In asking questions °yeu tuh? (??) sometimes precedes a verb with the sense, “is there to be had?” Thus °Yeu-tuh °ma va°? (????) means, “Is there to be bought?” °Yeu-tuh chuh va°? (????) means, “Is there anything to eat?” The answers to these questions would be °yeu-tuh °ma kuh (????), °yeu tuh chuh kuh (????), “It can be bought.” “There is something to eat.”

’Veh pih (??) means “It is not necessary.” Thus ’Veh pih khok (???), “It is not necessary to cry.” ’Veh pih chi° (???), “It is not necessary to go.”

Ih ngan ’veh (???) before the verbs means, “Not at all.” Thus °Ngoo ih ngan ’veh °hyau-tuh (??????) means, “I do not know at all.” Ih ngan ’veh zung khoen°-kyien° hyih (???????) means, “I have not seen it at all.” Ih ngan ’veh iau° khoen° (?????) means, “I do not want to see it at all.”

VOCABULARY

• To visit, to pay respects to, maung° ?, or pa° maung° ??.
• To worship, pa° ?.
• To pay a ceremonial visit, pa° khak ??.
• To bathe, zing° yok ??.
• To catch, seize, arrest, tsauh ?.
• To prepare, to provide, yui°-be° ??.
• To move a thing, °doong ?.
• Loose, unstable, °doong °lau °doong ???.
• Immovable, °doong-°‘a ’veh-°doong ????.
• To remove (a residence), pen ?, or pen-dzang ??.
• To commence work, °doong °seu ??, or khe koong ??.
• To open school, khe ‘auh ??.
• To dismiss school, faung° ‘auh ??.
• A finger, ih tsak tsih-deu ????.
• A toe, ih tsak kyak-tsih-deu ?????.
• A cup, ih tsak pe-°ts ????.
• A clock, ih tsak z°-ming-tsoong ?????.
• A watch, ih tsak piau ???.
• A well, ih tsak °tsing ???.
• A basket, ih tsak lan ???.
• An apple, ih tsak bing-°koo ????.
• A crab apple, ih tsak hwo-‘oong ????.
• A towel, ih diau °seu-kyung ????.
• A life, ih diau sing°-ming° ????.
• A hill, mountain, ih zoo° san ???.
• A board, ih kwhe° °pan ???.

Fok (?) is the classifier of paintings or engravings.

• A painting, ih fok wo° ???.
• A chart or map, ih fok doo ???, or ih fok di°-°li-doo ?????.
• A picture, ih fok wo° doo ????.
• One time, ih we ??, ih thaung° ??.
• Two times, twice, °liang we ??, or °liang thaung° ??.
• Whosoever, van-i° ??.
• No matter who, ’veh lung° sa° nyung ????.
• Whatsoever, no matter what, ’veh lung° sa° ???, dzoe-bien°-sa° ???, or ’veh kyui-sa° ???.
• Whichever, dzoe-bien° ??.
• Whatever time you please, dzoe-bien° °kyi-z ????.
• Wet, sak ?.
• Dry, koen ?.
• Always, dzang-tsaung ??, or dzang-dzang ??.

EXERCISES

(Translate into English)

