MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES Sources of Mandarin Chinese texts [E] Learn Mandarin Chinese with free ebooks. http://www.games2learnchinese.

com/ Ebooks/Learn_Chinese_Free_ebooks.html [G] eChinese learning: General Chinese. http://resources.echineselearning.com [Hc] Huang, C. 2003. Talking about past events in conversation: An analysis of Mandarin mother-child and adult-adult discourse. Taiwan J. Ling. 1:12154. [Hj] Huang, J. 1982. Logical Relations in Chinese and the Theory of Grammar. Ph.D. dissertation, MIT [K] eChinese learning: Chinese for kids. http://resources.echineselearning.com/kids/ [Ku] Kuo. 2008. A pragmatic approach to the interpretations of Mandarin bare nouns. Journal of Pragmatics 40:10821102. [L] Li, W. 2004. Topic chains in Chinese discourse. Discourse Processes 37:2545. Li, W. 2005. Topic Chains in Chinese. Lincom Europa: Mnchen. [LT] C. Li & S. Thompson. 1981. Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar. [P] Chinese fables, parables, and children's stories. http://www-personal.umich.edu/~dporter/sampler/sampler.html [S] The Story of the Taoist Farmer. http://www.noogenesis.com/pineapple/Taoist_Farmer.html [T] eChinese Learning: Chinese for teens. http://resources.echineselearning.com [Y] Yeh, C-L. 1995. Generation of Anaphors in Chinese. Ph.D. diss., U. Edinburgh. [YC] Yeh, C-L. & Y-C. Chen. 2007. Zero anaphora resolution in Chinese with shallow parsing. Journal of Chinese Language and Computing 17(1):4156. [Wj] Wu, J.-S. 2005. Temporal relations in Mandarin: A pilot study of examples with no aspect markers. 1st Int. Symp. on Exploration and Modeling of Meaning. Wu, J.-S. 2007. Tense as discourse feature in Mandarin and its implications. Proceedings of the 8th Chinese Lexical Semantics Workshop. [Wr] Wu, R.-J. 2002. Discourse-pragmatic principles for temporal reference in Mandarin Chinese conversation. Studies in Language 26(3):513541. Wu, R.-J. 2004. "There is more here than meets the eye!": the use of final ou in two sequential positions and Mandarin Chinese conversation. [fw] fieldwork by M. Bittner with Mandarin Chinese consultants Note from editor/translator (Maria Bittner, December 2, 2011) I have glossed and (re)translated these texts, to the best of my ability, for the purposes of my linguistic research. Where traditional terminology does not fit the actual usage in this sample of Mandarin discourse (e.g. perfective aspect for -le), I use an alternative gloss that seems to fit better (e.g. punctual aspect, PNC for -le). Since I do not speak Mandarin, some of the glosses and/or translations may be wrong.1 If you find any mistakes, please send your corrections to mbittner@rci.rutgers.edu
1

I gratefully acknowledge the help of my Mandarin Chinese consultants with the English glosses and translations. Any remaining errors are my own.

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner Glosses for Mandarin grammatical categories Noun markers CL classifier (count noun) M measure word (mass noun or action verb) Noun phrase markers PAT patient (b!) AGT agent (bi) Pronouns 1SG I, me, my 2SG you (sg.), your (sg.) 3SG he, she, it, him, her, his, her 1PL 2PL 3PL we, us, our you (pl.), your (pl.) they, them, their

Aspectual typing (a.k.a. Aktionsart) \E1 1-atom event (a.k.a. resultative action verb) \E n-atom event (a.k.a. other action verb) \S1 1-degree state (a.k.a. quality verb) \S n-degree state (a.k.a. other stative verb) Aspect markers DUR durative aspect (v-inflection -zhe) PNC punctual aspect (v-inflection or s-final partical (-)le, a.k.a. perfective) TRM terminative aspect (v-inflection -guo, a.k.a. experiential) Prospective modals > DES state of desire/intent or pre-state (yo) > EXP state of expectation (hu) > CAN state of being able/allowed/ (nng) ! Negation NOT (unmarked) negation (b) < NOT retrospective negation (mi) Sentence final particles OPT optative (ba) YN yes-no question (ma) SFP other sentence final particle (de, ne) Other boundary markers H head-modifier, modifier-head (de in [head H modifier] or [modifier H head]) AV adverbial (de in [phrase AV]) DIS distributive (d"u v) POS positive degree of gradable adjectival state (h#n v\S)

MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES List of Mandarin Chinese texts For each text, the list specifies the source [] and the number of Mandarin sentences (S), verbs (v), aspect markers (PNC, DUR, TRM), and prospective modals (EXP>, INT>, or other).
S

1. The ant and the dove [K] 2. Accident report [Wj] 3. Annoying cable guys [Ku] 4. Argument about checks [Hc] 5. Armchair strategy [T] 1. Blind men and an elephant [K]

7 3 19 8 5 9

v 24 23 41 17 13 31 22 85 27 32 36 13 11 22 18 25 29 14 60 19 14 38 42 26 11 3 23 20 17 9 22 36 11 18 64 30 23 14

