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文法a
| 我
的家在火車站的西北，走五分鐘，就到了。 |
My house lies northwest of the train station. It's
a five minute walk, and you are there!
Note 1: The base pattern of the first phrase is Ａ在Ｂ,
where Ａ is the speaker's house and Ｂ is it's location. In this instance
在 appears as a verb indicating the place where something is located.
Note 2: The base pattern for the phrase 火車站的西北 is
obviously Ｃ的Ｄ.
It has been suggested that this part of the sentence
is not well written. As the speaker's house is not a part of the train
station. It would be better to have written 火車站的西北面 or 火車站的西北方向.
Note 3: The base pattern for 走五分鐘，就到了 is Ｅ，就Ｆ了. In
other words, do Ｅand Ｆwill result. In this case "Walk five minutes, and
you are there". 就Ｆ了 can express an idea in the speakers mind that has
yet to occur, but that he expects will occur. It can also express an
act that occurs as an immediate consequence of another act. See the
next entry for an example.
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| 他喝了很多酒，所以打他的太太，他
太太一生氣就走了。 |
He drank a lot, and as a result he beat his wife.
Whereupon she became angry and left him.
Note 1: The base pattern is Ａ，所以Ｂ，一Ｃ就Ｄ了 where Ｂ is a
result of Ａ that ends in Ｃand then Ｄ. In this case after drinking a lot
喝了很多酒 a man beats his wife 打他的太太, whereupon she becomes angry and
leaves him 一生氣就走了. The subject 他 is understood in phrase Ｂ.
Note 2: The phrase 一生氣就走了is of the pattern 一Ｄ就Ｅ, where
Ｅ is a direct and immediate consequence of Ｄ. It is sometimes
translated as "no sooner than Ｄ, Ｅ".
Note 3: Apparently 喝酒 is a separable compound verb, as
了 appears after 喝 rather than after 酒?
Note 4: How the word 太太 is treated by the speaker is a
curious matter. When referring to the husband's action, she is 他的太太,
when referring to his wife's own action she is 他太太.
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| 我不明白你說的中文，請你用英文再
說一次。 |
I did not understand your Chinese. Please say it
again, but in English.
Note 1: The base pattern is Ａ不明白Ｃ，請Ｂ再說（Ｃ）一次 where Ｃ is
something said by Ｂ that Ａ does not understand and would like Ｂto say
again. Here Ｃ refers to something that Ｂ said in Chinese -- namely,
你說的中文. Ｃ is understood in the second clause.
Note 2: Ａwould like Ｂto say again what he said, but
the second time in English: 用英文再說一次. The base pattern is 用Ａ再Ｂ一次 where Ａ
is used to achieve Ｂ a second time. 一次 indicates how many more times
the speaker would like to hear Ｃagain -- namely, one time more.
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| 來香港的西方人很多，他們為甚麼要
來這裡呢﹖ |
Many Westerners come to Hong Kong. Why do they want
to come here?
Note 1: The base pattern for this sentence is
Ａ很多，Ａ為甚麼Ｂ呢, where Ａ are the many Westerners that come to Hong Kong, and
Ｂ is an activity in which they engage about which the speaker would
like to know more.
Note 2: The base pattern of the first phrase is
Ｃ的ＡＢthat is already a well practiced pattern that we have seen often.
來香港的西方人 are described by the predicate adjective 很多. 來香港的 is a relative
clause that describes the subject of the clause 西方人.
Note 3: The placement of the question marker 為甚麼
occurs in the question where the answer in a statement to the question
would naturally fall. There is no change in word order to indicate the
question -- only the question marker and the sentence tag 呢.
Note 4: 這裡 indicates this place or here!
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| 天氣不好，你今天別走了，在我家多
住一天吧。 |
The weather is not good today. You'd better stay
another day.
Note 1: What is given in Chinese as one sentence can
be parsed well in English in two thoughts: bad weather and staying (not
going) another day.
Note 2: The first clause is quite standard and of the
base pattern Ａ不Ｂ where Ａ is the subject 天氣, and 不Ｂis a negative
predicate adjective 不好 that describes 天氣. In translation "the weather
is not good".
Note 3: The second clause is a suggestive command
telling the listener not to go. With the presence of the subject it is
very similar to the English "You'd better not go". The base pattern is
你別Ｃ了 where Ｃ is that which the speaker is telling the listener 你 not to
do -- namely, 別走了. The sentence tag了 expresses the notion that the act
of leaving should not be completed, and suggests that the listener is
in the act of going.
Note 4: The subject in the third clause is understood
to be the listener. The speaker wants him to stay longer 多住. The amount
of additional time is one day 一天. The base pattern 多Ａ一天 is similar to
that which we encountered before with 再Ａ一次. The adverb before the verb
tells the listener to listen for the counter which comes after. The
above two phrases could just as easily be written as 多Ａ三天 or 再Ａ五次.
