Dictionary of the Swatow dialect/kng

by Adele Marion Fielde

kng

• 光kng478104
• Light; luster; brilliant; illustrious: bright; naked; smooth; bare; bald; to illuminate; to adorn.

jît kng căi;

the sun is very bright.

hûn cia lío jît bŏi kng;

the sun is not bright when obscured by clouds.

thâu-khak kng-kng nn̆g-nn̆g;

his head is very bald.

thâu-khak thì kàu kng-nn̆g kng-nn̆g;

the head shaven very smooth.

teng thie kng cē;

pick up the wick so that the lamp will give more light.

cí cho̤h îu cò̤-nî líam khṳ̀ bô̤ hìeⁿ kng?

Why is it that this oil does not give out much light when lighted?

thóiⁿ-kìⁿ hṳ́-kò̤ ŏi hâu-kng;

observe the coruscation there.

cêk sin nĕ kng-kng;

very smooth all over.

ciu sin nĕ kng-kng kût-kût;

his whole body is perfectly smooth.

bûa kàu kng-kng kût-kût, cìe-kìⁿ nâng íaⁿ;

polish it until it is so bright and smooth that you can see yourself in it.

thiⁿ-kng-cá;

at daylight.

thiⁿ lâ-lâng-kng;

at he first streak of dawn.

thiⁿ būe kng cū cáu-khí;

got up before daylight.

lṳ́ thóiⁿ thiⁿ ŏi kng a būe;

see whether the day is yet dawning.

khṳt i cîah kàu cut-cut-kng;

all eaten up clean by him.

kng-kìaⁿ kng-kìaⁿ;

highly burnished.

thâu-khak kng lût-sût;

bald-headed; a shining pate.

cìe kàu múaⁿ-tī-kò̤ kng-kng;

shines so that it is light all around.

tâng-tâng-kng;

gleaming.

i kâi tó lăi tâng-tâng kng cai;

he is very clear about it in his own mind.

bô̤ kng bô̤ àm;

no underhand dealing; no two sides to the trade.

cîah lío mâk-ciu kng;

after eating it his sight became perfect.

cí kâi suaⁿ kng-kng, bô̤ chīu bô̤ bâk;

this hill is bare, having neither trees nor shrubs on it.

i kâi thâu siu kàu kng-kng;

her hair is combed very smoothly.

kuah kàu kng-kng;

reaped bare.

thiu kàu kng-kng;

planed smooth.

gûeh kng căi;

the moonlight is very bright.

thóiⁿ tîhe lêng-ūaⁿ kng;

it seems brighter.

khîeh húe khṳ̀ chīeⁿ kng;

take a torch and throw light upon it.

• 剛kng318188
• The gods who reside in the thirty six large stars; the four guardians put in the gateways of Buddhist temples; they have red, green, white, and black faces.

jī mn̂g lăi sāi sì tăi-kim-kng;

inside the second gate were four images representing tho gods who reside in the thirty six stars.

i kâi nâng tōa căi, chin-chĭeⁿ kim-kng hìeⁿ-seⁿ;

he is very large, like one of the guardians of the gates of a Buddhist temple.

kim-kng sie phah, tōa kàng;

a great hubbub, as if the gods of the thirty six stars were fighting.

• 缸kng3191213
• A large, glazed, flaring jar.

cúi kng;

a water jar.

i kâi tăng-kíaⁿ àiⁿ khṳ̀ phîn i kâi o kng;

the little earthen pot is going to dash itself against the stone jar.

bói kâi kng lâi chĭ kim-lí;

buy a jar to rear gold-fish in.

nôiⁿ kng;

a jar for lotus plants.

hue kng;

large flowered jars.

• 扛kng319643
• To carry on a pole; to lift at.

kng kīe;

carry a sedan chair.

nín nŏ̤ nâng khṳ̀ kng tieⁿ chn̂g lâi;

you two go and bring the table, bearing it between you on a pole.

kng m̄ phû;

cannot lift it up when straining at the ends of the pole.

khah tăng, kng m̄ khí;

it is too heavy and we cannot lift it.

kng kàu ehⁿ-ehⁿ-kìe;

grunts in carrying it.

céng káu kng îeⁿ;

a pack of dogs carrying off a sheep.

• 肛kng3191303
• The large intestine or colon.

thut kng kâi pēⁿ;

a rupture; a protuded intestine.

thut kng kâi pēⁿ peh ūe kìe-cò̤ thut tn̂g thâu;

protrusion of the intestine is in common language called extruded gut.

• 管kńg4741188
• A tube, a pipe, a duct; quills.

koi mô̤ⁿ kńg;

the quill of a hen's feather.

ka tîo gô̤-mô̤ⁿ-kńg lâi khǹg cam;

cut off a goose-quill to keep needles in.

aû-lêng kńg;

the wind-pipe.

i chám kàu âu-lêng kńg ngĕ;

he has a lump in his throat because he is so distressed.

húe kńg;

a pipe used for blowing the fire.

mô̤ⁿ kńg chng;

the pores of the skin.