PNC

DUR TRM EXP DES ATT

>

>

>

12 0 4 0 3 5 1 12 2 3 3 3 1 3 4 1 3 2 4 2 0 4 9 2 0 1 3 2 2 0 7 0 1 4 8 7 3 3

0 0 0 0 0 1 0 5 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 4 2 0 0

0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0

0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 3 2 1 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1

B C

1. Cao Chong weighs an elephant [K] 8 2. Cao Chong weighs an elephant [P] 25 3. Chinese New Year [T] 8 4. Chinese talk about love [G] 7 5. Christmas party [T] 14 6. Cleaning house [Wj] 4 7. Computer mouse [fw] 4 8. Conversation with a dying patient [Wr] 8 9. Crow gets a drink of water [K] 7 1. Dancing school [Wr] 2. Deer or horse? [K] 3. Did you watch the World Cup? [G] 4. The donkey of Guizhou [P] 5. Dragon lover [G] 6. Drawing pancakes against hunger [G] 7. Dripping water will vanquish stone [K] 8. The drunkard [E] 1. The elephant and the ant [K] 2. Empty house [Wr] 3. Eye trouble [LT] 1. The farmer and the hare [P] 2. The farmer and the hare [T] 3. A fisherman benefits [G] 4. Fishing trip [Hc] 5. Fish in water [T] 6. Flying kites [Y] 7. Foucault's experiments [Y] 8. The fox and the grapes [K] 9. The fox and the tiger [P] 10. The frog in the well [K] 11. Full steam ahead to a dead end [K] 12. Future plans [LT] 3 14 8 10 11 7 3 10 9 9 5 1 8 5 4 4 8 9 4 6 14 13 10 5

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner
S

1. Gecko's tail [K] 2. General Tian Ji in a horse race [T] 3. A gift of coal in snowy weather [G] 4. Giving up halfway [T] 5. Gold standard [E] 6. The good son [G] 7. Greedy Pig Bajie [K] 8. Grinding iron pestle into a needle [K] 1. Hare and tortoise [K] 2. The horse-tiger [G] 3. How the emperor of Qin won [G] 1. Internet cafe [T] 2. It's never too late [K] 1. Jealous wife [T]

16 12 9 8 11 7 12 13 4 8 8 15 12 12

v 43 33 32 34 35 18 33 39 10 45 31 40 29 48 5 18 56 45 32 8 28 45 34 34 105 29 32 25 42 553 19 36 12 13 14 7 23 35 36 20

PNC

DUR TRM EXP DES ATT

>

>

>

4 6 3 6 4 1 7 4 2 5 3 4 8 4 0 7 12 9 4 2 1 6 6 0 14 1 3 2 8 80 0 4 0 1 2 1 3 4 3 2

1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 5 4 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 11 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 0

0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 1 0 2 0 3 0 1 0 1 3 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 0

2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0

2 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 3 2 0 3 0 1 1 2 1 0 2 0 0 2 2 0 4 0 0 9 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 3 2

I J K

1. Keelung Hospital [YC] 1 2. Killing the hen that lays golden eggs [K] 9 3. A kitten goes fishing [K] 17 4. Kitten plants fish [K] 19 5. Kong Rong picks the smallest pear [K] 9 1. Lisi and the car [L] 2. Little crab [K] 3. Little monkey [K] 4. The lost horse [K] 5. The lost horse [S] 6. The lost horse [P] 7. The lost sword [P] 8. Love me, love my crows [G] 9. The lunch box [Hc] 2 7 12 11 8 25 6 10 10 12 122 8 11 4 5 7 2 8

M 1. Ma Liang and the Magic Brush [K] 2. Ma Liang and the Magic Brush [P] 3. Man who sold shields and spears [G] 4. Money eggplants [E] 5. The moon [Y] 6. My American friend 7. Mr. Li [Hj] 8. Mr. Xia [Y] N O 1. New Year's Day [G]

1. An old horse knows the way [G] 7 2. Once shot twice shy [K] 10 3. One hundred shots, one hundred hits [T] 8

MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES

S

1. Parachute [Y] 2. Picking a kettle that isnt boiling [G] 3. Playing harp to a cow [K] 4. Preparation is everything [G] 1. The rabbit and the hunter [fw] 2. The rabbit and the ox [T] 3. Registration at a hospital [G] 4. Riddle 1 [K] 5. Riddle 2 [K] 6. River-crab [Y] 7. Round vs. oval barrels [Y] 8. Round vs. square bowls [Y] 1. Saliva [Y] 2. Sick child [L] 3. Silly bird [T] 4. Sima Guang to the rescue [P] 5. The simpleton and the camel [G] 6. Smarty-pants [G] 7. Snake feet [T] 8. Snow White [K] 9. Summer travel plans [T] 10. The swan feather [P] 1. Teaching Assistant [Wr] 2. The thief and the pauper [E] 3. Three monks [K] 4. Tube rose [Y] 1. Volunteer [T]

4 13 9 5 20 10 16 3 7 7 6 4 3 2 5 13 9 11 12 22 10 15 15 10 14 4 7 6 9 11 5 12 6 4 11

v 16 27 33 19 52 28 29 15 26 24 18 9 10 9 20 48 34 30 32 56 22 76 31 43 31 16 25 18 24 20 12 32 21 17 33

