Dictionary of the Swatow dialect/tu

by Adele Marion Fielde

tu

• 堆tu924328
• A stack; a heap; a pile.

tun cò̤ cêk tu;

pile them up in a heap.

tò̤ tò̤ cêk tu;

pour them together in a pile.

m̄ cai, sah cò̤ câp-saⁿ choiⁿ kah nŏ̤ tōa tu;

did not understand the matter, and mistakenly supposed he would get heaps of money.

sek-pàng tŏ-pùn tu;

throw it into the rubbish heap.

• 㖅tu825306
• To pucker up the mouth; to pout out the lips.

i kâi chùi tu-tu, tó̤ pun húe;

he has his mouth puckered to blow out the light.

i tó̤ pun húe-kńg, pun kàu chùi tu-tu;

he is blowing the tinder, so that his mouth is puckered.

khí kàu chùi tu-tu;

so vexed that she pouts.

• 株tu85756
• The trunk or bole of trees.

ŭ cêk tu chīu cèng tŏ̤ mn̂g-kha;

a tree was planted by the door.

chīu lṳ́ sìo tîeh ŭ kúi tu;

you count the trees and see how many there are.

• 誅tu861496
• To put to death; to eradicate.

tu-mît;

to exterminate, to utterly destroy.

tu-lôk;

cut off, extirpated.

tì-kàu i chŵn ke tu-lôk;

lead to the destruction of the whole family.

tu-cô̤h;

to do away with.

• 拄tú88645
• To prop; to shore up.

khîeh ki sam lâi tú;

get a stick of timber and prop it up.

tú kàu nĕ khìang-khìang;

propped it up very firmly.

i kâi kha bŏi kiaⁿ, àiⁿ chut mn̂g tîeh ēng nŏ̤ ki tú-thûi;

he cannot walk and when he goes out he has to use two crutches.

lṳ́ khîa êⁿ to̤ bŏi, phah tú cū ŏi;

you cannot raise the heavy beams, but you can put the props under.

• 堵tú916329
• To obstruct; to guard; to close; to shut or ward off; to fill in; to invest.

ŭ khí tîeh cai tú, ŭ khí tîeh cai sak;

there are some that must be shut off, and some that must be stopped up.

íⁿ-keng thîo ŭ piaⁿ khṳ̀ hûang-tú lío;

have already dispatched troops to defend it.

hṳ́ ki piaⁿ khíiong-ùi tú-gṳ̆ m̄ tîo, tîeh thîo ke cêk ki khṳ̀ tû-gṳ̆;

if there be doubt whether those troops will be able to successfully resist them, another regiment must be dispatched to the defense.

hṳ́ tîo lō ŭ nâng khṳ̀ tú-cŭ i lío, īa sĭ khíong-ùi tú m̄ cŭ li phài ke cêk nâng khṳ̀ tú;

some one has gone on that road to stop him, but if you fear he will not prevent his coming, then depute another one to go and do it.

• 着tú801236
• To abut; to impinge; to touch upon.

tú tîeh a tú m̄ tiêh?

Does it abut upon it or not?

tú bùa-bûa;

lay them so that they abut firmly.

tú tîeh cū bŏi kîan;

if is hits upon that it cannot go on.

• 抵tú878645
• To oppose, to ward off; to abut; to compound for a money payment by a lien on property; to withstand; to offset; to brace.

tú sìo;

to offset an account by an equivalent rendered.

sìo tú tit kàu mē?

