Note 1: The base pattern for this question is 為甚麼Ａ，還不Ｂ呢？where the speaker wonders, given Ａ, why Ｂhas yet to occur.

The placement of the comma after Part Ａ is misleading and perhaps unnecessary, as it makes it appear that the question is being asked about Ａ, when, in fact, it is aboutＢgiven the speaker's knowledge of Ａ.

Note 2: The question word 為什麼 is simply another way of writing 為甚麼. The Cantonese pronunciation is different, however (See the vocabulary entry for 甚 ).

Note 3: The base pattern for Part Ａis ＣＤ那麼久 where Ｄis something that Ｃdoes for a time that appears very long to the speaker 那麼久. In this case, it is the length of time that the two listeners 你們 have been together 相愛 (love each other).

The placement of the adverb is after the verb, rather than before, and is noteworthy for this reason. It appears to play a dual grammatical role: that of a temporal adverb which answers the question "How long?", and that of an accusative object which answers the question "How much time was spent?".

Note 4: In the clause 還不結婚 the phrase 還不Ｂmeans so much as "not yet Ｂ", "as yet, not Ｂ", "still not Ｂ", etc.

Note 5: The post-sentence particle apparently softens the question and invites, thereby, the listeners to respond in an informative manner.

Note 6: 結婚 means, of course, to marry.

Source: http://www.proz.com/kudoz/1468260

Note 1: The base pattern of this sentence is Ａ，Ｂ也是一樣的 where Ａ is put forth as an analogy for understanding Ｂ.

In this case the speaker apparently believes that succeeding in one's studies of Cantonese 學廣東話 is just like achieving success 有成就 at work or other activity 做事. One must be confident 有信心 in what one is doing.

Note 2: The base pattern for Part Ａ appears to be Ｃ，Ｄ一定有Ｅwhere Ｃis a long modified subject set off by a comma and 有Ｅ(obtain Ｅ) is the certain 一定 result of performing Ｄ.

As the phrase 有成就 follows the verb phrase 做事, it should probably be treated as a verb phrase, as well. It appears unlikely that it could be treated as the predicate adjective of 一個人.

The subject of part Ａ is the modified noun 一個人 (a person). The modifier is the nominalized verb phrase 有這心的. The post particle 的 signals both the nominalization of the verb phrase and the phrase's role as an adjectival modifier. This construction is not new and can be thought of as a headless (no relative pronoun) relative clause.

Note 3: Strictly speaking, Chinese distinguish between 成就 (achievement) and 成放 (success). In this particular context, however, it is difficult to distinguish between the two. In work and study our ability to succeed is usually measured by our ability to achieve.

Note 4: The base pattern for the second part of this sentence has already been given as Ｂ也是一樣的. The phrase 是一樣的 is that of predicate noun telling us what Ｂis. In effect, 一樣的 is a pronominalized adjective phrase whose referent is Part Ａ -- namely, 一個有信心的人，做事一定有成就.

Note 5: The adverb 也 is the grammatical link between the first and second parts of the sentence and serves to introduce the pronominalized predicate noun 一樣的.

Source: http://www.proz.com/kudoz/1469594
Source: http://www.proz.com/kudoz/1469598

Note 1: This sentence can be divided into two nearly grammatically equivalent parts whose content is changed to provide more robust illustration, and thus make clear the underlying thought.

The base pattern to the underlying thought is 自己不ＢＣＤ，不要叫Ａ去Ｃwhere ＣＤis some activity that a person does not willingly perform 不Ｂ himself 自己, and Ａis someone that the person could call on 叫 to do ＣＤ in his place.

This grammatical equivalence breaks down in the construction of the sentence part ＣＤ, however. In the first half of the sentence ＣＤ is a modified noun; in the second half it is a verb phrase. In contrast, in both the first and second halves of the sentence ＣＤ is a direct object of the negated verb 不Ｂ.

