APPENDIX I.
ON THE HIGHER COLLOQUIAL, CALLED VUN ’LI ’T’U BAH,
文理土白.
Occasionally in the preceding pages, examples have been introduced, from the style of conversation prevailing among literary men. A common knowledge of the books, and the existence of a universal mandarin colloquial, have given rise to an enlarged vocabulary of phrases bearing this name. The consideration of their etymological and syntactical peculiarities belong to the grammar of the books and of mandarin, the two sources from whence they are derived.
An example or two will be given. Among the verbs, the auxiliary of destruction 脱 t’eh, is replaced by 掉 tiau‘. 殺掉 sah diau‘, to kill; 滅掉 mih diau‘ destroy. Many new groups are also employed, whose meaning would not be understood by the common people. 燈燭煇煌 tung tsóh hwé wong, the brightness of the candle in its lanthorn; 衣冠楚楚 í kwé ’t’sú ’t’sú, his dress and hat look neat.
In carrying on conversation with the educated, it is necessary to know these phrases when they occur, and it is a great advantage to be able to use them, but in an elementary work like the present, it is enough to say that the path to that knowledge lies in the study of the books, and of the general language. This part of the colloquial medium is common ground to all dialects, where no distinction remains, but that of pronunciation. In many cases, however, phrases not used in the every-day dialect of this district, and which therefore, are considered 文理 vun ’lí, are found in the colloquial of other parts of China, much farther removed from mandarin.