LESSON XXIV Some Remarks on Gender
Reading edition
As already remarked, words in Chinese do not change their form to indicate gender. Sometimes, however, words indicating gender are placed before them. Nen (男), “Male” and °Nyui (女), “female”, are used with human beings in this way. Thus we have Nen nyung (男人) for “man”, and °Nyui nyung (女人) for “woman”. Nen noen (男囝) means “a male child,” and °Nyui noen (女囝) “a female child.”
When speaking of the male and female of animals Yoong (雄) and Tsh (雌) are used. Thus we have Yoong kyi (雄鷄) for “cock,” and Tsh kyi (雌鷄) for “hen,” Yoong s-°ts (雄獅子) for “lion,” and Tsh s-°ts (雌獅子) for “lioness.”
VOCABULARY
To crow, di 啼.
To offend, tuh-°dzoe 得罪.
To hide oneself, ben°-°loong 背攏.
To hide a thing, khaung°-°loong 囥攏, or khaung° 囥.
To gain or make a profit, dzan° 賺.
Profits in business, dzan°-deu 賺頭.
To lose in business, zeh 折, zeh-theh 折脫, zeh-°pung 折本.
To congratulate a person, koong-°hyi 恭喜.
To become rich, fah-dze 發財.
To lock, °soo 鎖.
To bar or bolt the door, sen 閂.
The bar, or bolt of the door, sak 栅.
To plant, tsoong° 種.
To examine carefully, dzo 查, or dzo-°khau 查考.
To examine a class, °khau-su 考書.
To fall, tih 跌.
To save, kyeu° 救.
To stop, ding 停.
Stop a minute, ding-ih-ding 停一停.
Garden, hwo-yoen 花園.
College, su-yoen° 書院.
University, da°-‘auh 大學.
A lock, ih °po °soo 一把鑕.
A key, ih °po yak-dz 一把鑰匙.
A creek or canal, ih diau pang 一條浜.
A two story house, ih zoo° leu 一座樓, or leu-vaung 褸房.
Dzung (層) is the classifier for a story of a house or for anything like a ladder.
A three-storied house, san dzung leu 三層樓.
A ladder, ih dzung voo-thi 一層扶梯.
Dzaung° (幢) is the classifier denoting things piled one on top of the other.
A pile of clothes, ih dzaung° i-zaung 一幢衣裳.
Da° (埭) is the classifier for rows of things.
A row of trees, ih da° zu 一埭樹.
Spring (the first of the seasons), tshung 春.
Summer, ‘au° 夏.
Autumn, tshieu 秋.
Winter, toong 冬.
A season, kyi° 季.
The four seasons, s°-kyi° 四季.
Politeness, khak-chi° 客氣.
Happiness, fok-chi° 福氣.
Slippery, wah 滑.
Hard, ngang° 硬.
Soft, °nyoen 軟.
Smooth, kwaung 光.
Rough, mau 毛.
Good (moral), °zen 善.
Wicked, auh 惡.
Fierce, hyoong 凶.
Precious, °pau-pe° 寶貝.
Clear, tshing 清.
Muddy, wung 渾.
Level, bing 平.
Light (opposite of dark), liang° 亮.
Dark, en° 暗.
At last (in the end), tau°-°ti 到底.
EXERCISES
(Translate into English)
(1) Di°-laung° wah lau, taung-sing °tien °tseu.
(2) S°-kyi° kyau° tshung ‘au° tshieu toong.
(3) °Ngoo bang°-dzak-ts ih kuh nyung °lau iau° yi nyang° loo°, °soo-°i te° yi wo° tuh-°dzoe, tuh °dzoe. Yi wo° ’veh iau° khak-chi°.
(4) Noong° tsoo° °di-kuh sang-i, ih nyien iau° dzan° °kyi-hau°? m-sa° dzan°-deu °tau zeh-°pung.
(5) Nyien tshoo ih, bang°-dzak-ts nyung tsau° kwe-°kyui iung-ke te° yi wo° koong-°hyi, fah-dze.
(6) Nyung tsoo° auh kuh z°-°thi, °z la° en°-°li tsoo° kuh.
(7) We°-ts pho° bih nyung iau° dzo-dzak °lau, i-kuh nyung chi° ben°-°loong.
(8) Ya°-°li tsoong-iau° °soo mung°, °khoong-pho° zuh tsing° le theu meh-z°.
(9) Tsoong-kok mung° yoong° sak le sen kuh, nga°-kok mung° yoong° yak-dz le °soo kuh.
(10) °Siau-noen la° beh-siang° kuh z-‘eu° tih la° pang °li, kwha°-°tien chi° kyeu° yi.
(11) Yoong tiau we° kyau°, tsh tiau ’veh we° kyau°.
(12) Tsh s-°ts °pi-ts yoong s-°ts kung°-ka hyoong.
