Dictionary of the Swatow dialect/tau

by Adele Marion Fielde

tau

• 兜tau873109
• To retain; to detain.

tau-lâu i nā kò̤;

press him to stay, as a guest.

tau-kíaⁿ;

a son, a child who remains, in contradistinction to a daughter, who eventually leaves her father's family.

tau-kíaⁿ kah cáu-kíaⁿ lóng-cóng poih nâng;

there are eight of them, including both sons and daughters.

i kâi mûeh kio i tau pàng kò̤;

kept his things in order to make him stay.

tau-lâu i m̄ cŭ;

could not persuade her to stay.

• 斗táu874680
• A dry measure of ten quarts; the Chinese peck; a simile of size; a wine vessel.

nŏ̤ tâng cêk seng, câp seng cêk táu, câp táu cêk cîeh;

two pints make a quart, ten quarts a peck, and ten pecks a chaldron.

nîe cêk táu bí;

measure out a peck of rice.

bí táu;

a peck measure.

sĭ tōa táu a sĭ síam táu?

Are the pecks full or short measure?

cía sĭ cìaⁿ-hú táu;

this is the standard peck.

cí khí táu lâi phah hṳ́ khí táu cêk táu cìaⁿ câp-sì tâng;

if these pecks were measured out in pecks of that size, there would be about seven-tenths as many.

cí koiⁿ phò kâi táu-sek hó̤ mē?

Do they measure out good sized pecks at this shop?

i cí koiⁿ kâi táu nîe khṳ̀ ío ŭ táu-thâu;

they give fuller measure at this stop.

táu-kài;

a rod used to level off measures of rice.

táu-kài kài hó̤-hó̤;

level it off level with the leveler.

pak-táu;

a constellation containing four stars in Ursa Major.

bâk-táu;

a carpenter's marking-cup and line.

ut-táu;

a sad-iron.

• 倒táu86698
• To turn upside down, or end foremost; to subvert order.

cîah lău, cū tien-táu;

when one becomes old he is apt to get things confused.

i cē lāu cū-lău-tien-táu;

in growing old he has grown forgetful.

táu tì;

bottom upward.

tien-tien táu-táu;

all at loose ends.

tien-táu sĭ hui;

confound truth and error.

chṳ́ sŭ màiⁿ táu-tì;

do not mislay them from their place in the series.

• 找táu34644
• To barter; to exchange.

táu cîⁿ;

to exchange silver for cash.

táu cîⁿ phò;

a money-changer's office.

táu ūaⁿ kim ngṳ̂n;

exchange of gold and silver.

hīn-khek kâi ngṳ̂n táu sĭm-mih kè?

For how much does a dollar now exchange?

táu cêk kâi ûant-pó̤ cìaⁿ ēng cò̤ kâi gûeh;

get a bar of silver exchanged for small coin, and it is spent in a month.

cìaⁿ chiah kim li jîh-ngŏ táu;

pure gold exchanges for twenty-five dollars per ounce.

cía kim ío kĕ, táu kàu jī-câp ngṳ̂n;

this gold has more alloy in it and exchanges for twenty dollars per ounce.

hīn-khek kâi cìaⁿ siam sa-peh táu hŵn-lío bói bô̤;

now-a-days real ginseng cannot be bought although you give three hundred times its weight in silver for it.

táu to̤h-kūiⁿ;

the table of a money-changer.

• 腦táu6171309
• The brain; the head.

ău-táu;

the back of the head.

i ău-táu-búe siu lâi ngía;

her back hair is done up beautifully.

i cêng pàng ău-táu-búe a būe?

Has she yet added the Ningpo coiffure to her own hair?

i kâi ău-táu píen-píen;

the back of his head is very peaked.

• 臀táu92913013
• The seat; the nates.

i sīa khṳ̀ kâi táu khah khìo;

he bends his body too much when he bends his bow.

• 搗táu8666430
• To pound or crush in a mortar.

táu chùi;

break it up by pounding it in a mortar.

kieⁿ li phoi tàⁿ àiⁿ táu cap;

the directions say that the ginger-root is to be pounded and its juice taken.

