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文法b
| 輕信別人的話跟輕看別人都是不好
的。 |
Being gullible and belittling others should both be
avoided.
Note 1: Ｂ跟Ｃ都是Ｄ的（Ａ）where both Ｂand Ｃare things that are
also Ｄ. 跟 is used as a conjunction meaning and.
Note 2: The phrases 輕信別人的話 and 輕看別人 share the same
base pattern -- namely, 輕信Ａ and 輕看Ａ, where Ａis what other people say 別
人的話 and other people 別人, respectively.
Putting the character 輕 before a verb "lightens" the
serious of the activity that the verb expresses. Thus, 輕信 means to
believe easily or believe with little trouble, and 輕信別人的話 means to
believe easily what another says -- in other words, be gullible.
輕看 means to view easily, or make light of what one
views. Thus, the phrase 輕看別人 means to belittle or slight someone.
Note 3: In so far as, being gullible and belittling
others are both bad things 都是不好的, they are things to be avoided. I have
selected this rendering, because the most likely context in which such
a statement would be made is one in which proper thought and behavior
are discussed.
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| 有人說：「容易得來的東西都不是貴重的。」你以為怎樣？ |
People say, "Things that are easily
obtained are of little worth". What are your thoughts?
Note 1: The base pattern is 有人說：「Ａ。」你以為怎樣？, where Ａ is what people say.
The pattern 有人說 appears to be very standard. Literally it mean: "there
are people saying". It could probably be also rendered as "There are
people who say ...".
怎樣 means How? or In what manner? 以為 is a transitive
verb meaning think. Thus, the question 你以為怎樣？apparently means
How do you think? As almost always seems to be the case with Chinese,
the question word simply replaces the word in the sentence for which
information is required. There is no change in word order.
Note 2: The base pattern of what is said is of the form
Ｂ的Ａ都不是Ｃ的（Ａ）where Ａassumes the negative of the attribute Ｃ的, when it is
obtained as Ｂ的. In this case Ｂ的 is something that is obtained with
little effort 容易得來的 and 不是Ｃ的 is something of little worth 不是
貴重的. 貴重 means precious, dear, or valuable.
Note 3: The word 都 is probably used here as much as an indicator of
plurality as it is one of emphasis meaning all.
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| 我的房租貴得很，每月的錢大半花在那裡。 |
My rent is very expensive; more than
half of my monthly income is spent on it.
Note 1: The base pattern of this sentence is Ｂ貴，Ａ花, where Ｂis something
that the speaker finds very expensive 貴得很, and Ａ is what is spent in
order to maintain it. As what is spent is placed before the verb to
spend, there is some incentive to render the translation in passive
voice.
Note 2: In the first clause 我的房租 is the speaker's house rent, which he
believes to be very expensive 貴得很. Although this latter construction
resembles the common pattern verb + 得 + adjective, 很 is an adverb --
not an adjective. Thus, the construction static verb + 得很 should
probably be thought of as merely a form of emphasis.
The construction verb + 得 + adjective
appears to be somewhat more
robust in Cantonese than in Mandarin -- at least with regard to static
verbs. Consider the following constructions for example1:
1) 我嘅房租貴得滯 - my rent is too expensive1a
2) 我嘅房租貴得合理 - my rent is reasonably expensive1b
Note 3: The phrase 在那裡 in the second clause does not refer to the place
where the person lives; rather, it refers to that on which half of the
speaker's monthly income is spent. Consider, for example, the sentence
我的保險貴得很, 每月的錢大半花在那裡。This sentence translates as "My insurance is very
expensive, over half of my monthly income is spent on it.
Note 4: I have rendered 每月的錢 as monthly income. It should be thought of
as the money one has each month to spend on his rent.
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| 前天，房東到我的屋子來，跟我說話。三年來這是第一次。 |
The day before yesterday my landlord
came to my house and spoke with me. This was the first time in three
years.
Note 1: The base pattern for the first sentence is Ａ到Ｃ來，跟ＢＤ, where Ａis
someone who comes to Ｃ and does Ｄ with Ｂ. In this case it is the
speakers landlord 房東, who comes to the speaker's room 我的屋子
and speaks 說話 with him.
Note 2: The base pattern of the second sentence is Ａ來Ｂ是第Ｃ次, where Ａ is
some length of time up to a certain moment that Ｂ occurs for the Ｃth
time. In this case the amount of time is three years 三年 and the number
of occurrences is one 第一次. What has occurred is given in the previous
sentence and is referred to in the second sentence by the pronoun 這.
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| 人生的路，沒有一條是容易走的，可是也沒有太難的。 |
Life's path is not one that is easily
travelled, but it is one that we can all make.
Note 1: The base pattern for the above sentence is
Ａ，沒有（Ａ是）Ｂ的，可是沒有（Ａ是）Ｃ的 where Ｂand Ｃare both possible types of Ａ, of
which Ａ is neither. In this case Ａ is life's path 人生的路 and the
two possible types are an easily traveled path 容易走的（一條路）and a
very difficult path 太難的（一條路）.
Note 2: The double negative construction with the conjunction but (or
however), is simply awkward in English, and should be avoided. It is
for this reason that the phrase 沒有太難的 was turned into the affirmative
opposite of what is written in Chinese.
