By compound verbs we mean those made up of more than one verb. As we have already seen, Chinese words having a distinct meaning when used by themselves also form part of larger compound words. This is true especially of verbs. A good example is the verb °Tang (?) to strike. It enters into combination with many other words to form compound verbs.

Thus:

• To fight a battle, °tang-tsang° ??.
• To attack an enemy, koong-°tang ??.
• To gain a victory, °tang-yung ??, or °tang-sung°-tsang° ???.
• To suffer a defeat, °tang-su ??, tang°-ba° ??, or °tang-ba°-tsang° ???.
• To wound, °tang-saung ??.
• To make inquiries, °tang-thing ??.
• To fool with one another, °tang-bang° ??.
• To injure by striking, °tang-wa° ??.
• To consider, °tang-soen° ??.
• To dress in a showy manner, °tang-pan° ??.

VOCABULARY

• To collect, to receive payment, seu ?.
• To collect accounts, seu-tsang° ??.
• To receive payment for a lease, seu-tsoo ??.
• To be imprisoned, seu-kan ??.
• To build a wall, tshi° (?), or tshi° ziang ??.
• To build a partition, tshi° pih ??.
• To mend a path, tshi° ka ??.
• To be wounded, °zeu-saung ??.
• To prosecute at law, °tang-kwen-s ???.
• To cut with a sharp knife, koeh ?.
• To cut in two, koeh-°doen ??.
• To cut with sword, or heavy knife or axe, tsan ?.
• To split, phih ?.
• To saw, zih ? or ka° ?.
• To boil, zah ?.
• To grill, to broil, tsien ?.
• To smoke (meat), hyuin ?.
• To bake, hoong ?.
• To sew, to stitch, ling ?.
• To take a stitch, ling-ih tsung ???, (tsung means needle).
• To iron, to burn, to scald, thaung° ?.
• To brush, seh ?.
• To rise (as the tide), tsang° ?.
• To fall, lauh ?.
• Duty, ming-vung° ??.
• Rumours, yau-yien ??.
• Receipt, seu-phiau° ??, or seu-diau ??.
• A bell, tsoong ?.
• Piles (such as are driven into the ground), tsaung ?.
• Tide, dzau ?, or dzau-°s ??.
• A cake, ih kuh kyi dan°-kau ??????.
• Japanese. Toong-yang-nyung ???, or Zeh-°pung-nyung ???.
• Pain, thoong° ?.
• Wheat, mak ?.
• Dirty, auh-tshauh ??.
• Miserable, khoo-°nau ??.
• Russians, Ngoo-kok nyung ???.
• A biscuit, ih kuh thah-°ping ?????.
• A grate, ih kuh °hoo-khaung ????.
• A sparrow, ih tsak mo-tshiak ????, or mo-tsiang ? [C2].
• A swallow, ih tsak ien°-°ts ????.
• A pigeon, ih tsak keh-°ts ????.
• An ax, ih °po °foo-deu ????.
• A saw, ih °po ke°-°ts ????.
• A file, ih °po tshoo°-tau ????.
• A plane, ih tsak bau° ???.
• A quilt or blanket, ih diau °bi-deu ????.
• A sheet, ih diau tan-°bi ????.
• Unripe or raw, sang ?.
• Ripe, zok ?. Also used in the sense of being thoroughly cooked.
• Shameful, than-tshoong° ??.
• Face (cheek), °nyi-kwaung ??.
• Spread out, than ?, than-khe ??.

EXERCISES

(Translate into English)

