(1) It will have been noticed that in Lesson VI. { Leh-li°} was used in the Present Tense Continuous of the Verb, and that { Leh-la°} was used for the Past Continuous. It was pointed out then that these words really signify “Here” and “There.” The literal sense would be “I am here eating,” and “I was there eating.”
(2) It is very important that beginners should distinguish clearly between { meh-z°} and { z°-°thi}. Any concrete object may be called a { meh-z°}. But an abstract action or affair is always { z°-°thi}.
In mandarin-speaking districts { toong-si} 東西 (Lit. “East-West”) is often used for { meh-z°}, and sometimes it is heard in the Shanghai District.
(3) In the fifth sentence of the First Exercise, notice how the { °ts} is tacked on to the { °hau}, and not to the { sau}.
(4) In the tenth sentence of First Exercise notice how the { dok su} has become a verbal adjective. Lit. “Reading book time.”
(5) In the fifteenth sentence of the First Exercise the force of the { theh} after { chuh} is that it has been entirely eaten up. { Theh} often comes after verbs to express completed action.
(6) In the sixteenth sentence of the First Exercise, { °Ngau-°ts ih °kheu} means literally “Bitten a mouthful.”
(7) In the seventeenth sentence we have two verbs used together—{ °tang} and { wa°}. Literally “Beat” or “strike spoil.”
(8) In the seventh sentence of the Second Exercise twenty minutes past ten is expressed { zeh °tien koo° nyan° fung}. { °Tien} is a shortened form for { °tien-tsoong}. { Koo°} means “passed over” or “beyond.”
(9) In the twelfth sentence of the First Exercise notice the use of { kuh}, It has the force of the relative pronoun, and the translation would be “the books which you have read.”
(10) In the sixth sentence of the Second Exercise “some” may be translated by { °kyi-kuh}.
We have already explained the use of \{ °khau-°i}/, \{ nung-keu°}/, and \{ we°}/. There are other ways of expressing the possibility and impossibility of doing things in Chinese. For instance one way is by the addition of \{ tuh le}/ or \{ ’veh le}/ after the verb. Thus: \{ Dok-tuh-le}/ (讀得來) means “Able to read.” \{ Dok-’veh-le}/ (讀勿來) means “Unable to read it.” Many verbs of one character admit of this construction. Thus: \{ Wo°-tuh-le}/ means “Able to speak.” \{ Wo°-’veh-le}/ means “Unable to speak.” \{ Tsoo°-tuh-le}/ (做得來), “Able to do.” \{ Tsoo°-’veh-le}/ (做勿來), “Unable to do.”
