- 預備 ü‘ (before) bé‘ (prepare), to prepare.
- 相打 siáng (mutually) ’táng (beat), to fight.
- 相罵 siáng (mutually) mó‘ (rail) rail at one another.
Groups of three. 223. Propositions and words equivalent to them combine with 來 lé, come, and 去 k’i‘, go, to express the direction of the action of verbs.
- 敲進去 k’au tsing‘ k’í, knock in.
- 担上來 tan ’zong lé, bring forward.
- 走下來 ’tseu ’au lé, walk down.
- 殺前去 sah zíen k’í‘, fight on before.
- 踛起來 lók ’k’í lé, stand up.
- 坐下來 ’zú ’au lé, sit down.
- 做進去 ’zú tsing‘ k’í, sit farther up.
- 飛出來 fí t’seh lé, fly out.
- 走過來 ’tseu kú‘ lé, come through.
- 拉過去 ’lá kú‘ k’í‘, drag past.
- 掇起來 töh ’k’í lé, lift up.
- 縮轉來 sók ’tsén lé, turn back.
- 丟下來 kwan‘ ’au lé, throw down.
- 走開來 ’tseu k’é lé, walk away.
Obs. i. Thus we have an idiom similar to the English, except that the verbs of motion are added. The common prepositions annexed to verbs (and therefore sometimes called adverbs), follow the verbs in both instances. Of the Chinese five are verbs, which are all used as prepositions, 出 t’seh, to go out, outward; 進 tsing‘, to go in, inward; 起 ’k’í, to raise up, upward; 過 kú‘, to pass, through, across; 轉 ’tsén, to return, back; 開 k’é, to open, away. Of the prepositions 上 ’zong, forward, 下 ’au backward, downward, 前 zíen, before, the two former are also frequently employed as verbs in the dialect as well as in books; e.g. 上蘇州 ’zong Sú-tseu, go to Sú-cheú; 下船 ’au zén, to enter a boat.
Obs. ii. In the classical languages, the prepositions were put before the verbs instead of after them, as in the derived words ascend, descend; and another numerous class of terms belonging to our western tongues, is thus seen to have its equivalent compound form in the Chinese language.
224. The beginning and completion of an action are expressed by appending, 起來 ’k’í lé, begin and 成功 zung kóng, complete to the verb 起 ’k’í is also used alone, and the words 完, 停, wén, ding, finish, and 好 ’hau, well, stand for completion.
- 寫起來 ’siá ’k’í lé, begin writing.
- 做成工 tsú‘ zung kóng, to finish making.
- 畫成工 wó zung kóng, finish painting.
- 今朝做起 kiun tsau tsú ’k’í, begin to-day.
- 幾時做完 ’kí zz tsú‘ wén, when will you finish?
- 勿曾話停 veh zung wó ding, has not done speaking.
- 造好者 ’zau ’hau ’tsé, finished building.
Obs. i. In examples with 起, ’k’í, we have an equivalent to that class of Lat. derivative verbs called Inchoative or Inceptive; e.g. calesco, I grow warm, from calco.
Obs. ii. 起 ’k’í is sometimes omitted e.g. 做來勿好 tsú‘ lé veh ’hau, do a thing badly. But then the sense of beginning is lost also.
Obs. iii. This form is also assumed by adjectives, as 熱起來 nyih ’k’í lé, becomes hot; 熱來話勿得 nyih lé wó veh tuh, it is excessively hot. In the dialects west of Shánghái 熱得來 nyih tuh lé, is used for it is hot.