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文法a
| 你的朋友巳經到香港來了，怎麼你不去看他﹖ |
Your friend has already come to Hong Kong. Why do you not
go to see him?
Note 1: The base pattern for the first clause is Ａ巳經Ｂ了 where
Ａ is the subject of the sentence and Ｂ an activity performed
by Ａ. Ｂ is a completed action indicated by both the verb suffix
了 and the additional adverbial modifier 巳經. As is often the case
the adverbial modifier occurs before the verb that it modifies.
Note 2: In this sentence 巳經 has the meaning "already".
Note 3: The pattern 到Ａ來 is not new and means "come to
Ａ". It is rendered in the past tense by adding the suffix
了 after 來. The prepositional modifier 到 indicates the destination
of the traveller. This use of a verb as a prepositional modifier
of place parallels that of 在 in phrases like Ａ在ＢＣ. In this caseＢis
a place indicated by 在 where Ａ performs Ｃ.
Note 4: The second clause is of the form 怎麼不Ａwhere Ａ is something
that the subject in the first clause does not perform. The speaker
wants to know why the subject does not do Ａ. 怎麼 asks the question:
Why?
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| 我巳經會看書了，你教我寫字，好嗎﹖ |
I've managed to finish reading, will you teach me to write
now?
Note 1: The base pattern for the first clause is Ａ巳經Ｂ了, where
Ａ is the subject and Ｂ了is the completed verb.
Note 2: The actual verb is somewhat complex consisting of
the modal 會, the compound verb 看書, and the verb suffix 了. The
compound verb 看書 consists of the simpler verb 看 and its direct
object 書. The compound nature of the verb is made clear by the
placement of the past tense indicator 了after the compound form
看書, rather than before the direct object 書.
Note 3: The base pattern of the second clause is quite standard
and takes the form Ａ教ＢＣ, where Ａ is the subject 你, Ｂis the receiver
of the action 我, and Ｃis the action 寫字. It might well be that
寫字 is also a compound verb consisting of the verb 寫 and its object
字, but there is no past tense indicator to provide verification.
Note 4: The tag question 好嗎 appears to mean the same as 好不好﹖
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| 他告訴我前頭有一個火車站，從那裡可以到中國去。 |
He told me there is a station ahead from which one can
go to China.
Note 1: The base pattern of this sentence is Ａ告訴ＢＣ where Ｃ
is what Ａtells Ｂ. In this case Ａ (the person who tells) is the
subject 他, Ｂ (the person who is told) is the indirect object
我, and Ｃ (what is told) is the rest of the sentence.
Note 2: The second base pattern is that for what is told,
such that Ｃ = 有Ｄ，可以Ｅ, where Ｄ is a train station 一個火車站 and Ｅis
an activity performed from Ｄ -- namely, 到中國去.
Note 3: 前頭 refers to the location of the station relative
to the speaker, and 從那裡 refers back to the station from which
one can go to China.
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| 他告訴我明日要來吃飯，可是明日我要到香港去。 |
He said that I should come and eat tomorrow, but tomorrow
I must go to Hong Kong.
Note 1: The base pattern for the entire sentence is Ａ，可是Ｂ
where Ａis 他告訴我明日要來吃飯 and Ｂ is 明日我要到香港去.
Note 2: One base pattern for the first clause is Ａ告訴ＢＣ, where
Ａis the person 他 who tells Ｂ（我）that Ｃ should be done -- namely,
明日要來吃飯. An equally valid base pattern might be Ａ告訴Ｄ such that
Ｄ = ＢＣ. In this reconstruction Ｂ（我）is the subject of the clause
ＢＣ, and Ｃ is the same as above. Thus, grammatically speaking
Ｂ can be viewed in either of two ways: an indirect object (receiver
of the instruction) and the subject of the instruction.
Note 3: As is often the case the temporal adverb 明日 is placed
after the subject but before the verb.
Note 4: The second clause is of the form Ａ要Ｂ, where Ｂis an
activity that Ａneeds or wants to perform -- in this case 到香港去.
Note 5: Interpreting 要 in the first and second clauses is
likely to lead to different outcomes in English. In the first
clause the speaker is reporting a wish on the part of a third
person, where in the second clause the speaker expresses is own
need or desire.
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| 昨日我到過的那個地方很大，可是不好玩。 |
That place where I went yesterday was very big, but not
fun.
Note 1: Once again the base pattern for the entire sentence
is Ａ，可是Ｂ.
Note 2: The base pattern of the first clause is Ｂ的ＡＣ, where
Ｂ的Ａis the subject phrase 昨日我到過的那個地方 and Ｃ is the predicate adjective
很大. The subject of the sentence is 那個地方, and 昨日我到過的 is a relative
clause describing the subject.
Note 3: The base pattern of the second clause is Ａ不Ｂ, where
Ａ is the understood subject 那個地方 and 不好玩 is the negative construction
of the predicate adjective 好玩.
Note 4: The verb 到過 is a compound verb that combines experience
過 with arrival 到.
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| 那個地方住了很多人，上頭，下頭，外頭，裡頭都是人。 |
Many people live at that place. There are people everywhere
-- above, below, inside, and outside.
Note 1: The base pattern for the first clause is Ａ住了Ｂ, where
Ａis a place inhabited by Ｂ. Although I have translated it in
active voice, it is more appropriate to view it as passive construction,
as this better explains both the presence of the verb suffice
了 and the semantic order of Ａand Ｂ. In this context 了 does not
represent the past tense.
Note 2: As one is talking about the presence of people at
various locations, the non-native speaker might expect the verb
有 to appear where 是 appears in the second clause. Obviously it
does not, and for the moment I am left to conclude that the expression
都是人 is idiomatic. Some have suggested that it means crowded,
others are content with the meaning provided in the translation.