The subjects of both sentence parts are the same -- namely, the listener or reader, expressed in third person by the word自己 (self).

Note 2: The base pattern of the first part of each sentence-half is straight forward 自己不ＢＣＤwhere 不Ｂis a negated verb that expresses dislike, andＣＤ is what is disliked.

So, 不喜歡做的事 expresses the idea of not liking 不喜歡 a thing 事 that is done 做的. The phrase 做的 is a headless relative clause (nominalized verb phrase) that behaves as an adjectival modifier of 事.

不愛吃東西 expresses the idea of not enjoying 不愛 the eating 吃 of a thing 東西.

Note 3: In both cases the person (listener) is advised not to call on someone to perform whatever the person (listener) dislikes doing himself. This idea is expressed by the phrase 不要叫Ａ去Ｃ where Ａ is the person that one should not 不要 call on 叫 to perform Ｃ.

This appears to be a standard pattern whose existence does not depend on the rest of the sentence. The negated form of 要 -- namely, 不要 -- often expresses the idea of "should not" in English. Literally it means "you needn't".

The phrase Ａ叫Ｂ去Ｃ also appears to be quite standard. It means Ａ calls on Ｂto perform Ｃ.

Note 4: If the meaning implied by this sentence is the Golden Rule "Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you", then there does already exist a Chinese saying that can capture this same idea more succinctly, but negatively: 己所不欲，勿施干人.

Nevertheless, it is not altogether clear that the Golden Rule is what is meant. Could it not be a senior manager advising a junior manager about thinking twice before assigning tasks to others that he himself does not enjoy performing. There could be negative repercussions, if this is all he does.

Source: http://www.proz.com/kudoz/1471428

Note 1: This is a request whose base pattern, although easy to understand is somewhat complex. It can be simplified to 請你去Ａ，找Ｂ問問他，Ｃ where C is a question that the speaker wants the listener to ask Ｂwho can be found at Ａ.

Based on the sentences that we observed at the end of Part II, we can be surprized that the question is not followed by a question mark and enclosed in brackets.

The comma between the destination Ａ and the activity to be performed at this destination -- namely, 找Ｂ問問他 -- can be explained perhaps by the length of the destination. Under most circumstances a comma would be otherwise unnecessary.

Note 2: Consider first the request that the listener go to Ａ which is a public school 公立學校 apparently at some distance from where the speaker and listener are located. Once again, the counter for building is 間 and the phrase 那間 suggests a building at some distance away.

The adverb 立刻 which means immediately, right away, sofort, etc. is placed before the verb 去 to add a sense of urgency to the speaker's request.

Note 3: Having arrived at the school the listener 你 is to find 找 Mr. Sek 石先生, and ask 問問 him 他 a question 十的立方是多少？. The absence of a question mark at the end of the question is probably due to the fact that the question has not been set off in brackets and the entire sentence is a formal request or polite command -- not a question.

One can be mildly surprized that the verb 找 (look for) is not followed by 了. Indeed, must one not first have found 找了 before one can ask 問問.

Note 4: The question is given by 十的立方是多少 and is rendered in standard Chinese question format: the question word 多少 is simply placed in the syntactical position of a statement that would form the answer to the question. In this case, the speaker wants to know the numerical equivalence of 十的立方多少？and the answer to this question is of course 十的立方是一零零零. The question word and the answer are simply substituted.

Note 5: Apparently 十的立方 is the Chinese equivalent of 10³ (ten cubed) The term 立方 may have its origin in the word 立方體 (cube) which corresponds to the three dimensional object.

Is the phrase Ｄ的立方 then not a base pattern for expressing the cube of any Ｄ?

Similarly, the base pattern for the square of a number is Ｄ的平方, where the word 平方 indicates the square of a number. 平方 should not be confused with 正方形 (four equal sides) which is the term used for the two dimensional shape.