Is there enough property transferred to meet the full amount of the bill?

khîeh tú cîⁿ kâi cṳ̆-jîen ío kùi;

if I take an equivalent in other than money, it will of course be dearer.

tú i m̄ cŭ;

could not successfully oppose him.

tîeh thiⁿ ke cē piaⁿ-bé cìaⁿ tú i tit cŭ;

must reinforce the troops and then we can successfully withstand him.

tú khṳ̀ khìang căi;

withstood with great firmness.

chūe bô̤ ūe hó̤ tú tap i;

could think of nothing to say in self-defense.

jī ke tú khṳ̀;

it is a drawn battle; they are even with each other.

tú kín-kín;

completely shut out by opposing force.

tú màiⁿ khṳt i jîp khṳ̀;

stop his way and not let him enter.

nâng mīaⁿ tú nâng mīaⁿ tú tīo;

forfeited his life in defense of another's.

tú lâi tú khṳ̀ hŵn khíam i ho̤h cōi;

after compounding the debt by all possible means he still owes him a large amount.

jī ke sie tú tîeh;

the two are in opposition to each other.

sie tú thâu;

to bump heads together.

khîeh ki sam khṳ̀ tú;

take a stick of timber and brace it up.

líang pôiⁿ kâi êⁿ tîeh síe tú tîeh;

the roof beams on the two sides must abut upon each other.

jī ke chù-kak-thâu sie tú;

the gables of the two houses abut upon each other.

tú m̄ tîo;

am unequal to the attempt.

i tú khṳ̀ ngĕ căi, châk-piaⁿ jw̆n pìaⁿ, pìaⁿ m̄ kùe;

they withstood them firmly, and the rebel troops, however much they strove, could make no headway against them.

tú lô̤h khṳ̀ ngam-ngam;

it is just the right length to use as a brace.

khîeh hùe-mûeh tú lāi cîⁿ;

took goods to offset the interest.

• 恰tú357616
• To the purpose; fitly; just; exactly.

cìeⁿ-seⁿ tú-tṳ́ kah;

that is exactly enough to make it of.

bói lâi tú-tú hó̤ ēng;

what I bought was just exactly as I needed to use.

úa sĭeⁿ lâi tú-tú kio lṳ́ cêk īeⁿ;

what I had thought out agreed exactly with what you thought.

úa li àiⁿ khṳ̀ i kò̤, i li àiⁿ lâi úa kò̤, tú-tú tŏ̤ lō tèng phòng tîeh;

I was going to his house, and he was coming to mine, so we came upon each other on the road.

úa àiⁿ méⁿ, tú-tú ngŏ̤ tîeh ŭ cûn àiⁿ khui;

I was in haste, and very opportunely got there just as the boat was about to start.

kàu hṳ́ kò̤ bô̤ teng-nâng, cău-hùe tú-tú ŭ gûeh;

when we reached there we had no lantern but it happened very opportunely that there was moonlight.

• 對tú9244111
• To pair; to match; agreeing with; suiting.

hó̤ kâi tú hó̤ kâi; hó̤ tṳ́ hó̤;

put the good with the good.

piaⁿ tú piaⁿ, cìang tú cìang;

soldier against soldier and leader against leader.

chíu tú chíu;

hand to hand.

chíu tú chíu, lâi kah-tàu thóiⁿ tī-tîang îaⁿ;

let us have a hand to hand struggle and see who will come off victorious.

tĕng-tú tĕng;

it has come out just as I foresaw; I told you so; that is what I supposed would happen.

tīaⁿ-tú-tīaⁿ;

that is just as I said it would be.

tōa tú tōa, sòi tú sòi;

pair off, the elder with the elder, and the younger with the younger.

• 值tú5998
• To occur; to happen; to meet.

tú tîeh i lâi;

it so happened that he came.

tŏ̤ lō tèng sie tú tîeh;

happened to meet each other on the way.

tú i m̄ tŏ̤;

it chanced that he was just then absent.

• 楮tú93759
• A species of mulberry from whose bark the Coreans and Japanese make paper, which is used for garments.

chùn-tú;

a small, folded, paper slate, used as a day-book.

kìⁿ lô̤h chùn-tú;

set it down on the slate.

