Obs. The English verb open, which is an adjective, verb, or adverb, like the Chinese, has evidently nothing to indicate to which part of speech it belongs, but position. It is on the principle of position, that in such phrases as an open door, knock open a door, and to open a door, the word is referred to its proper place in the parts of speech. There is this difference; (1) that in k’au k’é 敲開, the latter word is still a verb, while in the corresponding English example, it becomes a true adverb; (2) the Chinese word cannot be used as an adjective. The qualifying notion contained in the adjective, is expressed as a separate proposition; e.g. for an open door, 門開拉 mun k’é ’lá, the door is open.
217. In verbs of two syllables, many auxiliary words occur, which have nearly or quite lost their primary meaning as independent verbs. In the following examples, it will be observed, that these enclitics or proclitics, as they may be termed, often add nothing to the meaning of the principal verb. They are 得 tuh, 脫 t’eh, 打 ’táng, 見 kíen‘, 着 záh, 住 dzû‘.
a. 得 tuh, get, may.
| 聽得 t’ing tuh, hear. | 曉得 ’hiau tuh, know. |
| 記得 kí‘ tuh, remember. | 認得 niung‘ tuh, be acquainted. |
Obs. This term, though here it has no meaning, will be seen to be a very important word among the mood particles, as giving a permissive sense to the principal verb. Such is its most common signification is such phrases as 做得 tsú‘ tuh, it may be done.
b. 脫 t’eh, let go, escape, remove out of the way.
| 去脫 k’í‘ t’eh, remove. | 除脫 dzû t’eh, to remove. |
| 滅脫 mih t’eh, destroy. | 放脫 fong‘ t’eh, let go. |
| 漏脫 leu t’eh, to leak. | 走脫 ’tseu t’eh, escape. |
| 踢脫 t’ih (or tiuh) t’eh, kick away. | 卸脫 siá t’eh, flow away. |
| 斷脫 dön‘ t’eh, sweep away. | 奪脫 töh t’eh, rob of. |
Obs. This word may be regarded as forming a derivative verb. Its primary meaning is seen in 脱衣裳 t’öh í zong, take off one’s clothes, where the book sound t’öh is employed.
c. 打 ’táng, to beat, apply one’s-self to.
| 打掃 ’táng ’sau, to sweep. | 打聽 ’táng t’ing, to inquire. |
| 打發 ’táng fah, to send. | 打扇 ’táng sén‘, to fan. |
| 打算 ’táng sön‘, consider. | 打結 ’táng kih, tie a knot. |