• 島táu866467
• An island out at sea.

hái-táu;

an islet; a high rock in the sea.

suaⁿ-táu;

a mountainous island.

tàu-sṳ̆;

islands.

• 禱táu86611314
• To supplicate the gods; to pray.

khî-táu;

to pray.

táu-cok;

to ask divine blessing.

tng thiⁿ táu-cok;

pray under the open sky.

• 巢tàu37478
• A nest; a resort.

cío tàu;

a bird's nest.

koi tàu;

a fowl's nest.

tṳ tàu;

a pig's bed.

kâⁿ chīu-ki khṳ̀ co̤h tàu;

took a twig in his mouth for the building of his nest.

tìam tŏ̤ tàu tói pū kíaⁿ;

stayed in the nest hovering her brood.

kui lîo kui tàu;

return to their accustomed haunts.

mûeh tīo i kâi tàu;

spoiled their nests.

cìam tàu;

usurp a nest.

phah phùa i kâi châk-tàu;

destroy a retreat of robbers.

i bô̤ tàu cū bŏi cŭ cò̤ cêk ē;

if they have no lurking place they cannot assemble.

bô̤ tàu cū bô̤ kò̤ hó̤ châng sin;

if they have no haunt, they will have no place to conceal themselves.

kheh-cío tàu;

a magpie's nest.

hĭa tàu;

ants' nests.

bô̤ lîo bô̤ tàu;

without house or home.

• 競tàu40711714
• To struggle for; to contend; to rival in zeal for; to emulate; to do vigorously.

tàu thóiⁿ tī-tîang méⁿ;

see who will be quickest.

tàu phĕ cûn;

paddle a race in boats.

tàu sái cûn;

a regatta.

tàu cáu;

run a race.

sie tàu hì;

rival theatres.

hàm nŏ̤ pang lâi sie tàu;

call two companies of performers to emulate each other.

taù thâk cṳ;

strive to excel each other in study.

• 到tàu867186
• To reach to; to attain; complete.

tàu-tí sĭ cò̤-nî?

After all, what does it amount to?

kẃn-thăi i kâi lói-sìo sĭm sĭ ciu-tàu;

the courtesy with which he treated him was perfect.

sṳ̆-lí kàu ciu-ciu tàu-tàu;

arranged in the most complete manner.

• 倒tàu86688
• After all; well then; indicating the end of the matter.

tàu put jû hìe-seⁿ kèng hó̤;

the other way is not so good as that one after all.

cía tàu īa pă lío;

well then, let it pass, (a sufficient error has already occurred).

• 鬭tàu87419114
• To mortise in; to set a tenon.

tàu sún;

to mortise in a tenon.

cí kâi sún tàu khṳ̀ khah khùaⁿ;

this tenon does not fit tightly in the mortise.

• 骰tâu8761884
• Dice.

i nŏ̤ nâng tó̤ pûah tâu;

the two are throwing dice.

ĭe tâu;

shake the dice.

lok tâu;

rattle the dice in the box.

khah tâu;

gamble with dice.

• 投tâu876644
• To take or go to; to deliver; to give one's self up to; to have recourse to; to agree on; to consort with.

tâu bûn-cṳ;

deliver a dispatch.

íⁿ-keng tau mêng i kâi côk tíeⁿ;

have already sought out and informed the head of his clan.

jît cē àm cío cū khṳ̀ tâu nâ;

as soon as it is dusk the birds seek retirement among the trees.

tâu khî só̤ hàuⁿ;

agrees with whatever one likes; sycophantic.

i ka-kī cṳ̆ tâu lô̤-măng;

he let himself fall into the snare.

i soiⁿ sĭ châk lâi tâu-sêng kâi;

he is a rebel who has returned to his allegiance.

i tòa kúi peh nâng lâi tâu hâng;

he led several hundred to return to allegiance.

i khṳ̀ tâu kun;

he has enlisted in the army.

i lâi tâu tŏ̤ úa kò̤;

he came to stop at my house, as a casual visitor.

tâu seⁿ bô̤ tâu sí;

hospitality forbids the delivering over of a refugee to death.

