-a, sentence ending indicating some degree of presumption
ba¯ tian¯ -le, This phrase stands as the predicate of its sentence.
ba°, "object mover-upper" -- moves object before verb
-ba, a sentence-ending particle that softens a flat statement into a tentative declaration and softens a command into a suggestion.
Bai´ Yu°, Japanese surname, pronounced "Shirobane" in Japanese.
ba` -ba, dad, pop -- a familiar term of address and reference for one's own father
bai° xing`, one hundred + surnames = the ordinary people, common people
ban`, to handle some matter or perform some procedure, to manage
ban` fa°, to manage + method = way of managing something
bang¯ zhu`, to help + to aid = help, aid, assist
bao¯, to wrap in a sack or similar bundle
bei¯, a cup, a glass. This is short, here, for yi` bei¯, one cup.
ben°, root --> the recension-source of a text --> bound volume --> MW for books
ben° lai´, root + come (coming from) = basically, fundamentally; originally
bing` (1) moreover (2) (+ negative) double-plus don't, i.e., most definitely do not
bie´, bu´ yao` written as one character = don't!
bo´ -bo, uncle (father's elder brother), fictive kinship attribution used as a term of respectful address or reference
bo´ mu°, aunt (wife of father's elder brother), fictive kinship attribution used as a term of respectful address or reference
bu´ bi`, not + required = there is no requirement to, one need not
bu´ zai`, not + located at = not at home
bu´ zai`, not + located at + change of status particle = not living anymore
bu° shi(`) AAA jiu` shi(`) BBB, if it isn't AAA then it's BBB
bu´ tai` hui`, not exceptionally adept at
bu´ tai` yi´ yang`, not extremely similar
bu´ de´ liao°, not + acquire + finish = no end of trouble, hopelessly bad
bu` gan°, not + to dare = I dare not
bu` hao° yi` -si, not + good + meaning + thought = to not feel right about something, not feel good about doing something, to be embarrassed.
bu` ting¯, to not listen, to deliberately ignore a verbal communication
bu´ yong`, lit., "don't use," i.e., you need not, don't bother to, etc.
bu´ yao`, not + want, need = do not!
bu´ zi` zai`, not self possessed, ill at ease
cai´, only then. This word indicates a stringent requirement has to be met before something can happen.
chi¯ wan´, to eat + to finish = to finish eating
chu¯ -de chou°, (emit =) commit + ugly = faux pas
"Well, o.k., then what does brother Meng have to say to me?" the general asked.
chu¯ lai´, exit + motion toward the speaker = to come out
chu¯ sheng¯, exit, emit + sound = to make a sound
chu¯ qu`, exit + motion from the speaker = to go out
chu¯ qu` chi¯ fan`, go out to eat
chang´ -chang, constantly, frequently.
che¯ zhan`, vehicle station, i.e., bus stop, railway station, cab stand, etc.
cheng´ wai`, city wall + outside = outside the city
chi¯ fan`, eat + cooked rice = to eat a meal
chu¯ -ge zhu° yi`, to (put out =) come up with an idea
chu¯ lai´, exit + motion toward speaker = come out
chu¯ -le shi`, emit + did happen + event, here, hypothetical: if something should happen...
chu` li°, to handle some matter, to process (information, etc.)
chuan¯ huai`, to wear + bad, damaged = to wear out clothing
ci° di`, this + place = here, this vicinity, this place
cong´ lai´, from the beginning on down to now + neg = never
cong´ xiao°, from + small = from the time when I was a little child
da´ fei¯ suo° wen`, answer not what asked = give unresponsive answers
da° huai`, hit + bad = to damage
da° pu¯ ke` pai´, to play poker
dai` a belt, a leash; to bring along with oneself
da` jia¯, lit., the extended family, i.e., everybody, the group, the community
da° kai¯, strike + open = to open
dan¯ xin¯, to bear a burden + heart = to be worried that
di` san¯ hui`, the third "return to the storyteller," i.e., episode.
dai` lai´, to bring with oneself + motion toward speaker = to bring here
da°, to hit, to strike, to tap --> to send a telegraph message, to send a telephone message, to play certain ball games, to play cards
da° bao¯, hit + sack. HK expression for "doggie bag."
