As will be seen from the lessons already gone over Chinese is very largely composed of idiomatic phrases. The only way to become acquainted with these phrases is by the constant hearing of the spoken language. We shall introduce in this lesson a few useful phrases and show how they occur in sentences.

“All one’s life,” ih sang-ih-s° (????). Lit. “One life, one world.” “To run about,” Bau-le-bau-chi° (????). Lit. “Run come, run go.” “To decide,” Lih-ding-°tsu-i° (????). Lit. “To stand still the will.”

Good-bye (French, au-revoir), An°-hyih-we° (???). Lit. “We will meet later,” or Tse°-we° (??). Lit. “I will see you again.”

The ordinary way of saying “good-bye” when you have been to call on a person is to say Chi°-tse (??). Lit. “I am going.” Your host will say Man°-chi° (??), meaning “Go slowly.”

The expression. Kan-nyih-we° (???) would mean: “I will see you in a day or two.”

“Universal” °Phoo-thien-‘au° (???), or ‘Eh-thien-°ti-°‘au (????). Lit. “Beneath the whole of heaven.”

“Useless, in vain,” Bak-bak-°li (???). “Indispensable” is °Ba-’veh-tuk (???).

VOCABULARY

• If it be so, kyi°-zen zeh-ke ????.
• By chance, °ngeu-zen ??.
• Purposely, °yeu-i° ??, or koo°-i° ??.
• At the point of, °kyi-oo ??.
• For the most part, generally, da°-liak ??.
• Suddenly, hweh-zen ??.
• Instantaneous, lih-khuh ??.
• Advantage, profit, iuh-tshu° ??, or °hau-tshu° ??.
• Lord, °Tsu ?.
• Master, °tsu-nyung ??, or toong-ka ??.
• Heavenly Lord (a term used for God), Thien-°tsu ??.
• God, Zung ? °Zang-ti° ??.
• Omnipotent, voo-°soo-peh-nung ????.
• Omnipresent, voo-°soo-peh-°dze ????.
• Omniscient, voo-°soo-peh-ts ????.
• Life, sing°-ming° ??.
• A dragon, ih diau loong ???.
• An account book, ih °pung tsang°-°boo ????.
• A small blank book, ih °pung °boo-ts ????.
• Carefully, °ts-si° ??.
• To waste, fi°-theh ??.
• A carpet, ih diau mau-°than ????.

°Boo (?) is the classifier for sets of books.

• A set of books, ih °boo su ???.
• A flag, ih mien° ji ???.
• Angry, doong-chi° ??.
• Still, dzung-jeu° ??.
• Originally, °pung-le ??.
• Drowned, dzung-sah ??.
• Sign, symbol, ‘au° ?.
• A mirror, ih mien° kyung°-°ts ????.

EXERCISES

(Translate into English)

• (1) Noong° zeh-ke° tsoo° meh, °khoong-pho° ih-sang-ih-s° iau° au-lau° tse.
• (2) °Ngoo bak-bak-°li te° yi wo°, yi dzung-jeu° ’veh thing.
• (3) Sien-sang tsiang iau° chi° yi te° °ngoo wo°, chi°-tse°, °lau °ngoo te° yi wo°, man°-chi°.
• (4) Noong° iung-ke lih-ding-°tsu-i° ’veh tsoo° zeh-ke° than-tshoong° kuh z°-°thi.
• (5) Thien-°tsu °z voo-°soo-peh nung, voo-°soo-peh-°dze, °lau voo-°soo-peh-ts°.
• (6) Nyung iau° khoen° z°-ka mien°-khoong meh, ih mien° kyung°-°ts °z °ba-’veh-tuk-kuh.
• (7) Tuh-dzak° °phoo-thien-‘au° °lau se-theh-°ts z°-ka-kuh sing°-ming° meh °yeu sa° iuh-tshu° nyi?
• (8) Di°-tsak °mo la° dien °li bau-le-bau-chi°, van-nan tsauh-dzak kuh.
• (9) Di° °boo su °yeu °kyi °pung? °Yeu nyan° °pung.
• (10) Kyi° zen zeh-ke°-nung, nan-meh °ngoo ’veh °hau wo° sa°.
• (11) ‘Auh-sang-°ts °tang-se° poo-li °z °yeu-i° nyi wan-z °ngeu-zen kuh z°-°thi?
• (12) I-kuh nyung tih la° pang °li, °kyi-‘oo dzung-sah, dan°-°z °yeu ih kuh nyung le thoo yi chi°-le.
• (13) °‘Au-pen°-nyih hweh-zen fah-°chi doo° foong le.
• (14) ‘Auh-daung-°li °loong-°tsoong °yeu °kyi-kuh ‘auh-sang-°ts? Da°-iak °yeu san pak kuh.
• (15) °Ngoo kyau° yi lih-khuh °doong-sung.
• (16) Tsoong-kok ji-‘au° °z ’man °hau khoen°.
• (17) Di°-kuh nyung °pung-le °z auh nyung, yien°-°dze hwe°-°ke-tse.
• (18) °Ngoo au-lau° °ma-°ts di°-diau mau-°than, we°-ts °than la° khak-daung °li thuh °siau.
• (19) Noong° seu-tsing°-le °lau foo-°tsheh-chi°-kuh °loong-°tsoong iau° kyi° la° tsang°-°boo laung°.
• (20) Di°-kuh ‘auh-sang-°ts iau° the°-theh, iung-we° su dok-’veh °zaung.

• (?) ???????????????.
• (?) ????????????.
• (?) ?????????????????.
• (?) ????????????????.
• (?) ????????????????.
• (?) ?????????????????.
• (?) ????????????????????.
• (?) ???????????????.
• (?) ??????? ???.
• (?) ????????????.
• (??) ??????????????????.
• (??) ??????????????????????.
• (??) ??????????.
• (??) ???????????? ??????.
• (??) ???????.
• (??) ????????.
• (??) ?????????????.
• (??) ??????????????????.
• (??) ?????????????????.
• (??) ??????????????.

(Translate into Chinese)

• (1) The man is very sick, even at the point of death.
• (2) One should not only think how to get profit for oneself, but how to give advantage to others.
• (3) In the evening the master gave the servants their wages.
• (4) I think that he offended me purposely, and therefore I am angry.
• (5) A student should not only learn while in school, but should be learning all his life.
• (6) I saw a dragon come up suddenly out of the water.
• (7) Truly all men under heaven are brethren, and ought to love one another.
• (8) A business man can see from his account book how much he has gained in his business or how much he has lost.
• (9) If you really ran very fast, how is it that you did not arrive sooner?
• (10) I have looked over this book in a general way, but I have not read it carefully.
• (11) If you wish to repent and become a good man, the first thing is to make up your own mind.
• (12) I knew the boat was a Chinese one, because they hoisted the Chinese flag.
• (13) A man’s life is most precious, so he ought to take care of his body.
• (14) When I had finished the work I found he had already done the same thing, and so I had wasted my time to no purpose.
• (15) The children like to run about and play in the garden.

• (?) ???????????.
• (?) ????????????????????.
• (?) ?????????????.
• (?) ?????????????.
• (?) ???????????, ????????.
• (?) ?????????????.
• (?) ???????????????.
• (?) ??????????????????????.
• (?) ??????????????
• (?) ???????????????.
• (??) ???????????, ?????????.
• (??) ????????????????????.
• (??) ????????????????????.
• (??) ?????????????????????????????.
• (??) ??????????????.