Primary Lessons in Swatow Grammar/Lesson XII

by William Ashmore

Quantity.

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se-su; lân-ló,

a little.

se-su-kiáⁿ; lân-lân ló-ló,

a very little.

chhoh-kiáⁿ,

a small quantity.

nih-kiáⁿ,

just a little bit.

ũ-kúi-cha̍p,

a few tens.

ũ-che̍k chat-kiáⁿ,

a little space (a measure of distance).

che̍k-chūa,

one stretch; one passage.

ha̍p-ke,

the whole house.

kàu-chok; m̄-kàu-chok,

enough; not enough.

chok-ēng,

enough for use.

m̄-kàu-ēng,

not enough for use.

m̄-lã-sái,

not enough to meet expenses.

m̄-kàu-kâi,

not a complete one.

ha̍p-kâi sĩ-chièⁿ-seⁿ,

all of them are that way.

chōi-chōi; tōa-bó-mue̍h,

a great deal.

chié-chié,

a very little.

ũ-chōi-chié,

there are more or less.

tih-kiáⁿ,

a little bit.

lân-tiám,

a few drops.

che̍k-tiám,

one drop.

lân-lia̍p,

a few grains.

chhō-kàu-tĩⁿ,

put it in till full.

chhō-kàu pùaⁿ-tĩⁿ,

put in till half full.

ũ jie̍h-chōi-kâi,

how many are there?

u-jie̍h-tōa,

how large is it?

ũ-jie̍h-tĩⁿ,

how full is it?

khat-khat-kàu,

barely enough.

siè-siè-kàu,

barely„ enough„

ũ-hãn,

it has a limit.

bô-kài-hãn,

illimitable.

hãn-i cha̍p-ji̍t,

limited him to ten days.

ũ-hãn ũ-liãng,

there are limits and measures.

bô-hãn bô-liãng,

limitless.

tiám-kiáⁿ-niⁿ,

a very little.

ũ-kúi-lia̍p,

a few grains.

tōa-ē,

a large quantity.

siàu-m̄-liáu,

can’t count to the end.

siàu-m̄-tit,

countless.

siàu-m̄-chōi,

count, how many there are.

bô-mih-chōi,

not very much or many.

pùaⁿ-kue̍h,

half a length.

che̍k-ûe,

one half.

saⁿ-siâⁿ; cha̍p-hūn-saⁿ,

three-tenths.

ngõu-hūn-saⁿ,

three-fifths.

poih-hūn che̍k,

one-eight.

che̍k-peh, che̍k-chhoiⁿ,

one hundred, one thousand.

chhoiⁿ-chhoiⁿ būan-būan,

thousands and tens of thousands.

niê jie̍h-chōi,

it measures how many? Go measure how many.

niê i jie̍h-kûiⁿ?

measure it how high?

niê i jie̍h-chhim?

measure it how deep?

niê i jie̍h-chhién?

measure it how shallow?

niê i jie̍h-khuah?

measure it how wide?

khṳ̀ niê-i kâi-chhùn-chhieh,

measure its feet and inches; get its dimensions.

che̍k-pé,

a handful.

meⁿ che̍k-pé-bí,

scoop up an handful of rice.

che̍k-phóng,

a double handful.

na̍k-che̍k-na̍k,

snatch up a snatch; a snatch.

che̍k-tháng siè-siè,

the bucket is rather scant.

khie̍h-táu lâi niê-iâm,

take a peck-measure and measure the salt.

niê-thóiⁿ jie̍h-chōi-tñg,

measure and see how much its length.

téng-i jie̍h-chōi kṳn-tãng,

have weigh it, how many pounds heavy.

téng-hó a-būe,

heave you weighed it or not yet?

téng-hó--liáu,

have weighed it.

téng-hó--liáu m̄-kàu,

weighed it, it isn’t enough.

phêng-ngṳ̂n,

to weigh silver.

phêng-ũ saⁿ-cha̍p-nié,

it weights thirty ounces.

lóng-chóng,

all.

chhù-lãi lóng-chóng-nâng,

all the people in the house.

chèng-nâng hâng-ho̍k i,

all the people submitted themselves to him.

chèng-chèng sĩ pêⁿ-iēⁿ,

all [emphatic] are of the same kind.

chōi-chãi, bô-kò hó-pàng,

very many, no place to put them.

thàn-m̄-kàu só-hùi,

earned not enough (to meet) expenses.

thàn bô-lã-chia̍h,

earned not enough to eat.

pâng-lãi, chn̂g-kâi sĩ húe-hun,

in the room all was smoke, i.e. filled with smoke.