da` yu°, great, large + rain = a heavy rain
dao`, motion toward a destination
dao` -le, motion toward a destination + "indeed did it" particle = arrived
XXX -de YYY --> YYY + relative pronoun + XXX
dui` bu` qi°, to face + not + start up doing something = unable to face, i.e., "sorry" or "excuse me"
dui` bu` qi°, to face + not + start up doing something = unable to face, i.e., "sorry" or "excuse me"
deng° che¯, to wait for a vehicle (bus, train, etc.)
di`, ordinalizer (makes "first," "second," etc.)
di` fang¯, land + earth = place
dian°, short for "yi` dian°," "yi` diar°," a little
dian° xin¯, (hits the) spot + heart/mind = dessert
dian` hua`, electric + talk = telephone message
die´ dao°, to slip + to invert, to spill = to trip and fall
-de, in sentence final: The sentence structure is: SUBJ (shi`) CLAUSE de (ren´). X is the one who ......
-de, in sentence final: The sentence structure is: SUBJ (shi`) CLAUSE de (ren´). X is the one who ......
Dong¯ Feng¯, name of Mari's horse. The Japanese reading is "Toshikaze" even though that is not the usual way to read that compound in Japanese.
dong` si°, freeze + die, to kill by freezing. This is a resultative compound.
dui` -le, lit., "As of now, correct!" i.e., something like, "Now I've got it!" -- frequently used when one realizesone has overlooked doing something.
dang¯, to hold the position of, to assume the position of, to act in some official capacity, e.g., "dang¯ lao° shi¯," to hold the position of teacher (in a school).
dang¯ ran´, of course, naturally
dai` hui´, bring with oneself + return = to bring back, to take back
dui`, facing, corresponding --> to toward; correct
dong°, to understand (language, meaning, etc.)
duo¯ ban`, lit., more than one half, i.e., most of them
duo¯ -shao, X amount of --> any particular amount of, any appreciable amount of
duo¯ -le in a verb-final position means "much more VERB"
fa¯ xian`, throw off + right before one's eyes = to discover
fan´, "fire in head," annoying, irritating, burns me up
fan¯ kan`, flip through and read
fang´ jian¯, room (or, in this story, stall)
fang` zai`, release from hand + located at = put on
fan` ting¯, food + major room in house = dining room
fan° zheng`, flip side + first side = either way
feng¯, a seal, a MW for letters
gai¯, short for ying¯ gai¯, ought to, should
gao¯ ji´, high + rank = high ranking
gan° dao`, to hasten somewhere
gang¯ lai´, just now + motion toward speaker = just arrived
-ge , MW + some noun, equivalent to yi´ -ge (noun)
-ge ren´, MW + human being, equivalent to yi´ge ren´, a person
gen¯, to follow --> with, and; [said, etc.] to
gan° dong`, emotionally affected + to move = emotionay moved
gei´ wo°, to give to me, i.e., for me
gen¯ dao` nar° qu`, follow + motion toward destination + X place + motion not toward the speaker = follows wherever YYY goes
gong¯ chi°, meter (length of measure)
guan° ta¯, manage or pay attention to him --> actual meaning is just the opposite: Don't pay attention to him.
guan¯ -xi, close + link = connection --> to matter
guai¯, complaisant, obliging and agreeable
guan¯, to fasten, to close, fasten shut (the door, etc.)
-guo, marker indicating something actually happened -- unlike "le" it may be negated.
guo´ jia¯, nation, country. Here, "the country."
guo` de´, to pass + to attain = can pass --> does pass
guo`, to pass; sometimes = to pass or celebrate a holiday or festival
guo` nian´, to pass + year = to (pass =) celebrate the New Year festival
guo` -qu, to pass + motion not toward the speaker = to pass away, to die
hai´ -shi, still is the case that
hai´ hao°, still + good = fortunately, thank goodness, etc.
hao°, "good and ..." as in "Mom was good and ready to spank me."
