Dictionary of the Swatow dialect/thau

by Adele Marion Fielde

thau

• 滔thau8698510
• To overpass bounds.

hía cúi thau thiⁿ tōa;

the water rises sky high.

• 叨thau868302
• In polite phrase, to feel deeply grateful for.

thau mông i ài-sieh;

have a deep sense of his kindness.

hĕng thau kà-hùe;

earnestly desirous of seeing you.

• 偷thau87599
• To pilfer; to steal; to obtain unfairly; stealthily; underhand; furtively.

m̄-hó̤ thau ôiⁿ;

one should not take his ease when he ought to work; do not be an eye-servant.

khṳt i thâu ôiⁿ khùn-kíaⁿ;

let her steal a moment's leisure.

i thau cáu khṳ̀;

he stole off.

mûeh-kīaⁿ khṳt i thau-tău jîeh cōi;

a great number of articles have been purloined by her.

i tó̤ thau thóiⁿ;

she is slyly peeping at it.

thau thiaⁿ ūe;

stealthily listen to what is said.

thau-khîeh mûeh;

steal things.

thau lîah koi;

steals chickens.

i kâi thâu-chah khṳt nâng thau pôih khṳ̀;

her head-ornament was slyly removed by some one.

i hàuⁿ thau cîah;

he pilfers food.

hṳ́ kò̤ hṳ̂ khṳt ngio thau kâⁿ khṳ̀;

that piece of fish has been carried off by the cat.

i mêⁿ-kùa khṳ̀ thau tiah sîeh-lîu;

he went by night and stole their pomegranates.

thau líu hun-kuah;

steal sweet potatoes from the hill.

thau bōi kong châng;

unbeknown to any one , he sold a rice-field which was owned in common.

thau á cìa;

steal sugar-cane.

thau cáu lō;

slink away and run off.

• 討tháu8711498
• To punish the refractory; to put down rebellion.

lâm ceng, pâk tháu;

the south is held in allegiance, and the north subjugated.

tòa piaⁿ khṳ̀ ceng tháu;

lead troops to curb sedition.

• 透tháu8771627
• To ventilate; to give free vent to; to pass through.

khui kâi theng hó̤ tháu khùi;

open a window to let in the air.

khùi tháu m̄ lī;

there is no ventilation.

i kâi khì bô̤ kò̤ thàu cū kek phòng khṳ̀;

if the exhalations which arise from it find no vent, they will cause an explosion.

tîeh khui ke tîo kau, cúi cìaⁿ tháu tit lī;

must make another drain then the water will have free vent.

• 連thàu5321627
• Even, also, and.

thàu mêⁿ-kùa lâi;

comes even in the night.

níoⁿ-chṳ́ thàu jît-kùn káⁿ chut lâi;

the rats venture out even in the daytime.

thàu mêⁿ cò̤;

works even by night.

thàu huang-hŏ to khù bói;

goes and buys them even through the storm.

thàu cú thàu àm cò̤;

does it early and late.

• 透thàu8771627
• To pass through, as light does through glass; through-out; thoroughly.

sì-chù chūe kàu thàu, chūe bô̤;

have searched thoroughly everywhere and cannot find it.

pìn koiⁿ chūe kàu nĕ thàu-thàu;

have searched the place through.

tŏ̤-lí tàⁿ lâi thàu-thiet căi;

gave a very thorough exposition of the doctrine.

i kâi cṳ-lí thàu-thàu thiet-thiet;

his knowledge of letters is very thorough.

i kha chíu-hŵn sĭ thàu-cúi kâi;

her bracelet is a transparent one.

i cêk kha thàu-lêk kâi gêk-hŵn sĭm ngía;

her translucent green jade bracelet is very handsome.

cí kò̤ gêk ío thàu-lĭang, hṳ́ kò̤ gêk bô̤ hìoⁿ thàu-lĭang;

this piece of jade is translucent, while that one is not very clear.

cía cū hío m̄ thàu;

I do not fully comprehend this.

cia pat m̄ thàu;

I do not well understand that.

• 套thàu871377
• What envelops another thing; to enwrap; to add or superadd; to include in the whole; of general observance; to run one thing into another; a case; a wrapper; a noose; a classifier of a set of books, of a suit of clothes, and of plays.

khò-thàu;

leggings.

gūa-thàu;

an overcoat.

i kâi chíu lap chíu-thàu;

he wears mittens.

lô̤h i kâi khwn-thàu;

fell into their trap.

cêk thàu i-hôk;

a suit of clothes.

mâiⁿ kheh thàu;

do not put yourself out on my account.

sôk thàu lío;

it is nothing that you need put yourself out for; it is a familiar thing.

cía cheh sĭ thàu póiⁿ kâi;

these books are between two boards which form a case for them.

cí cêk thàu ke-húe sĭ kio i sêng kâi a sĭ kio i sùe kâi?

