊頭).

In giving directions as to locality, the Chinese make very frequent use of the points of the compass.If you wish a person to go towards the North you say dzau pok (朝北) “towards the North.”

VOCABULARY

To break, smash, se° 碎, °tang-se° 打碎, or khau-se° 敲碎.

To beget to nourish, °yang 養, or sang °yang 生養.

To lose, to forfeit, seh 失, or seh-theh 失脫.

To arrange, to attend to matters, to direct ban° 辦.

A Compradore, °ma-ban° 買辦.

To consult, saung-liang 商量, tsung-tsak 斟酌.

To point with the hand, °tien 點, or °ts-°tien 指點.

To separate, fung 分, or fung-khe 分開.

To hinder, oppose, °tsoo 阻, or °tsoo-taung° 阻檔.

To answer, we-deu 回頭, or we-tah 回答.

To exchange, to barter, wen° 換, or diau° 調.

To attend to a thing to make it right, loong° 弄, or loong°-°hau 弄好.

To distinguish, fung-pih 分別.

A difference, ih kuh fung-pih 一個分別.

Wages, koong-dien 工錢.

Salary, sok-sieu 束脩, sing-foong° 薪俸, or sing-°soe 薪水.

Misery, °khoo-nau° 苦腦.

Rain, °yui 雨,

To rain, lauh °yui 落雨.

Coolie, tsheh-tien° 出店.

A duck, ih tsak ah 一隻鴨.

A broom, ih °po °sau-°tseu 一把掃箒.

A snake, ih diau zo 一條蛇.

A stick of bamboo, ih kung tsok-deu 一根竹頭.

Glass, poo-li 玻璃.

A glass (for the table), ih tsak poo-li pe-°ts 一隻玻璃杯子.

°Doong (桶) is the classifier for casks, tubs and buckets.

A bucket of water, ih °doong °s 一桶水.

Bing (瓶) is the classifier for bottles.

A bottle of medicine, ih bing yak 一瓶藥.

Siang (箱) is the classifier for boxes of things.

A box of dollars, ih siang yang-dien 一箱洋錢.

A box of tea, ih siang dzo-yih 一箱茶葉.

Tired, sa-doo 弛瘏.

Square, faung 方.

Round, yoen 圓.

Little (to a small extent), sau-we 稍爲.

Thick, °‘eu 厚.

Thin, bok 薄.

Instead of, °de-thi° 代替.

Sufficient, keu-z° 榖事, keu-z°-tse 彀事哉, or °yeu-tse 有哉.

Together with (two persons doing a thing), da-ka 大家.

To get wet, ling-sak 淋濕.

EXERCISES

(Translate into English)

(1) Tsoong-kok tsok-deu doo° °yeu yoong°-deu, °khau-°i tsoo° lan °lau de-°ts °lau iui°-°ts °lau too-hau° meh-z°.

(2) °Ngoo mung°-°ts yi san we, dan°-°z yi ih kyui° ’veh we-deu.

(3) Tsoong°-dien-nyung °yang too-hau° kyi °lau ah.

(4) °Hau-la-va°? °Hau-la zia°-zia°.

(5) Kyung-tsau °hau-°tien va°? Zauh-ya°-deu chuh-ts yak °lau kyung-tsau sau-we °hau-°tien.

(6) Nyih-deu toong-pien tsheh °lau si-pien lauh.

(7) Pok-pien °lang °lau nen-pien °noen.

(8) °Ngoo-nyi iau° da-ka saung-liang na°-nung tsoo°-deu.

(9) Di°-kuh poo-li ’man bok kuh, yoong-yi° °tang-se°.

(10) Khoen°-kyien° nyung iau° tsoo° ’veh °hau kuh z°-°thi meh, iung-ke °tsoo-taung° yi.

(11) Khoen°-yang-nyung seh-theh-ts ih tsak yang °lau iau° chi° zing yi.

(12) Sien-sang iau° °kyi-hau° sok-sieu? Iau° san-seh kwhe° °yang-dien ih nyoeh.

(13) Noong°-kuh yoong°-nyung °kyi-hau° koong-dien ih nyoeh? Zeh kwhe° yang-dien ih nyoeh.

(14) Toong-pok foong iau° lauh °yui.

(15) Yien°-°dze la° lauh °yui, tsoong-iau° tan ih °ting san° °sang-°ts ling sak.

(16) Zauh-nyih °ngoo °tseu-°ts san-seh °li-loo°, °soo-°i kyung-tsau ’man sa-doo.

(17) °Ngoo °tien peh yi khoen° ih diau zo.

(18) Di°-kuh kwen-°foo ’veh we° ban° z°-°thi.

(19) Noong° °tau le-tse, °ngoo thih-tsung iau° tau° noong° han-deu chi°.

(20) Di°-kuh nyung seh-theh-°ts yi-kuh sang-i °lau sang-°ts dzang-yoen kuh bing° zeh-dze °khoo-nau° tuh-juh.

(21) Di°-tsak siang-°ts °z faung kuh, di°-tsak °doong °z yoen-kuh.

(22) Tsheh-tien° le wo° iau° doong-dien we°-ts iau° chi° °ma ih °po °sau-°tseu °lau.

(23) Di°-kuh °ts-deu thuh bok iau° noong° chi° wen° °‘eu-°tien kuh.