hao° xiang`, good, well + resemble = very much resembled, seemed
he¯ jiu°, to drink alchoholic beverage
he´, to harmonize --> and, with (compared with)
he´, MW, a carton (of something)
Hei¯ Long´ Hui`, Black Dragon Society, a militia named after an earlier militaristic group
hen° kuai`, lit., very rapidly --> very quickly, soon
hen´ zao° jiu`, already at an early time
hen° pa` ren´ -de, [something] that greatly frightens people
he´ qi` -de, in an affable way
huang´, a family name. (Similar to the English family name Brown, perhaps.)
hui´, a measure word for events
hui`, to know how to do something, to be apt at doing something
hui`, to be apt or likely to do something
hui´ dao` XXX, to return + motion toward a destination = return to XXX
hui´ lai´, to return + motion toward speaker = come back
hui´ qu`, to return + motion away from speaker = go back
"My insignificant surname is Meng."
hou` mian´, rear side, rear end
hou` mian´, rear gate, back gate
hou` lai´, aft + motion toward speaker = coming after, afterward
"Whatever it is, please just say it. In my place here we don't stand on ceremony."
hou` bian(¯), aft + edge = back (edge, side, etc.) of
hou` mian(`), aft + surface = the rear, the back of something; behind
hou` -tou, aft + nominalizer = the rear, the back of something; behind
huo´ gai¯, "living ought to," i.e., Serves you right!
jin` dao`, to enter + motion toward a destination = entered into, entered upon
ji¯ hui(`), springs of action + come together = opportunity
jian`, MW for events and certain other nouns
jiao`, to call --> to bark, to cry out
jiao`, to call (somebody's name)
ji`, to entrust (to the postal service, etc.), to mail
ji` bu` qing¯ -chu, record/remember + not + clear = unable to remember clearly
ji` lai´, to mail + motion toward the speaker = to send (to me)
jiang¯ jun¯, a general + military = general (of the army)
jie° shi`, to dissect + to dissipate = to explain something analytically
jie¯ -zhe, link + continuation of state marker = following that, the next thing that happened was...
jin´ jin°, tight + tight = tightly
jin` dao`, enter + motion toward a destination = to enter
jin` qu`, enter + motion not toward speaker = enter, go in
jing¯ guo`, to go through + to pass over = to pass through or by some place
jing¯ yan`, to go through + to test = experience
jiu`, this word contrasts with cai´. Cai´ means "only" and implies some kind of a struggle to get something done, or meeting some kind of stringent condition before something can be done. Jiu` is it's opposite, and is used when somethinghappens before the time you could reasonably hope to have it happen, something that's "easy as falling off a log," etc.
jiu` -shi, is exactly, is precisely (frequently used in forming definitions)
ji` de´, to remember + to acquire = to recall
ji° duan` lu`, X (1-10) + section + road = several legs of the journey
ji° fen¯ zhong¯, X (1-10) + small division + clock = several minutes
General Huang paced up and down the room.
ji° tian¯, X (1-10) + days = several days
jin¯ tian¯, current, present + day = today
jia¯ li°, the family, my family
jin` lai´, to enter + motion toward speaker = come in
He said: "Excuse me, aren't you General Huang?"
ju`, MW for phrases and sentences
jue´ de´, to feel + to acquire = to feel that...
jun¯ dui`, military + squad = the army, the military
jun¯ guan°, military + official = officer
kai¯ kou°, to open one's mouth
kai¯ shi°, to open, to initiate + to begin = to begin
kai¯ wan´ xiao`, to make a joke
kai¯ wan´ xiao`, to make a joke
kan` dao`, to look at + motion toward a destination = to spot (somebody or something)
kan` jian(`), look at + perceive = succeed in seeing
kan` qi° lai´, appears to be [used to express doubt about validity of a perception]
kan` wan´, look + finish = to finish reading or looking at
kan` qing¯ -chu, to see clearly
kan` -zhe, look + maintained action marker = kept on looking
kao°, to examine somebody, to take an examination; an examination
kao° shi`, an examination; to take an examination
kao° wan´, to examine + to finish = to have finished with examinations
ke´, as an adverb, a strong intensifier of what follows
ke° bu` ke´ yi°, can/can not = whether XXX may
ke° neng´, possible, possibly, maybe
ke° pa`, can + fear = "fear -ible," i.e., fearsome
I have been away from there more than ten years, and I had assumed that nobody would remember me anymore, but, but..."