Either way, the overall idea is the same. Notice that 在 is nowhere
needed to express the location of the people.
Note 3: The expressions 上頭, 下頭, 外頭, and 裡頭 are hardly new,
and mean the same as rendered above in the translation. The order
is changed for the last two, as the English order provided is
more natural.
Note 4: 很多人 simply refers to many people.
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| 他很會唱歌，新的歌，舊的歌都會唱。 |
He can sing very well, and sings both new and old songs.
Note 1: The base pattern of this sentence is difficult to
draw and is perhaps better drawn in two parts: 他很會唱歌 and 新的歌，舊的歌（他）都會唱,
where the second 他 is understood.
Note 2: The first pattern is already familiar: Ａ很會Ｂmeaning
that Ａcan do Ｂ well. 唱歌 is similar in form to the compound verbs
吃飯, 看書, and 寫字. Its behaviour with regard to the use of 了 has
not yet been observed. Thus, one cannot yet know whether 唱 and
歌 are separable.
Note 3: The second pattern is also familiar and of the form
Ｃ，Ｄ（Ａ）都會Ｂwhere Ｃ and Ｄ are direct objects placed before the understood
subject Ａ and verb Ｂ for the probable purpose of emphasis and
comparison. Ａis the understood subject 他.
Note 4: In the second clause the verb 唱 stands alone. This
is probably to avoid the unnecessary repetition of the compound
verb's object 歌.
Note 5: 新的 and 舊的 are adjectival phrases that describe the
noun-object 歌.
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| 等他唱完了歌再去，也不太晚。 |
Wait until he has finished singing, then we can go. It's
not so late.
Note 1: Although several base patterns are evident finding
one for the whole sentence is not easy, as the two parts appears
to be connected by hidden knowledge.
Note 2: The constuction 等ＡＢ完了再Ｃ appears to be the most general
possible for the first clause, as waiting for Ａto finish with
activity Ｂdetermines Ｃ. Both the speaker and the listener are
understood in this context. Thus, we may conclude that the sentence
is a command.
Note 3: The post verb 完了differs from that of 了in so far as
emphasis is placed on the actual completion of the task. Alone,
了 merely indicates that a past action is no longer taking place.
Note 4: We observe that 唱歌 is indeed separable.
Note 5: The meaning of 再 is not that of "again"
in this sentence; rather, it indicates an action which takes
place after another. In so far as the listener and the singer
are different people, the word 再 plays the role of a separating
conjunction between the 等 command, the singers singing, and
the listener's delayed departure.
Note 6: The base pattern of the second clause is 不太Ｄ meaning
that Ｄ is not in excess. This notion can be rendered in English
as either "not so Ｄ" or alternatively "not too
Ｄ". As 晚 is a character for expressing lateness, and what
is considered late is not clearly known, "not so late"
appears more appropriate than "not too late".
Note 7: It is the presence of 也 in the second clause 也不太晚
that adds a bit of mystery to the entire sentence, and may be
explained by the assumption that both "waiting until the
singer has finished" and "it's not being so late"
are reasons for not going. In other words, it is not that it
is still early that one waits for the singer to finish; rather,
it is that it would be impolite to leave before he finishes AND
that it is not so late.
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| 有人說：「新的衣服好看，舊的衣服不好看。」你說是嗎﹖ |
People say that "new clothes look good, old clothes
do not". What do you say?
Note 1: The base pattern for the first clause is 有人說：「Ａ」where
Ａis what the speaker claims people say in Chinese quotation marks.
Note 2: The base pattern for what is said 新的衣服好看，舊的衣服不好看 is
of the form Ａ好看，Ｂ不好看. The absence of a conjunction replaced by
a comma between the two phrases should be very familiar by now.
This time I have left it out in the translation as well.
Note 3: The question suffix 嗎 appears to take the place of
the question word 甚麼 in the second clause: 你說是嗎﹖
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| 他本來不去，可是他的舊朋友要見他，所以後來也去了。 |
He has not come yet, but his old friend wanted to see him,
so after waiting some time he went anyway.
Note 1: The base pattern for this sentence is Ａ，可是Ｂ，所以Ｃ.
Note 2: The first clause is of the form Ａ本來不Ｂ, where Ａis the
subject 他 and Ｂ is the activity which has yet to occur.
Note 3: The base pattern of the second clause is Ａ的Ｂ要見Ｃ, where
Ａ的Ｂ is an old friend of the person who has yet to come. Ｂ would
like to see Ａ. Notice that 見 rather than 看 is used to express
the idea of "see".
Note 4: The base pattern of the last clause is 後來（Ａ）也Ｂ了, where
Ａ is the understood subject of the verb Ｂ了. The phrase 也Ｂ了 suggests
that the old friend did not intend to go and see his friend,
but decided to go anyway, when his friend did not come on his
own.
Note 5: Only the verb in the last clause 去了 tells us that
the entire action has taken place in the past.
Note 6: 本來 and 後來 obviously have very different meanings.
The former means "up until now", "yet", "still";
the latter "after awhile", "after some time".
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Source:
This was pointed out to me by FU Xiao Ping, a fellow contributor
to the ProZ.com Chinese/English bulletin board.
Note: Chinese and
Japanese quotation marks, although identical, are formed in different
ways in the MacOS9.x operating environment. On a PowerBook G3
Tsong Kit users can produce them by typing in normal ASCII quotation
marks while in Tsong Kit input mode. Typing once yields the left
quotation mark 「 , typing twice yields the right quotation mark
」. If you think of the ASCII quotation mark key as a kind of
toggle switch for left and right Chinese quotation marks, then
you should have no trouble producing what you need when you need
it.
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