A Manual of the Foochow Dialect In Twenty Lessons/Lesson XII

by C. M. S. and A. E. Champness

LESSON XII.

手 chiū

the hand

窄 cáh

narrow

佬 lâu

old, of persons

海 hāi

the sea

重 dâe̤ng

heavy

再 cái

again

歲 húoi

years of age

數 só

account

江 gĕ̤ng

river

輕 kĭng

light (weight), gently

管 guāng;

to govern

用 ê̤ṳng

to use

雨 ṳ̄

rain

雪 siók

snow

捵 tiāng

to push

砌 liē

to build with stone or brick

盡 cêng  頂 dīng  極 gĭk  上 siông  禿 tŭk

sign of superlative

平安 bìng-ăng

peace

之至 cĭ-cé

extremely

玻璃 bŏ̤-là̤

glass

賣記的去 mâ̤-gé-dék-kó̤

forgotten

闊 kuák

wide

禿 tŭk

blunt

由 iù

from

容易 ṳ̀ng-ê

easy

遠 huông

distant

年紀 nièng-gī

age

合式 hăk-sék

suitable, proper

謝謝 siâ-siâ

thanks

一疋布 siŏh-pék búo

a piece of cloth

十分 sĕk-hŭng

perfect, completely

1. When we speak of one thing excelling another we place a word or phrase either before or after the descriptive word possessing such a meaning. In Foochow Colloquial, the sign of the superlative comes before as a rule. That man is very good. 那𠆧盡好 Hiā nè̤ng cêng hō̤.

The superlative is formed:—a. By prefixing to the positive such words as, 盡 cêng, 頂 dīng, 上 siông, 極 gĭk, and the compound words, 上好 siông-hō̤ first rate, 頂好 dīng-hō̤ top good, 野好 iā-hō̤ very good, 極好 gĭk-hō̤ extremely good. b. By prefixing other words which give completeness, emphasis or intensity to the idea. 真 Cĭng truly, 恰 kák very, remarkably, too, 箬 niŏh how many, 禿 tŭk the very end, 十分 sĕk-hŭng ten candareens, wholly, entirely, 十全 sĕk-ciòng ten, complete. c. By reduplicating the adjective and sometimes following it with 着 diŏh which indicates fulness or completeness of quality. 明明着 Mìng-mìng diŏh very clear or plain; 細細着 sá̤-sá̤-diŏh very small; 高高着 gèng-gèng-diŏh very high. d. By suffixes such as, 的極 dék-gĭk, 之至 cĕ-cé, 大的極 duâi dék-gĭk extremely great, 毛理之至 mô̤ li cí-cé extremely unreasonable.

2. The idea of great difference in quality is expressed by 的⿰亻西 dék-sâ̤, 野⿰亻西 iā-sâ̤, 的遠 dék-huông. Very much better, 好的⿰亻西 hō̤ dék-sâ̤. Very different, 差的遠 chă dék-huông. The Bible is much more important, 聖經要緊的⿰亻西 Séng-Gĭng iéu-gīng dék-sâ̤.

3. 熟 Sṳ̆k includes ideas of being accustomed to, familiar with, ripeness. 生 chăng (green, raw) has the opposite meaning. He knows his business, 伊者代熟了 ĭ ciā dái sṳ̆k-lāu. He is a raw hand. 伊是生手其𠆧 ĭ sê chăng-chīu gì nè̤ng. This wood is very damp, 者柴盡生 ciā chà cêng chăng.

4. “Again” is expressed by 再 cái sometimes pronounced gái. Come and talk about it again, 再梨講 cái lì gōng. Cái also conveys the idea of additional intensity of degree. If it were a little heavier I could not carry it, 再重一滴仔儂家掏賣起 Cái dâe̤ng siŏh-dék-giāng nè̤ng-gă dò̤ mâ̤-kī.

5. It is quite the correct thing in China to ask a person his age, but the English question “how old are you”? is asked in various ways according to the age and position of the position addressed. In asking the age of a child we say 幾歲 gūi huói, but in asking the age of an adult we say 今年箬壞年紀 gĭng-nièng niŏh-uái nièng-gĭ? The most polite form is 今年高壽 gĭng-nièng gŏ̤-sêu, lit. meaning “exalted longevity”. I am 40 years old, 今年四十歲 gĭng-nièng sé-sĕk húoi. A youth in his teens likes to be asked, 今年十幾歲 gĭng--nièng sĕk-gūi húoi?