ke° xi´, can + pity = pitiable, unfortunate
ke` qi(`), "the air of a guest" -- guests are supposed to be deferential in all things, reserved, polite, never daring to impose in any way, so, here, "to stand on ceremony."
kan` cheng´, to view (as) + become = to view as, to look upon as
-la, this is a final particle that serves only to "flavor" the sentence, to give it a certain kind of emphasis, perhaps equivalent to "It sure does..." in English.
lai´ bu` ji´, come + not + catch up with = to not get there in time, to not have the time to do something
YYY lai´ -de XXX, an XXX from YYY
lan° de´, too lazy to bother to...
lao° Tian´, "Old" Tian. Tian is the man's family name. Lao° is used as a term of familiar respect here.
lao° jia¯, old home. One's lao° jia¯ is similar to "home town" except that it's really your ancestral home, so if your folks all came from Shanghai, but they moved to Beijing before you were born, your lao° jia¯ would still be Shanghai.
lao° tou´ -zi, (not very respectful) old guy, gaffer
lao´ yuan°, a very long way away
li´ kai¯, to leave + to open (a distance between) --> to leave somewhere, to leave somebody (wife or husband), etc.
li° after a noun frequently = li° -tou, inside
li° mian`, lining, inner + surface = inside
li° -tou, lining, inner + head = inside
lian´, linking on down to the least likely one to do it who is..., i.e., "even..."
-le, sentence le. When it is at the end of the sentence and governs the sentence, le means something like, "It has come to pass that...," or, "As of now..."
-le, verb-ending le -- indicates that someone did indeed do the action described by the verb
-le verb-ending le and sentence-ending le combined in one: As of now (did =) has done....
li° mao`, ceremony + demeanor = courteous, polite
ling` wai`, "on the side," in addition to others
liu´, to leave unused, unchanged, etc.
liu´ xue´ -sheng, remain + student = foreign students
lu` -shang, on the road, on the way
-luo, a "flavoring" particle used to indicate "being impressed"
ma° fang´, horse + house = stable
ma¯ -ma, mama, mom -- a familiar term of address and reference for one's own mother
mei´ -le, to not have + "did that" marker --> lost
mei´ you° shen´ -mo, to not have any particular degree of, amount of, etc., as in "I'm not particularly good looking."
mei´ you°, to not have, therefore, "There was not," or "There were not."
men` men` bu´ le` -de, in a depressed and unhappy way
Meng` xian¯ sheng¯, Mr. Meng -- Here he is repeating the guest's name with the "xian¯ sheng(¯)" to "correct" the guest's self-belittling use of xiao°.
Meng` San¯, Meng` three, third child of the Meng family.
Meng` xiong¯, Family name Meng + elder brother -- the speaker is trying to find a term of respect that the guest will accept so he tries "Brother Meng."
men´, MW for classes (i.e., subjects)
men´ kou°, door + orifice = doorway
ming´ bai´, bright + white = "for the light to turn on in your head"
ming´ nian´, (bright =) new + year = next year
"General Huang, Mr. Huang, I... I'm the kind of a person that hardly ever has had any friends from the time when I was small."
na´ guo`, pick up + bring over = took into his own grasp
nan´ guo`, difficult + to pass through = to feel bad about something, to feel sorrow, etc.
nan´ xue´, difficult to study --> hard to learn
-ne, (1) Gives a sense of suspension at the end of what would otherwise begin a declarative sentence, as in, "And you are....?" (2) sentence ending for sentence that include a QW (shei´, etc.) in the body of the question. (3) Sometimes is just used for euphony or "flavoring."
nei° guo´, X country --> which country
nei° zhang¯, which rectangular unit
neng´, (physically) able -- unhindered by environmental factors
nin´ jin¯ tian¯ lai´ zher`, "Your coming here today." Stands as the subject of "hen° yong´ gan°."
nian´ qing¯, years + light (not heavy) = young
ne` -mo, thusly, that degree of
The object of you° is itself a sentence.
