EXERCISES
(Translate into English)
- (1) Di°-sen° bing-foong °kyi-hau° kwheh-‘ah?
- (2) Di°-tsak siang-°ts iau° liang-liang-khoen° dzang-°toen, kau-ti °lau kwheh-‘ah.
- (3) Iau° noong° chi° °ma ih tsang °ts-deu theh di° tsang ih yang° °‘eu-bok.
- (4) Thien-bing °z iau°-°kyung kuh ka-sang, °khau-i tshung meh-z° kuh chung-°dzoong.
- (5) °Ngoo °jui la° yi mien°-zien jeu yi nyau-°so.
- (6) °Siau-noen sang bing° meh, nyang ’veh li-khe yi, °zoo la° zaung pien-deu su-°tsang yi.
- (7) ’Veh phi-bing bih nyung, keh-meh ’veh °zeu bih nyung kuh phi-bing.
- (8) We°-ts °khoong-pho° loo° ’veh zok, °soo-i °tshing bih nyung be °ngoo chi°.
- (9) Di°-°po °tsien-tau ih ngan ’veh kwha°, iau° chi° moo-moo.
- (10) Kyau° sau-van°-kuh nau °tien koen-mien°, dan°, nyeu-°na, °lau daung, tsoo° kyi-dan°-kau.
- (11) Thah °tien °na-yeu la° men-deu laung°, keh-meh °hau chuh °tien.
- (12) ‘Auh-sang-°ts la° khok we°-°ts bih nyung wo°-°liau yi, sien-sang kyau° yi ’veh iau° khok, °lau oen-we° yi.
- (13) °Ngoo kyau°-°ts yi meh, yi zieu° zien-°tsen-deu le khoen°.
- (14) Di°-kuh ih tsaung z°-°thi sa° nyung kyung-°seu kuh.
- (15) Bo zu° meh ’veh da° °wung-taung°, °khoong-pho° iau° tih thoong° °lau tih saung.
- (16) Iung-ke °koen-theh i-tsak °keu, °khoong-pho° iau° °ngau °siau-noen.
- (17) Tsha boong meh, zen ‘ang le kwha°.
- (18) Tsoong° dien-nyung ’veh hwen-°hyi °lau-au, we°-°ts yi-la° chuh-theh yi-la° san° la°-kuh °ts.
- (19) Dzang-z °lau-iung dzoong thien laung° fi-‘au°-le chuh-theh-°ts °siau kyi.
- (20) Tshen-°hau di°-kuh doong-dien, °lau soen°-soen° khoen° °yeu °kyi-hau°.
- (21) Ping-ting tsheh-chi° °tang-tsang°, khau koo °lau kyung-loo.
- (22) Di°-kuh zak-deu dzoong san °ting laung° °kwung ‘au°-le.
- (一) 第扇屏風幾化闊狹.
- (二) 第隻箱子要量量看長短高低佬闊狹.
- (三) 要儂去買一張紙頭對第張一樣厚薄.
- (四) 天秤是要緊個傢生可以稱物事個輕重.
- (五) 我跽拉伊面前求伊饒赦.
- (六) 小囝生病末娘勿離開伊坐拉床邊頭輸帳伊.
- (七) 勿批評別人蓋末勿受別人個批評.
- (八) 爲之恐怕路勿熟所以請別人陪我去.
- (九) 第把剪刀一顔勿快要去磨磨.
- (十) 叫燒飯個拿點乾麵蛋牛乳佬糖做鷄蛋糕.
- (十一) 搨點乳油拉饅頭上蓋末好吃點.
- (十二) 學生子拉哭爲之別人話料伊先生叫伊勿要哭佬安慰伊.
- (十三) 我叫之伊末伊就旋轉頭來看.
- (十四) 第個一樁事體啥人經手個.
- (十五) 爬樹末勿大穩當恐怕要跌痛佬跌傷.
- (十六) 應該趕脫伊隻狗恐怕要咬小囝.
- (十七) 扯篷末船行來快.
- (十八) 種田人勿歡喜老鴉爲之伊拉吃脫伊拉散拉個子.
- (十九) 常時老鷹從天上飛下來吃脫之小雞.
- (二十) 串好第個銅錢佬算算看有幾化.
