| 我告訴他我的房子比張先生的房子離
學校近些。 |
I'm telling him that my house is closer to the
school than Mr. Zhang's.
Note 1: The base pattern is Ａ告訴ＢＣ where Ｃ is something
that Ａ tells Ｂ. Ｃ is the very long phrase 我的房子比張先生的房子離
學校近些.
Note 2: The base pattern of what is told is Ａ比Ｂ離Ｃ近些
where Ａ is compared with Ｂin terms of Ｃ. Perhaps this
construction can be best understood as the combination of the
following two sentences:
１a）我的房子離學校近些 namely, Ａ離Ｃ近些.
２a）張先生的房子離學校遠些 namely, Ｂ離Ｃ遠些.
From these one can easily write either
１b）Ａ比Ｂ離Ｃ近些
２b）Ｂ比Ａ離Ｃ遠
Note 3: 離 appears to function as a static verb
indicating distance away.
Note 4: The phrase 近些 is a comparative form that
corresponds to the base pattern Ｘ些. Here, 近些 means closer; 遠些 means
farther
or more distant.
|
| 他問：「黑水街離白水街有多遠？」我說：「三條街左右。」 |
He is asking how far Black Water
Street is from White Water Sreet. I am telling him that they
are about three blocks apart.
Note 1: The base pattern is Ａ問：「Ｃ？」Ｂ說：「Ｄ。」where Ａ and
Ｂ are two people in conversation. Ａ asks question Ｃ, and Ｂ asks
question Ｄ.
Note 2: The base pattern for the question 黑水街離白水街有多遠？ is Ａ離Ｂ有多遠？where Ａ
and Ｂ are two streets. The speaker wants to know how far apart they
are. Apparently the phrase 有多遠 asks the question: "How far?"
One has the feeling that 遠 can be employed both as an adjective meaning
distant, and as a noun meaning distance.
In particular, should one interpret this construction to mean: "How
much distance?" or "How far?" It is not clear.
Note 3: The base pattern to the answer 三條街左右 is of the form Ａ左右 meaning
approximately Ａ.
Note 4: The phrase 三條街 is quite standard: number + counter + counted
noun. In this case three streets counted with the counter 條.
In a US English context the phrase 三條街 is probably best translated as
three blocks. One must be careful not to confuse the Japanese
notion of block with that of the US English notion, however.
|
| 他從右邊走了，你才從左邊來，所以看不見他。 |
He had left from the right, just as
you (were coming/came) from the left, so you did not see him.
Note 1: The base pattern for the entire sentence is Ａ，Ｂ，所以Ｃ,
where Ａand Ｂare two opposing conditions that determine Ｃ.
Note 2: The base pattern for the construction Ａ，Ｂ is Ａ從Ｃ邊走了，Ｂ才從Ｄ邊來
where Ａ and Ｂare two different agents 他 and 你. 他 is leaving 走
from Ｃ邊
and 你 is coming 來 from Ｄ邊. The verb 走了 suggests a completed
action,
thus placing the entire sentence into the past.
Note 3: The word 才appears before the entire verb phrase 從左邊來.
Note 4: It is difficult to know whether one should employ were
coming or came. It depends entirely on the context of the speaker's
narration.
Note 5: The phrase 看不見 is the negative of the verb 看見, which means to
see.
|
| 要是你從右邊來，他又從右邊走，那就好了。 |
If you had come from the right, and
he had departed on the right, all would have been well.
Note 1: The base pattern of the entire sentence is
要是Ａ，又Ｂ，那就好了。
Note 2: The base pattern of the first and second phrases are of the
form 從Ａ邊Ｂwhere Ａis the side of a place from which some action Ｂ
takes place.
Note 3: The word 那 in the phrase 那就好了 apparently serves as a pronoun
referring back to the two hypothesized conditions Ａ and Ｂ. 就 appears to
emphasize the final result. 了 indicates what the result would have
been, had the two conditions been met.
Note 4: In spoken Cantonese 那 in the phrase 那就好了 would be replaced with
the word 咁, but its grammatical function would be very different.
|
| 天冷的時候他穿很少衣服，天熱的時候他穿得很多。 |
During cold weather he wears little
clothing, and in hot weather he wears so much.
Note 1: The base pattern is Ａ的時候Ｂ，Ｃ的時候Ｄ, where Ａand Ｃare different time
periods, and Ｂ and Ｄare the conditions associated respectively with
each.
Note 2: In both cases the time period is expressed in the form 天Ｅ where
Ｅindicates the temperature of the weather. So why does one not say 冷天
and 熱天, rather than using the more complicated predicate adjective
constructions 天冷 and 天熱? Maybe the former does not exist.
Note 3: The first and second clauses differ importantly in the way the
verb 穿 is employed. This was probably done for the sake of variety.
In the first clause 穿 is used transitively and in the second
intransitively. In the first clause 衣服 is the clothing that is worn and
少 tells us how much; it is thus employed as a direct object. In the
second clause 得很多 is employed as an adverbial modifier of the verb 穿.
It is of the base pattern verb + 得 + adjectival phrase. See Special Topics under 得 for more
information in this regard.
|
| 你知道這個冷熱不分的人是誰嗎？就是我的弟弟。 |
Do you know who this person is who
cannot
tell hot from cold? He is my little brother.
