LESSON XXV Weights and Measures

The following three Tables are very commonly used in China, and the speaker of the language should be familiar with them.

MEASURE OF WEIGHT

One ounce, ih °liang 一兩.

One catty (16 ounces), ih kyung 一斤.

One picul (100 catties), ih tan° 一担.

MEASURE OF DISTANCE

1⁄10th of an inch, ih fung 一分.

One inch, ih tshung° 一寸.

One foot (ten inches in Chinese measure), ih tshak 一尺.

Tea feet, ih °dzang 一丈.

MEASURE OF AREA

One square foot, ih faung tshak 一方尺.

One hundred square feet, ih faung 一方.

A mow, ih °m 一畝 (one sixth of an acre).

CURRENCY

Until recently, aside from copper cash, the Chinese had no regular system of currency. An ounce of silver was taken as a standard. The following Table is based upon that:—

An ounce of silver, ih °liang nyung-°ts 一兩銀子.

(1⁄10th of an ounce, ih dzien 一錢.

(1⁄10th of a dzien, ih fung 一分.

(1⁄10th of a fung, ih li 一釐.

(1⁄10th of a li, ih ‘au 一毫.

VOCABULARY

To expound, explain, °kaung 講.

To preach, °kaung-su 講書.

To exhort, choen° 勸, choen°-mien 勸勉, choen°-‘oo 勸和.

To gather, as fruit or flowers, °tshe 採.

To boil zah 煠, (used in regard to water), or °kwung 滾.

To weigh, tshung 稱.

To measure, liang 量, or °ien 演.

To carry in arms like a child, °bau 抱.

To carry a load (one man, with load suspended on two ends of a bamboo), thiau 挑.

To carry a load (load suspended on a bamboo pole between two men), kaung 扛.

To carry a load on the back, pe° 背.

To carry a load on the shoulder, jien 掮.

To carry a load in one hand, ling 拎.

A tiger, ih tsak °lau-°hoo 一隻老虎.

A dish, ih tsak dzang bung-°ts 一隻長盆子.

A saucer, ih tsak dzo bung-°ts 一隻茶盆子.

A wine glass, ih tsak °tsieu pe 一隻酒杯.

A cooking stove, ih tsak thih-tsau° (foreign), 一隻鐵灶, tsau°-deu (Chinese), 灶頭.

Gold, kyung-°ts 金子.

Silver, nyung-°ts 銀子.

Iron, thih 鐵.

Tin, sih 錫.

Brass, doong 銅.

Lead, khan 鉛.

A railroad carriage, ih boo °hoo-tsho 一部火車.

A steam boat, ih tsak °hoo-lung-zen 一隻火輪船.

A pair of spectacles, ih foo° °ngan-kyung° 一副眼鏡.

A set of tools or instruments, ih foo° ka-sang 一副傢生.

A cannon, ih tsung phau° 一尊炮.

Cotton, hwo 花.

Cotton stalks, hwo-ji 花萁.

Cotton (already ginned), mien-hwo 棉花.

A plant of wheat, ih khoo mak 一棵麥.

A plant of rice, ih khoo dau° 一棵稻.

Vegetables, tshe° 菜.

Dishes of vegetables and meat placed on the table for meals, °siau-tshe° 小菜.

A shoulder, ih tsak kyien ka 一隻肩胛.

A bag, ih tsak de 一隻袋.

Back, pe° 背.

A field, ih khwe° dien 一塊田.

Soil, mud, lan°-nyi 爛泥.

Poor man, joong-nyung 窮人.

Rich man, dze-°tsu-nyung 財主人.

°Kwhung (梱) is the classifier denoting bundles of things.

A bundle of fuel, ih °kwhung za 一梱柴, ih °kwung dau-za 一梱稻柴.

Still, yet, dzung-jeu° 仍舊.

Among, taung-tsoong 當中.

All (collective), zen 全.

EXERCISES

(Translate into English)

(1) Noong° choen°-choen° yi ’veh iau° °doong-chi°.

(2) Khoen°-kyien° °liang kuh nyung siang-°tang meh iung-ke choen°-‘oo yi-la.

(3) Di°-tsak siang-°ts °ngoo °i-kyung liang-koo°-hyih-tse °z san tshak dzang °lau nyi° tshak s° tshung kwheh.

(4) La° hwo-yoen °li °tshe hwo °z ’man °hau beh-siang°.

(5) Di°-kuh °liang tsak siang-°ts ih kuh nyung thiau-’veh-°chi °z iung-ke kaung kuh.

(6) Kyung, nyung, doong, thih, sih, Tsoong-kok nyung kyau° °ng kyung.

(7) Tsoong°-dien-nyung la° toong °li tsoong° mak, la° tshung laung° tsoong° hwo.

(8) La° °ng kyung taung-tsoong thih °z °ting °yeu yoong°-deu, doo° °lau °siau kuh meh-z° zen °khau-°i tsoo° kuh.

(9) °Ngoo-kuh bang-yeu °z °jung-z°-°ngan °soo-°i iau° ta° °ngan-kyung°.

(10) °S faung° la° thih-tsau° laung°, °kwung-ih-°kwung.

(11) Dze-°tsu-nyung tsak dzeu°-doen° °lau joong-nyung tsak poo°.

(12) Di°-kuh nyung °kaung-su °kaung le ’man °hau thing.

(13) Dih la kuh °mi tshung-tshung khoen° kyung-°liang te° va°.

(14) Di° kwhe° di°-be °yeu °kyi °m? iak-tsak °yeu lok °m.

