Obs. The adverbs of likeness (see [Art. 299]) are also similarly employed. 好像日頭忒旺, 眼睛勿好對之伊咾看 ’hau ziáng‘ nyih deu t’uh yong‘, ’ngan tsing veh ’hau té‘ tsz í lau k’ön, just as the sun is too bright for our eyes to gaze on him.
Antithetical Conjunctions. 322. Clauses with the particles although, yet, are formed by 雖然 sûe zén and 然而 zén rh, etc.
- 雖然巧個, 然而勿牢實個 sûe zén ’k’iau kú‘, zén rh veh lau zeh kú‘, although clever, he is not trustworthy.
- 好是好個, 到底本事平常 ’hau ’zz ’hau kú‘ tau‘ ’tí ’pun zz‘ bing dzáng, he is well disposed, but his abilities are not great.
- 雖然路遠, 究竟走得到 sûe zén lú‘ ’yön, kieu‘ kiung‘ ’tseu tuh tau‘, although it is a long way, yet I can walk it.
Obs. Although is very frequently omitted, as in the second example.
323. Either,—or are expressed by 或者 wóh ’tsé, 或者 wóh ’tsé, or by 勿是, 就是 veh ’zz — dzieu‘ ’zz.
- 勿是打贏, 就是打敗 veh ’zz ’táng yung, dzieu‘ ’zz ’táng bá‘, you must either conquer, or be vanquished.
- 或在東, 或在西 wóh ’dzé tóng, wóh ’dzé sí, it is either east or west.
- 勿是儂, 就是儂個兄弟 veh ’zz nóng‘, dzieu‘ ’zz nóng‘ kú‘ h’iung dí‘, it is either you or your brother.
- 或是姓張, 或是姓李 wóh ’zz sing‘ tsáng, wóh ’zz sing‘ lí, it must be some one named Cháng or Lí.
324. Neither,—nor are represented both by 也—也 ’á—’á, and by 又—又 í‘—í‘, with a negative.
- 也勿會飛, 也勿會走 ’á veh wé‘ fí, ’á veh wé‘ ’tseu. he can neither fly nor walk.
- 口也勿開, 手也勿動 ’k’eu ’á veh k’é, ’seu ’á veh ’dóng, he neither opens his mouth, nor moves his hands.
- 又勿賤, 又勿貴 í‘ veh giáng, í‘ veh kü‘, it is neither cheap nor dear.
325. When the first clause is interrogative, and the second commences with or, the equivalent form is ní, the interrogative particle at the end of the first clause, and 還是 wan ’zz beginning the second. Sometimes 也 ’á alone is used.
- 明朝要去呢, 還是要待兩日 ming tsau yau‘ k’í‘ ní, wan ’zz yau‘ dé‘ ’liáng nyih, will you go to-morrow, or wait for a few days? (See also [Art. 251]).