EXERCISES
(Translate into English)
- (1) We°-ts °lang °lau °hoo-loo °li iau° ka-°thien me.
- (2) °Ma °hau-ts, °tsau-deu iau° peh °ngoo.
- (3) ’Veh zung °zoo toong-yang-tsho iung-ke tah tsho-foo sien °kaung ding° peh yi °kyi kauh.
- (4) I-kuh nyung °i-kyung taung°-theh-ts i-kuh i-zaung.
- (5) °Ngoo iau° °ma i-kwhe° di°-bi dan°-°z °ngoo thing-tuk °i-kyung ah-theh tse.
- (6) °Mo ’man hwen-°hyi chuh °tshau.
- (7) °Ngoo pih-koo° °yeu pen° kwhe° yang-dien °soo-°i °ma-’veh-°chi.
- (8) Yi ’veh °khung lau-zeh wo° °soo-°i °ngoo ’veh °hau siang-sing°.
- (9) Noong° °chi ’veh iung-ke tsoo° dzuk-tau° tsoo° °hau va°?
- (10) °Ngoo soe-zen kauh-tau° lauh-tshu° zing °‘a zing-’veh-dzak.
- (11) Noong° wo° lau-zeh wo°, nyung z°-zen siang-sing° kuh.
- (12) Nyih nyih dok su z°-zen °khau-°i ‘auh kuh.
- (13) °Tung tau° noong° dok-wen °ts di°-°pung su nan-meh noong° we° wo° tsoong-kok wo°.
- (14) Di°-kuh °liang phih poo° kuh ngan-suh tsho-’veh-too ih yang° kuh.
- (15) ‘En°-‘en°-°li tsoo° z°-°thi °chi °yeu sa° yoong°-deu nyi?
- (16) Di°-deu tau° Soo-tseu °yeu °kyi-hau° °li soo? Iak-kwhe °yeu san pak °li-loo°.
- (17) Di°-kwhe° zak-deu iau° °pa le °’wung-taung° °tien.
- (18) Yi chi°-ts dzang-°yoen-tse wan ’veh zung °tsen le.
- (19) °Ngoo sien iau° ‘auh dok su °‘eu-le ‘auh °sia z°.
- (20) Hwo-°tshau-zu°-mok nyung nyung hwen-°hyi khoen°.
- (21) Doo° yang-dien de°-°ts °siau yang-dien iau° taung sing iung-we° °yeu too-hau° °siau kauh-°ts °z °ka kuh.
- (22) Tsung °lau °ka van-nan khoen°-tuh-tsheh.
- (23) Di°-°pung su °yeu kyau-kwan z° °ngoo suh-’veh-tsheh kuh.
- (一) 爲之冷佬火爐裏要加點煤.
- (二) 買好之找頭要撥我.
- (三) 勿曾坐東洋車應該搭車夫先講定撥伊幾角.
- (四) 伊個人已經當脫之伊個衣裳.
- (五) 我要買伊塊地皮但是我聽得已經押脫哉.
- (六) 馬蠻歡喜吃草.
- (七) 我必過有半塊洋錢所以買勿起.
- (八) 伊勿肯老實話所以我勿好相信.
- (九) 儂豈勿應該做直到做好否?
- (十) 我雖然各到落處尋也尋勿着.
- (十一) 儂話老實話人自然相信個.
- (十二) 日日讀書自然可以學個.
- (十三) 等到儂讀完之第本書難末儂會話中國話.
- (十四) 第個兩疋布個顔色差勿多一樣個.
- (十五) 暗暗裏做事體豈有啥用頭呢?
- (十六) 第頭到蘇州有幾化里數? 約規有三百里路.
- (十七) 第塊石頭要擺來穩當點.
- (十八) 伊去之長遠哉還勿曾轉來.
- (十九) 我先要學讀書後來學寫字.
- (二十) 花草樹木人人歡喜看.
- (廿一) 大洋鈿兌之小洋錢要當心因爲有多化小角子是假個.
- (廿二) 眞佬假煩難看得出.
- (廿三) 第本書有交關字我識勿出個.
(Translate into Chinese)
- (1) I do not know where the child has gone to; I have looked for him everywhere and do not know where to find him.
- (2) Call the servant to come and add some coal.
- (3) I told the pupil to sit here until the teacher returned.
- (4) I was almost beaten to death by him.
- (5) Take the dollar and change it into cash.
- (6) An honest man speaks true words.
- (7) I thought he was coming, but afterwards he wrote a letter to me and told me he could not come.
- (8) The children have played for a long time and now they should go to sleep.
- (9) Can you say that you did not know this?
- (10) Is it not good to do things so as to please others?
- (11) I had to walk here because I had no small money, and so could not call a ricksha.
- (12) If he said he would do it, of course he will do it.
- (13) How many cash can you get for a dollar?
- (14) That man is not at all honest, and he has already pawned a lot of clothes which were not his own.
- (15) This man wears silk and satin; he must have a lot of money.
- (一) 小囝到那裏去我勿曉得, 我各到落處去尋伊尋勿着.
- (二) 叫傭人來加點煤.
- (三) 我叫學生子坐拉第頭等到先生轉來.
- (四) 我差勿多撥伊打殺哉.
- (五) 拿第塊洋錢兌銅錢.
- (六) 老實個人話眞個說話.
- (七) 我想伊要來但是後來伊寫一封信來話伊勿好來.
- (八) 小囝勃相之長遠哉現在應該去睏.
- (九) 儂豈可以話第個是儂勿曉得否?
- (十) 做事體撥別人快活豈吥是好否?
- (十一) 因爲我無沒小洋錢勿能彀叫東洋車所以我只好走.
- (十二) 若然伊話要做個難末自然要做個.
- (十三) 一塊洋錢可以兌幾化銅錢?
- (十四) 伊個人一顔勿老實已經當脫之多化勿是伊自家個衣裳.
- (十五) 第個人着之綢佬緞子個衣裳伊一定有多化洋錢.
Notes.
- (1) In the third sentence of the First Exercise the expression °kaung ding° (講定) means “to settle the price.” Literally it signifies declaiming to a fixed point.
- (2) In the sixteenth sentence of the First Exercise °Soo (數) is added after °li (里) for the sake of euphony.
- (3) In the twenty-third sentence of the First Exercise suh (識) is used. This is always used of knowing characters in the Chinese language. Sometimes it is used in the expression Suh hoo° kuh (識貨個), meaning “to understand affairs.” A man who does not suh hoo° is a stupid fellow.
LESSON XX
More Verbal Idioms
Tuk dzu° (得住) and ’veh dzu° (勿住) are often used after the verb Lih (立) to stand, and give the sense of “able to stand,” or “unable to stand.” Thus Lih-tuh-dzu° (立得住) means “able to stand,” and Lih-’veh-dzu° (立勿住) unable to stand. The same words are used after other verbs also. Thus we have Khau°-tuh-dzu° (靠得住), meaning “Worthy to be trusted” and Khau°-’veh-dzu° (靠勿住), meaning “Unworthy to be trusted.”
Tuh-koo° (得過) is also used after verbs, and ’Veh-koo° (勿過). Thus we have °Tang-tuh-koo° (打得過), meaning “Able to beat him.” Literally “Beat, obtain surpass.” °Tang-’veh-koo° (打勿過) means “Unable to beat him.” Literally “Beat, not surpass.”
The expressions I°-tuh-koo° (意得過) and I°-’veh-koo° (意勿過) are also idiomatic. The former means, “Within the range of pity;” the latter “Beyond the range of pity,” or “greatly to be commiserated.”