b. In the same manner 功 kóng, work, 形 yung, form, and 氣 k’í‘, anger, in the following examples are not nouns, since they are neither in the nominative or accusative, or any other case. They simply add their primitive sense to the verbs they assist to form.

c. Similarly, adjectives in composition, while retaining their etymological sense, lose their individuality, and cease to qualify substantives, or to form a predicate to a subject.

Obs. In the first example 大 great is prefixed to the word for wife, independently of any second wife, and is usually equivalent to niáng ’tsz. In the third 牢 firm is joined with 定 ting‘, and the two words together govern the following substantive.

353. So in larger groups, when words of different parts of speech combine, the predominant character of the group is communicated to words, which alone have quite another kind of force; e.g. if 針 tsun, needle; 線 síen‘, thread; 情 zing, feeling, represent actions not things in the sentences—

354. When words combine to form a new compound term, different in sense from both of them, their grammatical validity is lost, and the new phrase is recognized in its entirety as a noun, verb, etc. according to its meaning. Thus, 引 ’yung, to lead, and 線 síen‘, thread, form the compound 引線 ’yung síen‘, a needle; 方 fong, square, and 便 píen‘ convenient, form 方便 fong bíen‘, alms; 裁 dzé, to cut with scissors and 縫 vóng‘, a seam, form 裁縫 dzé vóng, tailor; 招 tsau, to call, and 軍 kiün, an army, form 招軍 tsau kiün, a trumpet.