peng´ you° -men, friend + friend + pluralizer = friends
structure is: PREDICATEa (to) PREDICATEb
pu° tong¯, widespread + reaching throughout --> ordinary
qi´ guai`, marvelous + anomalous = strange
qi´ zhong¯, time period + middle = midterm
qi° lai´, to arise, to get up in the morning; to rise up
qi´ -qi, ride straddling (duplicated) -- duplicated verbs indicate doing something in a non-serious way.
qi´ ma°, ride straddling + horse = to ride a horse
shang` ci`, above (on the calendar, in the book) + time = the last time that....
qi´ shang` qu`, ride straddling + ascend + motion away from the speaker = to mount a horse, bicycle, etc.
qi´ shang` ma° qu`, ride straddling + ascend + horse + motion away from the speaker = to mount the horse
qi¯ nian´, "seven years" acts as the predicate here.
qi` si^, anger + death = to anger to death, make someone die of anger
qiang´, wall of a house, wall around a house
qing° zuo`, request + to sit = (I) request you to sit, i.e., Please be seated.
qing° shuo¯, request + to speak = Please say, please tell me about it.
XXX qian´ -tou, fore + head = in front of XXX
qian´ xie¯ ri` -zi, several days (before =) ago
qing¯ -chu, clear (not blurred)
qing° -le jia`, request + "did indeed" marker + vacation, i.e. "has requested a leave of absence"
qu`, motion not toward the speaker, to go
quan´ jia¯, entire + family = the whole family
que`, contrary to what you might expect
ran´ hou`, thus + aft = after that
rang`, to give way before, to permit --> to let, to cause, to have somebody do something
ren´ gen¯ -zhe ni°, people following you
ren´ shuo¯ hua`, What were there? There were ren´ shuo¯ hua`, people speaking. This clause stands as the object of the verb you° .
ren´ xing` huo° che¯, (object of you°), there are people surnamed Train
ri` ben° fan`, sun + root + rice = Japanese cuisine
ri` ji`, sun, day + record, daily record, journal, diary
shang` cha´, lit., "Bring up some tea." In English we would say, "Bring out some tea."
shang` mian`, above, on + surface, face = on the surface, on it
si` chuan¯, the province of Sichuan, "Four Rivers."
si` chuan¯, the province of Sichuan, "Four Rivers."
shang¯ xin¯, injury + heart = emotionally devastated
shang`, "on," or, in English, "in"
shang` ke`, ascend + (to) + lessons, go to classes
shen¯ ti°, body (frequently actually refers to one's health)
sheng¯ qi`, to produce + lifebreath = get angry
shen´ -mo, X thing. Sometimes it can be translated as "what."
shi`, at the beginning a sentence may = "It is the case that..."
shou¯ dao`, receive + motion toward destination = did receive, received.
shou´ li°, lit., "in his hands"
shou° xia`, hand + beneath = under the control of
shi`, the aforesaid is, the aforesaid amounts to
shi´ fen¯, 10 parts out of ten parts = 100%
shi´ jian¯, time + interval = time period
shi¯ mu°, teacher + mother, term of respect for the teacher's wife
shi` -de, that is the case, that is correct
shi` (in this context = What you have done (today) is...
shi` bu´ -shi, is + not + is = whether
shi` li` power + strength = (political, military, etc.) power
shi` qing´, event + true conditions = business, affairs
shi` ya¯! exclamation of agreement
shi´ ji° nian´, ten + X number of + years, i.e., ten plus years, more than ten years, somewhere between ten and twenty years
shi`, event, thing (that is going on).
shi` zuo`, events, "things" + to do = things to do
sheng¯ huo´, life, as in "Life Magazine."
shu` -le shu`, counted them (casually)
shuai° -le xia` qu`, to have thrown something down
shui`, to sleep [[N.B. this verb must take an object.]]
shui` jiao`, to sleep + a "sleep" = to sleep (V + Obj const.)
shuo¯ chu¯, to speak + to exit, to put out = to openly express (what otherwise would be left unsaid)
shuo¯ cuo` le hua`, to have said the wrong, the inappropriate, thing
shuo¯ qi° hua` lai´, start up talking
song`, to see someone (or something) to its destination
song` lai´, to deliver + motion toward the speaker = to bring (somebody) something
Sun¯ Zi° Bing¯ Fa°, Master Sun's Military Method, a famous early work on military strategy
sheng¯ yin¯, sound + sound = sound
Note that the clause "ta¯ dao` zher` lai´" is the first half of a PREDa to PREDb construction.
tan´ -guo hua`, to have had a chat with someone
ti´ mu`, a heading + eyes = a topic
tian¯ qi(`), sky + lifebreath = weather
tian¯ -tian, every day --> all the time
ta¯, he, she. (This han` zi` is normally used only for animals.)
ta¯, he, she. (This han` zi` is normally used only for animals.)