PNC

DUR TRM EXP DES ATT

>

>

>

2 5 3 3 10 6 2 0 2 0 0 1 0 3 5 8 3 5 3 14 1 10 1 6 8 1 5 5 4 2 0 6 0 2 2

0 1 0 1 9 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 4 1 6 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0

0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1

0 0 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2

0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0

1 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 2 0 1 4 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 3 1 2

W 1. Walls have ears [T] 2. Wasting one's talent on a trivial job 3. When a boy invites a girl [T] 4. When grandma passed away [Hc] 5. Why cats hunt mice [K] 6. Why crab walks sideways [Y] 7. Why shellfish turn red [Y] 8. Worrying the sky might fall [G] X 1. Xiaoli [L+fw] 2. Xiangzi [L]

2 6 0 9 37 10 1141 3758 499

0 0 3 0 96 20

0 0 0 0 0 0 43 38 96

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner [A:1] THE ANT AND THE DOVE [K] (1) Xi-ti$n, y%u y-zh& m!y' bi f(ng gu$.do-le chtng-l'. 1 summer-day, have\S one-CL ant AGT wind blow.to\E -PNC pond-in One summer day, an ant was blown by the wind into a pond. Sh-shng de g(zi kndo-le, 1 " tree-top H dove see\E -PNC g!nmng ji$ng yzi di).jn chtng. hurry\E take\E leaf throw.into\E1 pond A dove up on a tree who saw it, quickly grabbed a leaf and threw it into the pond. M!y' pshng yzi, pi$o.do-le ch-bi$n, dji le. ant climb.up\E1 leaf, float.to\E1-PNC pond-side, get.saved\E1 PNC. By climbing up onto the leaf, then ant floated to the side of the pond and was saved. M!y' j.zh-le g(zi de jimng zh& (n. ant remember\S1-PNC dove H save.life\E 3SG's kindness The ant remembered the doves kindness in saving his life. Gu-le h*nji+, liren yng qi$ng miozh+n-le sh-shng de g(zi, pass-PNC long.time, hunter use\E gun aim.at\E-PNC tree-top H dove, dnsh g(zi b zh&do. but dove NOT be.aware\S1 After a long time, a hunter with a gun aimed at the dove on the tree, while the dove was unaware of it. M!y' pshng liren de ji!o, 1 ant climb.up\E hunter H foot h*nh*n y!o-le y-k%u. ferociously bite\E-PNC one-bite Climbing up onto the hunter's foot, the ant gave him a nasty bite. (7) ! ! (8) ! Liren bi y!o tng-le, hunter AGT bite\E ache\S-PNC ji b! z'dn d!.w$i le. then PAT bullet hit.askew\E1 PNC When the hunter felt the sting of the bite, he missed his shot. G(zi dji-le, dove get.saved\E1-PNC, m!y' y* bod-le g(zi de jimng zh& (n. 1 ant also repay\E -PNC dove H save.life\E 3SG's kindness The dove was saved, and thus the ant repaid her for saving his life.

(2) ! ! (3) ! (4) ! (5) ! !

(6) !

MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES [A:2] ACCIDENT REPORT [Wu, J. 2005:17980] (1) Zhiming jingdian hualian tailuge guojia gongyuan wenshang wen.quan. famous tour.spot Hualian Taroko national park Wenshan hot.spring zuotian xiawu fasheng luoshi, yesterday afternoon happen\E1 rockfall zaocheng yi si shi shang, 1 1 cause\E one die\E ten wounded\S qizhong you ba-ren yu si-zhe lin guoan lai zi tongyi jiazu. 1 among have\S eight-CLman with fatality Lin Guoan come\E from same family Yesterday afternoon, there was a rockfall accident at Wenshan Hot Spring, a famous tourist attraction at the National Taroko Gorge Park. It killed one person and wounded ten, eight of whom were relatives of the man who died, Lin Guoan. (2) Suozhang guo fengmu shuai yuanjing ganfu xianchang, lieutenant Guo Fengmu lead\E police.officers rush.to\E1 spot yong danjia jiang san-ming zhong shang youke taizhi gonglu-pang, use\E stretcher take\E1 three-CL heavy wounded tourist carry.to\E1 road-side you ganlai de jiuhuche song yi jijiu. 1 have\S [rush\E H ambulance] send\E hospital emergency.room Lieutenant Guo Fengmu lead his police officers rushing to the spot. They used stretchers to pick up three heavily wounded tourists and carry them to the road, where ambulances rushed them to an emergency room. (3) Yiwai fashen shi, 1 accident happen\E time, gong you yi-bai duo ming youke zai chang, total have\S one-hundred more CL tourist be.at\S1 spot jingjiao lianlian scream continuous\S1 dajia xia de ganjin qishen huan zhuang liqu. 1 everyone scared\S H hurry\E get.up\E change\E clothes leave\E1 At the time of the accident, there were over a hundred tourists at the spot. They kept screaming and everyone was so frightened that they hastily got up, dressed, and left. [A:3] ANNOYING CABLE GUYS [Kuo 2008] Dialog between A and B: (1A) Wo shang.qu shou chuangdan. 1 1SG go.up\E collect\E sheet I am going up to get my sheet.

