As already remarked, words in Chinese do not change their form to indicate gender. Sometimes, however, words indicating gender are placed before them. Nen (?), “Male” and °Nyui (?), “female”, are used with human beings in this way. Thus we have Nen nyung (??) for “man”, and °Nyui nyung (??) for “woman”. Nen noen (??) means “a male child,” and °Nyui noen (??) “a female child.”

When speaking of the male and female of animals Yoong (?) and Tsh (?) are used. Thus we have Yoong kyi (??) for “cock,” and Tsh kyi (??) for “hen,” Yoong s-°ts (???) for “lion,” and Tsh s-°ts (???) for “lioness.”

VOCABULARY

• To crow, di ?.
• To offend, tuh-°dzoe ??.
• To hide oneself, ben°-°loong ??.
• To hide a thing, khaung°-°loong ??, or khaung° ?.
• To gain or make a profit, dzan° ?.
• Profits in business, dzan°-deu ??.
• To lose in business, zeh ?, zeh-theh ??, zeh-°pung ??.
• To congratulate a person, koong-°hyi ??.
• To become rich, fah-dze ??.
• To lock, °soo ?.
• To bar or bolt the door, sen ?.
• The bar, or bolt of the door, sak ?.
• To plant, tsoong° ?.
• To examine carefully, dzo ?, or dzo-°khau ??.
• To examine a class, °khau-su ??.
• To fall, tih ?.
• To save, kyeu° ?.
• To stop, ding ?.
• Stop a minute, ding-ih-ding ???.
• Garden, hwo-yoen ??.
• College, su-yoen° ??.
• University, da°-‘auh ??.
• A lock, ih °po °soo ???.
• A key, ih °po yak-dz ????.
• A creek or canal, ih diau pang ???.
• A two story house, ih zoo° leu ???, or leu-vaung ??.

Dzung (?) is the classifier for a story of a house or for anything like a ladder.

• A three-storied house, san dzung leu ???.
• A ladder, ih dzung voo-thi ????.

Dzaung° (?) is the classifier denoting things piled one on top of the other.

• A pile of clothes, ih dzaung° i-zaung ????.

Da° (?) is the classifier for rows of things.

• A row of trees, ih da° zu ???.
• Spring (the first of the seasons), tshung ?.
• Summer, ‘au° ?.
• Autumn, tshieu ?.
• Winter, toong ?.
• A season, kyi° ?.
• The four seasons, s°-kyi° ??.
• Politeness, khak-chi° ??.
• Happiness, fok-chi° ??.
• Slippery, wah ?.
• Hard, ngang° ?.
• Soft, °nyoen ?.
• Smooth, kwaung ?.
• Rough, mau ?.
• Good (moral), °zen ?.
• Wicked, auh ?.
• Fierce, hyoong ?.
• Precious, °pau-pe° ??.
• Clear, tshing ?.
• Muddy, wung ?.
• Level, bing ?.
• Light (opposite of dark), liang° ?.
• Dark, en° ?.
• At last (in the end), tau°-°ti ??.

EXERCISES

(Translate into English)

• (1) Di°-laung° wah lau, taung-sing °tien °tseu.
• (2) S°-kyi° kyau° tshung ‘au° tshieu toong.
• (3) °Ngoo bang°-dzak-ts ih kuh nyung °lau iau° yi nyang° loo°, °soo-°i te° yi wo° tuh-°dzoe, tuh °dzoe. Yi wo° ’veh iau° khak-chi°.
• (4) Noong° tsoo° °di-kuh sang-i, ih nyien iau° dzan° °kyi-hau°? m-sa° dzan°-deu °tau zeh-°pung.
• (5) Nyien tshoo ih, bang°-dzak-ts nyung tsau° kwe-°kyui iung-ke te° yi wo° koong-°hyi, fah-dze.
• (6) Nyung tsoo° auh kuh z°-°thi, °z la° en°-°li tsoo° kuh.
• (7) We°-ts pho° bih nyung iau° dzo-dzak °lau, i-kuh nyung chi° ben°-°loong.
• (8) Ya°-°li tsoong-iau° °soo mung°, °khoong-pho° zuh tsing° le theu meh-z°.
• (9) Tsoong-kok mung° yoong° sak le sen kuh, nga°-kok mung° yoong° yak-dz le °soo kuh.
• (10) °Siau-noen la° beh-siang° kuh z-‘eu° tih la° pang °li, kwha°-°tien chi° kyeu° yi.
• (11) Yoong tiau we° kyau°, tsh tiau ’veh we° kyau°.
• (12) Tsh s-°ts °pi-ts yoong s-°ts kung°-ka hyoong.
• (13) Di°-kuh nyung °yeu san kuh nen-noen, °lau ih kuh °nyui-noen, zeh-dze °yeu fok-chi°.
• (14) Di°-kuh meh-z° °z °pau-pe° kuh, iau° khaung° °hau.
• (15) °‘Au-°li-pa°, su-yoen° °li iau° °khau-su.
• (16) Di°-kuh ih da° vaung-°ts kau-le-°si, °loong-°tsoong °z s° dzung leu.
• (17) Di°-diau loo° ’veh bing, van-nan °tseu kuh.
• (18) Tshing °s °hau chuh kuh, wung °s ’veh °hau chuh.
• (19) Zak-deu °z ngang° kuh, men-deu °z °nyoen kuh.
• (20) Tau°-°ti meh °zen nyung ih ding° iau° tuh-dzak fok-chi°.

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(Translate into Chinese)

• (1) In the garden the gardeners have planted three rows of apple trees.
• (2) After the cock crows in the morning I am unable to sleep any more.
• (3) This man is very polite, and so every one likes him.
• (4) In the winter we close all the doors and windows and light a fire, in the summer we open all the doors and windows.
• (5) The water in the creek is muddy and not fit to drink.
• (6) Some men become rich in business, and some lose money.
• (7) Lock the door and do not let the cat come in.
• (8) The child fell off the chair and therefore cries.
• (9) Yesterday I went to see a seven storied pagoda.
• (10) This account is not right; it is not reckoned clearly.
• (11) I cannot find out that this man has done anything wicked.
• (12) When I met the robber I cried out to others to come and save my life.
• (13) This man is very fierce; he is always fighting.
• (14) At the end of the year, all the scholars in the college must be examined.
• (15) I have lost my key and cannot open my box.
• (16) I think you have not lost it, but you have hidden it away somewhere, and have forgotten where you put it; let me go and look for it.

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