Tsong Kit - Lesson II-1 Essay

名貴學校是香港有名的學校,可是很貴。這學校是教外國人說廣東話的。學校裡所有的學生都有中文名字，是先生給的。有兩個學生的中文名字很有意思，所以我在這裡告訴各位。

一個學生姓謝名禮，今年三十歲。他很喜歡送禮物給別人，要是別人送禮物給他，他就會說：「謝謝。」所以他的廣東話先生給他這名字是很有意思的。他有一個別名就是怕山，是因為他見了山就怕。有些人說：「上山容易下山難。」有些人說：「下山容易上山難。」他說：「上山，下山都難，所以我怕山。」

一個學生姓容名天才，今年二月二十九日才二十九歲。他以為甚麼事都很容易做，他說：「天下沒有難的事，有天才就甚麼都不怕了。」用天才兩個字來做他的名字，再好也沒有了。他學廣東話也很有天才，學了六個月，就說得很好。每天他還寫一百句中文，可是他還以為不夠，所以他很忙，別名忙人。

謝禮跟容天才是很好的朋友，他們每天都穿了又美又名貴的衣服回學校。有一次，他們跑路回到學校以後，容天才想了一句廣東話，說給大家聴，那句話是：「想上山，怕上山，上山容易下山難，想下山，怕下山，下山容易上山難，見山就怕謝怕山。」謝禮知道了，很是生氣。不過從那次以後，謝禮的別名謝怕山跟容天才說廣東話的天才，就大家都知道了。

Ming Kwai School is a well-known, but very expensive Hong Kong school. It is a school for teaching foreigners how to speak Cantonese. At the school all of the students have Chinese names given to them by their instructor. As the names of two of the students are very interesting, I would like to tell you about them.

Tse Lai is a 30-year old student who enjoys giving present to others. If someone gives him a present, he always says thank you in return. It is for this reason that the name given to him by his Cantonese teacher is of some interest. Pa San is his nickname, because he is afraid of mountains. Some people say, "Climbing mountains is easy, descending them that is difficult". Others say, "Descending mountains is easy, climbing them is difficult". Pa San says, "Climbing and descending mountains are both difficult, so I am afraid of mountains".

The other student, Yung Tin Tsoi, is only 29. His birthday is on the 29th of February. Everything comes easy to him. He says: "There is nothing difficult in this world. When you are talented, there is nothing to fear". The two characters tin and tsoi form his given name tin tsoi. There can be no better name. Tin Tsoi studies Cantonese and is also very talented. After only six months he speaks well. Everyday he continues to write a hundred Chinese sentences, but still he thinks it is not enough. As a result he is very busy and his nickname is "Mong Yan" or "busy person".

Tse Lai and Yung Tin Tsoi are very good friends. Everyday they come to school wearing very good-looking, expensive clothing. Once after having run back to school Yung Tin Tsoi thought of a Cantonese sentence to tell everyone: "Think ascend the mountain, and have no fear of ascending. Ascending will be easy but descending hard". Think descend the mountain, and have no fear of descending. Descending the mountain will be easy, but ascending difficult. See a mountain and fear Tse Pa San." Tse Lai understood and was very angry. But from then on Tse Lai's nickname was Tse Pa San, and Yung Tin Tsoi's talent for Chinese was known by everyone.

Note 1: In this case 名貴 does refers to the name of the school, not necessarily something which is expensive or very valuable. Nevertheless the school is expensive to attend -- namely, 好貴.

Note 2: The base pattern of the sentence is 這學校是教外國人說廣東話的 is Ａ是Ｂ的（Ａ）, where Ｂ的 is a relative clause that tell what type of Ａ.

Note3: The construction 所有的 in the phrase 所有的學生 can be translated as "all of the". It is used in combination with the adverbial modifier of the verb 有-- namely, 都. The base pattern is 所有的Ａ都Ｂ.

Note 4: The grammatical function of the phrase 先生給的 is very similar to that of the one observed in note 1. The base pattern is Ａ是Ｂ的（Ａ） where Ａ are the Chinese names 中文名字 given to the students by their teacher.

Note 5: The construction 有Ａ，所以Ｂ appears to be quite common. Ｂ is something that occurs when Ａ is present. It may or may not be a cause and effect relationship. In this case the narrator wants to tell his reader about the names of two of the students at the school, because they are interesting.

Note 6: The phrase 在這裡 refers to here and now -- i.e. the moment in which the narrator is speaking, or alternatively the piece in which his narration is presented.