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| 不知道為甚麼很多打魚的人都不喜歡吃魚。 |
No one knows why people who fish a
lot do not like to eat fish.
Note 1: The base pattern for this sentence is 不知道為甚麼Ａ都不Ｂwhere Ａand Ｂare
seemingly contrary thoughts. In this case the thought that people who
fish a lot 很多打魚的人 do not like to eat fish 喜歡吃魚.
Note 2: As this sentence contains no subject it is not clear who does
not know why. It could be a general statement that is commonly stated,
or only the individual speaker's opinion.
Note 3: The construction 很多打魚 appears to mean people who fish allot.
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| 這本書最快也要明天才可以給你，你可以等嗎？ |
The earliest you can have the book is
tomorrow. Can you wait until then?
Note 1: The base pattern for this sentence is Ａ，你可以等嗎？ where the
speaker asks the listener, if he cannot wait with regard to Ａ.
Note 2: The base pattern of the first clause is Ａ最快要Ｂ才Ｃ where Ａis
something that must await Ｂ before Ｃ can occur. In particularＡ refers
to a certain book 這本書 that cannot be returned before the following day.
Note 3: As that which is to be returned -- namely, 這本書 -- is placed
before the verb phrase 才可以給你 passive construction is probably
appropriate.
The phrase 給你 implies that the listener would be given the book, if
only he can wait. Who would give the book is not certain.
Note 4: Alone the expression 最快 means "fastest". 才 translates as
"only". Thus, the expression 最快．．． 才 appears to translate as "the
earliest", "not before" or "not until". Thus, "the earliest the
book can be returned is tomorrow" appears to be a proper rendering.
Note 5: The role of 也 is not clear. Perhaps it is used for emphasis or
simply a harmonic and rhythmic semantic filler. It can be eliminated
with little apparent loss in meaning.
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| 天黑了，謝先生還沒有回家。他的太太等得又怕又難過。 |
It was dark, and Mr. Tse had still
not returned home. His wife waited in fear and with difficulty.
Note 1: The base pattern of the first sentence is Ｂ了，Ａ還沒有Ｃ, where Ａ has
still not performed Ｃ，even thoughＢ has occurred.
Note 2: The phrase 天黑了 does not indicate that it is growing dark,
rather that it has already become dark.
Note 3: The phrase 還沒有Ｃ indicates something that has yet to
happen in the past.
Note 4: The base pattern of the second phrase is given by Ａ等得又Ｂ又Ｃ where
the phrase 得又Ｂ又Ｃ modifies the verb 等 telling how Ａ waited. It is
probably best understood as an abbreviation of Ａ等得Ｂ又等得Ｃ.
Note 5: 怕 and 難過 are nouns meaning fear and anxiety or extreme
difficulty. When use with the word 得 after a verb, they take on
adverbial qualities.
Note 6: The appearance of 得 after a verb does not always indicate that
the word that follows should be treated as an adverbial modfier. For
example, the character 得 in the word 記得 forms a part of the verb with
no adverbial modification implied.
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| 她上個月才離開家裡到美國去，今天就寫信說要回來。 |
She only left her home for the United
States last month, and (already) today she writes that she wants to
return.
Note 1: The base pattern is Ａ上個Ｄ才Ｂ，今天就要Ｃ where B is something
which A does only Ｄ before and now A wants to do C.
Note 2: Although the word 就 is probably used for emphasis in the second
phrase, there appears no need to include it in the translation, as the
contrary condidtion that it apparently exposes is captured by the word
才 in the previous sentence part.
Note 3: The phrase 離開家裏 means to leave
home and is of the more general forms Ａ離開Ｂ, where Ｂ is the place that
Ａleaves.2
Note 4: The phrase 到Ａ去 is standard written Chinese for conveying the
notions of going to a particular place. In this case the United States.
Note 5: The expression Ａ寫信說Ｂ means that "Ａ writes that Ｂ" where
indirect speech indicating what the person wrote is given by the phrase
"說 Ｂ". What did the person say? That Ａ wants to return home --
namely, 要回來.
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| 「遠在天邊」的意思是很遠很遠吧了，不是真的在天邊。 |
The phrase "far away at the edge of
the sky" does not really mean at the edge of the sky; it merely means
very far away.
Note 1: The base pattern for the above sentence is 「Ａ」的意思是Ｂ，不是真的Ｃ,
where the true meaning of Ａ -- namely, Ｂ is contrasted with the more
literal meaning Ｃ.
Note 2: The phrase 遠在天邊 is the phrase is question that can probably be
translated as "far on the distant horizon" or "far away at the edge of
the sky". The word 天邊 literally means the edge of the sky, which
in effect is the horizon.
As the horizon is only a perception rather than a physical
place, tranlating the word 天邊 as horizon would detract from the
contrast between what is real and what is not in this instance.
Note 3: The phrase 吧了 apparently means the same as 而已 or merely.
Note 4: The phrase 真的在天邊 refers to the horizon itself -- namely, the
true or real horizon.
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1 嘅, pronounced gei-?, is the Cantonese
character for 的 when used in this
context. (text)
2
裏 is the Cantonese rendering of the
character 裡 in written Mandarin. (text)
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上
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