• (1) Z°-ming-tsoong kuh yoong°-deu °z peh nyung hyau°-tuh zung-kwaung.
• (2) I-tsak mau ’m-sa° yoong°-deu, ih ngan ’veh we° tsauh lau-°ts.
• (3) Ming-tsau °ngoo iau° tsheh chi° maung° bang-°yeu.
• (4) °Ngoo thing-tuh sien-sang ’m-sa° °hau °soo-°i le maung° maung°.
• (5) °Ngoo mung° mok-ziang° °zau vaung-°ts °kyi-z iau° °doong-°seu.
• (6) °Liang tsak °seu °yeu zeh tsak tsih deu, °liang tsak kyak °yeu zeh tsak kyak-tsih-deu.
• (7) Sang bing° meh tsoong-iau° °tshing i-sung we°-ts nyung kuh sing°-ming° °z iau° °kyung kuh.
• (8) °Zaung san °z van-nan, °‘au san °z yoong-yi°.
• (9) Di°-foong sing° iau° sa° nyung tan chi°? ’Veh lung° sa° nyung °khau-i tan chi°.
• (10) Kyung-ya°-deu iau° yui° be° °hau, we°-ts ming-tsau °tsau-zung-deu iau° °doong-sung.
• (11) Yien°-°dze chi° ok-tse ming-tsau chi°, dzoe-bien° noong° meh tso.
• (12) °Tsing °li °s °i-kyung koen tse, ’veh hyau°-tuh na°-nung tsoo°-deu.
• (13) Zing°-ts yok iau° yoong° °seu-°kyung kha koen sung-°thi.
• (14) Khan-khan °ngoo faung° nyan tsak bing-°koo la °lan °li, yien°-°dze pih-koo° °yeu °so-°ng tsak, ’veh hyau°-tuh sa° nyung tan-theh kuh.
• (15) °Tsh-di° piau °yeu-tuh °ma va°? °Tsh-di° yang° yang° °yeu tuh °ma kuh.
• (16) °Loong-°tsoong kuh z°-°thi °ngoo °i-°kyung hyau°-tuh, noong° ’veh pih te° °ngoo wo°.
• (17) Di°-°pung su ih ngan m-meh wo°-doo.
• (18) I-tsak pe-°ts °li °yeu sa° meh-z°? Pih-koo° °lang °s.
• (19) Tsoo° di°-tsak de-°ts iau° yoong° °kyi kwhe° °pan?
• (20) Di° sen tshaung tsoo° le ih ngan ’veh °hau, dzang-tsaung °doong-°lau °doong.
• (21) Chi° koo° hyih meh? Chi° koo°-°ts °liang we.
• (22) Sien-sang wo° ming-tsau ’veh °hau le, we°-ts iau° pen-dzang °lau.
• (23) Van-i° nyung yoong° sing meh °khau-°i dzung-koong z°-°thi.

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(Translate into Chinese)

• (1) When I have finished studying, I shall go to visit my friends.
• (2) No matter who comes; tell him I am busy (have affairs).
• (3) When the weather is wet I cannot go out to walk.
• (4) The pupils should not eat apples in the school room.
• (5) Children like to play the game of catching men.
• (6) The pupils read badly to-day; I think they did not prepare.
• (7) At what time does the school open, and at what time does it close?
• (8) I shall be pleased to have a conversation with you whenever you come.
• (9) This child does not want to study a bit; I think it would be best for him to go and do business.
• (10) I have already told you two or three times; do not forget.
• (11) Next month we shall remove our residence.
• (12) Near Shanghai there are no high hills, only grave mounds.
• (13) I cannot open this window; it is immovable.
• (14) Has the clock already struck?
• (15) How many eggs are there in the basket?

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Notes.

• (1) In the fourth sentence of the First Exercise ’m-sa° °hau means “not at all well.”
• (2) In the eleventh sentence of the First Exercise the expression Dzoe-bien° noong° meh tse is one very frequently used. It implies, “do it whenever and however you please”
• (3) In the fourteenth sentence of the First Exercise Tan theh means “take away.” We have already had the use of Theh after verbs, as Thoeh-theh, “to take off clothes.” It can be used with almost any verb of motion. We have Peh theh, “to give away.” Chuh-theh, “to eat up.” Chi°-theh, “to cast off, disown.” Ma°-theh, “to sell away, etc.”
• (4) In the fifteenth sentence of the First Exercise Yang° yang° repeated means, “Things of every sort.”
• (5) Note that the usual expression in Chinese to say you are busy is °Ngoo °yeu z°-°thi. It is never very polite to tell any one that you are busy. A person asking whether you were busy would say maung va°? “Are you busy?”
• (6) In the fifth sentence of the Second Exercise the game Tsauh nyung, frequently played by Chinese children, is referred to.
• (7) In the eighth sentence of the Second Exercise the clauses should be reversed. Noong° dzoe-bien° °kyi-z-le should come first.
• (8) In the ninth sentence of the Second Exercise “to go and do business” is Chi° tsoo° sang-i°.
• (9) In the fourteenth sentence of the Second Exercise Tsoong khau koo° meh is the usual way of asking the question. Tsoong is shortened form of Z°-ming tsoong.