• 琯kńg475968
• A tube of stone.

lêng-kńg;

the tube which holds the peacock feather on an official cap.

• 廣kńg4785312
• Occurs in many names of cities or places, but when used alone refers to Canton.

kńg-tang nâng;

the people of Canton.

kńg-tang séⁿ;

the Canton province.

kńg ciu hú;

the Canton Department.

tòa ŭ kńg hùe lâi bōi mē?

Have you brought any Cantonese goods for sale?

kńg-jìo sui sĭ su so-jìo, hŵn-lío îaⁿ ciang-jìo;

Cantonese crape, although inferior to Soochow crape, is still better than Amoy crape.

cía sĭ thó tíaⁿ a sĭ kńg tíaⁿ?

Are these iron pans of Swatow manufacture, or were they made in Canton?

chìe kńg kua;

sing ballads in the Canton dialect.

cí kâi sĭ kńg-tang pù-cèng a sĭ kńg-sai pù-cèng?

Is this the lieutenant governor of the Canton province, or of the Kwangsi province?

• 卷kńg450266
• A scroll; manuscript; to roll up as one rolls a scroll laid on a plane; books; the ruled paper on which essays are written.

khai kńg ŭ iah;

to open the roll is beneficial.

tîeh bói kâi kńg-tō̤ lâi chō̤, àiⁿ tâu kńg tiang-sî, ngŏ̤ tîeh ŭ hŏ, kńg cìaⁿ bŏi pun hŏ ak tīo;

must buy a satchel to put the manuscript in, then when it is to be delivered over, if there should be rain, it will not get wet.

cía sĭ cìn kńg, hía sĭ lô̤h kńg;

these are accepted, and those are rejected essays.

thîn cò̤ cu kńg;

essays copied out in red ink for examination.

bâk kńg;

the original copy of the essay.

ŭ sî àiⁿ tìo bâk kńg lâi thóiⁿ;

the original manuscript after having been copied by another than the composer, is sometimes called for.

lṳ́ kâi kńg sía hó̤ a būe?

Is your essay written?

i khṳ̀ tâu pêh kńg;

he handed in a blank manuscript.

i kâi bûn-cieⁿ thóiⁿ tîeh ío ŭ cṳ kńg;

his essay shows a greater knowledge of letters.

úa tit tîeh i ŭ kúi hîeh kńg hîeh, sía lâi sĭm ngía;

I have obtained several leaves of his manuscript, and it is beautifully written.

thâk cṳ bw̄n kńg, ngŏ̤ sṳ̄ cêk bô̤ só̤ ēng;

one may read ten thousand books, and then find he has some business in which nothing he has learned is of use.

úa àiⁿ cò̤ cò̤ kńg cṳ, m̄ cò̤ cò̤ hue cío;

I want written scrolls, not pictures.

kńg cò̤ cek kauh;

roll it up into a roll.

kńg kàu kṳ́-kak kṳ́-kak;

roll it up in such a way as to keep the edges even at the ends.

kńg cúa;

ruled paper.

kńg cúa khò;

a writing book of ruled paper, ruled in squares.

• 貫kǹg4751544
• To run a thread through; to string on.

cîⁿ-kǹg-so̤h;

the string on which cash is strung.

cí choiⁿ cîⁿ bô̤ tú kńg, sĭ câk kńg kâi;

this is a full thousand of cash, nothing being deducted on account of the value of the string, which is extra.

u ŭ kǹg kha a bô̤?

Is there a cash taken out to pay for the string on which the others are strung?

cí kaî cîⁿ sĭ pó kǹg kâi;

this cash is to pay for the string used in stringing the others.

kau-kwn cìeⁿ kú, choiⁿ gūa cîⁿ bŏi lă tú kǹg kâi;

though I have traded with you so long, a thousand cash and over is not so much but that you must deduct the value of the string.

cí cho̤h cîⁿ cang cîⁿ-kǹg-so̤h lâi chng;

get a cash string and string these cash.

• 鋼kǹg3191678
• Steel; iron hardened by fire.

cí ki to̤ ŭ kǹg a bô̤?

Is this knife edged with steel?

m̄ cai kǹg cúi jîeh hó̤;

do not know how well-tempered the steel may be.

ńng kǹg;

soft steel.

ngĕ kǹg;

hard steel.

cía ki kǹg cúi cū sĭ sĭang ngĕ;

in this one the steel is of the hardest sort.

phah ki cêng kǹg kâi;

make one wholly of steel.

• 槓kǹg5697510
• A carrying beam; thills; a classifier of loads borne by two.

kuaⁿ-châ kǹg;

poles for bearing a coffin.

cêk tùi kīe-kǹg;

a pair of carrying poles for a sedan chair.

cêk kǹg ngṳ̂n;

as mach money as two can carry between them.

kîaⁿ ngṳ̂n kǹg, kîaⁿ lô̤h séⁿ;

forward silver in loads to the Provincial city.

khîa ki kǹg lâi kng sīaⁿ;

get a carrying beam, to carry the box of presents upon.

sīaⁿ kǹg;

the beam of a box in which presents are carried.