(13) Di°-kuh nyung °yeu san kuh nen-noen, °lau ih kuh °nyui-noen, zeh-dze °yeu fok-chi°.
(14) Di°-kuh meh-z° °z °pau-pe° kuh, iau° khaung° °hau.
(15) °‘Au-°li-pa°, su-yoen° °li iau° °khau-su.
(16) Di°-kuh ih da° vaung-°ts kau-le-°si, °loong-°tsoong °z s° dzung leu.
(17) Di°-diau loo° ’veh bing, van-nan °tseu kuh.
(18) Tshing °s °hau chuh kuh, wung °s ’veh °hau chuh.
(19) Zak-deu °z ngang° kuh, men-deu °z °nyoen kuh.
(20) Tau°-°ti meh °zen nyung ih ding° iau° tuh-dzak fok-chi°.
(一) 地上滑佬當心點走.
(二) 四季叫春夏秋冬.
(三) 我碰着之一個人佬要伊讓路, 所以對伊話得罪得罪, 伊話勿要客氣.
(四) 儂做第個生意一年要賺幾化? 無啥賺頭倒折本.
(五) 年初一碰着之人照規矩應該對伊話恭喜發財.
(六) 人做惡個事體是拉暗裏做個.
(七) 爲之怕別人要查着佬, 伊個人去背攏.
(八) 夜裏終要鎖門, 恐怕賊進來偷物事.
(九) 中國門用栅來閂個, 外國門用鑰匙來鎖個.
(十) 小囝拉勃相個時候跌拉浜裏, 快點去救伊.
(十一) 雄窵會叫, 雌窵勿會叫.
(十二) 雌獅子比之雄獅子更加凶.
(十三) 第個人有三個男囝佬一個女囝, 實在有福氣.
(十四) 第個物事是寶貝個, 要囥好.
(十五) 下禮拜, 書院裏要考書.
(十六) 第個一埭房子高來死, 攏總是四層樓.
(十七) 第條路勿平, 煩難走個.
(十八) 淸水好吃個, 渾水勿好吃.
(十九) 石頭是硬個, 饅頭是軟個.
(二十) 到底末善人一定要得着福氣.
(Translate into Chinese)
(1) In the garden the gardeners have planted three rows of apple trees.
(2) After the cock crows in the morning I am unable to sleep any more.
(3) This man is very polite, and so every one likes him.
(4) In the winter we close all the doors and windows and light a fire, in the summer we open all the doors and windows.
(5) The water in the creek is muddy and not fit to drink.
(6) Some men become rich in business, and some lose money.
(7) Lock the door and do not let the cat come in.
(8) The child fell off the chair and therefore cries.
(9) Yesterday I went to see a seven storied pagoda.
(10) This account is not right; it is not reckoned clearly.
(11) I cannot find out that this man has done anything wicked.
(12) When I met the robber I cried out to others to come and save my life.
(13) This man is very fierce; he is always fighting.
(14) At the end of the year, all the scholars in the college must be examined.
(15) I have lost my key and cannot open my box.
(16) I think you have not lost it, but you have hidden it away somewhere, and have forgotten where you put it; let me go and look for it.
(一) 拉花園裏種花園個種三埭蘋菓樹.
(二) 早晨頭雞啼個以後我勿能再睏.
(三) 第個人是蠻客氣所以攏總人歡喜伊.
(四) 冬天個時候我伲關攏總個門佬窗佬生火夏天個時候我伲開攏總個門佬窗.
(五) 浜裏水是渾佬勿好吃個.
(六) 有人做生意是發財有人末折本.
(七) 鎖門佬勿要讓貓進來.
(八) 小囝從椅子上跌下來所以拉哭.
(九) 昨日我去看七層樓個塔.
(十) 第個帳勿對個算來勿淸爽.
(十一) 我查勿出第個人做啥惡事.
(十二) 我碰着之強盜我喊人來救命.
(十三) 第個人凶來死所以常莊相打.
(十四) 拉年底書院裏攏總個學生子要考書.
(十五) 我失脫之我個鑰匙佬勿好開我個箱子.
(十六) 我想儂勿曾失脫恐怕儂已經囥好佬忘記擺拉啥地方, 讓我去尋尋看.
Notes.
(1) Tuh-°dzoe, tuh-°dzoe (得罪) is the usual expression for making an apology in Chinese, It literally meant, “I have sinned against you.”
(2) A two storied house is generally called leu vaung (樓房).
(3) In the fifth sentence of the First Exercise we have the formal salutation used on New Year’s Day Koong-°hyi, fah-dze (恭喜發財) meaning, “may you be happy and grow rich.”
(4) In the twelfth sentence of the Second Exercise the expression to save life should be Kyeu° ming° (救命).
(5) In the tenth sentence of the Second Exercise “this account is not reckoned right” should be translated di°-kuh tsang° ’veh te° kuh (第個帳勿對個); te° means “not in agreement.”