Lessons in the Shanghai Dialect :: LESSON XIII Auxiliary Verbs

LESSON XIII Auxiliary Verbs

The verb °chi (?) is often used as an auxiliary verb after the principal verb to express the idea of inception. Thus dok-°chi (??) means “Begin to read.” °Chi also expresses the idea of erectness, but when used in this sense, le (?) follows the °chi. Thus Lih-°chi-le (???) means “Stand up.” Lok-°chi-le (???) means “Get up.” It also has a progressive meaning, as when you say Doh-°chi-le (???) it means “read on,” “go on reading.”

We have the °chi, also used in combination with tuh (?). Thus Lok-tuh-°chi (???) means “Able to get up.” Lok-’veh-°chi (???) means “Unable to get up.” °Ma-tuh-°chi (???) means “Can afford to buy it.” °Ma-’veh-°chi (???) means “Cannot afford to buy it.” Kwhung°-’veh-°chi (???) means “unable to sleep.” Khoen°-’veh-°chi (???) means “to look down upon,” “to disdain.”

°Zaung (?) and °‘Au (?) are used both as principal verbs and as auxiliaries. Thus we have the expressions °Zaung san (??), meaning “to go up hill.” °‘Au san (??), “to go down hill.” °‘Au zen (??), “to go on board a boat,” °Zaung su (??), “to take an advanced lesson in a book,” etc. In these cases they are used as principal verbs.

As auxiliary verbs, they express motion upwards and motion downwards.

They are not confined to verbs of motion, but are used freely with other verbs. To both of them le (?) and chi° (?) are frequently added.

Thus we have dok-°‘au-chi° (???), meaning “Read on down.” Tsoo°-°‘au-chi° (???), meaning “Go on doing it.” Thiau°-°‘au-le (???), meaning “Jump down.” Thiau°-°zaung-chi° (???), meaning “Jump up to that place.” Thiau°-°zaung-le (???) “Jump up to this place.”

Although the Chinese language is, strictly speaking, a monosyllabic language, yet as has already been noticed there is a strong tendency to use two or more words together forming as it were disyllables or trisyllables. In this lesson some verbs are used, composed of two characters occurring together.

VOCABULARY

To like, to enjoy, hwen-°hyi ??.
To play, take recreation, beh-siang° ??.
To converse, bak-wo° or dan-dan ??, ??.
To believe, siang-sing° ??.
To fall, lauh ? (of things) or tih ? (of men or animals).
To stand up, lih ?.
To get up, lok ?.
To be willing, °khung ?.
To back the book, pe° ?
To think, °siang ?.
To sleep, kwhung° ?
To wipe, kha ?.
To fly, fi ?.
To reckon, soen° ?.
To build, °zau ?.
A stove, ih kuh °hoo-loo ????, or ih tsak °hoo-loo.
A rat, ih tsak °lau-°ts ????, or ih tsak °lau dzoong ????.
A washstand, ih tsak kha-mien°-de-°ts ??????.
A temple, ih zoo° miau° ???.
A window, ih sen° tshaung ???.

Ban (?) is the Classifier for firms, shops, etc.

A tea shop, ih ban dzo-kwen° ????.
A pair of chop-sticks, ih saung kwhan ???.
Words, seh-wo° ?? or wo°-deu or ??.
A sentence, ih kyui° seh-wo° ????.
Only, pih-koo° ??, or dok-°z ??, or tsuh-tuh ??.
Not only, ’veh-dan°-°z ???, or ’veh-dan° ??, or ’veh-°ba ??.
Heavy, °dzoong ?.
Light (in weight), chung ?.
Cheap, jang ?
Dear (in price), kyui° ?.
Happy, kha°-weh ??.
Clear or distinct, tshing-°saung ??.
Soochow, Soo-tseu ??.
Therefore, °soo-°i ?? or keh-°lau ??.
First, sien ?.
Together ih-dau ??, ih-doong ??.

