In explaining the difference between these two classes, the Chinese say, ũ mue̍h-kiãⁿ hó-thóiⁿ—jī sĩ-si̍t, if there as anything discernible—then the word is sit, i. e. true, veritable, actual, tangible, substantial; bô-mue̍h-kiãⁿ hó-thóiⁿ—jī sĩ-hṳ, if there is nothing discernible—the word is hṳ, i. e. empty, insubstantial. The sit-jī, then, comprise all the nouns, — names of persons, places, and things, — and some teachers would also include some verbs in this class. The hṳ-jī, comprise all auxiliaries, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions interjections, and all words which represent nothing tangible in themselves, but serve to develop the meaning of other words, and show their relations to other. Thus, the Chinese words for mountain, earth, heaven, river, road, wood, animal, bird, door, village, are all si̍t; whereas, the Chinese words for dark, consider, useless, wherefore, hate, love, desire, in, out, upon, are all hṳ.
In each of the following pairs of words, the first one is si̍t, and the second one is hṳ. Suaⁿ-téng, the mountain upon; chhù-ẽ, the house under; hái-tói, the sea at the bottom; thiⁿ chiẽⁿ, heaven above; tóu thiàⁿ, the stomach aches; sim siẽⁿ, the mind thinks; kha chéng, the foot is swollen; nâng gu̍t, the man is asleep; ji̍t-chhut, the sun rises; hõu-lo̍h, rain falls.
There is still another classification into Ua̍h-jī, living characters, Sí-jī, dead characters.
This distinction seems to correspond very nearly to our own distinction between verbs and nouns. In explaining it, the Chinese say, õi-siẽⁿ, õi-chò-sṳ̄—jī—kiè-chò-ua̍h, if it can think, or can-do anything, — then the word is ua̍h, living. Bõi-siẽⁿ, bõi-chò-sṳ̄—jī—sĩ-sí, if it cannot think, or bring some thing to pass—then the word is si, dead. At first sight this appears sufficiently explicit. But when we come to apply the principle, we find that the distinction does not always hold. It changes its scope and seems to denote such a difference as exists between activity and passivity, —between energy in exercise or about to be exercised, and energy expended.
For example, the word nâng, a man, is a si̍t—jī—a noun, but then it is also ua̍h, living, because it inherent force and activity. Chiáⁿ-chõ, please be seated, is ua̍h, because it involves an action, but chõ--liáu, seated, is sí, because the action has ceased. M̄-ôiⁿ-chõ, I have not leisure to sit, is ua̍h because it is attended with action, but, uá chiàⁿ-chõ, I will still remain seated is sí because action is declined. Húe sie-chhù, the fire burns the house, is ua̍h because there is energy exhibited. But