Note 5: Once again, one's family and one'e home or
house appear interchangeable: 在我家 thus becomes "at my house". I have
left it out in the translation as something that is understood.
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| 你別信他的話以為我很有錢，告訴
你，我巳經三年沒有買新衣服了。 |
You should not believe what he says and think I
have a lot of money. I am telling you, already three years have past,
and I have not purchased any new clothes.
Note 1: The base pattern of the first clause is
你別信Ａ以為Ｂwhere Ａ and Ｂ are what the speaker tells the listener not to
believe and think. In this case Ａ is what someone else says 他的話 and Ｂ
is what the speaker should not think -- namely, that the speaker has a
lot of money 我很有錢.
Note 2: The base pattern of the second clause is
告訴你，我沒有Ｃ了 where Ｃ is what the speaker tells the listener he has not
done -- in this case, buy new clothes 買新衣服 .
Note 3: The word prepositional modifier 的 does not
occur between 新 and 衣服. This absence is not easy to explain. It may be
that certain adjectives like 新 and 舊 do not require 的, that 新衣服 is a
stand alone noun.
Note 4: The temporal adverb 巳經三年 can probably be
translated as "already three years have passed", or in this instance
"for the past three years" in conjuction with an action that did or did
not occur during the indicated time frame.
Note 5: The construction 沒有Ｃ了 is the negative past of
a non-action that continues into the present -- in this case 買新衣服.
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| 門外有幾個人說話，可是聽不見他們
說些甚麼。 |
Outside there are several people talking, but I
cannot hear what they are saying.
Note 1: The base pattern is of course Ａ，可是Ｂ where Ｂ is
a condition that one might not expect given Ａ.
Note 2: The base pattern of the first clause is Ｃ有ＤＥ,
where Ｃ is the place where there are Ｄ performing Ｅ. In this case there
are several people 幾個人 who are talking 說話 outside the door 門外. What is
not clear is why the place of action is not indicated by 在? Is it
because 有 is present? Why does one not write 在門外有幾個人?
Note 3: Once again we observe the construction 聽見 but
this time in its negated form. Notice that the negation falls between 聽
and 見 rather than before 聽. The idea appears to be that one can
perceive, but not discern.
Note 4: The construction 他們說些其甚麼 can be translated as
"they are saying something". It has been suggested that 些 is an
abbreviation for 一些 meaning "some" or "a few". Thus, 聽不見他們說些甚麼 can
probably be translated somewhat literally as "cannot here some of what
they are saying".
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| 弟弟說話跟做事都很快，可是寫字跟
看書都很慢。 |
My little brother talks and works very fast, but he
writes and reads very slowly.
Note 1: The base pattern is Ａ跟Ｂ都Ｃ，可是Ｄ跟Ｅ都Ｆ, where Ｃ is
a quality of Ａand Ｂ, and Ｆ is a quality of Ｄ and Ｅ that contrasts with
Ｃ.
Note 2: The subject 弟弟 is understood in the second
clause.
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| 香港的東方人多，西方人少，可是我
們學校就不是了。 |
Many Hong Kongers are Asian but few are Westerners.
At our school things are quite different.
Note 1: The base pattern is ＡＣ，可是Ｂ就不是了where Ｃ is a
condition of Ａ that clearly does not prevail in the case of Ｂ. The
expression 就不是了 appears to be idiomatic; it says that Ｂ is not the same
as Ａ.
Note 2: 香港的東方人 and （香港的）西方人 are Asian and Western Hong
Konger. The former are many 多 and the latter are few 少.
Note 1: 我們學校 is our school. Once again, the adjectival
preposition 的 is missing.
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| 因為他的女朋友喜歡香的花，所以他
天天買一些送去。 |
Because they like fragrant flowers, he buys some
everyday and gives them to his girl friends.
Note 1: The base pattern is very standard:
因為Ａ，所以Ｂwhere Ｂarises as a direct result of Ａ.
Note 2: The base pattern of the first clause is
Ａ喜歡Ｂwhere Ａare the boy's girl friends 他的女朋友 and Ｂis what they like --
namely, fragrant flowers 香的花.
Note 3: The base pattern of the second phrase is
Ａ買Ｂ送去where Ａis the boy who buys Ｂand presents them 送去 to his girl
friends. Ｂis rendered here as the indefinite pronoun 一些 that clearly
refers back to the fragrant flowers in the first clause.
How to interpret 送去 is not clear. People have
suggested "send", "deliver", and "present". Important is that the boy's
girl friends are not with him when the flowers are purchased, and the
flowers must be brought to them in some manner.
Note 4: Whether one interprets 女朋友 in the singular or
plural appears to be a matter of life-style or cultural upbringing.
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This observation was contributed by FU
Xiao Ping of the ProZ.com translators bulletin board. For further
discussion in this regard see Special Topics 方向，面 (return)
上
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