Did you buy this kit of tools from him, or hire them from him?

khîeh kâi cúa thàu lâi pau;

take a paper wrapper and wrap them in it.

cía sĭ thong-thàu kâi ūe;

this is language that is in general use; this expression is one commonly employed in different cases.

thóiⁿ i cò̤ ku-ā thàu pa-hì;

saw him perform several tricks in jugglery.

ŭ nŏ̤ thàu pa-hì sĭang chù-bī;

there are two very droll sleight-of-hand tricks.

cía cū khî-thàu lío;

this is very curious.

• 通thàu9321627
• To make known to others; to communicate.

thàu i cai;

notify him.

thàu cêk khûn nâng lâi thóiⁿ;

informed a great number of people so that they might come to see.

úa thàu lṳ́;

I let you know about it.

thàu i cáu;

gave him information about it, so that he could escape.

• 頭thâu8761817
• The head; the front; the top; the chief; the first; the best; the end, as of a beam; the beginning; the commencement of a thing; a classifier of affairs or acts, and occasionally of cattle and horses; it is added to many names of things because they are roundish like a head, or to make a distinctive noun.

thâu-khak;

the head, the scull.

thâu-khak thìaⁿ;

headache.

tì tŏ̤ thâu-khak tèng;

carried or worn on the head.

thì thâu;

to shave the head.

sói thâu;

wash the scalp.

siu thâu;

comb the hair.

thâu-sak;

lice in the head.

thâu-khíu;

dandruff.

thâu-mô̤n;

the hair of the head.

thâu hîn;

vertigo.

i tì kâi thâu huang pēⁿ;

he has a constant headache.

pâk-thâu-pò;

a head-cloth; a turban.

pau thâu;

bind the head with a fillet.

kám thâu;

to cover the head with a cloth.

thâu kám miⁿ-miⁿ;

closely veiled.

hûe thâu; ût tńg thâu;

to turn the head.

hûe-tńg thâu lâi thóiⁿ;

turned her head and looked backward.

kio i chut thâu;

took her part; undertook to act in his behalf.

tī-tîang khéng chut thâu?

Who will take the lead in the matter?

cṳ̆-jîen ŭ chut thâu kâi jît-cí;

there is of course a time when you will begin to rise in the world.

mih sṳ̄ tîeh ŭ kâi thâu-náu;

there must be a head in everything.

àiⁿ kîaⁿ tùi cìeⁿ thâu a kîaⁿ tùi hìeⁿ thâu?

Will you follow this course or that?

cía sĭ cĭeⁿ thâu ŭ mĕng kâi;

this is what the last leader commanded.

thâu-ke;

the head the family, the master.

thâu-ke-nîe;

the mistress of the house.

bô̤ thâu kong ùaⁿ;

no cause for action; it is a doubtful case.

i cò̤ sṳ̄ ŭ thâu ŭ búe;

he does things in a systematic manner.

cò̤ sṳ̄ bô̤ thâu bô̤ búe;

acts without method.

thâu cêk kâi cū sĭ;

the first one is the one.

thâu cêk jît;

the first day of a period.

cho̤-thâu-ē;

in the beginning; in the first place; at first.

khí-thâu sî;

in the beginning; at first.

thâu-téng hó̤ kâi;

the very best.

i bô̤ sĭoⁿ thâu;

there is no other way for him to do; he sees no way out of it.

sái kàu i cáu thâu bô̤ lō, jîp tī bô̤ mn̂g;

drive him to extremity; leave no opening for him to escape in any dircetion.

thâu mīn côiⁿ cū ŭ;

there is one ahead of us.

bé-thâu;

a pier, a landing.

khṳ̀ bé-thâu tah cûn;

go to the pier and go on board a vessel.

cûn thâu;

the bow or prow of a vessel.

sam thâu;

the large end of a stick of timber.

íⁿ-thâu;

a stool.

cá-cá tah i kâi thâu tō;

go on board the first ferryboat that crosses in the early morning.

tak thân;

nod the head.

îe thâu;

shake the head.

jît-thâu; gûeh-nîe;

the sun and moon.

sù cē; m̄ cai thâu;

excuse me, I did it inadvertently.

chíu-cńg-thâu; kha-cng-thâu;

the fingers and toes.

chíu-cńg-thâu chun chut lâi īa ŭ tn̂g tó̤;

when the fingers are stretched forth they are not all of the same length.

ŵn-sui thâh pûaⁿ thâu;

crown the dish with coriander-seed.