Dictionary of the Swatow dialect/sai

by Adele Marion Fielde

sai

• 釃sai75916419
• To decant liquors; to pour a libtation; to pour out.

sai cíu;

pour wine for a guest.

sai ke cêk ceng tê;

pour another cup of tea.

màiⁿ sai khah tĭⁿ;

do not pour it too full.

màiⁿ sai cêk koiⁿ;

do not spill it in the pouring.

• 獅sai7589410
• The lion, which has long been extinct in China.

sai kó, sai bó̤, sai kíaⁿ;

lion, lioness and whelp.

sai tó̤ háu;

the lion is roaring.

phah cêk túi cîeh sai;

sculpture a pair of stone lions.

mŏng sai hóⁿ;

a pantomime play of masked lions.

i kâi phīⁿ seⁿ lâi sai-sai;

his nose is large and curves upward.

thn̂g sai;

two lions made of sugar.

kho a-sai lâi cîah pn̄g;

call the dog to eat his mess.

i cǹg tîeh sai tī;

he is buried in a good spot.

ngò̤ thâu sai;

an open mouthed, watchful lion.

kim sai;

gilded lions.

kuah sai; chak sai;

to carve lions in wood.

sai thâu bō̤;

a child's bonnet, having fur ears.

• 西sai7881460
• The west; western; westward.

sai hng;

western lands.

sai pôiⁿ;

on the west.

sai kok;

European countries.

sai îeⁿ;

the Occident.

sai thiⁿ;

the paradise of Buddha, the nirvana of the common people.

sai pin;

a private tutor (the west side of the hall being the place for guests).

màiⁿ taⁿ tang laⁿ sai;

do not beat about the bush.

sai-lam kak;

the south-western corner.

sai-pak;

north-west.

co sai híang tang;

located with the back to tue west, and facing east.

sai mng;

the west gate.

m̄ kẃn i tang sai jī poih;

it makes no difference where he comes from, nor how his accounts stand; have nothing to do with him in any way.

• 私sai8351152
• Private, personal, selfish; partial; underhand, nefarious; contraband.

cáu-sai;

to smuggle.

lîah sai;

to arrest smugglers.

sai hùe;

smuggled goods.

sĭ kong-si seng-lí, a sĭ sai-khia seng-lí?

Is this business licensed or unlicensed?

i chûn ŭ cêk bw̄n sai-khia ngṳ̂n;

he has ten thousand dollars of his personal funds remaining.

sai-ĕ;

privately.

sai-ĕ sĭ siang-hó̤;

are privately in agreement.

soiⁿ kong, ău sai;

first public business, and after- ward private affairs.

bōi sai îam;

sell salt that has paid no duty.

côih hô̤, sai thiu;

bar the river and levy for personal use.

i khṳ̀ cò̤ sai sṳ̄;

he has gone to attend to some private affairs.

i kio i ŭ sai chêng;

they have private relationships with each other.

sai-cṳ̆ chut kun;

go out alone in advance of the army.

sai ì;

personal notions.

chip-sai kâi nâng;

the coast guard.

• 犀sai789937
• The rhinoceros.

sai kak;

a rhinoceros horn, thought by the Chinese to detect poison and often carved into cups.

sai-gû;

a rhinoceros.

• 腮sai7221309
• The jowl; the chops.

líang sai;

the jaws.

chíu tho̤h hiang sai;

she leaned her chin on her hand.

líang sai khah khui;

lantern jawed.

ĕ-hâi-sai;

the lower jaw.

• 師sai758507
• A master workman.

sai-pĕ;

an artisan; a clever workman.

sai-kíaⁿ;

an apprentice.

sai hiaⁿ tĭ ŭ jîeh cōi nâng?

How many of the trained hands are there?

• 使sái76196
• To command; to order; to send; to employ; to commission; to cause, to effect, to occasion; to serve one's self by; expense, use, service.

àiⁿ sái i khṳ̀ tī-kò̤?

Where are you going to send him as a messenger?

sĭ úa tó̤ sái-hẁn kâi nâng;

he is a person whom I employ to do errands for me.

hàm i màiⁿ sái phî-khì;

tell him not to be sulky.

cí kâi ngṳ̂n sái m̄ khṳ̀;

this dollar will not pass.

sái-ēng;

outlay.

siet-sái i ā-sĭ lâi, úa cū mín khṳ̀;

in case he should come, then I need not go.

jiak-sái ā-sĭ úa tŏ̤ kò̤, i cū m̄ káⁿ;

if so be that I were there, he would not venture to do it.

sái-hùi tīo tōa-bó̤-mûeh ngṳ̂n;

spent a great amount of money.

sái cîⁿ, sái ngṳ̂n;

lay out money.

màiⁿ sái i hŵn-ló̤;

do not sadden her.

tì-sái i kiaⁿ-kŭ;

renders him apprehensive.

sái kàu i huaⁿ-huaⁿ hí-hí;

makes him very happy.

i sĭ sái àm chieⁿ;

he uses concealed weapons.

cí kâi nâng m̄ hó̤ sái;

this is not one whom it is well to employ.

sái sang-to̤;

wield a double sword.

bô̤ nâng hó̤ sái;

have no one to go at my call.

kía-sái sî-hāu a sĭ kùe li cò̤-nî?

