# Primary Lessons in Swatow Grammar/Lesson XXXI

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. |
| | 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 again 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. |
| | 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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