Note 1: The base pattern of the first sentence is Ａ知道Ｂ是誰嗎？The speaker
wants to know whether Ａ knows who Ｂ is.
Note 2: The phrase 這個冷熱不分的人 describes the person in question. The base
pattern of the phrase is 這個Ｃ的人 where Ｃ的 behaves as a relative verb
clause describing 人. Also important here is that 這個 refers to 人 and
appears before the relative clause that describes人.
Note 3: The base pattern of the second phrase is 就是Ｄ where Ｄis the
answer to the speaker's question about the identity of Ｂ. 就 is used for
emphasis, and means "is" written large.
|
| 黃河是中國第二大河，那麼第一大河是那一條呢？ |
The Yellow River is China's second
largest. What river is the largest?
Note 1: The base pattern for the entire sentence is given by Ａ是Ｂ，那麼Ｃ是Ｄ.
Note 2: The first clause is of special interest for two reason: one,
there is no counter between 第一大 and 河; and two, there is no 的 between
中國 and 第一大河.
Note 3: The second clause is far more challenging.
|
| 近海的地方比離海遠的地方冷些，所以很多人喜歡住在海邊。 |
Places closer to the sea are cooler
than places farther away. Therefore many people like to live by the sea.
Note 1: The base pattern of this sentence is Ａ，所以Ｂ, where Ｂ is the
result
of a condition described in Ａ。
Note 2: The base pattern of the first clause is Ｃ比ＤＥ些, where C is
compared with Ｄ and found to be more Ｅ. In this case Ｃ and Ｄ are
近海的地方 and 離海遠的地方, respectively.
As before the comparison can easily be thought of as the combination of
two separate thoughts:
１a）近海的地方冷些, and
２a）離海遠的地方熱些
Thus,
１b）近海的地方比離海遠的地方冷些, or
２b）離海遠的地方比近海的地方熱些
Note 3: 近海的地方 is of the form Ａ的Ｂwhere Ａ的 is an adjectival clause
describing Ｂ. In this case a 地方 that is close to the sea 近海的.
Note 4: 離海遠的地方 is of the form Ａ的Ｂ where Ａis an adjectival clause
describing Ｂ. In this case a place 地方 that is distant from the sea
離海遠的. It originates from the construction Ｘ離Ｙ遠 where Ｘand Ｙ are two
locations that are far apart.
Note 5: Comparing notes 3 and 4 we note two ways of expressing the same
ideas of proximity and distance. Namely 近Ａ的 and 離Ａ近的 and 遠Ｂ的 and 離Ｂ遠的.
The
first of each pair is an adjectival construction, the second of each
pair is a verbal construction.
|
| 他很喜歡請從遠方來的朋友吃飯，因為他知道離開家的人都想
家。 |
He likes to invite friends for dinner
from far away places, because he knows they will be yearning for their
families.
Note 1: The base pattern for this sentence is Ａ，因為Ｂ,
where Ｂ is an explanation given for why Ａ occurs.
Note 2: The base pattern of the first clause 他很喜歡請從遠方來的朋友吃飯 is given by
Ａ喜歡請ＢＣ, where Ｃ is something that Ａ enjoys inviting Ｂ to do -- namely,
eat 吃飯.
Note 3: 從遠方來的朋友 are friends who have come from far away. The term 遠方 in
the phrase 從遠方來的 apparently means far place or far away.
Note 4: The base pattern for the second clause 他知道離開家的人都想家 is Ａ知道Ｂ的人Ｃ,
where Ｂ的人 are a kind of people that do Ｃand are known by Ａ. The type of
people in this context are those that have left home -- namely, 離開家.
What they do is yearn for their families 想家. This is something that
everyone 都 does.
|
| 他說近日很忙，可是下午他都不在家，你知道他忙甚麼嗎？ |
He says that he has been very busy
recently, but in the afternoon he is never at home. Do you know what he
is up to?
Note 1: The base pattern for the entire sentence is Ａ說Ｂ，可是Ｃ，你知道ＡＤ嗎,
where Ｃ is a condition that contradicts Ａ's claim with regard to Ｂ, and
the speaker want to know Ｄ about Ａ in order to confirm Ｂ.
Note 2: Literally speaking, 近日 probably means "in recent days". Here it
is rendered simply as "recently".
Note 3: Apparently the word 忙 can be used both as an intranistive and
transitive verb. Consider the two phrases 他說近日很忙 and 你知道他忙甚麼嗎. In the
first phrase 忙 stands alone. In the second phrase it is an activity
with an unknown direct object -- namely, 甚麼.
Note 4: The base pattern for the second clause is 下午Ａ都不在家 where Ａrefers
to the person about whom the speaker is enquiring. This clause
introduces several interesting points. Firstly, the character 在 is
employed as a verb meaning to be located at. Used with 家 it
means to be at home. Secondly, the phrase 下午 is placed before
the subject of the clause. As 都 refers back to 下午 this was probably
done for emphasis.
Note 5: The sentence end-particle 嗎 indicates that a question has been
asked.
|