Note 7: The phrase 各位 is a polite way of saying 各個. It means everyone or each person. There is no very good reason to translate, as the meaning of you in English is both singular and plural. If one were translating for readers from the Southern part of the United States one could write "you all" or y'all.

Note 8: Notice that 告訴 is employed here rather than 說. 告訴 means to relate or tell a story.

Note 9: The phrase 姓Ａ名Ｂ is used to explain the student's name. The name which follows 姓 is the student's family name, and the name that follows 名 is the student's given name.

Note 10: Notice that the word 是 does not appear before the expression 今年三十歲. Apparently age is treated just like any other attribute -- namely, a predicate adjective of the form ＡＢ, where Ｂ is an attribute that describes Ａ.

Note 11: The base pattern for the phrase 他很喜歡送禮物給別人 is Ａ喜歡Ｂ, where B is something that A likes to do.

Note 12: The pattern for giving something to someone in written Cantonese differs from the spoken form, in so far as the indirect follows the direct object. Thus in the phrase 他很喜歡送禮物給別人 the indirect object 別人 follows the direct object 禮物. The base pattern is 送Ａ給Ｂ.

Note 13: The use of 會 in the phrase 他就會說 is not entirely clear. I have suggested that it means "He knows to say thanks", but others have interpreted it to mean "He will say thanks".

Note 14: The base pattern of the sentence 所以他的廣東話先生給他這名字是很有意思的 is 所以Ａ是Ｂ的（Ａ）where Ａ is Tse Lai's Cantonese teacher having given Tse Lai his name, and Ｂ is the fact that his having given it is interesting.

Note 15: The base pattern of the phrase 他有一個別名就是怕山 is Ａ有Ｂ就是Ｃ could probably be better understood, if a comma were placed between the phrases 他有一個別名 and 就是怕山. This is because interpreting 就是Ｃ as a relative clause telling what Ａ has, seems awkward. The difference might be between the following two sentences: "He has a nickname. It is Pa San." and "He has a nickname that is Pa San". As both are somewhat stilted in English, I have selected neither of these interpretations.

Note 16: I have translated 一個別名 to mean "a nickname", rather than "one nickname" indicated by the number and counter 一個.

Note 17: The phrase 是因為他見了山就怕 has the base pattern 是因為Ａ. It appears to mean "The reason is given by Ａ" or "It is because Ａ".

Note 18: 有些人說 means "some people say". In other words "there are some people who say".

Note 19: Literally translated the phrase 一個學生 means "one student". It seems inappropriate to render it this in this context, as this is the second of the two students introduced at the beginning of the essay. The phrases "the other student" or "the second student" would appear much more appropriate in this context.

Note 20: The word 才 in the phrase 今年二月二十九日才二十九歲 means only. It is probably used to contrast the ages of the two men. The second is younger by one year.

Note 21: The phrase 他以為甚麼事都很容易做 is of the base pattern Ａ以為Ｂwhere Ｂis what Ａthinks. The phrase 甚麼事都很容易做 appears to mean "no matter what it is, it is easy to do". Combining the two phrases yields something to the effect "He thinks whatever he does is easy to do". I have rendered it more simply as "He thinks everything is easy".

Note 22: The base pattern for the phrase 有天才就甚麼都不怕了 is 有Ａ就甚麼都Ｂ, which appears to mean, when Ａ is present, then all is Ｂ. In this case Ｂ is having no fear, so "there is nothing to fear in this world when you are talented.

Note 23: The phrase 用天才兩個字來做他的名字 is of the base pattern 用ＢＡ來Ｃ, which appears to mean " "with B you make A into C". Thus, "his name is composed of the two characters 天才".

Note 24: The phrase 再好也沒有了 has been rendered "Nothing could be better". In other words, there is nothing else that is good, that can become as good.

Note 26: The use of the phrase 還 in the phrase 每天他還寫一百句中文，可是他還以為不夠，所以他很忙，別名忙人。is worth considering. In the first instance he continues to write Chinese sentence even after having finished his six weeks of study. In the second instance, even after writing one hundred sentences a day, still he thinks he should write more.

Note 28: Although probably brand-name clothing, the expression 名貴的 means expensive luxury items.

Note 29: The phrase 他們跑路回到學校以後 can be interpreted as "after they ran back to school". 回到學校 means to return to school. 跑路 apparently means that they returned to school "on the run".