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (2A) Jintian cable de ren you T < today [cable H person] again jin-lai nong de daochu shi huichen. come.in\E1 work\E H everywhere be\S1 dust Today cable guys again came and made everything dusty. (3B) Dui ya. right SFP Wo jintian xiawu jiu bei tamen chao.dao le. 1SG today afternoon then AGT 3PL disturb\E1 PNC Right! I was disturbed by them this afternoon. (4A) Ni kan.jian nali you huichen? 2SG see\E1 where have\S dust Where did you see dust? (5B) Wo fangjian. 1SG room [In] my room (6A) Wo bu zhidao tamen jin ni fangjian. 1SG NOT know\S1 3PL enter\E1 2SG room I didnt know they went into your room. (7A) Tamen meiyou jin wo fangjian. < 3PL NOT enter\E1 1SG room haishi yinwei wo or because 1SG zai suoyi tamen bu gan jin-lai zuan-dong, > 1 be.in\S1 so 3PL NOT DARE come.in\E drill-hole\E

haishi tamen jin.lai-guo or 3PL come.in\E1-TRM keshi wo bu zhidao yinwei tamen meiyou zuan-dong < but 1SG NOT know\S1 because 3PL NOT drill-hole\E They either didnt go into my room because I was there so they didn't dare to go in and drill holes, or they did go in but I didn't know it because they didn't drill. (8A) Dakai wo chu hou tamen you jin.lai-le ba. probably [1SG exit\E1 after] 3PL <too come.in\E1-PNC SFP Probably, they went into [my room] too after I went out. (9B) wo benlai mei faxian. 1SG at.first <NOT notice\E At first, I didnt notice. (10B) Na jiangyijia de shihou take\E1 file H time faxian shang-mian dou shi huichen. 1 1 notice\E top-side DIS be\S dust [But] when I picked up a file, I noticed there was dust all over the top cover. 8

MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (11B) Noulai you faxian di-shang, chang-shang dou shi suexie. < 1 1 next also notice\E floor-loc, bed-loc DIS be\S scrap Then, I also noticed scraps all over the floor and the bed. (12A) Zhen lan. really bad. Too bad. Suoyi ni jiu xi-le chuangdan? so 2SG then wash\E-PNC sheet So then you washed [your] sheet? (13B) Dui. Tamen daodi nong-wan-le mei? right 3PL at.last work-finish\E1-PNC <NOT Right. Have they finished at last, or not? (14A) Wo bu zhidao. 1SG NOT know\S1 I dont know. (15A) Tamen shuo women zhe-jian shi 3PL say\E 1PL this-CLapt be\S1 tamen de 3PL H model, model ,

suoyi tamen yao chang.chang jin.lai kan~kan > 1 so 3PL DES often come.in\E look~look\E1 zai qu zuo bie jian. again> go\E1 do\E other CLapt They say our apartment is their model, so they intend to keep coming here to take a look, and then go do another apartment. (16A) Tamen na women zhe-jian zuo shiyan. 1 3PLT take\E 1PL this-CLapt do\E experiment Theyre using our apartment to experiment on. (17B) Wo yihou chu.qu 1SG afterward go.out\E1 yao chang gai.qilai. DES PAT bed cover.up\E1 In the future, when I go out I am going to start covering [my] bed.
>

ba

(18A) Ni you gai chang de dongxi ma? 2SG have\S [cover\E bed H thing] YN Do you have anything to cover [your/a] bed? (19B) Baozhi ya, huo changdan. newspaper SFP or sheet Newspaper or a sheet. Wo hai you yi-tiao changdan. 1SG still have\S one-CL sheet I still have one (more) sheet. 9

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner [A:4] ARGUMENT ABOUT CHECKS [Hc:147] [Woman talking about a business partner in the process of withdrawing his investment and leaving the company. During the transitional period, the speaker didn't realize the partner didn't want her to use the business checks any more.] (1) Ta wen wo piao zai nali. 3SG ask\E 1SG check be.at\S1 where He asked me where the checks were. Zhiqian bing meiyou gen wo jiang piao bu gei wo yong. < 1 before at.all NOT to 1SG tell\E check NOT let\E 1SG use\E He hadn't told me anything before that he wouldn't let me use the checks [any more] Ta shuo: "Ei, piao fang nali?" 3SG say\E: "Hey, check put\E1 where?" He said: "Hey, where have you put the checks?" Wo shuo: "Zai zheli a, zai chouti na-bian a." 1 1 1SG say\E: "be.in\S here SFP, be.in\S drawer that-CLside SFP I said: "They are here, in the drawer on that side." Ta shuo: "Wo kan yi-xia." 3SG say\E: "1SG look\E one-Mmoment He said: "Let me take a look at [them]." Wo jiu na.gei ta a. 1 1SG then give.to\E 3SG SFP So I gave [them] to him. Ta jiu ba piao sidiao. 3SG then PAT check tear.up\E1 Then he tore up the checks. Ta shuo "Wo zhe piao bu gei ni yong." 3SG say\E, "1SG this check NOT let\E1 2SG use\E" He said: "I won't let you use these checks [any more]." [A:5] ARMCHAIR STRATEGIST [T] (1) Zho-gu ji$ngj)n Zho Ku cng xi,o ji xux b&ngf,, Zhao-state general Zhao Kuo from small\S then study\E art.of.war, tnln b&ngsh. talk.abt\E military General Zhao Kuo of Zhao Dynasty studied military strategy and tactics and talked about military matters since childhood.

