Section 7. On the verb, 活虛字.
211. Pih Hwa-tsun says, “One use of verbs is to connect the parts of proposition” 活虛字之用, 一以聯綴上下, “Thus if it be said, books instruct mankind,” 如云文傳世 (lit. writings delivered down to mankind); “the word books is the subject, mankind the predicate, and instruct the copula.” 文爲主字, 世爲賓字, 而以傳字, 聯綴上下也. “Another use is to express actions.” 一以寫出人事. “Thus if it be said, write a book, or correct an essay,” 如云作文評文之類. “write and correct are both actions;” 作字,評字,皆人事也. “for both these uses, verbs are indispensable.” “Verbs are very numerous; of those in constant use, there are about two thousand.” “There are also verbs of two inseparable characters; e.g. 婆娑 pú sú, move confusedly, and 盤桓 pén wén, to linger.”
Where our author speaks of 2,000 verbs, he means from among the single characters commonly used in writing. Many of these are, in colloquial dialects, expressed only in a dissyllabic form; thus, 慕 mú‘, to desire, is only used in common conversation in such compounded forms, as 愛慕 é‘ mú‘, to love. The number of inseparable compounds is thus rendered greater in the colloquial than in the written style. With regard to monosyllabic verbs, there are many in the books which are not in the colloquial, and vice versâ. For examples of verbs found in written colloquial mandarin, v. [page 63].
Verbs will be treated (1.) according to their modes of grouping; (2.) according to their most general nature, as transitive, intransitive, or substantive (voice); (3.) according to the particular modes in which their sense may be conveyed (moods); (4.) according to time (tenses).
(1.) Grouping of verbs.
Simple and compound verbs. 212. Examples of verbs of one word have been already given. A few more will be sufficient here.
| 放 fong‘, let go. | 鑽 tsûn, to bore. |
| 切 t’sih, cut in pieces. | 修 sieu, to prune. |
| 刋 t’síen, cut away. | 鑤 pau‘, to plane. |
| 剸 tsan, chop small. | 搭 tah, pitch tents. |
| 砟 tsoh, to reap. | 拆 t’sáh, pull down. |
| 挖 wah, scoop out. | 撞 dzong‘, meet. |
213. Many combinations of two words consist of verbs similar in meaning, but with no reason except custom for the order in which they are employed.
| 埋葬 má tsong‘, to bury. | 哀憐 é líen, to pity. |
| 遮瞞 tsó mén, conceal. | 禱告 ’tau kau‘, to pray. |
| 咒罵 tseu‘ mó‘, revile. | 保庇 ’pau pí‘, protect. |
| 調換 tiau wén, exchange. | 指點 ’tsz tíen, point to. |
| 加添 ká t’íen, add. | 煩勞 van lau, importune. |
| 話壞 wó‘ wá‘, calumniate. | 稱讚 t’sung tsan‘, to praise. |
Obs. i. The tautology existing in examples of this sort is no objection whatever to their use. Thus, 埋 má and 葬 tsong‘, may be used separately or together, as the speaker pleases. There is an advantage to the foreigner in using the compounded forms, because a mispronunciation of the tone of a single word is nearly compensated by the repetition of the idea. So also for natives speaking different dialects.