Western Mandarin/Words with Characters/5

by Adam Grainger

The 5th radical. (乙)

1

九 chiu³.

九間房子

nine rooms.

一九二九懷中插手

the first nine and second nine days after midwinter, keep your hands in your bosom.

九八銀子

silver with 2 per cent alloy, 98/100 silver.

第九篇

the ninth page.

打小九九的

a mean man; lit. one who reckons on a small abacus.

九子爛痒

scrofulous ulcers on the neck (so called because several in a row.)

2

乞 chʻie⁵.

乞兒

a beggar.

也 ie³.

你也來了

you also have come.

也下雨也吹風

both rain and wind.

也不喫也不說

he would neither eat nor speak.

也罷

that's an end of it!

5

乩 chi¹.

降乩仙

to bring down the divining genius.

7

乳 ru³.

小兒吃乳

an infant feeds on milk.

乳名

the infant name.

拿乳鉢乳細

take the mortar and triturate the medicine.

10

乾 kan¹.

曬乾了

dry through exposure to the sun.

乾得好

well dried.

天乾

a drought; lit. the heavens are dry.

乾瘡子

itch; lit. dry sores.

木頭乾過性了

the wood is well seasoned.

乾貨舖

a grocery store.

乾兒子

a kind of adopted son.

洗乾淨

wash it clean.

罪脫乾淨了

sin completely put away.

說不乾淨的話

to speak obscene words.

錢使得乾乾淨淨

my money is all gone.

我這個錢乾淨

this cash is good; free from bad cash.

他手脚不乾淨

he is not honest; he is a thief.

錢來得不乾淨

ill-gotten gains; dishonest money.

這個地方的魚乾貴

fish is very dear here.

乾 read chʻien².

乾坤顚倒

a disorderly house; lit. heaven and earth are turned upside down.

12

亂 luan⁴.

亂頭髮

dishevelled hair.

亂石頭

ruby; unknown stone; cable-stones.

莫亂規矩

don't break or transgress the customs.

你亂拿東西

you take up things in a disorderly manner.

打胡亂說

you talk wildly! nonsense!