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

10

MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (2) Dn t$ zh' hu zh'-shng ln b&ngsh, 1 but 3SG only know.how\S paper-on discuss\E military.strategy cng mi shng-gu zhnch,ng, bng b shny yng b&ng. ever NOT get.into\E1-TRM battlefield, and NOT be.good.at\S use\E army But he could only talk about military strategies on paper; he had never been in a battle. So he was not good at deploying an army. (3) D$ng Zho Ku zu-le ji$ngj)n y-hu, qunb bing(ng-le j)nf,, when Zhao Kuo make\E-PNC general after, whole change\E-PNC military.law q&ngshui-de rnyng j)ngu$n. hasty-AV appoint\E officer When Zhao Kuo became a general, he changed all the military laws and appointed officers thoughtlessly. (4) Jigu. zi zhmng de "Chngpng-zh&zhn" zh"ng, result in famous\S H "Changping.Campaign" during, Zho Ku de j)ndu dbi. Zhao Kuo H army defeat\E As a result, Zhao Kuos army was defeated in the famous Campaign of Changping. (5) Zho Ku zj- y# s-.zi zhnzh(ng zh"ng, 1 Zhao Kuo self also die.in\E conflict during, shZhogu yju.bzhn le. cause\E Zhao.Dynasty collapse.after.setback\S PNC Zhao Kuo himself died in the conflict, which caused the collapse of the Zhao Dynasty. [B:1] BLIND MEN AND AN ELEPHANT [K] (1) Cngqin, y%u s-ge mngrn long.ago have\S four-CL blind.man h#n xi!ng zh&do dxing sh shnme yngzi. very wish\S know\S1 elephant be\S1 what appearance Long ago, there were four blind men who very much wanted to know what an elephant looks like. (2) K#sh t$men kn!b"jin, but 3SG see#can't\S1$manage zh'h!o yng sh%u q m" dxing 1 1 have.to\S use\E hand go\E touch\E elephant But since they couldn't see, they had to touch an elephant with their hands. (3) Png mngrn m".do-le dxing de ych'. 1 fat blind.man touch\E -PNC elephant H tusk The fat blind man touched the elephant's tusk. 11

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (4) T$ ji shu": 3SG then say\E He said: "W% zh&do le, "1SG know\S1 PNC dxing ji xing yi-ge yu d yu c) de lubo." elephant then resemble\S one-CL both big\S and thick\S H carrot "I see, an elephant is like a big thick carrot." (5) G$o gzi mngrn m".do-le sh dxing de #rduo. 1 tall height blind.man touch\E -PNC be\S1 elephant H ear The tall blind man touched one of the elephant's ears. T$ shu": 3SG say\E He said: "B du, dxing mng~mng sh yi-ba d pshn." "NOT correct\S elephant clear-clear\S1 be\S1 one-CL big palm-leaf.fan "You are wrong, it's perfectly clear that an elephant is just like a big palm-leaf fan." (7) "N'men jng xi$shu", dxing zh'-sh g(n d zhzi." 1 2PL completely talk.drivel\E elephant only-be\S CL big pillar "You're both talking complete nonsense, an elephant is simply a big pillar." /i gzi mngrn h!n q'li, short height blind.man yell\E begin\E1 y&nwi t$ m".do-le dxing de tu'. because 3SG touch\E1-PNC elephant H leg yelled the short blind man, because he'd just touched a leg of the elephant. (9) D.s wi ninl!o de mngrn ne, t$ m".do-le w#iba, d)r!ng-zhe: 1 4th rank old\S H blind.man SFP 3SG touch\E -PNC tail, shout\E-DUR As for the fourth blind man, who was old, he touched the tail and exclaimed:

(6)

(8)

(10) "0i, dxing n! y%u nme d, oh, elephant how have\S so big\S, t$ zh' bgu sh yi-g(n c!oshng. 3SG but only be\S1 one-CL rope "Oh, how can an elephant be so big? He is nothing but a rope." [C:1] CAO CHONG WEIGHS AN ELEPHANT [K] (1) S$n.gu de shhou, y%u rn Three.Kingdoms H time, have\S man

12

MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES sng-g*i Co C$o y-tu j-xing. send-to\E1 Cao Cao one-CL giant-elephant Once during the Three Kingdoms era, someone sent Cao Cao a giant elephant. (2) Co C$o rng dchn-men Cao Cao order\E minister-coll xi!ng bn.f! ch(ng~ch(ng t$-de zhngling. think\E method weigh~weigh\E1 3SG-H weight Cao Cao ordered his ministers to figure out how to weigh it. (3) K*sh dji$ d%u y-chu-m-zh!n. but everyone DIS be.at.wits.end\S1 But none of them had any idea how to do it. Zh-sh Co C$o d( rz Co Ch"ng shu", that-Mtime [Cao Cao H son] Cao Chong say\E, Suddenly, Cao Chong, Cao Cao's son, said, "Sh%uxi$n , b! dxing q!n-do h-l' de dchun-shng 1 first , PAT elephant drive-on\E [river-in H ship]-on , zi shu'-min su% ddo de df$ng zu-shng j-ho ; [at water-level what reach\E1 H place] sit-on\S1 mark; zi yng shkui dit dxing then use\E rock replace\E elephant , , ,

