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).