• (1) Kyau° tsoong°-hwo-yoen-kuh la° hwo-yoen °li tsan-theh i-kuh °liang khoo zu°.
• (2) Di°-diau ka ih ngan ’veh bing, iau° tse° tshi°.
• (3) Sing-vung-°ts laung° °ngoo khoen° °tang-tsang° kuh zung-kwaung, Toong-yang-nyung dzang-tsaung °tang sung°-tsang°, °lau Ngoo-kok-nyung dzang-tsaung °tang-ba°.
• (4) Di°-°po tau kwha°-°le-°si, °khoong-pho° °siau-noen iau° koeh thoong° °seu.
• (5) °Nyui-nyung kuh ming-vung° la° ok-°li sau van°, tsoo° i-zaung, taung-sing °siau-noen; nen-nyung kuh ming-vung° la° nga°-deu tsoo° sang-i°.
• (6) I-zaung koen-°ts meh nan-meh iau° thaung°-ih-thaung°.
• (7) La° ka laung° yi-la tsauh-°ts ih kuh zuk, yien°-°dze soong° tau° kwen han-deu seu-kan.
• (8) Di°-saung ‘a-°ts noong° seh le ’veh °hau, ih ngan ’veh liang°.
• (9) Khau-°ts tsoong °loong-°tsoong kuh ‘auh-sang-°ts zieu° iau° tsing° chi° dok su, ‘auh-daung-°li iau° °zoo-ding°, °tung sien-sang le, ’veh iau° da-ka °tang-bang°.
• (10) Iau° tshi° ziang meh sien iau° °tang tsaung.
• (11) Dzau tsang° meh zieu° iau° khe zen ‘ang tau° bing °s °lau ding.
• (12) Di°-kuh mok-za iau° yoong° °foo-deu le phih-khe-le.
• (13) Noong° foo°-°ts yang-dien meh, °ngoo peh seu-diau noong°.
• (14) Di°-kuh dan° zah le thuh sang, iau° zok-°tien.
• (15) Kyung-tsau °yeu khak-nyung le, iau° noong° tsoo° kyi-dan°-kau °lau thah-°ping.
• (16) Peh bih nyung °tang °nyi-kwaung meh soen° °ting than-tshoong° kuh z°-°thi.
• (17) Dien-°li kuh mak seu °hau meh? Wan ’veh zung we°-ts dzang-tsaung lauh °yui °lau.
• (18) Iau° noong° chi° °tang-thing °tang-thing sa° nyung °zau di°-kuh yau-yien.
• (19) Di°-kuh men-deu tan tau° °hoo-khaung° pien-deu chi° hoong-hoong.
• (20) Kyau° mok-ziang° le yoong° ke°-°ts °ka-khe di°-kuh mok-deu.
• (21) Tau° mok-ziang° han-deu chi° tsia° ih °po tshoo°-tau °lau ih tsak bau°.
• (22) Mo-tshiak °lau ien°-°ts °z °siau kuh °tiau, ’veh °hau chuh, keh-°ts meh °hau chuh kuh.
• (23) Tan-°bi °lau °bi-deu than °hau la° zaung laung°.
• (24) Ng hyuin °hau meh tan le peh °ngoo chuh chuh khoen.
• (25) I-kuh nyung koong-°tang le, °ngoo dih-’veh-dzu° yi, peh yi °tang-saung.
• (26). Tsheh-chi° pa° khak kuh z-‘eu° sien iau° °tang-pan°.

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(Translate into Chinese)

• (1) In cold countries the swallows fly away in the winter and return in the spring.
• (2) To have a lawsuit is a miserable affair, for you must use as much money.
• (3) My clothes were very dirty, so I told my servant to brush them well.
• (4) In the summer when it is warm you do not need a quilt, but in the winter you do.
• (5) The mandarin gave orders to cut off the robber’s head.
• (6) Some wicked people do not fear shame.
• (7) Has the school bell rung? If so I am late.
• (8) What is the matter with your foot? It was scalded by hot water.
• (9) When the tide rises the boat can travel very fast.
• (10) In front of my house I want to erect a fence.
• (11) Put some coal in the grate; probably to-night I will want to light a fire.
• (12) When you have split the fuel, tie it up in a bundle.
• (13) At the beginning the boys were only fooling, but afterwards they began to fight, and one of them was hurt.
• (14) A hammer, a saw, a plane, and a file are useful implements.
• (15) These pears and apples are unripe; if you eat them you will become ill.
• (16) At the end of the month the man goes out to collect his accounts.
• (17) Every one should do his duty.

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Notes.

• (1) In the ninth sentence of the First Exercise, notice the expression °zoo-ding° (??), “to sit quiet.”
• (2) In the eleventh sentence of the First Exercise Khe zen (??) means “to start the boat.” Literally it is “to open the boat.” In the same sentence bing °s (??) means “slack water.”
• (3). In the eighteenth sentence of the First Exercise zau-yau-yien (???) means “to start a rumor.”
• (4) In the twenty-fifth sentence of the First Exercise dih-’veh-dzu° (???) means “unable to oppose.”
• (5) In the fifth sentence of the Second Exercise, “to cut off the robber’s head,” is sah-theh °di-kuh °jang-dau° kuh deu (????????).
• (6) In the ninth sentence of the Second Exercise “to travel” is ’ang (?).
• (7) In the tenth sentence of the Second Exercise “to erect a fence,” is °tang-po (??).