[SV] tao° yan`, irritating, disgusting,
a pain in the neck
[TV] to dislike intensely
ti`, to do something in someone's stead
tiao´, MW for long thin things
tiao` -le qi° lai´, got started up (jumping =) bucking
tiao` shang(`) qu(`), jump + ascend + motion away from the speaker = to jump on
tiao` wu°, to jump + to wave hands = to dance
"I dare not accept the honor. My friends all call me 'Third Meng.'"
ting¯ dao`, to listen + to arrive at = to succeed in hearing
ting¯ shuo`, "hear tell," i.e. to hear that...
ting¯ ren´ shuo¯, [lit.] hear people say --> to have heard it said that...
ting´ xia` lai´, to stop (something one is engaged in)
tong´ dao`, to connect (as through a tube) + motion toward a destination = to connect to, to connect with
tong´ shi´, same + time = at the same time
tong´ shi`, same + endeavor = colleague
tong´ xue´, same + study = schoolmates
tou¯ du`, to stealthily cross (the border)
tu´ shu¯ guan°, book + chart + building = library
wai` guo´, outside + country = foreign country
wai` hao`, outside + courtesy name = nickname
wan´, to finish; As a verb ending it stresses completion of a task, rather than the fact that somebody did do it.
wan´ de´ hen° feng`, play + get + very + crazy
wan´ qi° -le ba° xi`, got started up playing parlor tricks
wan´ qian´, play + money = to play for money
wang` -zhe, to look at + "keep on" marker = "and, looking at..."
wang` ji(`), perish from memory + record = to forget
wei` -le, or, occasionally, wei` liao°, for the sake of
wei` shen´ -mo, for the sake of what --> why
wen`, to inquire about someone's well-being
"Why don't you drink a cup of tea first. It's been raining all day, and that's enough to freeze a body to death."
wen` hou`, to inquire about something
wen` -ti, question --> problem
wen` xia` qu`, ask + below (in the "book") + go = keep on with that line of questioning, finish asking the question
wen` ti´, question --> problem
wo° dao` Zhong¯ Guo´, stands as subject and = My (arrival =) being in China
wo° zhe` li°, here where I am, here in my hands
wo°, to grasp in the hand, to clasp
wo° zhei` -ge ren´, I am the kind of a person who... (Usually we see "Ni° zhei` -ge ren´...," i.e., "You're the kind of a person who..." -- and it usually is the preface to a negative comment.
wu° jiao`, meridian, noon + sleep = nap
wu¯ li°, room + inside = (inside ) the room
wai` mian`, outer + face, surface = outside
wo° kan`, I + to view --> in my view, as I see it
wu¯ -zi, a room + nominalizer = a room
xi- ban` ying- yÄ°, Spanish + half + English + language --> Spanglish
xi¯ sheng¯, to sacrifice, to be sacrificed
xia`, to descend --> to drop (e.g., food into boiling water to be cooked); for precipitation to occur
xia` -ge, the next whatever-it-is in series. (To understand "xia` -ge," think of events marked on a calendar or recorded in a date book.)
xia` yu^, to descent + rain = to rain
xia` chui´, down + hang down = drooping down
xia` -ge xing¯ qi´ liu`, the Saturday of next week
xia` ci`, below + time in sequence = the next time that
xia` wu°, below + zenith = post meridian, afternoon.
xiao° Ge¯, "Little" Ge. Ge is the man's family name. Xiao° is used as a term of familiar respect here.
xiao° Lin´, "Little" Lin. Lin is the man's family name. Xiao° is used as a term of familiar respect here.
