Lessons in the Shanghai Dialect - F. L. Hawks Pott

°Soo 所 (lit. a place) is often used as a relative pronoun. It translates the English “who,” “which,” “what,” “that,” and “the things which.” The clause it introduces usually comes before the subject of the sentence. Thus “All which you do, I am able to do also,” would be noong° °soo tsoo° kuh z°-°thi °ngoo °‘a nung-keu° tsoo° kuh. As has already been pointed out kuh often has the force of the relative.

VOCABULARY.

To wonder, be surprised, hyi-ji 希奇.
To wear, tsak 著.
To take off, thoeh 脫 or thoeh-theh 脫脫.
To wear a hat, ta° 戴.
To take off a hat, dzu 除.
To laugh, siau° 笑.
To ridicule, °lang-siau° (Lit. Cold laugh) 冷笑, or hyi°-siau° 戲笑.
Laughable, °hau-siau° 好笑.
Very laughable, siau°-sah-tse 笑殺哉.
By the side of, pien-deu 邊頭, or baung-pien 傍邊.
Place, han deu 壗頭.
My place, °ngoo han-deu 我壗頭.
Right (Direction), yeu° 右.
Right hand, yeu° °seu 右手.
Left, tsoo° 左. (Sometimes pronounced tsi°.)
Left hand, tsi° °seu 左手.
Right side, yeu° pien (右邊), yeu° pan-pan (右板爿).
Early, °tsau 早.
Late, an° 晚.
Sharp, kwha° 快. (Same character as that used for fast.)
Dull, dung° 鈍.
Sweet, dien 甜.
Bitter, °khoo 苦.
Ugly, pho° 怕. (Same character as that used for fear.)
Pretty, tshui° 趣.
A shop, ih ban tien° 一爿店.
Take care, °taung-sing 當心, or °siau-sing 小心.
Take great care, too°-°taung-sing 多當心.
Tools, implements, ka-sang 傢生.
Furniture, ka-°hoo 傢伙.
A tea pot, ih °po dzo-‘oo 一把茶壺.
A class (in a school), ih pan 一班.
To sing, ts’aung 唱.

EXERCISES

(Translate into English)

(1) °Ngoo tau° tien° °li chi° khoen°-kyien° too-hau° meh-z°, dan°-°z °ma-’veh-°chi kuh.
(2) °Taung sing °tseu °hau.
(3) °Taung sing di°-kuh° yang-dien, faung° °hau la° siang-°ts °li.
(4) Zung-kwaung an° tse, zieu° chi° kwhung°.
(5) Kyung-tsau °ngoo ’m-sa° °hau, lok-’veh-°chi.
(6) °Ngoo °soo kau°-soo° noong° kuh ih tsaung z°-°thi ’veh iau° te° bih nyung wo°.
(7) Yoong°-nyung wan ’veh zung le °z peh °ngoo hyi-ji.
(8) °Taung-sing° di°-°po tau °z ’man kwha° kuh.
(9) Yi te° °ngoo wo° kuh z°-°thi °z °hau-siau° kuh.
(10) °Ngoo loo° °laung bang yi ’veh dzak, ’veh °hyau-tuh tau° °‘a-°li chi° tse.
(11) Di°-°po dzo-‘oo tan tau° sien-sang han-deu chi°.
(12) I-kuh nyung tsi° °seu °sia z°, da°-ke nyung yeu° °seu °sia kuh.
(13) Nyih-°li °soo tsak kuh i-zaung, ya°-°li kwhung° kuh z-eu° iau° thoeh-theh kuh.
(14) Nga-kok sien-sang tsing° mung-kheu thoeh-theh mau°-°ts, tsoong-kok nyung ’veh thoeh-theh kuh.
(15) I-tsak mau ’man °hau khoen°, dan°-°z °i tsak °keu °z pho°-le-°si.
(16) Too-hau° nyung hwen-°hyi chuh dien kuh meh-z°, ’m-nyung hwen-°hyi chuh °khoo kuh.
(17) Dzung °li °yeu °kyi-hau° nyung? Khoong-pho° °yeu zeh man°.
(18) Di°-kuh ‘auh-sang-°ts, ’man yoong° sing dok su, la° ih pan °li °z deu ih.
(19) Ih kuh nyung tan le ih pak ling san kuh doong-dien.

(一) 我到店裡去看見多化物事但是買勿起個.
(二) 當心走好.
(三) 當心第個洋錢放好拉箱子裏.
(四) 辰光晚哉就去睏.
(五) 今朝我無啥好䟿勿起.
(六) 我所告訴儂個一莊事體勿要對別人話.
(七) 用人還勿曾來是撥我希奇.
(八) 當心第把刀是蠻快個.
(九) 伊對我話個事體是好笑個.
(十) 我路上掽伊勿着勿曉得到那裏去哉.
(十一) 第把茶壺担到先生壗頭去.
(十二) 伊個人左手寫字大槩人右手寫個.
(十三) 日裏所著個衣裳夜裏睏個時候要脫脫個.
(十四) 外國先生進門口脫脫帽子中國人勿脫脫個.
(十五) 一隻猫蠻好看但是一隻狗是怕來死.
(十六) 多化人歡喜吃甜個物事嘸人歡喜吃苦個.
(十七) 城裏有幾化人? 恐怕有十萬.
(十八) 第個學生子蠻用心讀書拉一班裏是頭一.
(十九) 一個人担來一百零三個銅錢.

(Translate into Chinese)

(1) When I was in the carriage, I told the coachman to take care.
(2) The clothes which that maiden wears are very pretty.
(3) The boat is by the side of the river.
(4) Yesterday I met a man who told me that he saw a carpenter kill a man with a sharp knife.
(5) Although I do not speak Chinese well, please do not laugh at me.
(6) I asked a man which road to take; he told me to go to the right.
(7) I did not meet a single person on the road.
(8) This bird is very beautiful; can it sing?
(9) When it is warm you do not want to wear many clothes.
(10) This tea is bitter and not good to drink.
(11) Yesterday I walked very far, and so could not get up to-day.
(12) Take this letter to the teacher.

(一) 我拉馬車裏個辰光叫馬夫當心.
(二) 伊個小姐着個衣裳蠻趣.
(三) 一隻船拉河邊上.
(四) 昨日我掽着一個人告訴我話伊看見一個木匠担之快個刀殺一個人.
(五) 我雖然中國話話來勿好請儂勿要笑我.
(六) 我問一個人走那裏一條路伊話右手一條.
(七) 我路上一個人也掽勿着.
(八) 第隻窵蠻趣會唱否?
(九) 天熱末儂勿要着多化衣裳.
(十) 第個茶苦個勿好吃個.
(十一) 昨日我走之多化路所以今朝䟿勿起哉.
(十二) 第封信担到先生壗頭去.