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

By compound verbs we mean those made up of more than one verb. As we have already seen, Chinese words having a distinct meaning when used by themselves also form part of larger compound words. This is true especially of verbs. A good example is the verb °Tang (打) to strike. It enters into combination with many other words to form compound verbs.

Thus:

To fight a battle, °tang-tsang° 打仗.
To attack an enemy, koong-°tang 攻打.
To gain a victory, °tang-yung 打臝, or °tang-sung°-tsang° 打勝仗.
To suffer a defeat, °tang-su 打輸, tang°-ba° 打敗, or °tang-ba°-tsang° 打敗仗.
To wound, °tang-saung 打傷.
To make inquiries, °tang-thing 打聽.
To fool with one another, °tang-bang° 打棚.
To injure by striking, °tang-wa° 打壞.
To consider, °tang-soen° 打算.
To dress in a showy manner, °tang-pan° 打扮.

VOCABULARY

To collect, to receive payment, seu 收.
To collect accounts, seu-tsang° 收帳.
To receive payment for a lease, seu-tsoo 收租.
To be imprisoned, seu-kan 收監.
To build a wall, tshi° (砌), or tshi° ziang 砌牆.
To build a partition, tshi° pih 砌壁.
To mend a path, tshi° ka 砌街.
To be wounded, °zeu-saung 受傷.
To prosecute at law, °tang-kwen-s 打官司.
To cut with a sharp knife, koeh 割.
To cut in two, koeh-°doen 割斷.
To cut with sword, or heavy knife or axe, tsan 斬.
To split, phih 劈.
To saw, zih 截 or ka° 解.
To boil, zah 煠.
To grill, to broil, tsien 煎.
To smoke (meat), hyuin 燻.
To bake, hoong 烘.
To sew, to stitch, ling 紉.
To take a stitch, ling-ih tsung 紉一針, (tsung means needle).
To iron, to burn, to scald, thaung° 燙.
To brush, seh 刷.
To rise (as the tide), tsang° 漲.
To fall, lauh 落.
Duty, ming-vung° 名分.
Rumours, yau-yien 謠言.
Receipt, seu-phiau° 收票, or seu-diau 收條.
A bell, tsoong 鐘.
Piles (such as are driven into the ground), tsaung 樁.
Tide, dzau 潮, or dzau-°s 潮水.
A cake, ih kuh kyi dan°-kau 一個個雞蛋糕.
Japanese. Toong-yang-nyung 東洋人, or Zeh-°pung-nyung 日本人.
Pain, thoong° 痛.
Wheat, mak 麥.
Dirty, auh-tshauh 齷齪.
Miserable, khoo-°nau 苦腦.
Russians, Ngoo-kok nyung 俄國人.
A biscuit, ih kuh thah-°ping 一個𩝣餅.
A grate, ih kuh °hoo-khaung 一個火匟.
A sparrow, ih tsak mo-tshiak 一隻麻雀, or mo-tsiang 䳸 [C2].
A swallow, ih tsak ien°-°ts 一隻燕子.
A pigeon, ih tsak keh-°ts 一隻鴿子.
An ax, ih °po °foo-deu 一把斧頭.
A saw, ih °po ke°-°ts 一把鋸子.
A file, ih °po tshoo°-tau 一把銼刀.
A plane, ih tsak bau° 一隻刨.
A quilt or blanket, ih diau °bi-deu 一條被頭.
A sheet, ih diau tan-°bi 一條單被.
Unripe or raw, sang 生.
Ripe, zok 熟. Also used in the sense of being thoroughly cooked.
Shameful, than-tshoong° 坍銃.
Face (cheek), °nyi-kwaung 耳光.
Spread out, than 攤, than-khe 攤開.

EXERCISES

(Translate into English)