(4)

(5)

b-tng de w!ng chun-shng du& shkui , non-stop AV onto ship-on pile.up\E rock , zh.do shu'-min dod [zu jho de wizh] ; until water-level reach \E1 [make\E mark H place ] ; rnhu ch(ng y-xi zhxi( shkui . finally weigh\E one-M these rock . "First, lead the elephant onto a ship on the river and mark the level of the water on the side of the ship. Then, replace the elephant with stones and keep piling them up on the ship until the water reaches the marked level. Finally, weigh the stones. (6) Dxing de zhngling ji d*ngy [elephant H weight] then equal\S1 [su%y%u shkui zhngling de z%ngh]." [all rock weight H total] The weight of the elephant will be equal to that of all the stones." (7) Zhng dchn t&ng-le lin-sh(ng ch(ngzn , many minister hear\E-PNC repeatedly praise\E , "H!o bnf!! H!o bnf!!" "good\S idea! good\S idea!" When they heard that the ministers praised him repeatedly,"Good idea! Good idea!"

13

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (8) N-sh Co Chng zh y%u li-su . that-Mtime Cao Chong only have\S six-Myr.age Cao Chong was only six years old at the time. [C:2] CAO CHONG WEIGHS AN ELEPHANT [P] (1) Co Chng de fq&n Co Co sh ge d.gu$n . [Cao Chong H father] Cao Cao be\S1 CL big.official Cao Chong's father Cao Cao was a high-ranking official. Y&c S)n Qun sng.g*i once Sun Quan send.to\E1 t$ yi-zh' dxing, 3SG one-CL elephant du" zhng, much weight

(2)

t$ h*n xi!ng zh&dao zh-zh' dxing y%u 3SG POS wish\S know\S1 this-CL elephant have\S ji jio t$ sh%uxi de gu$n.yun then order\E [3SG command\E H official]

xi!ng bnf! b! dxing ch(ng yi-ch(ng. think\E method PAT elephant weigh\E one-Mweigh Once when Sun Quan presented him with an elephant, he wanted to know how much the elephant weighed, so he ordered his subordinates to figure out a way. (3) Zh k* sh yi-jin nn sh. this but be\S1 one-CL hard task But it was a hard task. Dxing sh ld-shng zu d de dngw. elephant be\S1 [land-on [most big\S H animal]] The elephant is the biggest land animal. Z*nme ch(ng f! ne? how weigh\E method SFP So how could it be weighed? N-shhu that -Mtime mi.y%u nme d de chng, 1 have.no\S [that big\S H scale]

(4)

(5)

(6)

rn y* mi.y%u nme d de lqi b! dxing ti-q'li. man also have.no\S1 [such big\S H [strength PAT elephant lift-up\E1]] At the time, no scale was big enough, and no man was strong enough to lift the elephant. (7) Gu$n.yun-men d"u wi-zhe dxing f$.chu, official-coll DIS [surround\E-DUR elephant] worry.fret\E shi y* xi!ng!b"ch) ch(ng xing de bnf!. who NPI think#can't\S1$up [weigh\E elephant H method] All the officials surrounding the elephant worried and fretted, but nobody could figure out how to weigh the elephant. 14

MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (8) Zhng zi zh-ge shhou p!o-ch) li yi-ge xi!o hizi, 1 1 just at this-CL time run-out\E come\E one-CL small child zhn-do dren min-qin shu": stop-at\E1 adult in.front.of speak\E Suddenly, a little boy ran out [of the crowd] up to the adults and spoke: (9) "W% y%u bnf!, w% y%u bnf!!" 1SG have\S idea, 1SG have\S idea "I have an idea, I have an idea!"

(10) Gu$n.yun-men yi kn, official-coll one see\E, yunli sh Co C$o de xi!o rzi Co Chng, turn.out be\S1 [Cao Cao H small son] Cao Chong, yi-ge w+, li-su de xi!o hizi. one-CL [five, six-Myr.age H small child] The officials saw it was Cao Chong, Cao Cao's little boy, five or six years old. (11) T$ jio rn qi$n-le dching, 3SG order\E man lead\E-PNC elephant g(n-zhe t$ do h.bi$n q. follow\E-DUR 3SG to river.bank go\E1 He told the men to take the elephant's lead and follow him down to the river. (12) T$-de fq&n, hiy%u n.xie gu$n.yun-men d"u 3SG-H father, as.well.as these.CL official-coll DIS xi!ng kn~kn t$ dod z*nme ge ch(ng f!, wish\S look~look\E1 3SG finally how CL weigh\E method y&q' g(n-zhe li-do h.bi$n. 1 together follow\E-DUR come.to\E river.bank His father as well as the officials all wanted to see what his method was, so they all followed him down to the river. (13) H.bi$n zhng.h!o y%u zh' k"ng-zhe de d chun, river.bank just.then have\S CL [empty\S-DUR H big ship] Co Chng shu": Cao Chong say\E: By the river bank, there was just a big ship lying empty. Cao Chong said: (14) "Ba dxing qi$n-do chun-shng q." 1 PAT elephant lead-to\E ship-on go\E1 "Lead the elephant aboard the ship." (15) Dxing shng-le chun, elephant climb\E-PNC ship