6. The length of time occupied in doing a thing is, according to English idiom, the time needed or taken out of other time. Chinese idiom speaks of the length of time used or wanted. God created heaven and earth in six days. 上帝駛用六日創造天地 Sióng-Dá̤ sāi-ê̤ṳng lĕ̤k-nĭk chaúng-cô̤ tiĕng-dê. He will need three days to make that box, 伊欲三日做一隻其箱 ĭ ó̤i săng nĭk có̤ siŏh-ciáh gì siŏng. It will not take three days, 伓駛三日 ng sāi săng nĭk.

7. To denote the instrument with which an action was done, the words 用 ê̤ṳng, 掏 dò̤, and 拈 niĕng are used. Write it with a Chinese pencil. 拈中國其筆寫 Niĕng Dṳ̆ng-gúok gì bék siā. Build it with stone, 掏石頭砌 dò̤ siŏh-tàu liē.

NOTE. Care must be taken to distinguish between the Chinese words meaning “old”, 佬 lâu is used for living things, and 舊 gô for inanimate objects:— That old man’s clothes are old. 那佬𠆧其衣裳是舊其 Hiā lâu nè̤ng gì ĭ-siòng sê gô-gì.

EXERCISE XII.

辛苦 sĭng-kū

tired

厭氣 iéng-ké

to reject

雞蛋糕 giĕ-laûng-gŏ̤

cake

看輕 káng-kĭng

to undervalue

解 gā̤

to unloose, unbind

濫 lâng

wet

源頭 nguòng-tàu

source

客調其乇 káh-dièu gì-nó̤h

toys

抱 bô̤

to nurse a child

血 haík

blood

筒 dè̤ng

a pipe

學問 hŏk-ông

learning

Translate into English;—

1. Cuòi mâ̤ hăk nù gì é-sé̤ṳ.
2. Gā sìng cêng sâ̤.
3. Ĭ gì nièng-gī cêng kĭng.
4. Gĭng-dáng dâung ṳ̄.
5. Ciŏng muòng tiāng kŭi.
6. Séng Ià-Sŭ gì nè̤ng ô sĕk-ciòng gì bìng-ăng.
7. Ciā uâ gōng cêng hō̤.
8. Ô dâung-ṳ̄ nâ nè̤ng-gă gì ĭ-siòng mò̤ sié-nóh lâng.
9. Cêng sâ̤ gĕ̤ng gì nguòng-tàu sê diŏh gèng săng lā̤.
10. Nṳ̄ ciŏng-gì káng-kĭng ĭ gì hŏk-ông nì?
11. Nòng-nā̤ diŏh bùng-diē, Gĭng-dáng dâi-gié cêng sâ̤.
12. Ng tĕ̤ng mâ-gé-dék nù.
13. Ng tĕ̤ng muóng hṳ̄ siŏh-ciáh lâu sĭng-săng gūihuói, gâeng muóng niê-giāng-gŏ̤ siŏh iông, muóng ĭ gŏ̤-sêu gó-hō̤.
14. Dâung-ṳ̄ cêng duâi. Dò̤ sĕ̤ng-buôi gì cièng ké̤ṳk gŏng-giêu gì.
15. Cī siŏh-siéng muòng cêng dâe̤ng, nè̤ng-gă tiāng mâ̤ kŭi.

Translate into Chinese:—

1. They want to cross the river.
2. How much are these pencils apiece?
3. I do not want it, thank you.
4. It snowed yesterday.
5. To worship God surpasses the worship of idols a thousand times.
6. Very good fun.
7. Ku-shan mountain is higher than Black Rock Hill.
8. I am very tired. The baby is very heavy to carry.
9. My little daughter is sick, she neither wants food nor her toys.
10. When the rice is ready please come and tell me.
11. How far is the city from here?
12. This account is incorrect.
13. We cross the river to-day and return on Monday.
14. His Chinese is insufficient for use.
15. How old are you? I am very young, only 21.