(15) La° °ya-seu° taung-tsoong Tsoong-kok nyung °ting pho° kuh °z °lau-°hoo.

(16) We°-ts °siau-noen la° khok °lau, °nyui-nyung °bau la° seu °li.

(17) Nyok °lau tshe° ih-dau° kyau° °siau-tshe°.

(18) Lok-tsen °z lan°-nyi tsoo° la° kuh, °zau vaung-°ts °ting °yeu yoong°-deu.

(19) Di°-kuh yang-dien ’veh °hau, ’veh °z nyung-ts, °z khan kuh.

(20) °Ngoo wan iau° °ma dzang-bung-°ts, dzo-bung-°ts, °lau °tsieu-pe.

(21) Tung-loong °khau-°i ling la° °seu °li, ih kung mok-deu °khau-°i jien la° kyien-ka laung°, de meh pe° la pe° laung°.

(22) °Ng-seh nyien zien-deu, Tsoong-kok m-meh °hoo-tsho °lau °hoo-lung-zen, yien°-°dze zen °yeu-kuh.

(23) Tsau-zung-deu °ngoo thing-tuh ping-ting faung° phau°.

(24) Yien°-°dze m-meh za, ’veh °hau sang °hoo, iau° noong° chi° °ma °liang san °kwhung.

(25) Nyeu °lau °mo la° dien °li chuh °tshau.

(一) 儂勸勸伊勿要動氣.

(二) 看見兩個人相打末應該勸和伊拉.

(三) 第隻箱子我已經量過歇哉, 是三尺長佬二尺四寸闊.

(四) 拉花園裏採花是蠻好勃相.

(五) 第個兩隻箱子一個人挑勿起是應該扛個.

(六) 金銀銅鐵錫中國人叫五金.

(七) 種田人拉冬裏種麥拉春上種花.

(八) 拉五金當中鐵是頂有用頭, 大佬小個物事全可以做個.

(九) 我個朋友是近視眼所以要戴眼鏡.

(十) 水放拉鐵灶上滾一滾.

(十一) 財主人着綢緞佬窮人着布.

(十二) 第個人講書講來蠻好聽.

(十三) 糴拉個米稱稱看觔兩對否?

(十四) 第塊地皮有幾畝? 約酌有六畝.

(十五) 拉野獸當中, 中國人頂怕個是老虎.

(十六) 爲之小囝拉哭佬, 女人抱拉手裏.

(十七) 肉佬菜一淘叫小菜.

(十八) 碌磚是爛泥做拉個, 造房子頂有用頭.

(十九) 第個洋錢勿好, 勿是銀子是鉛個.

(二十) 我還要買長盆子茶盆子佬酒杯.

(廿一) 燈籠可以拎拉手裏, 一根木頭可以掮拉肩𩨹上, 袋末背拉背上.

(廿二) 五十年前頭中國無沒火車佬火輪船, 現在全有個.

(廿三) 早晨頭我聽得兵丁放炮.

(廿四) 現在無沒柴勿好生火, 要儂去買兩三捆.

(廿五) 牛佬馬拉田裏吃草.

(Translate into Chinese)

(1) The Chinese make most of their clothing out of cotton.

(2) Among the pupils this one is the brightest.

(3) I will tell you a wonderful thing: two men were fighting, and a woman came and exhorted them to peace.

(4) Among the metals, gold is the most precious.

(5) The dollars used in China are made of silver.

(6) How many men will it take to carry the stove?

(7) I think four men can carry it.

(8) How much ought I to give the ricksha coolie?

(9) I think thirty cents is sufficient.

(10) There are still many men in Shanghai who have never been in a railway carriage.

(11) Most of the Chinese scholars wear spectacles.

(12) I have been gathering apples and peaches in the garden.

(13) The carpenter has not brought his tools, and so can do no work.

(14) A Chinese foot has ten inches, a foreign foot has twelve.

(15) In China, wood and rice and cotton stalks are used as fuel.

(一) 中國人做衣裳用棉花布個是頂多.

(二) 拉學生子當中第個是頂聰明個.

(三) 我要告訴儂一樁希奇個事體, 兩個人拉相打, 一個女人來勸和.

(四) 拉五金當中金子是頂寶貝個.

(五) 中國個洋錢是銀子做拉個.

(六) 第隻火爐幾個人好扛.

(七) 我想四個人好扛個.

(八) 拖東洋車個人我應該撥伊幾錢?

(九) 我想三角有哉.

(十) 拉上海還有多化人勿曾坐過歇火車個.

(十一) 中國讀書人大一半末是戴眼鏡.

(十二) 我拉花園裏拉採蘋果佬桃子.

(十三) 木匠勿曾帶傢生來听以勿好做生活.

(十四) 中國尺是十寸外國尺有十二寸.

(十五) 中國人用木頭佬稻佬花萁倣柴.

Notes.

(1) In the fifth sentence of the First Exercise Thiau ’veh-°chi （挑勿起） means “unable to carry.”

(2) In the sixth sentence of the First Exercise °Ng-kyung （五金） is generally pronounced as °oo kyung, as it is a vung-li expression.

(3) In the ninth sentence of the First Exercise °Jung-z°-°ngan （近視眼） means “near-sighted.”

(4) In the thirteenth sentence of the First Exercise notice that “to buy rice” is dih °mi not °ma °mi.

(5) In the ninth sentence of the Second Exercise “sufficient” may be translated °yeu-tse （有哉）.