Supposing the time to be already past, what then?

• 屎sái760446
• Ordure; filth; excrement.

pàng sái;

to go to stool.

i ŏi làu-sái a bŏi?

Has he a diarrhea?

sái tháng;

an ordure bucket.

• 駛sái7601875
• To sail.

sái cûn;

sail a boat.

cûn tó̤ sái huang;

the boat is sailing.

sái phâng;

raise the sail.

nín kâi cûn àiⁿ sái khṳ̀ tī kò̤?

Whither are you sailing?

sái tāⁿ káng-kháu;

sailed into the wrong port.

• 賽sài72315410
• To show off; to rival; to make a display.

îaⁿ sîn sài-hŭe kâi sî-hāu;

when striving to surpass each other in the elegance of the processions accompanying a god.

líang-ke tó̤ sie sài;

the two are trying to see which can make the best show.

sài hue-teng;

the feast of lanterns.

sài thóiⁿ tī-tîang kâi sîn chîang ngía;

see who will make the finest tabernacle for their god.

i kâi pêh sài kùe soh;

its whiteness rivals the snow.

sài kó-ngẃn;

see who will make the greatest display of antique curiosities.

sài kùe cin kâi;

surpasses the actual ones.

• 婿sài790389
• A son-in-law; a husband.

kíaⁿ-sài;

son-in-law.

jî-sài;

husband.

tîet-sài;

niece's husband.

sun sài;

a son's daughter's husband.

gūa sun sài;

a daughter's daughter's husband.

mūeⁿ sài;

a younger sister's husband.

i khṳ̀ cò̤ sin kíaⁿ-sài;

he has gone to pay the first visit to his bride's parents.

i ong sài cò̤-pû lâi;

the old man and his son-in-law came together.

i kâi cáu-kíaⁿ àiⁿ lāu pàng kò̤ cie kíaⁿ-sài kâi;

they are going to keep their daughter with them and bring a husband for her into their family.

tô̤h sài;

choose a husband.

gūa seng sài;

a sister's daughter's husband.

• 晒sài733726
• To dry in the sun.

úa àiⁿ phah kâi sài-péⁿ;

I am going to make a platform for drying things in the sun.

cía tîeh sài kang lío cìaⁿ hó̤ ngói;

this must first be dried thoroughly in the sun, and then it may be ground fine.

khîeh khṳ̀ jît tèng cē sài cū khauh-khauh;

put it in the sun and dry it a little while, and it will warp from dryness.

cía sĭ chó̤-lîak sài kùe jît tīaⁿ-tīaⁿ, hŵn phâk būe kàu tī;

this has been only slightly exposed to the sun, and is not yet dried through.

• 使sài76196
• A messenger; a servant sent to inquire.

sài-chîn;

an envoy, a legate.

sài-cía;

one who is sent.

sîn sài;

an angel.

kong sài;

a delegate.

sài-mĕng;

an ambassador.

pù-cèng-sài;

a civil governor of one province.

i khṳ̀ chut sài;

he has gone as deputy.

àng-cak-sài;

a provincial judge.

piaⁿ-pĭ sài-cía;

an Intendant of Circuit.

• 塞sài7283210
• A frontier, a boundary, a limit.

sài gūa kâi tī-hng;

beyond the borders.

piaⁿ-bé chut khṳ̀ kàu sài gūa;

the troops went over the frontier.

• 柿săi763754
• The persimmon.

âng-săi;

ripe red persimmons.

âng-thang-săi;

deep red persimmons.

thīm săi;

to cover persimmons with hot chaff in order to ripen them.

gû thīm săi;

yellow persimmons.

săi píaⁿ;

dried persimmons.

săi lih;

the persistent calyx.

săi píaⁿ lih;

the calyx and stems of dried persimmons.

săi hut ;

the seeds.

săi sng;

the flour on the surface of dried persimmons.

ieh săi-khĭ;

guess at the number of carpels in an unopened persimmon.

âng-săi-kîe;

tomatoes.

cháu săi-kíaⁿ;

the red fruit of the belladonna plant.

siap săi;

the astringent persimmon.

• 祀sāi8381133
• To offer sacrifices to gods or devils; to set up and worship as a god.

sāi sîn cîah sîn, sāi hût cîah hût;

those who offer sacrifice to the gods, live on the gods, those who offer sacrifice to Buddha live on

Buddha.

sāi có-kong;

worship the ancestors.

sāi cò̤ cêk kham;

set them up in one shrine.

• 材sāi942753
• Timber; lumber.

châ sāi;

wood used as material for making things.

hó̤ cò̤ sāi;

this will do for the stuff to use in the making.

to̤ m̄ cĭeⁿ sāi;

this will not do to use as the timber for making it.

êⁿ sāi;

timber for rafters.

sam sāi;

pine lumber.