Page:Essays on the Chinese Language (1889).djvu/165

Rh line "The north wind whistles" (北風其喈). A tadpole is called by the Hakkas of Chia-ying-chou, kuei-ⁿyem-ⁿyem, in which the ⁿyem-ⁿyem is meant to indicate the wiggle-waggle of the tadpole's tail. A dumpling is called po-po (餑餑) or pa-pa in some places, from its rolly-polly appearance, perhaps. Then pa-pa, an apparently meaningless sound, gives the force of earnestly, eagerly, to the word with which it is used. Thus yen-pa-pa (眼巴巴) and wang (望)-pa-pa mean to watch or look for "with all your eyes," with great interest and attention. The Swatow people denote great fear by saying that their heart leapt po-po—po-po-ti‘ut‘iu [sic]— and this, like the corresponding expression with us, is used for any violent mental agitation. Hard and constant working of all kinds is expressed by the term k‘u-k‘u (矻矻): and hence, not only in common speech but also in literature, k‘u-k‘u is used to mean toiling and labouring. Thus k‘u-k‘w-ch‘iung-nien (矻矻窮年) is to work hard all the year.

We have now to take one or two of the picture-expressions in which the second part is not a repetition of the first. Such is san sa (毿挲) used in the sense of long and shaggy, as applied to fur and hair. The term t‘i-t‘a (踢蹋) is used to denote slipshod, as in the direction to wear shoes properly and not have them draggle slip-shod (不可拖鞋踢蹋). The Amoy people speak of a very bad road, or a broken bridge, or a roofless ruined house as being tap-tap-lap-lap, that is, having quite fallen down or subsided in ruin. Douglas says the expression is used also of an old hat—a dilapidated tile. The term ch‘i-ch‘ü (ki-kü) is used in the sense of rough and zig-zig. Thus the expression shan-lu-chi-ch‘ü (山路崎嶇) means "the ascent of the mountain was a rugged zig-zig."

Here we have to end our notice of the Emotional and Imitative Language of the Chinese. One department of this has been of necessity altogether omitted, viz., that which contains the calls and cries to domestic and other animals. These also are interesting in themselves and for the relations they bear to the standard language and the varieties of dialects. The treatment of them is left for some one more fit for the work and with better opportunities.