Primary Lessons in Swatow Grammar/Lesson XXXI

by William Ashmore

Growth of Sentences.

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Any extended discussion of the structure of Chinese sentences would require a previous survey of Chinese modes of thought. It would be necessary to consider how they conceive their ideas, in order to understand why they express them as they do. For example, were a foreigner giving a description of a building, he would imagine himself on the outside looking inward. But a Chinaman would be more than likely to imagine himself in the inside looking outward. The result would lead to seeming contradiction. What one calls “the right” the other would speak of as “the left”. Such a survey would be beyond the scope of these panes, lessons, but a few illustrations may be given to show how sentences grow up, and crystallize into forms of speech around some axial word.

	chhâ.
	Wood.
âng	chhâ.
Red	wood.
tōiⁿ	chhâ.
Hard	wood.
phàⁿ	chhâ.
Brash	wood.
	chhâ	tōiⁿ.
The	wood	is hard.
chhâⁿ	phàⁿ.
The	wood	is brittle.
bói	chhâ.
Buy	wood.
	chhâ	bói liáu.
	Wood	is bought.
lòi	chhâ.
Split	wood.
	chhâ	lòi hó.
	Wood	is split.
àiⁿ-khṳ̀ lòi	chhâ.
Will go split	wood.
	chhâ	lòi-hó--liáu, uá chiũ-lâi.
The	wood	when split, I then will come.
chang	chhâ	lâi-chò.
Take	wood	and come make tt.
	chhâ	chò--kâi.
	Wood(en)	made one.
	chhâ	chò--kâi oh-chhūe.
	Wood(en)	ones are hard to find.
hó khṳ̀-chhūe	chhâ	chò--kâi.
Go find a	wood(en)	made one.
	chhâ	chò--kâi bô-hièⁿ-nãi.
	Wood(en)	made ones are not very lasting.
	chhâ	chò--kâi õi-lîn chò-tit.
	Wood(en)	one will answer.
hàm i bói	chhâ	chò--kâi.
Told him to buy a	wood	made one,
chûn khṳ̀ Sit-la̍t bói	chhâ	lâi Sùaⁿ-thâu bōi.
The boat went to Singapore and brought	lumber	to Swatow to sell.
i bói liáu	chhâ	àiⁿ lâi-tèng che̍k-chiah-chûn.
He has bought	lumber	and is going to nail (make) a boat.
	chhâ	chò--kâi iâⁿ-kùe thih chò--kâi.
A	wood(en)	one is better than an iron one.
	chhâ	kâi bô nâng-àiⁿ.
A	wood(en)	one nobody wants.
àiⁿ pa-lói-chûn bô-mih tōiⁿ	chhâ.
Want to repair the boat but have no hard	wood.
bói-bô	chhâ.
No	wood	to buy.
chhūe	chhâ	chhūe bô.
Hunted	wood	and found none.

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	chò.
To	do;	to be.
	chò	sṳ̄.
To	do	business; to effect something.
	chò	khang-khùe.
To	do	work.
	chò	hó-hó.
	Be	good.
lṳ́	chò	mih-kâi?
You are	doing	what?
àiⁿ	chò	a m̃?
Will you	do	it or not?
m̄-káⁿ	chò.
Does not dare	do	(it).
m̄-pat-tò	chò.
Never	did	it, i.e. don’t know how.
àiⁿ	chò	chiū-chò.
If you are going to	do	it, then do it.
	chò	sṳ̄ khiàng-khiàng.
	Does	things well.
	chò	sṳ̄ kuaⁿ-chiàⁿ.
	Does	things correctly.
	chò	tit-lâi.
	Doing	can come, i.e. can be done.
	chò	ui-seng
To	be	a doctor,
m̄-chai	chò	pẽ.
Don't know to	be	a father, i.e, unfatherly.
lṳ́ hó	chò	nâng
You	be	a man.
m̄-chai hó chò-nîⁿ	chò.
I don’t know what it would be well to	do.
chièⁿ-seⁿ	chò	m̄ chò-tit.
To	do	that way will not answer.
i tõ	chò	mue̍h-kiãⁿ.
He is at the	making	of something, i.e. he is making something.
	chò	piẽn-piẽn.
	Made	all ready (to hand.)
	chò	cha̍p-kang.
	Do	mixed work [coolie].
	chò	liáu chài-chò.
Having	done	it do it again, or did it again.
	chò	lâi hó.
	Made	to come, good, i.e, well done.
	lâi.
To	come;	to come forth.
i būe	lâi.
He has not yet	come.
i m̄-káⁿ	lâi.
He dare not	come.
i àiⁿ	lâi.
He will	come.
i àiⁿ	lâi	a-bô?
Will he	come	or not?
nõ-saⁿ-nâng	lâi	liáu.
Two or three men have	come	already.
	lâi	liáu ũ nõ-saⁿ-nâng.
Have	come	already some two or three persons.
hó	lâi.
May	come.
	lâi	hó a-m̄-hó?
To	come	is it well or not?
hó	lâi	a-m̄-hó?
Is it well to	come	or not well?
ēng-úa	lâi	a-mién?
Is it necessary for me to	come	or not?
úa ēng	lâi	a-mién?
Do I need to	come	or not?
úa	lâi,	ēng a-mién?
For me to	come,	is it necessary or not?
hàm-i	lâi.
Tell him to	come.
tie̍h	lâi.
Must	come.
tõ mêⁿ-hng	lâi.
In the evening	come.
khie̍h tâng-pûaⁿ	lâi.
Bringing a brass tray he	comes,	[making a present].
khie̍h	lâi.
Take it and	come.
	lâi	mé-mé.
	Come	quickly.
tõ hṳ́-kò	lâi.
From thence	come.
hién-hīn chhut	lâi.
Manifested	forth.
seⁿ-chhut	lâi.
Issued	forth.
in-tâng chhut	lâi	ũ húe-iãm.
From the smoke-stack issue	forth	a blaze.
tán-kàu i	lâi.
Wait till he	comes.
i chiũ	lâi.
He then will	come,	or he then came.
khṳ̀-liáu	lâi.
Has gone and	come	again.
i chiẽⁿ-chhī	lâi.
He has been to market, and	come	back.
i	lâi	kú-ũa-hûe.
He	came	several times.
i	lâi	bói-sang-ôi liáu chiũ-khṳ̀.
He	came	and bought a pair of shoes and then went.
i	lâi	khie̍h póu-thâu, àiⁿ khṳ̀ chám-chhâ.
He	came	to get an axe, intending to go and cut wood.
i	lâi	hàm úa khṳ̀ chò khang-khùe.
He	came	to call me to go and do work.
tõ hâng--kò ũ sĩ-mih nâng	lâi	a-bô?
At the hong has anybody	come	or not?
lṳ́ khṳ̀ kiè che̍k-kâi sai-pẽ	lâi	lêng-gūa pa-lói chí-kâi-tháng.
You go and call a mechanic to	come,	and aganin mend this tub.
lṳ́ khṳ̀ kiè che̍k-kâi sai-pẽ	lâi	tèng kâi só-thâu tõ chí-kâi-mn̂g.
You go and call a mechanic to	come,	and nail a lock on this door.
i lí ka-kī kâi-sṳ̄, lí hó--liáu. jiên-ãu i chiũ	lâi.
he is attending to his own affairs, when he has attended to them then he will	come.
tán kú-chãi, thóiⁿ-kìⁿ bô-mue̍h, ãu thóiⁿ-kìⁿ tõ hñg-hñg	lâi	ũ nõ-nâng khiâ-bé.
Waited a long time, and saw nothing, afterwards he saw a great way off,	coming,	two men on horseback.

