The usual way of forming the Comparative Degree of Adjectives has already been stated.

When two things are compared with one another in Chinese the words °pi (?) or °pi-ts (??) are used between them. Thus °Mo °pi-ts °keu doo° (?????) means, “the horse is larger than the dog.” Yi °pi noong° °hau (????), “He is better than you.”

There are a good many other ways of expressing comparison. Thus ’Veh jih (??) means, “not equal to.” Also we have ’Veh zu (??), meaning, “not equal to, or not up to.”

VOCABULARY

• To present or send, to escort a person on the way, soong° ?.
• To count, °soo ?.
• To reckon, soen° ?.
• To send (a person), tsha ?.
• To send a letter, kyi° ?.
• To deport oneself, to treat others, °de ?.
• To treat rudely, °de man° ??.
• To keep, observe, °seu ?.
• To knock the head on the ground, to kowtow, kheh-deu ??.
• A loaf, ih kuh men-deu ????.
• A stone mason, ih kuh zak-ziang° ????.
• A hammer, ih kuh laung-deu ????, or ih °po ??.
• A wine shop, ih ban °tsieu tien° ????.

Te° (??) is the classifier denoting a pair or a brace.

• A pair of fowls, ih te° kyi ???.
• A pair of candles, ih te° lah-tsok ????.
• A husband and wife, ih te° foo-tshi ????.

°Kheu (?) is the classifier for some articles of furniture, and for a well.

• A book case, ih °kheu su-dzu ????.
• Convenient, bien°-taung° ??.
• Clever, wise, tshoong-ming ??.
• Propriety, custom, kwe-°kyui ??.
• Coffin, ih °kheu kwen-ze ????.
• Sometimes, dzang-z ??.
• As if, like, °hau-°ziang ??.
• To compare, °pi ?.
• An account, tsang° ?.
• Reason, yoen-koo° ??.

EXERCISES

(Translate into English)

• (1) La° nyien ya° kauh nyung iau° soen° tsang°.
• (2) Noong° we°-sa°-°lau iau° chi°? iung-we° yi tsha °ngoo chi° °lau.
• (3) Sing° kyi°-tsheh chi° meh? ’Veh zung, zieu° iau° kyi° chi°.
• (4) Zak-ziang° iau° yoong° °kyi kwhe° zak-deu? °Ngoo ’veh hyau°-tuh ’veh-zung soen° koo° hyih.
• (5) Yi dzang-tsaung °de °ngoo ’man °hau, °soo-°i °ngoo iau° soong° °tien meh-z° la° yi.
• (6) Su-dzu °li noong° °pa-ts °kyi °pung su? ’Veh °hyau-tuh we°-°ts ’veh zung °soo °lau.
• (7) Khak nyung tsheh chi° meh iung-ke soong° yi tau° mung-°kheu.
• (8) Di°-°kheu kwen-ze sa° nyung tsoo° kuh? Mok-ziang° tsoo° kuh.
• (9) Noong° kuh °mo °pi °ngoo kuh kwha° too-hau°.
• (10) Di°-kuh ‘auh-sang-°ts °pi-ts i-kuh tshoong-ming °tien.
• (11) Di°-kuh ih te° lah-tsok °khau-°i °pi °pi khoen°, ih ngan m-meh doo° °siau.
• (12) I-kuh °liang kuh nyung siang-mo° kuh yoen-koo° °z we°-°ts la° °tsieu tien° °li too-chuh-ts °tsieu °lau.
• (13) Yien°-°dze foo° tsang° ’veh bien°-taung°, °tung tau° °‘au kuh nyoeh.
• (14) Di°-kuh ih te° foo-tshi ’man °hau ih ngan ’veh siang-mo°.
• (15) Di°-kuh nyung tsoo° z°-°thi, ’veh jih i-kuh nyung °hau.
• (16) Pa° nyien kuh z-‘eu° °siau-noen iung-ke te° doo° nyung kheh-deu.
• (17) °Nga-kok nyung chuh van° kuh zung-kwaung hwen-°hyi chuh men-deu.
• (18) Di°-kuh nyung ih ngan ’veh °toong sa°, °z °hau-°ziang ’veh zung dok hyih su.
• (19) Sien-sang dzang-tsaung kyau° ‘auh-sang-ts° °seu kwe-°kyui.
• (20) ’Veh iau° °de man° bih nyung.

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(Translate into Chinese)

• (1) The Chinese use rice to make wine.
• (2) This man treats his servants very well.
• (3) According to Chinese custom before a man dies his coffin is made.
• (4) If I wish you to come, I will send you a letter.
• (5) To take the child along with us will not be convenient.
• (6) He is older than you.
• (7) The stone mason uses stones, the carpenter uses wood.
• (8) I pay my bills at the end of the month.
• (9) He and I have had a quarrel because he treated me rudely.
• (10) I wish the carpenter to come and make a book case.
• (11) Because I have forgotten so many characters, it is as if I had not read this book before.
• (12) A scholar is wiser than a farmer.
• (13) If a man takes too much wine he can not do his work.
• (14) My friend came to visit me, and then I escorted him to his home.
• (15) This book I will present to you, do not return it.

• (?) ???????.
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Notes.

• (1) In the fifth sentence of the First Exercise notice the use of Soong° °tien. °Tien means “a few things.”
• (2) In the ninth sentence of the First Exercise kwha° too-hau° means “very much faster.”
• (3) In the sixteenth sentence of the First Exercise the expression Kheh-deu refers to the most formal salute of the Chinese. It is used by an inferior before a superior. The usual polite salutation is to clasp the hands together and move them from the feet to the forehead. This is called Tshaung° zo° (??) or Tsauh-ih (??).
• (4) In the nineteenth sentence of the First Exercise we have the expression °Seu kwe-°kyui (???). This is very frequently used. It means to act according to the laws of propriety. It is a command frequently given to children.