Source: http://www.proz.com/kudoz/1473494
Source: http://www.proz.com/kudoz/1473496

Note 1: The base pattern of this sentence appears to be Ａ的時候，Ｂ，Ｃ了 where Ｂis something that the speaker performed at some time Ａin the past which resulted in Ｃ.

Note 2: Though one might be inclined to treat 我 as the grammatical subject of the entire sentence, this would probably be an error. It appears, rather, that the grammatical subject is understood through inference, and that the phrase 我年青的 is an adjectival phrase modifying the noun 時候 and telling when Ｂand Ｃ occurred.

In effect, one can view the sentence part 我年青的 as a relative clause of the form ＤＥ的 where Ｄis the subject of the clause and Ｅis its predicative adjective. Thus, a literal translation might read "when I was young". As people are likely to interpret the word "young" in different ways, I have rendered the phrase 我年青的時候 as "when I was a youth. (Also, see Note 7 below.)

Note 3: The pattern of the sentence part Ｂis worth noting insofar as the temporal adverb 常常 (often, frequently, regularly) precedes the adverbial phrase 在那石路上 (on the stone path) rather than the verb.

Notice again, the now hopefully familiar pattern 在Ｆ上 -- the adverbial form of the prepositional phrase 在Ｆ. Rendering this adverbial modifier as anything but a prepositional phrase in English is likely to prove difficult, however.

Note 4: The base pattern of the sentence fragment 發現那裏的風景美極 can be given as 發現ＧＨ where Ｇis something that one finds to be Ｈ -- in this case a view (scenery or landscape) that turns out to be exquisite 美極.

Note 5: How to translate the phrase 那裏的 is not entirely clear, as 裏 is often translated as inside, interior, or within. Does it not refer here to the area surrounding the stone path?

Note 6: What is a 石路? One must suppose any path made of stone, be it an uncultivated gravelly path or a well-manicured path paved with slate or some other flat stone.

Note 7: The terms 青年 (youth, n.), 年青 (youthful, adj.), and 年輕 (young, adj.) are probably worth listing for contrast.

Source: http://www.proz.com/kudoz/1475124
Source: http://www.proz.com/kudoz/1475130
Source: http://www.proz.com/kudoz/1475132
Source: www.xuezhongwen.net

Note 1: This sentence consists of a proposition and two conditions that must be satisfied in order for it two be true. The base pattern for the entire sentence is Ａ，要Ｂ，一定要Ｃ，沒有Ｄ，就沒有Ｅ, where Ａis the proposition and the two conditions that must be satisfied are 要Ｂ，一定要Ｃ and 沒有Ｄ，就沒有Ｅ.

Note 2: The base pattern of the proposition is given by 誰都愛Ｇ的Ｆwhere Ｇ的Ｆis a modified direct object of the verb 愛. In this context, the verbs 愛 (love, like, etc.) and 喜歡 (enjoy) appear to be synonymous.

Note 3: The base pattern of the first condition is given by 要Ｂ，一定要Ｃwhere Ｃis something that must be present before Ｂcan be present. In this case, one must be free 有自由 before one can be at peace 平安 and happy 快樂.

The grammatical forms that Ｂ and Ｃ assume appear to be arbitrary unless one considers both 有自由 and 平安快樂 to be adjectives. This seems possible.

有自由 is of the form 有Ｍ which is a verb phrase that can easily be made into an adjective by adding the postpositional particle 的. Please recall the expression 有錢的人.

Certainly, both 平安 and 快樂 can play the role of adjectives.

Whether 一定 is a necessary part of this general pattern remains open, and any statement in this regard will depend on further observation.

Note 4: The base pattern of the second condition is give by 沒有Ｄ，就沒有Ｅwhere Ｄis something that one must have before one can have Ｅ. In other words, if Ｄis not present, neither can Ｅbe present. Ｄis a precondition for Ｅ.

In this context, if there is no freedom 自由, there can be no life 生活. Once again, the restriction on the grammatical forms that Ｄand Ｅcan assume are not clear. Certainly in this example both are noun subjects of the verb 有.

