Dictionary of the Swatow dialect/twn

by Adele Marion Fielde

twn

• 端twn9361179
• The origin; elementary principles; strait, correct, direct, grave, decent.

cŏ̤ pàng kò̤ twn-huang sì-cìaⁿ;

sit upright and squarely in your chair.

isĭ twn-cìaⁿ kâi nâng;

he is an upright man.

i bô̤ twn cò̤-nî mēⁿ lṳ́?

Why does she berate you with no sufficient reason?

i kâi sim-sût puttwn;

his notions are incorrect.

mùaⁿ-khí sĭ twn ngŏ coih;

to-morrow is the 5th of the 5th moon.

cía sĭ sĭm-mih in-twn?

What is the origin of this?

i sǹg sĭ ĭ twn kâi nâng;

he is a man who holds heretical views.

• 彖tẁn938586
• A summing up of the application of the diagrams, and the good or bad embodied in them.

i kâi tẁn-sṳ̂ cò̤-nî tàⁿ?

What is the gist of his divination?

• 斷tẁn9376914
• To settle; to decide; to give a judicial opinion; surely; certainly.

kàu kong-tn̂g cṳ̆-jîen ŭ kong-tẁn;

if brought into open court there will of course be a just decision given.

kuaⁿ sím lío cò̤-nî tẁn?

How did the magistrate, after examination of the case, decide it?

cìeⁿ-seⁿ phẁn-tẁn lâi tîeh;

that settlement of the case is a correct one.

líang ke lóng-cóng cun tẁn;

both parties acquiesced in the decision.

tẁn kàu nâng lóng-cóng su-hôk;

gave such a decision that all parties submitted to it.

i cò̤ sṳ̄ ŭ kwt-tẁn;

he acts with decision.

i mîaⁿ-ke tẁn khùe;

he is expert in deciding what is signified by omens.

i kâi khùe tẁn lâi khùe căi;

the predictions which he gives in divining prove very exact.

i tẁn-tẁn m̄ káⁿ;

he will certainly not do so again.

úa thóiⁿ tẁn bô̤ cía sṳ̄;

I do not believe there is any such thing.

tẁn sṳ̄ àiⁿ tẁn tit kong;

in disposing of a case, one wants it disposed of justly.

cang chêng-lí lâi tẁn;

settle it in accordance with the principles of equity.

• 曲tŵn458732

wu-tŵn;

tortuous; serpentine.

wn-wn tŵn-tŵn;

winding to and fro.

i kâi sim-tn̂g wn-tŵn căi;

his mind is very crooked.

hía lŏ wn-wn tŵn-tŵn, o̤h jīn;

the road is so full of crooks and bends that it is very difficult to follow.

cí ki châ khah wn-tŵn;

this stick of wood is too crooked.

chêng-lí tîeh cĭu tît tàⁿ, màiⁿ wn-tŵn;

the truth should be told in a straight-forward way, without circumlution.

• 斷tw̆n9376914
• To cut assunder; to break in two.

i tw̆n tĭo kîe;

they destroyed the bridge.

cū sĭ i tó̤ tw̆n ău;

it was they who brought up the rear in the retreat.

• 篆tw̆n1181189
• The square and involuted form of Chinese characters, invented in the Cheu dynasty.

i ŏi ía tw̆n jī;

he can write the seal character.

cí khí kìe-cò̤ thih-sùaⁿ tw̆n;

this kind is called the wire form, having the lines unbroken and of unvarying width.

tw̆n phó;

a specimen of seal characters used as a copy.

hía kuaⁿ-ìn cêk pôiⁿ tw̆n jī, cêk pôiⁿ múaⁿ jī;

that official seal has seal characters on one side and Manchu characters on the other.

• 煅tw̄n937869
• To calcine; to drive moisture out of solids by heat.

ēng cò̤ tw̄n cîeh-ko̤, màiⁿ ēng cò̤ cheⁿ cîeh-ko̤;

make it of calcined, not of unprepared gypsum.

tw̄n cò̤ hu;

calcine it and make it into powder.

cang húe lâi tw̄n;

drive out the moisture by fire.

• 段tw̄n937795
• To lay things out.

chíu-tw̄n;

handiwork.

thóiⁿ i tíen sĭm-mih chíu-tw̄n chut lâi;

see what sleight of hand he displays.

chíu-tw̄n kau-khîang;

workmanship showing the very highest degree of skill.

i tŏ̤ kò̤ tíen chíu-tw̄n;

he is displaying his dexterity.