xiao° sheng¯, small + sound = in a soft voice
xiao` qi° lai´, got started up laughing
xian¯ prior, first. Here, it is used to set out an order of procedure. Do this first (and later we'll do something else).
xiang°, to think --> to want to, to intend to (as in "I was thinking of eating out...").
xiang° jia¯, would like to + family, home = homesick
xia` -le, to precipitate + verb-le = it did happen that it rained, or, it has rained
xiang° -le xiang°, thought for a moment
xiao` -le xiao(`), smiled; laughed a little bit
My ancestral home is in Sichuan."
xiao° xin¯, small (narrow focus) + heart/mind = be careful
xian¯ -sheng, prior born --> a term of respect, equivalent to Senor (senior).
xian¯ sheng(¯) gui` xing`, the prior born's noble surname, i.e., "What is your family name?"
xie° xin` -de ren´, person who wrote the letters
xian¯ qian´, prior + fore = before, in the past
xiang`, to direct oneself toward
xiao° xing` Meng`, My insignificant family name is Meng`.
xiao`, to laugh; to laugh at, make fun of
xiao` -le xiao(`), gave a little laugh
xiang° -le xiang°, thought for a moment
xiao´ jie°, little + elder sister = Miss
xiao° lu`, little road, here, path
xie¯, some. Here, "xie¯" is short for "yi` xie¯," some, several, etc.
xia` -zhe, to descend --> to fall + particle indicating persistance of a phenomenon = is (or has been) precipitating
xie° -zhe, to write + particle indicating persistance of a phenomenon = was written
xin¯ li°, heart + inside = in one's heart, in one's mind
xing¯ qi´, star + period = week
xing`, to be surnamed; a surname, family name. (Avoid "last name.")
xing´ dong`, to act, to go into action
xin` -shang, on the letter, i.e., in the letter
xue´ qi´, to study + period = semester
xue´ zhe°, study + the one who = one who studies, i.e., a scholar
ya¯! exclamatory sentence ending
yan´ jiu`, grind away at + get to the bottom = to research
There is an implicit "ta¯" before ye°.
This is the other end of the "lian´" clause.
yi´ -ge duo¯, one plus, i.e., more than one (but less than two)
yi` ban¯ ren´, run-of-the-mill people, ordinary people
yi` diar°, one + spot + diminiative = a little
yi` dian°, one + spot = one point
yi` tian¯, one + day = the entire day
yi` tian¯ -de, a whole day's worth of
There was somebody speaking loudly outside:
yi` jia¯, (one =) the entire + family = the whole family
yi° jing¯, already + pass through (event) = already
yi` nian° duo¯, "one year plus," i.e., more than a year
yi` zhang¯ yi` zhang¯ -de, one by one
yi´ jian`, as soon as XXX sees YYY
yi` qi°, (as) one + spring up = together
yi` tian¯ -de yu°, rain in the amount or duration of one day, i.e., rain for the entire day
yi° wei´, to take + to be, i.e., to take one thing (somebody, something) be be something, to be a certain way, etc. In this case, "I took it that..." Almost always it indicates that the speaker was laboring under a misapprehension.
yi´ ding`, definitely, certainly
yi¯ one + VERB = the first thing XXX did when VERB occurred
"Oh, right... What is your honorable surname?"
yi¯ jian`, one + perceive = the first thing XXX did when he saw YYY
ying¯ wen´, English (written) language
XXX yi° qian´, XXX + "to the" + fore = before XXX (If there is no XXX mentioned, it means before now.)
yin¯ ci°, depending on + this = therefore
yong`, (noun) utility, use, usefulness
yong`, (verb) to use, to employ
you° xin¯ shi`, to have + heart/mind + business = to have something on one's mind
you° shi`, "to have business, affair, etc.," It may mean, "If you have something on your mind..."
you°, to have --> there are (just as in English "My socks have holes in them." = "There are holes in my socks.")
you° yi` -si, have + meaning, significance = to be meaningful, to be interesting
you° -le, "to have" + did do -- so this phrase must be interpreted as "did acquire."