EXERCISES

(Translate into English)

(1) Di°-kuh °liang we° bang-°yeu hwen-°hyi ih-dau bak-wo°.
(2) °Ngoo dok-ba°-ts su iau° tsheh-chi° beh-siang°.
(3) Zak-zen yi °khung ma° meh, noong° °ma-meh-tse.
(4) Di° zoo° vaung-°ts °zau-°chi-le ’man kwha°.
(5) °Ngoo kyau° i-kuh °siau-noen lih-°chi-le pe° su.
(6) °Ngoo °siang di°-kuh ‘auh-sang-°ts kyung-tsau ’veh zung kha mien°.
(7) Tsoong-kok nyung chuh van° yoong° ih saung kwhan, nga°-kok nyung yoong° tau °lau tsho.
(8) Zauh ya°-deu la° vaung-kan-°li °ngoo thing-tuh ih tsak °lau-°ts leh-la° kyau°.
(9) Zak-zen yi wo° yi ’veh zung tan meh, i-kuh seh-wo° °ngoo °khung siang-sing°.
(10) Thien °hau meh °ngoo iau° tau° dzo-kwen°-°li chi° °zoo-°zoo dan-dan chuh dzo.
(11) °Yeu bih saung-°‘a-°ts va°? °Ngoo pih-koo° °yeu di°-saung.
(12) Zauh-ya°-deu °ngoo kwhung°-’veh-dzak, °soo-°i kyung-tsau lok-’veh-°chi.
(13) Thien nyih kuh zung-kwaung iau° khe tshaung °lau mung, °lang meh iau° kwan.
(14) Tsoong-kok wo°, wo° le ’veh tshing-°saung meh bih nyung ’veh °toong kuh.
(15) Di°-tsak kha-mien°-de-°ts noong° °ma le jang va°? ’Veh °hau soen° jang, °ngoo °siang ’man kyui°.
(16) Noong° °kyi kwhe° yang-dien °ma le kuh? Zeh kwhe° yang-dien la°.
(17) Noong° we°-sa°-°lau °ma le zeh-ke° kyui°? Iung-we° tsuh-tuh di°-kuh ih tsak.
(18) °Ngoo tsheh-chi° bau loo° ’veh-dan° khoen°-kyien° ih zoo° miau°, miau° mung zien ‘a °yeu ih zoo° thah.
(19) Di°-tsak °hoo-loo °z °dzoong kuh nyi chung kuh? °Z ’man °dzoong kuh.
(20) °Tshing sien-sang °zoo °zaung chi°.
(21) Sien-sang kyau° ‘auh-sang-°ts dok-°‘au-chi°.
(22) °I-°pung su dzoong de-°ts laung° lauh-°‘au-le.
(23) °Siau-noen dzoong iui°-°ts laung° tih-°‘au-le.
(24) °Ngoo khoen°-kyien° ih tsak °tiau dzoong thien laung° fi-°‘au-le.
(25) °Ngoo ming-tsau iau° °‘au zen tau° Soo-tseu chi°.

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(Translate into Chinese)

(1) Do you like to eat this?
(2) In the day time men work, in the night time they sleep.
(3) The cat came in by the window and the rat ran out by the door.
(4) I conversed with him, and he taught me many words in Chinese.
(5) I want you to wipe the windows.
(6) Last night I only slept four hours.
(7) I not only bought a washstand, I also bought a stove and three chairs.
(8) Children like to play, men like to study.
(9) Why do you go to the tea shop? Because there I can hear many men conversing, and so learn many Chinese words.
(10) Are you willing to go with me to see the temple?
(11) To-day I am very happy, because I have finished the book.
(12) The child jumped down from the table.
(13) Please write on down.
(14), When will you go up the hill with me to take a look?
(15) The teacher first hears the scholars back the book, and then gives them an advanced lesson.

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Notes.

(1) Note that siang-sing° means “to like” as well as to believe. °Ngoo siang-sing° ih kuh nyung (??????) means, “I like him.”
(2) The expression “to back the book” arises from the old Chinese custom of the pupil turning his back upon the teacher when he recites his lesson.
(3) Notice the order of the words in the eleventh sentence of the First Exercise. The verb °Yeu comes first in the sentence.
(4) The word la° is added at the end of the sixteenth sentence of the First Exercise merely for euphony.
(5) In the twentieth sentence of the First Exercise we have another polite way of asking a person to take a higher seat in the guest room.
(6) In sentences twenty-two and twenty-three of the First Exercise we have the use of lauh and tih for “fall”. It is difficult to distinguish between the two, but tih is used always when we speak of a person falling down.
(7) The correct way of translating the first sentence of the Second Exercise is Di°-yang meh-z° nong° hwen°-hyi chuh va°? Di°-yang means “this sort.”
(8) The thirteenth sentence of the Second Exercise of course refers to the fact that the Chinese write from the top down and not across the page.
(9) The last clause of the fifteenth sentence of the Second Exercise should be nan-meh theh yi-la °zaung su. “Then for them, advances in the book.”

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