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	nâng.
A	man.
Tiê-chiu	nâng.
A Tie-chiu	man.
pńg-tī	nâng.
A native,	man.
chhong-mêng kâi	nâng.
A clear-minded	man.
	nâng	chhong-mêng.
The	man	is clear-minded.
ũ	nâng	ji̍p--lâi.
There was a	man	came in.
ji̍p lâi ũ	nâng.
Coming in there was a	man.
ũ	nâng	lâi, ũ-nâng-khṳ̀.
There are	men	coming and men going.
ho̍k-ũ	nâng	lâi bói-mue̍h.
If there should be a	man	coming to buy things.
phîn-khiông	nâng	tõ-gūa khṳt-chia̍h.
A poor	man	is outside begging.
uá thóiⁿ-bô	nâng	tõ.
I saw no	man	there.
kòu	nâng	lâi-taⁿ hêng-lí.
hired a	man	to come and carry his luggage.
i	nâng	m̄-hiáu-lí.
That	man	does not understand reason.
chí-kò kâi	nâng	m̄-chai kui-kṳ́.
This place’s	people	don’t know custom, i.e. good manners.
so̍k-khoi hièⁿ-pôiⁿ kâi	nâng.
Belonging to the other side of the river’s	people.
kiau	nâng	pêⁿ-pêⁿ-iēⁿ.
As compared with	people	all the same, i.e. like other people, or, like a human being.
tõ kak	nâng	ka-kī chú-ì.
For each	man	himself to decide.
chhēng-tn̂g-saⁿ kâi	nâng	tie̍h-sái-chîⁿ, chōi-kùe pa̍t-nâng.
The wearing long gown’s	people	must pay more than other people.
	sái.
To	cause;	to send; to effect; to use.
	sái	kàu.
To	cause	that; to bring to pass.
	sái	i-khṳ̀.
	Send	him to go, i.e. send him.
hó	sái	ēng.
Suitable to make	use	of.
khṳt-nâng	sái	ēng.
Be by people	used,	i.e. be used by people.
sĩ i-só	sái	kâi.
That which he	caused;	or sent.
sĩ thiⁿ só	sái	kâi.
That which heaven	caused	to come about.
àiⁿ	sái	bô-ēng.
Wish to	use	it but it is of no use.
chí-kâi-ngṳ̂n oh	sái.
This silver is hard to	pass.
chí-kâi-ngṳ̂n	sái	m̄-khṳ̀.
This silver won’t	pass.
	sái	chiũ-liáu.
	Caused;	effected; brought to pass.
bô-chîⁿ hó	sái.
No money to	spend.
chîⁿ	sái	būe-liáu m̄-khéng khṳ̀ chò khang-khùe.
His money not being all	spent,	he is not willing to go and work.
i m̄-káⁿ-khṳ̀ uan-in bô-chîⁿ hó	sái.
He dare not go because he has no money that he may	spend.
a-sĩ chîⁿ hó	sái	i chiũ-káⁿ.
If he has money that he may	spend	he then will dare to.
chí-kâi-ngṳ̂n hó	sái	a m̄-hó?
This money, will it	pass	or not?

If the learner finds this method of treating words advantageous, he can extend it to auxiliaries and particles such as, chiũ, then; thereupon; tie̍h, accomplished; effected; hó, good; well; may, and any others.

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