- (廿一) 兵丁出去打仗敲鼓佬金鑼.
- (廿二) 第個石頭從山頂上滾下來.
(Translate into Chinese)
- (1) These two men constantly have intercourse with one another.
- (2) The servant did not take care, and so upset a bucket of water.
- (3) Butterflies are very pretty, and children like to catch them.
- (4) Children before they learn to walk can first crawl on the ground.
- (5) If a man wants to be forgiven he should first repent.
- (6) What is the depth of this creek?
- (7) If you wish to know the texture of the cloth, you must feel it with your hand.
- (8) If you do not wear spectacles when you are old, you will be unable to thread your needle.
- (9) I drove away that beggar, because he followed after me calling out.
- (10) What is the distance between the sun and the earth? About ninety-two millions of miles.
- (11) The cat climbed up the tree and the dog could not catch it.
- (12) The little girl has no time to study, because her mother is sick, and she must stay at home and nurse her.
- (13) The water flows down from the top of the hill.
- (14) I regret that I told him, because he went and told everyone, and now every one knows it.
- (15) When you pray you should kneel down.
- (一) 第個兩個人常庄大家來往.
- (二) 用人勿當心所以打翻之桶水.
- (三) 蝴蝶是蠻好看所以小囝歡喜捉個.
- (四) 小囝勿曾學會走先會得𨂝拉地上.
- (五) 一個人要得着饒赦先應該悔改.
- (六) 笫條浜有幾化深淺?
- (七) 若然儂要曉得第塊布個粗細儂終要用手摸模看.
- (八) 年紀老之佬勿戴眼鏡恐怕勿能彀穿引線眼.
- (九) 我趕脫之伊個告化子因爲伊跟拉後頭佬喊.
- (十) 地球離開日頭有幾化遠近? 約酌有九千二百萬英里.
- (十一) 貓爬到樹上所以狗捉伊勿着.
- (十二) 小囝無沒工夫讀書因爲伊個娘生病伊終要登拉屋裏輸帳伊.
- (十三) 水從山頂上流下來.
- (十四) 我懊憦我告訴伊因爲伊去對攏總人話以致攏總人全曉得個.
- (十五) 儂禱告個時候應該跽下來.
Notes.
- (1) In the seventh Sentence of the First Exercise notice how phi-bing is used both as a noun and as a verb.
- (2) In the eighth sentence of the First Exercise Zok (熟), which means “ripe” of fruit, also means “well-known.” It also has the meaning of “thorough” as in the expression dok-zok (讀熟) meaning “to read thoroughly.”
- (3) In the thirteenth sentence of the First Exercise notice the position of the deu (頭), “head” between the °Tsen (轉) and the le (來). This is usual in Chinese. Verbs are often broken up in this way.
- (4) In the fifteenth sentence of the First Exercise °wung-taung° (穩當) means “safe.”
LESSON XXIX
Some Useful Phrases
As will be seen from the lessons already gone over Chinese is very largely composed of idiomatic phrases. The only way to become acquainted with these phrases is by the constant hearing of the spoken language. We shall introduce in this lesson a few useful phrases and show how they occur in sentences.
“All one’s life,” ih sang-ih-s° (一生一世). Lit. “One life, one world.” “To run about,” Bau-le-bau-chi° (跑來跑去). Lit. “Run come, run go.” “To decide,” Lih-ding-°tsu-i° (立定主意). Lit. “To stand still the will.”
Good-bye (French, au-revoir), An°-hyih-we° (宴歇會). Lit. “We will meet later,” or Tse°-we° (再會). Lit. “I will see you again.”
The ordinary way of saying “good-bye” when you have been to call on a person is to say Chi°-tse (去哉). Lit. “I am going.” Your host will say Man°-chi° (慢去), meaning “Go slowly.”
The expression. Kan-nyih-we° (間日會) would mean: “I will see you in a day or two.”
“Universal” °Phoo-thien-‘au° (普天下), or ‘Eh-thien-°ti-°‘au (合天底下). Lit. “Beneath the whole of heaven.”
“Useless, in vain,” Bak-bak-°li (白白裏). “Indispensable” is °Ba-’veh-tuk (罷勿得).