other directions. Kùe, to go through with, and liáu, completely finished, are examples in point. Sṳ̄ chò-kùe, the business gone through with. Here is a completed action, and, on that account, presumably a past tense. But it is not necessarily so, any more than the same expression would be in English. The addition of another particle might convert it into an unmistakable future tense.
IV. But, since the last method is found to be inconclusive, therefore, II. and III. are combined, and requisite precision is obtained. That is, there may he used at the outset, or along in the discourse, as occasion may require, a chronological finger board, such as chá-ji̍t, yesterday; kū-nîⁿ, last year; i būe lâi kâi sî-hāu, before he came; tō puān-huán kâi sî-hāu, at the time of the rebellion; mùa-chá, to-morrow; Hiang-káng chûn kàu liáu, when the Hong kong steamer arrives. And, then, in addition thereto, auxiliary past or future tense particles may be introduced, in connection with the verbs. The meaning is then sufficiently obvious.
Che̍k kâi ui-pēⁿ kâi Sin-seⁿ lo̍h hieⁿ-lí chèng-chu a nôuⁿ kiáⁿ, a physician go down village, vaccinate children. There is nothing whatever in this sentence to indicate tense.
Tng-hṳ́-sî—ũ-che̍k-kâi ui-pēⁿ kâi-sin-seⁿ íⁿ-keng lo̍h-hieⁿ-lí--liáu chèng-chu a-nôuⁿ-kiáⁿ, at that time, there was a physician who had already gone down to the villages, and vaccinated the children. In this version, past tense is indicated to some extent, by, tng-sî-hāu, at that time, and ũ, there was, but, definitely by, íⁿ-keng, had.
Mêⁿ-nîⁿ chiaⁿ-gue̍h—ũ che̍k-kâi ui-pēⁿ kâi-sin-seⁿ chiang àiⁿ lo̍h-hieⁿ-lí chèng-chu a-nôuⁿ-kiáⁿ, in the first month of next year, there will be a physician go down to the villages, and vaccinate the children.
Tng hṳ́-nîⁿ—uâng-ke íⁿ-keng thiaⁿ liáu chí-kâi-sṳ̄, i sûi-sî huat-piaⁿ khṳ̀ mi̍t-tiāu i kâi-siâⁿ-ip, in that year, when the king had heard of this affair, he at once sent out soldiers who went and destroyed their city.
Chiang-lâi—uâng-ke thiaⁿ chí-kâi-sṳ̄ i chiũ pit-àiⁿ huat-piaⁿ khṳ̀-mi̍h-tiāu i kâi-siâi-ip, hereafter, when the king hears of this matter, he will certainly send out soldiers and destroy their city.