yi` yi`, meaning + sense of right and wrong == signifigance, (higher) meaning
yi` xie-, one + several = a handful, several
yi` zhi´, one, the whole (day, year, etc.) + straight = straightaway, without deviation, without interruption
yi´ dai`, one + belt = the entire (belt =) region. cf. "farm belt"
you° -ge = you° yi´ -ge, has one
yong` -yong, to use for a while
you° yong`, to have + use (noun) = useful
you` AAA you` BBB, both XXX and also YYY
you`, again (refers to events that have already happened)
yun` -dong yun(`) -dong, take a little exercise
yu° yi¯, rain + clothing = raincoat
Yuan´ Shi` Wu` Yu°, Genji Monogatari, the Tale of Genji.
zai`, next in sequence --> again
zai`, next in sequence --> again
zai` jian`, again + see = Goodbye
zhang¯, MW for rectangular objects
zhe` -mo, thusly --> so [+ SV]
zhe` shi´, this + time = at this time
zhe` shi`, this + event, this event, this thing
zhei` yang` -ba, Let's do things this way...
zhan` hao°, stand + good, well = stand correctly
zhong¯ guo´, central + kingdom = China
zhong¯ wen´, central (kingdom) + written language = (written) Chinese language
zhong` yao`, heavy + required = important
zai` wo° kan`, located at + I, my + to view = in my view, in my opinion
zai` wo° zher`, at my place, here, in my home...
zou° lai´ zou° qu`, walk + come + walk + go = to walk back and forth, to pace the floor
zou° dao`, walk + motion toward a direction = walked to
zou° kai¯, walk + open (a distance between people) = to walk farther away
zou° jin` lai´, walk + enter + motion toward the speaker = to come in, to enter
zen° -mo, usually "how" but here more like the English "What!?"
zen° -mo, usually "how" but here more like the English "What!?"
-zhe, verb ending particle indicating the maintenance of a state or activity
Zhen¯ Li°, given name, pronounced "Mari" in Japanese
zheng` zai`, right now involved in (doing something)
zhu` zai`, to reside + located at = reside (at)
zao° jiu`, a long time ago (already)
zao° fan`, early + rice = breakfast
zu´ qiu´, foot + ball = soccer
zui` jin`, most + recent = recently
zui` hou`, most + aft = at the very end, the very last
zhao°, to search for, to seek, to look someone up
zhe`, "this," here referring to the action of the person being spoken to
zhe`, "this," here used as a "header" for a "the kind of person X is" sort of description
zhei` -ge, this + MW = this (or, sometimes, "at this)
zhei` ji° tian-, these + X number of + days, the last few days, these days
zhe` xia`, short for zhe` yi´ xia` -zi, at this moment
zi` ji°, self + self = self, his/her own
zi` you´, self + thus = free, freely
zhan` chang°, war + field = battlefield
zhi¯ dao`, lit., know the Way, to know (some item of knowledge)
zhen¯ -de, genuine, true, real, not counterfeit
zhong¯ -tou, bell + head = hour
zhuan° guo` shen¯, turn + cross over some distance + body = turned in his place
zhi° -shi, it was only... ; all XXX did was...
General Huang walked to the doorway and asked:
zhi´ hao°, lit., "only good," the best one can do is...
zhe` -mo, thusly, so (as in, "You've grown so tall!)
zheng` men´, correct, upright + gate = the main gate
Outside a heavy rain was falling.
zheng` mian` fan° mian`, cover side and reverse side
zhei` wei`, this person-of-status, i.e., this gentleman
zhong¯ qiu´ jia¯, middle + autumn + festival = Mid Autumn Festival
zhu`, to reside, to stay (overnight, etc.)
zhu` shou´, help + hand (as in "hired hand") = helper
zhuan° song`, rotate, turn + deliver = forward to someone
zai` zou° yi` dian°, next-in-sequence + walk + one + spot = go on a little farther
Does General Huang live here or not?
A man walked in from outside and kept on going until he was [all the way into] the room before he saw the general.
zou°! Take a walk! Get on out of here!
zou° le, walk, leave + "as of now" marker = I'll be leaving now.
zuo` fan`, to make + rice = to cook, to prepare a meal
zuo` xia`, to sit + to descend = to sit down
This clause stands as the object of the main verb.