15

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner chun ji w!ng-xi chn-le yi-xi#. 1 ship then move-down\E sink\E-PNC a.Mlittle When the elephant climbed aboard the ship, the ship sunk down a little. (16) Co Chng shu": Cao Chong say\E: Cao Chong said: (17) "Q shu'-min zi chun-b$ng shng hu yi-dao jihao." 1 level.with\S water-level at ship-side loc draw\E one-M mark "Draw a line on the bow of the ship right at the water level." (18) Jihao hu-h!o-le yihou, mark draw.up\E1-PNC after, Co Chng yu jio rn b! dxing qi$n shng n li, 1 Cao Chong again order\E man PAT elephant lead\E disembark\E come\E1 When the line was drawn, Cao Chong told the men to lead the elephant off the ship. (19) Zh-shhou this-Mtime d chun kng-zhe, big ship empty\S-DUR

d chun ji w!ng-shng fq' yi.xie li. big ship then move-up\E1 float\E a.Mlittle come\E1 This time, when the ship was unloaded, it rose up a little. (20) Ji#-xili Co Chng jio rn ti$o-le shikui, next Cao Chong order\E man carry\E-PNC rock zhu$ng.do d chun-shng q , ti$o-le yi-dan yu dn , 1 1 load.onto\E big ship-loc go\E , carry\E-PNC one-Mload again Mload d chun yu mn~mn-de wng-xi chn-le. 1 big ship again slow~slow-AV move-down\E sink\E-PNC Next Cao Chong told the men to carry rocks onto the ship. They carried one load after another, until the ship slowly sunk down again. (21) "Xng-le, xng-le!" enough\S1-PNC, enough\S1-PNC "That's enough, enough!" (22) Co Chng kn.jin chun.b$ng-shng de jihao qi-le shu'-min, 1 Cao Chong see\E1 [ship.side-on H mark] level.w\S -PNC water-surface ji jio rn then order\E man ba shkui yu yi-dn yi-dn de ti$o xi-chun li. rock again one-Mload one-Mload AV carry\E disembark\E come\E1 As soon as Cao Chong saw the mark on the bow of the ship reach the water level, he told the men to carry the rocks back off the ship load by load.
PAT

16

MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (23) Zh shhou, dji$ mngbai-le: this time everybody understand\S-PNC shtu zhu$ng-shng chun h dxing zhu$ng-shng chun, rock put.on\E1 ship and elephant put.on\E1 ship na chun xi.chn do tngy& jihao-shng, 1 1 that ship sink.down\E reach\E same mark-loc k*
CAN

jin, shtu h dxing sh see\E rock and elephant be\S1

tong-yng de zhngling; [same H weight]

zi b! zh.xi( shkui ch(ng yi-ch(ng, then PAT these.CL rocks weigh\E one-Mweigh, b! su%y%u shkui de zhngling ji$-q'li, PAT [all rock H weight] add-up\E1 ddo de zh%ngh b ji sh dxing de zhngling le ma? 1 [get\E1 H sum] NOT exactly be\S [elephant H weight] PNC YN Then everybody understood: whether the rocks were loaded onto the ship or the elephant, in either case the ship sunk down to the same mark. So they could see that the rocks had the same weight as the elephant. When the rocks were weighed, and the weight of all the rocks was added up, wouldn't the total weight be exactly the weight of the elephant? (24) Dji$ d"u shu", Co Chng zh(n c"ngming! everybody DIS say\E Cao Chong really clever\S Everybody said that Cao Chong was really clever! [C:3] CHINESE NEW YEAR [T] (1) G+ shhou, y%u yi-ge xi!oy$o jio "Su". 1 ancient time, have\S one-CL demon named\S "Evil One" Long ago, there was a demon called the "Evil One". T$ x'huan zi chx& w!n-shng yng sh%u m" hizi de tu. 3SG like\S at New.Yr.Eve night-loc use\E hand touch\E [child H head] He" liked to touch children on the head with his hands on New Year's Eve. Bi t$ m"-gu de hizi AGT 3SG touch\E-TRM H child ji hu d.k), tu-tng f$.r, zuhu binchng-le sh!zi. then EXP> cry.loudly\E head-ache\S run.fever\E, at.last turn.into\E1-PNC fool A child touched by him would cry loudly, develop a headache with fever, and finally go mad. (4) Su%y', m*i nin chx&, m*i yi-ji$ d"u ling-zhe d(ng therefore, every Myr New.Yr.Eve, every one-CLfam DIS bright\S-DUR light

(2) ! (3) !

17

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner b shu.jio. 1 NOT fall.asleep\E Therefore, every New Year's Eve, every family stayed up with bright lights on. (5) ! (6) ! ! ! Y%u yi-ji$ f)q& h*n b!obi t$men de xi!o rzi. have\S one-CLfam couple POS cherish\S 3PL H little son There was one couple who cherished their little boy. Chx& yw!n, New.Yr.Eve evening, t$men bj&ngy-de ji$ng b$-mi tngqin yng hng zh' b$o.q'li, 3PL careless-AV PAT 8-CL coin !use\E red paper wrap.up\E1 fng.zi shshu de hizi de zh*ntou ximian. put.in\E1 [[fast.asleep\S H child] H pillow under] One New Year's Eve, they carelessly wrapped up eight coins in red paper and put them under the pillow of their sleeping child.