Note 5: The phrase 誰都愛 likely hangs together and means "everyone enjoys". This phrase appears to be part of a more general pattern described by 誰都Ｈ where Ｈis any verb or predicate phrase. Consider, for example, the following three sentences:

i) 誰都愛平安快樂的生活。
Everyone enjoys a peaceful and happy life.
ii) 發生這樣的事，誰都會生气。
Such an occurrence would make anyone upset.
iii) 誰都沒料到會發生這樣的事。
Nobody expected this to happen

In effect, how one interprets the phrase 誰都Ｈdepends on the context in which it is found. In the first example, our sample sentence, the verb is positive and unqualified. In the second sentence the verb is also positive, but the action to which it corresponds is qualified by the preceding condition. In example three the verb is clearly negated.

Note 6: Finally, how does one treat the phrase 平安快樂的生活? Is it an abbreviation for the phrase 平安的，快樂的生活, or is the phrase 平安快樂 a stand alone adjectival phrase. The answer to this will also require further observation.

Source: http://www.proz.com/kudoz/1476436

Note 2: A literal translation of the proverb 「日久見人心」might be "It takes a day to know a person's heart". 久 refers to the passage of time, and 日久 means a length of time equal to one day. 人心 is a person's heart -- what one must observe 見 during the course of a day before one can judge it．

A good English equivalent of this proverb might be "You cannot judge a book by its cover."

Note 3: The construction 「日久見人心」這句成語 is very much like that of an English appositive. Although the order cannot be easily reversed, what is contained in and outside of the brackets refers to the same thing, and both expressions, if stood alone, can perform the same grammatical role. In effect, 日久見人心 is the proverb to which 這句成語 refers, and each is a good substitute for Ｅin the pattern Ｅ的意思.

The word 成語 means proverb and the counter for a proverb is 句. 這 is, of course, a demonstrative pronoun that refers to the proverb just stated.

Note 4: The construction Ｅ的意思是說Ｂ could just as easily have been written as Ｅ的意思是Ｂ with no substantial change in meaning. The expression 是說 appears to be common in situations where the meaning of a term, expression, or written passage is interpreted. The general pattern Ｆ是說Ｇappears to mean "F says G".

Note 5: The base pattern of the explanation of the proverb is given by 要Ｂ，才Ｃ where Ｃis something that can only occur after Ｂ. In this case one must 要 have shared aother's company 相處 for some time 久了, before 才 one is able to know 知道 whether a person 一個人 is good 是好 or bad 是壞.

The 3rd person subject pronoun is understood and unstated.

Source: http://www.proz.com/kudoz/1477360

Note 1: The base pattern of this sentence is very simple and of the form Ａ，因為Ｂwhere Ｂis an explanation as to whyＡis. In this particular case the speaker asks the listener 請你 to etch 刻 the speaker's name 我的名字 in a writing utensil 在這枝筆上面, and gives as a justification for needing to do this 因為 his fear 我怕 (I fear) that someone 別人 may 會 take it 拿 (take) and run 去 (go).

Note 2: The base pattern of the speaker's request is 請你把Ｃ刻在Ｄ上面 where Ｃis something that the speaker wants the listener 你 to etch into Ｄ. The thing to be etched is the speaker's name 我的名字, and the thing into which the etching is to be made is a writing utensil 這枝筆 (this pen, this pencil, etc.)

Here as always the presence of the prepositional particle 把 before 我的名字 indicates an accusative object placed before its verb. The verb is, of course, 刻 -- the same character used in the word 立刻 (immediately).

The phrase 在Ｄ上面 appears to hang together where Ｄis just about anything on whose surface something can be etched.

Note 3: The base pattern of the speaker's justification is given by Ｅ怕會給ＦＧ where Ｇis something that the speaker fears Ｆcould do, were Ｅnot to have the engraving performed.