• 道tău8671629
• A road, path or way; a circuit; the officer who oversees a circuit or region; a principle, a doctrine, that which the mind approves; rectitude or right reason; the Reason or Logos of the Rationalists, denoting an emanation, the unknown factor or principle of nature, the way it acts in matter and mind; to lead, to direct, to follow out, to go in a designated path; a classifier of courses at a feast, edicts, dispatches, gateways, walls, rivers, and bridges.

tău-thâi;

the Intendant of Circuit.

cí cêk tău kong bûn àiⁿ khṳ̀ tī-kò̤?

Where is this dispatch to be sent?

i sǹg sĭ tng tău kuaⁿ;

he is exercising the power of an official.

tău-lí;

reason, propriety, what is evidently right.

ŭ tău-lí;

has reason on his side.

bô̤ tău-lí;

is in the wrong.

cìaⁿ-tău kâi nâng;

an upright man.

hŭam sṳ tîeh chông cìaⁿ tău;

in all things correct principles must be acted upon.

tău kà;

Tauism.

tău-sṳ̆; tău jîn;

Tauists.

i cò̤ sṳ̄ ûang-tău;

he acts with rectitude.

bô̤ tău hun kun tì-kàu kok pāi;

an unreasoning, stupid monarch brings national destruction.

lō-tău tōa tîo;

a wide road.

tău thû îo-íen;

the way is long.

tău-lō tèng bô̤ có bô̤ keh;

there are no obstacles in the way.

tŏ̤ chim suaⁿ tèng siu tău;

in the recesses of the moun tains practising austerities.

chiah tău;

the equator.

i khṳ̀ chim sṳ ó̤h tău;

he has gone in search of teachers in order to study Tauism.

• 盜tău8681087
• A robber; one who robs openly; to take by fraud or force; to plunder.

khîang-tău;

a bandit.

tău-châk;

a highwayman.

i pak thau-tău nâng kâi mûeh-kĭaⁿ mē?

Has he ever appropriated other people's things, either slyly or forcibly?

phêng hái-tău ŭ kong;

to subdue pirates is meritorious.

tău-kūaⁿ;

night-sweats.

• 導tău8674113
• To lead, to conduct, to point out the way; to induce to do right.

lṳ́ hó̤ khai-tău i;

you should show him the right way.

khai-tău kàu mêng-pêh mêng-pêh khṳ̂t i thiaⁿ;

set the correct method plainly before him.

hùn-tău;

a district instructor.

• 荳tāu8751407
• Pulse, peas, beans, legumes.

tāu khoih;

peas-cods.

tāu-jîn;

the beans or peas themselves; the meat of pea-nuts.

tī-tāu;

pea-nuts; ground-nuts.

tī-tāu mô̤h;

the thin brown coating on the kernel of pea-nuts.

tī-tāu khak;

the shells of pea-nuts.

tī-tāu îu;

pea-nut oil.

lêk tāu, chiah tāu, o tāu, pêh tāu, n̂g tāu;

green, red, black, white and yellow peas.

tāu hū;

bean-curd.

tāu-āⁿ;

a filling or stuffing of mashed peas.

lêk-tāu ko̤;

dumplings containing green peas.

tāu-seⁿ; tāu-gê;

bean-sprouts.

• 痘tāu8751047
• Small-pox.

chut tāu;

have small-pox.

cèng tāu;

to vaccinate.

tān céng;

vaccine virus.

tāu cieⁿ;

small-pox pustules.

cèng îeⁿ tāu, cèng gû tāu;

vaccinate with virus from a sheep or a cow.

tāu tâk;

the matter contained in the pustules.

cí ău ŭ cí īeⁿ céng-tāu kâi huap sĭm hó̤;

in modern times there is this excellent method of vaccination.

i kâi mīn pōiⁿ-pōiⁿ sĭ chut tāu, peh tīo tāu phí;

his face is pock-marked, because he picked off the scabs when he had small-pox.

• 讀tāu92314915
• A clause; a phrase.

thâk lâi ŭ kù ŭ tāu;

read with attention to the pauses.

thâk khṳ̀ bô̤ kù bô̤ tāu;

read with no regard to the punctuation.

kù tāu hó̤;

the clauses are of proper length; the style is pleasant.