Very often two adjectives of opposite meaning are joined together to
form an abstract noun of quality. Naturally the Chinese language is
defective in abstract nouns, and their lack is partially supplied is
this way. Thus \{Too-°sau}/ (多少), “Much-little,” means “quantity.”
\{Dzang-°toen}/ (長短), “Long-short,” means “length.” \{°Yoen-°jung}/
(遠近), “Far-near,” means “distance.” \{Kau-ti°}/ (高低), “High-low,”
means “height.” \{°‘Eu-bok}/ (厚薄), “Thick-thin,” means “thickness.”
\{Kwheh-‘ah}/ (關狹), “Broad-narrow,” means “breadth.” \{°Lang-nyih}/
(冷熱), “Cold-hot,” means “temperature.” \{Sung-°tshien}/ (深淺),
“Deep-shallow,” means “depth.” \{Chung-°dzoong}/ (輕重), “Light-heavy,”
means “weight.” \{Tshoo-si°}/ (粗細), “Coarse-fine,” means “texture”
(of cloth).
Verbs are also used in much the same way. Thus we have \{Le-°waung}/
(來往). “Come-go,” meaning “intercourse,” or \{Le-chi°}/ (來去),
“Come-go,” meaning, “going back and forth.” It generally occurs as
\{Le-le-chi°-chi°}/. \{°Ma-ma°}/ (買賣), “Buy-sell,” means “business.”