The phrase 會給ＦＧis the direct object of the verb 怕 (fear). The verb 會 serves as a modal for the causative pattern 給ＦＧ and expresses the possibility of 給ＦＧoccurring.

The base pattern Ｅ怕會給ＦＧ can be further reduced to Ｅ給ＦＧ whereＧ is an act performed by Ｆ that could affect Ｅadversely were it to occur.

In this case the speaker fears that someone 別人 (other person) might take 拿 his pen and go 去.

There are many ways to render the clause 我怕會給別人拿去 I have provided only one.

Source: http://www.proz.com/kudoz/1478986

Note 1: The base pattern of this sentence is Ａ告訴Ｂ要Ｃ where Ｃ is something that ＡtellsＢto perform. In this case, the speaker relates to the listener what the doctor told him to do.

Note 2: The base pattern of the doctor's message is Ｂ要Ｄ，Ｅ就會好些 where Ｅis something that will improve if the speaker does what he has been told to do -- namely, Ｄ. What will improve is the speaker's health 身體 (body).

Note 3: What the speaker must do before his health can improve is given by the phrase 我要多吃些青菜，少吃些肉. The base pattern for this phrase is 我要多Ｆ些Ｇ，少Ｆ些Ｈ where Ｇ and Ｈare direct objects to the same verb Ｆwhose subject is 我.

In effect, the speaker 我 must 要 eat more 多吃些 green vegetables 青菜 and eat less 少吃些 meat 肉.

Note 4: The phrase base pattern for the phrase 身體就會好些 is given by Ｅ就會Ｋ些 where Ｋrepresents some attribute of Ｅthat is expected to change. In this case it is the person's health 身體 (body) that is expected 會 to improve 好些.

Note 5: The difference between the Chinese verbs 告訴 and 說 is similar to the difference in the English verbs tell and say.

In order to understand this verb pair it might be useful to consider other verb pairs that deal with the senses including listen/hear and look/see. The first verb of each pair requires focus that the second verb does not. One listens to and looks at someone or something, but before one can listen or look one must first hear or see, respectively. In effect, before one can focus, one must first recognize a presence. Like hearing and seeing, one can say something without a targeted listener. Like listening and looking, however, the verb tell requires a targeted listener.

Of course, there are exceptions. Just as one can say, "He said it to me", so too can one say 他對我說了。

Source: http://www.proz.com/kudoz/1482364

Note 1: The base pattern to this sentence is Ａ常說「Ｂ」，那麼，Ｃ？where Ｂis something that Ａalways says, and the speaker wonders as a result why Ｃmust be true.

Although the base pattern is clear, the meaning of the sentence depends greatly on context.

Note 2: Consider first what school teachers 學校的先生 frequently 常 say 說 -- namely,Ｂ. The base pattern for this sentence part is 活到老，Ｄ不了, where Ｄis something that continues after one has grown old. In effect, learning or study knows no age.

Note 3: The base pattern of the speaker's response to this claim is 那麼，Ｅ為甚麼還要Ｆ呢？where Ｆis something that Ｅmust continue doing. The speaker wonders "Why?".

Note 4: The expression 那麼 is an adverb commonly used to modify adjectives. For example, the phrase 那麼貴 can be translated as so expensive.

The phrase 麼貴 appears to function here as an adverbial conjunction between the student's observation and his apparent bewilderment. It poses the question, "if it is so, then ...".

Note 5: The question Ｅ為甚麼還要Ｆ呢？ requires significant interpretation.

At first glance, the verb phrase 還要 (adverb + verb) does not contradict the student's observation, and cannot justify the question. In effect, if study is a lifelong pursuit, does it not make sense that the student must continue to learn?

In order to make sense of this sentence, one must imagine a teacher compelling a student to study more than he wants, and the student thinking, "Alas, if I have my whole life to study, why must everything be crammed into a single moment. I want to take a break! Why am I still here?"

Source: http://www.proz.com/kudoz/1486854