• 著tù901409
• To set forth; to publish; to manifest.

cí kâi nâng tù mîaⁿ căi;

this man is becoming very famous.

hṳ́-kâi sĭ tù-mîaⁿ kâi ìo-hŭam;

that is a celebrated state criminal.

i kâi mîaⁿ tù căi;

his name is widely known.

cía cṳ sĭ tī-tîang tù kâi?

By whom was this book published?

i tù ŭ cêk pang ui-cṳ;

he published a series of medical books.

i kâi mîaⁿ jú m̄ khṳt nâng cai jú kèng tù;

the more he tried to conceal his name, the more it became known.

hīn-khek tăi tù mîaⁿ;

is now far famed.

• 廚tû935312
• A cupboard; a safe.

cîah tû;

kîam sng tû; a food safe.

cṳ tû;

bookcase.

phò tû;

cases for goods in shops.

cí ciah tû àiⁿ keh saⁿ câng;

I want to have three shelves put into this wardrobe.

pûaⁿ úaⁿ tû;

a cupboard for dishes.

• 𡍨tŭ917329
• To stop up; to stuff up; to silt up; to prevent water from flowing from a sluice; to obstruct.

màiⁿ tŭ-sak tîeh;

do not stop it up.

tŭ-sak pàng hṳ́ kâi khang-kháu kò̤;

stuff it into that opening.

thô khah cíe, tŭ m̄ miⁿ;

there is too little of the clay, and I cannot stop it up tightly.

cang cîeh kah thô kâi i tŭ kín tìaⁿ;

take stones and mud and stop it up tight.

i cang hṳ́ kù ūe khṳ̀ tŭ i;

he stopped his flow of talk with that saying.

i kâi tàⁿ ūe to sĭ tó̤ phah ūe tŭ, tŭ kàu nâng bŏi khui chùi;

his talk is designed to stop other people's mouths, so that they will say nothing.

hía thô tŭ lío chíen căi, cûn bŏi tit kùe;

the mud has silted in till it is very shallow, and boats cannot pass through.

tŭ hùaⁿ kâi làm thô tŏ̤ kò̤;

a quantity of soft mud has settled in so as to obstruct the passage.

hía thô khuaⁿ-khuaⁿ tŭ khuaⁿ-khuaⁿ cōi;

the sediment, meeting with an opposing force, gradually accumulates and becomes considerable.

• 堵tŭ916329
• To stop the way; to shut or wary off; to close against; to obstruct; to guard.

hṳ́ kò̤ ŭ nâng tŏ̤ tŭ i a bô̤?

Is there any one there to prevent his approach?

hṳ́ ki kun tŭ m̄ tùe, tîeh buah ke ki kun khṳ̀ tŭ;

that force is not sufficient to resist them, and another body of troops must be dispatched to oppose their march.

tŭ tīam cē;

stop its progress for a moment.

tŭ māng;

obstruct its way and make it go slower.

chù tŭ lô̤h khṳ̀ cū ku-ā nî;

the house has several years been prevented from tumbling down by having a prop against it.

cí ki êⁿ sĭ ciang-cĭu tŭ kâi;

this roof-beam is prevented from falling by a temporary prop.

• 詬tŭ3301496
• To taunt; to speak angrily at.

sie tŭ;

to scold each other.

cá mêⁿ, i ang cía tó̤ sie tŭ mih sṳ̄?

What were they, the husband and wife, quarreling about last night?

ŭi cêk kĭaⁿ síe sṳ̄ cū sie tŭ bŏi tit hiah;

on account of an unimportant matter, were bent upon mutual recrimination.

úa khǹg-kòi nín màiⁿ sie tŭ;

I exhort you not to taunt each other.

sie tŭ lío cîaⁿ mih īeⁿ?

What good do your mutual recriminations do?

sie tŭ lío cū sie mēⁿ, sie mēⁿ lío cū sie phah;

having first taunted, they reviled each other, and then began to fight.

• 𠰍tŭ89305
• The sound made in calling fowls.

lău sím kho koi tŭ tŭ tŭ;

the old woman is calling the fowls.