(24) Noong° thuh sa-doo, °ngoo le °de noong° tsoo°.

(25) Di°-sen° °mung ’veh °hau khe, chi° kyau° mok-ziang loong °hau.

(26) Yi-kuh seh-wo° tah-ts noong°-kuh seh-wo° °yeu fung-pih.

(27) Di°-kuh °liang kuh nyung dzang-tsaung siang-mo°, fung-khe meh °hau.

(一) 中國竹頭大有用頭可以做籃佬檯子佬椅子佬多化物事.

(二) 我問之伊三回但是伊一句勿回頭.

(三) 種田人養多化雞佬鴨.

(四) 好拉否? 好拉謝謝.

(五) 今朝好點否? 昨夜頭吃之藥佬今朝稍爲好點.

(六) 日頭東邊出佬西邊落.

(七) 北邊冷佬南邊煖.

(八) 我伲要大家商量那能做頭.

(九) 第個玻璃蠻薄個容易打碎.

(十) 看見人要做勿好個事體末應該阻擋伊.

(十一) 看羊人失脫之一隻羊佬要去尋伊.

(十二) 先生要幾化束脩? 要三十塊洋錢一月.

(十三) 儂個用人幾化工錢一月? 六塊洋錢一月.

(十四) 東北風要落雨.

(十五) 現在拉落雨終要擔一頂傘省之淋濕.

(十六) 昨日我走之三十里路所以今朝我蠻弛瘏.

(十七) 我點擦伊看一條蛇.

(十八) 第個官府勿會辦事體.

(十九) 儂倒來哉我貼準要到儂壗頭去.

(二十) 第個人失脫之伊個生意佬生之長遠個病實在苦惱得極.

(廿一) 第隻箱子是方個第隻桶是圓個.

(廿二) 出店來話要銅錢爲之要去買一把掃帚佬.

(廿三) 第個紙頭忒薄要儂去換厚點個.

(廿四) 儂忒弛瘏我來代儂做.

(廿五) 第扇門勿好開去叫木匠弄好.

(廿六) 伊個說話搭之儂個說話有分別.

(廿七) 第個兩個人常莊相駡分開末好.

(Translate into Chinese)

(1) Is there any answer? Yes, please wait until I write it.

(2) The cold wind blows from the North; you ought to wear more clothes.

(3) The scholar was unable to answer what the teacher asked him.

(4) I want to consult with you on an important matter.

(5) When it rains the children cannot go out to play.

(6) I have a fan, you have a knife, I want a knife, you want a fan, let us exchange.

(7) I killed the snake with a stick.

(8) Tell the compradore what you want to buy and he can buy it for you.

(9) I have lost my watch and am willing to give five dollars to the man who finds it and returns it to me.

(10) My salary is not sufficient; I must ask you to increase it.

(11) This coolie wipes and sweeps very clean.

(12) I pointed out the river to him on the map.

(13) I cannot go away until I have arranged this matter.

(14) I could not study diligently to-day because I was too tired.

(15) How many bottles of medicine have you taken? I have already finished three.

(一) 有啥回信否? 有個, 請等一歇等我寫好之.

(二) 冷風從北邊吹來儂應該多着點衣裳.

(三) 先生問個, 學生子回頭勿出.

(四) 我要搭儂商量要緊個事體.

(五) 落之雨小囝勿好出去勃相.

(六) 我有一把扇子儂有一把刀我要一把刀儂要一把扇子讓我伲調一調.

(七) 我用之一根棒打殺之一條蛇.

(八) 儂對買辦話儂要買啥伊可以對儂買個.

(九) 我失脫之我個表情願撥拾着之佬還撥我個人五塊洋錢.

(十) 我個薪水勿彀事我終要請儂加點.

(十一) 第個出店揩佬掃蠻割瀝.

(十二) 地圖上我點撥伊看一條河.

(十三) 我勿曾辦好第莊事體我勿能彀出去.

(十四) 今朝我勿能彀用心讀書因爲我忒弛瘏.

(十五) 儂吃之幾瓶藥? 我已經吃完之三瓶.

Notes.

(1) Those learning to speak Chinese must be careful never to refer to the remuneration given to their teachers as koong-dien (工錢), but to use the polite form of speech, sok-sieu or sing-foong (束脩, 薪俸). Sok-sieu means literally “dried meat,” and comes from the ancient custom of paying a teacher in kind. The teacher himself could refer to remuneration as sing° soe (薪水).

(2) °Eu (厚) and Bok (薄) refer to things. In speaking of a person being thin we use the word seu° (瘦), and of being fat, the word tsaung° 壯.

(3) The fourth sentence of the First Exercise is the usual salutation meaning, “How do you do?” “Does it go well with you?” The answer is also the usual one.

(4) In the ninth sentence of the Second Exercise Zing nyoen° (情願) means “to be willing.”

(5) In the seventh sentence of the First Exercise °Noen means “warm” (煖).

(6) In the eleventh sentence of the First Exercise Koen°-yang-nyung means “shepherd.” Literally “Look-sheep-man.”

(7) In the twenty-fifth sentence of the First Exercise the word Loong has a very wide meaning. There is hardly anything in China that you cannot Loong-°hau, that is, “put to rights.”