(1) Kyau° tsoong°-hwo-yoen-kuh la° hwo-yoen °li tsan-theh i-kuh °liang khoo zu°.
(2) Di°-diau ka ih ngan ’veh bing, iau° tse° tshi°.
(3) Sing-vung-°ts laung° °ngoo khoen° °tang-tsang° kuh zung-kwaung, Toong-yang-nyung dzang-tsaung °tang sung°-tsang°, °lau Ngoo-kok-nyung dzang-tsaung °tang-ba°.
(4) Di°-°po tau kwha°-°le-°si, °khoong-pho° °siau-noen iau° koeh thoong° °seu.
(5) °Nyui-nyung kuh ming-vung° la° ok-°li sau van°, tsoo° i-zaung, taung-sing °siau-noen; nen-nyung kuh ming-vung° la° nga°-deu tsoo° sang-i°.
(6) I-zaung koen-°ts meh nan-meh iau° thaung°-ih-thaung°.
(7) La° ka laung° yi-la tsauh-°ts ih kuh zuk, yien°-°dze soong° tau° kwen han-deu seu-kan.
(8) Di°-saung ‘a-°ts noong° seh le ’veh °hau, ih ngan ’veh liang°.
(9) Khau-°ts tsoong °loong-°tsoong kuh ‘auh-sang-°ts zieu° iau° tsing° chi° dok su, ‘auh-daung-°li iau° °zoo-ding°, °tung sien-sang le, ’veh iau° da-ka °tang-bang°.
(10) Iau° tshi° ziang meh sien iau° °tang tsaung.
(11) Dzau tsang° meh zieu° iau° khe zen ‘ang tau° bing °s °lau ding.
(12) Di°-kuh mok-za iau° yoong° °foo-deu le phih-khe-le.
(13) Noong° foo°-°ts yang-dien meh, °ngoo peh seu-diau noong°.
(14) Di°-kuh dan° zah le thuh sang, iau° zok-°tien.
(15) Kyung-tsau °yeu khak-nyung le, iau° noong° tsoo° kyi-dan°-kau °lau thah-°ping.
(16) Peh bih nyung °tang °nyi-kwaung meh soen° °ting than-tshoong° kuh z°-°thi.
(17) Dien-°li kuh mak seu °hau meh? Wan ’veh zung we°-ts dzang-tsaung lauh °yui °lau.
(18) Iau° noong° chi° °tang-thing °tang-thing sa° nyung °zau di°-kuh yau-yien.
(19) Di°-kuh men-deu tan tau° °hoo-khaung° pien-deu chi° hoong-hoong.
(20) Kyau° mok-ziang° le yoong° ke°-°ts °ka-khe di°-kuh mok-deu.
(21) Tau° mok-ziang° han-deu chi° tsia° ih °po tshoo°-tau °lau ih tsak bau°.
(22) Mo-tshiak °lau ien°-°ts °z °siau kuh °tiau, ’veh °hau chuh, keh-°ts meh °hau chuh kuh.
(23) Tan-°bi °lau °bi-deu than °hau la° zaung laung°.
(24) Ng hyuin °hau meh tan le peh °ngoo chuh chuh khoen.
(25) I-kuh nyung koong-°tang le, °ngoo dih-’veh-dzu° yi, peh yi °tang-saung.
(26). Tsheh-chi° pa° khak kuh z-‘eu° sien iau° °tang-pan°.

(一) 叫種花園個人拉花園裏斬脫伊個兩棵樹.
(二) 第條街一顔勿平要再砌.
(三) 新聞紙上我看打仗個辰光東洋人常莊打勝仗佬俄國人常莊打敗.
(四) 第把刀快來死恐怕小囝要割痛手.
(五) 女人個名分拉屋裏燒飯做衣裳當心小囝, 男人個名分拉外頭做生意.
(六) 衣裳乾之末難末要燙一燙.
(七) 拉街上伊拉捉之一個賊, 現在送到官壗頭收監.
(八) 第雙鞋子儂刷來勿好一顔勿亮.
(九) 敲之鐘攏總學生子就要進去讀書學堂裏要坐定等先生來勿要大家打棚.
(十) 要砌牆末先要打樁.
(十一) 潮漲末就要開船行到平水佬停.
(十二) 第個木柴要用斧頭來劈開來.
(十三) 儂付之洋錢末我撥收條儂.
(十四) 第個蛋煠來忒生要熟點.
(十五) 今朝有客人來要儂做鷄蛋糕佬𩝣餅.
(十六) 撥別人打耳光末算頂坍銃個事體.
(十七) 田裏個麥收好末? 還勿曾爲之常莊落雨佬.
(十八) 要儂去打聽打聽啥人造第個謠言.
(十九) 第個饅頭担到火匟邊頭去烘烘.
(二十) 叫木匠來用鋸子解開第個木頭.
(廿一) 到木匠壗頭去借一把銼刀佬一隻刨.
(廿二) 麻雀佬燕子是小個窵勿好吃, 鴿子末好吃個.
(廿三) 單被佬被頭攤好拉床上.
(廿四) 魚燻好末担來撥我吃吃看.
(廿五) 伊個人攻打來, 我敵勿住伊, 撥伊打傷.
(廿六) 出去拜客個時候先要打扮.

(Translate into Chinese)