(3) The first sentence of the First Exercise is really an oath, and is used when one is calling Heaven and Earth to witness that his words are true.
(4) Note the impersonal use of { °yeu} in the second sentence of the First Exercise. Literally it is “There are many characters.”
(5) In the seventh sentence of the Second Exercise you have the usual form of inquiring whether the gentleman you wish to see is at home. You say { Sien-sang leh-la° va°?} “is the master there?” The answer is { leh-la°}, if he is at home, meaning “He is there.” If he is not at home, the answer may be { tsheh chi° la°}, “he has gone out,” or { ’veh leh-la°}, “he is not there.”
The verb \{ °chi}/ (起) is often used as an auxiliary verb after the principal verb to express the idea of { inception}. Thus \{ dok-°chi}/ (讀起) means “Begin to read.” \{ °Chi}/ also expresses the idea of { erectness}, but when used in this sense, \{ le}/ (來) follows the \{ °chi}/. Thus \{ Lih-°chi-le}/ (立起來) means “Stand up.” \{ Lok-°chi-le}/ (䟿起來) means “Get up.” It also has a { progressive} meaning, as when you say \{ Doh-°chi-le}/ (讀起來) it means “read on,” “go on reading.”
We have the \{ °chi}/, also used in combination with \{ tuh}/ (得). Thus \{ Lok-tuh-°chi}/ (䟿得起) means “Able to get up.” \{ Lok-’veh-°chi}/ (䟿勿起) means “Unable to get up.” \{ °Ma-tuh-°chi}/ (買得起) means “Can afford to buy it.” \{ °Ma-’veh-°chi}/ (買勿起) means “Cannot afford to buy it.” \{ Kwhung°-’veh-°chi}/ (睏勿起) means “unable to sleep.” \{ Khoen°-’veh-°chi}/ (看勿起) means “to look down upon,” “to disdain.”
\{ °Zaung}/ (上) and \{ °‘Au}/ (下) are used both as principal verbs and as auxiliaries. Thus we have the expressions \{ °Zaung san}/ (上山), meaning “to go up hill.” \{ °‘Au san}/ (下山), “to go down hill.” \{ °‘Au zen}/ (下船), “to go on board a boat,” \{ °Zaung su}/ (上書), “to take an advanced lesson in a book,” etc. In these cases they are used as principal verbs.
As auxiliary verbs, they express motion upwards and motion downwards.
They are not confined to verbs of motion, but are used freely with other verbs. To both of them \{ le}/ (來) and \{ chi°}/ (去) are frequently added.
Thus we have \{ dok-°‘au-chi°}/ (讀下去), meaning “Read on down.” \{ Tsoo°-°‘au-chi°}/ (做下去), meaning “Go on doing it.” \{ Thiau°-°‘au-le}/ (跳下來), meaning “Jump down.” \{ Thiau°-°zaung-chi°}/ (跳上去), meaning “Jump up to that place.” \{ Thiau°-°zaung-le}/ (跳上來) “Jump up to this place.”