As will be seen from the lessons already gone over Chinese is very
largely composed of idiomatic phrases. The only way to become
acquainted with these phrases is by the constant hearing of the
spoken language. We shall introduce in this lesson a few useful
phrases and show how they occur in sentences.
“All one’s life,” \{ih sang-ih-s°}/ (一生一世). Lit. “One life,
one world.” “To run about,” \{Bau-le-bau-chi°}/ (跑來跑去). Lit. “Run
come, run go.” “To decide,” \{Lih-ding-°tsu-i°}/ (立定主意). Lit. “To
stand still the will.”
Good-bye (French, {au-revoir}), \{An°-hyih-we°}/ (宴歇會). Lit. “We will
meet later,” or \{Tse°-we°}/ (再會). Lit. “I will see you again.”
The ordinary way of saying “good-bye” when you have been to call on a
person is to say \{Chi°-tse}/ (去哉). Lit. “I am going.” Your host will
say \{Man°-chi°}/ (慢去), meaning “Go slowly.”
The expression. \{Kan-nyih-we°}/ (間日會) would mean: “I will see you
in a day or two.”
“Universal” \{°Phoo-thien-‘au°}/ (普天下), or \{‘Eh-thien-°ti-°‘au}/
(合天底下). Lit. “Beneath the whole of heaven.”
“Useless, in vain,” \{Bak-bak-°li}/ (白白裏). “Indispensable” is
\{°Ba-’veh-tuk}/ (罷勿得).