Page:Manual of the Foochow dialect.pdf/66

52 The adjectives in the following phrases, if used alone (not antithetically), would not be preceded by ng 伓 but by ma 賣 or in some cases by mó 毛 to express negation. A general definition of these phrases would be—just the thing, just right, medium.

Neither large nor small, 伓大伓細 Ng twai ng sá.

Neither salt nor fresh, 伓鹹伓䭕 Ng keng ng chiăng.

Neither long nor short, 伓長伓短 Ng tong ng toi.

Neither tall nor low, 伓高伓矮 Ng keng ng á.

Neither hot nor cold (as weather), 伓熱伓清 Ng yék ng ch‘eng.

Neither strong nor weak (as tea, etc.), 伓濃伓淡 Ng nüng ng tang.

Neither narrow nor wide, 伓窄伓闊 Ng chah, ng k‘wak.

7. THE VERB K‘O, TO GO, TO DEPART.

As Chinese verbs have no inflection, the tense is determined by other words in regimen, as king tang k‘o 今旦去 to go to-day; sioh mang k‘o 一暝去 went yesterday. Lá, 禮 the present participial prefix of the verb, is not used in connection with k‘o 去 (to go) nor with li 來 (to come); but we have, instead, lá kiăng, 禮行 (is walking), i.e. is in the act of going or coming.

Tell, or request, him to go, 呌伊去 Kieu i k‘ó.

He need not go, 伊伓駛去 I ng sai k‘ó.

Will not let him go, 伓乞伊去 Ng k‘ëük i k‘ó.

Defer to go a little, 慢塊去 Maing nói (nai) k‘ó.

Let us go! Go! 去吓 K‘ó a!

He is the one to go, 是伊去 Se i k‘ó.

Let us go now! Go now! 仱去 Tang k‘ó!

Does he wish to go or not? 伊欲去伓欲去 I ói k‘ó ng ói k‘ó?

He does not dare to go, 伊毛敢去 I mang (mó kang) k‘ó.

He is not willing to go. He will not go, 伊伓肯去 I ng k‘ing k‘ó.

He has gone, 伊去了 I k‘ó lau.

Has he gone yet? 伊去囉昧 I k‘ó ló mwoí?

He has not gone yet, 伊昧去 I mwoi k‘ó.