(7) Bny Su g$ng yo q m" hizi de tu, > 1 ! midnight Evil.One just DES go\E touch\E child H head ! zh*ntu-bi$n ji f$ch) sh!ngu$ng, xi d Su to.p!o le. pillow-side then emit\E1 flash frighten\E H Evil.One run.away\E PNC At midnight, when the Evil One was about to touch the child on the head, the area around the pillow flashed with a bright flash, which scared the Evil One away. Yunli b$-mi tngqin turn.out eight-CL coin sh b$-xi$n [bin-de nzh"ng li b!oh hizi] de. be\S1 eight-CLangel turn-into\E1 secretly come\E1 protect\E child H In fact, the eight coins were eight angels who had turned into coins and secretly come to protect children. [C:4] CHINESE TALK ABOUT LOVE [G] Example 1 (1) R+gu% shngti$n zi g#i w% y-c j&.hu, if god again give\E1 1SG one-Me chance, w% ydng du n-g n+hi shu": "W% i n'." 1SG definitely to this-CL girl say\E 1SG love\S 2SG If gods give me one more chance, I will certainly say "I love you" to that girl. (2) R+gu% f(i.yo g#i i ji$ y-g q&xin, if must\S give\E1 love\S set\E one-CL time.limit, w% x&wng sh y.wn.nin. 1SG hope\S be\S1 ten.thousand.year If one has to set a time limit on love, I hope for ten thousand years. 18

(8) ! !

MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES Example 2 (1) W% qi.qiu n' jig#i w%. 1SG beg\E1 2SG marry\E1 1SG I beg you to marry me. (2) Su&shu" w% mi ch(, mi qin, mi fng, mi zunji, though 1SG hv.no\S1 car, hv.no\S1 money, hv.no\S1 house, hv.no\S1 diamo.ring dnsh w% y%u y-k( pi n' do.l!o de x&n. 1 but 1SG have\S one-CL accompany\S 2SG get.old\E1 H heart Although I have no car, no money, no house, and no diamond ring, I have a heart that wants to grow old with you. (3) D#ng n' l!o-le, w% y&rn b(i-zhe n', when 2SG old\S-PNC 1SG still carry.on.bk\E-DUR 2SG, w% g#i n' d$ng gu!izhng. 1SG to 2SG serve.as\E walking.stick When you grow old, I will still carry you on my back and be your walking stick. D#ng n' mi y le, when 2SG have.no\S1 tooth PNC w% ji jio.su-le zi wig#i n' ch&. 1SG then chew.up1\E-PNC then feed.to\E1 2SG eat\E When you have no more teeth, I will chew up food and feed it to you. (5) W% ydng d#ng n' s'-le, y'hu w% zi s', 1SG definitely after 2SG die\E1-PNC after 1SG then die\E1 yo b
>

(4)

b!

DES NOT PAT

n' y-rn lizi zh shshng 1 2SG one-person remain.on\E this earth gu' y# b fngx&n. ghost still NOT be.at.ease\S you would have nobody left on earth, I would still be uneasy about you.

mi-rn zhog, w% zu hv.no\S1-person look.aft\E 1SG become\E I must die after you. If you died after me, nobody to take care of you. Even as a ghost,

[C:5] CHRISTMAS PARTY [T] Dialog 1 between A, B and C (1A) W%men k$ish' ba. 1PL start\E1 OPT Let's start! (2A) Sh%uxi$n rng w%men gngtng j+b(i.li qngzh zh-ge tbi de rzi. 1 1 first let\E 1PL together toast.to\E celebrate\E this-CL special\S H day First, let us all raise a toast to celebrate this special day. (3%) H!o! (Gngtng j+b(i) Shngdn kuile! H$h$ great! (together toast\E) Christmas merry haha Great! (all raise their glasses) Merry Christmas! Haha 19

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (4B) W%men k$ish' xi!ngshu zh-dn f(ngshng de dc$n ba. 1PL start\E1 enjoy\E this-M sumptuos\S H feast OPT Let's start enjoying this sumptuous feast! (5A) Zh sh w% g#i dji$ zh+nbi de shngdn hk!, 1 this be\S 1SG for everyone prepare\E H Christmas greeting.card x&wng dji$ x'huan. hope\S everyone like\S Here are some Christmas cards I have prepared for everyone. I hope you like them. (6B) Xixi n', L'n. thank\E1 2SG Lina W% y# g#i dji$ zh+nbi-le w%men zh"nggu de shngdn l'w 1SG also for everyone prepare\E-PNC 1PL China H Christmas gift shngdn pnggu%. Christmas apple Thank you, Lina. I have also prepared a Chinese Christmas gift for everyone a Christmas apple. (7C) W$! H!o j&ngzh de b$ozhu$ng $, w% d"u sh#bd ch&.dio t$ le. wow so exquisite\S H wrapping SFP, 1SG EVEN hate\S eat.up\E1 3SG PNC Wow! What an exquisite wrapping! I hate to eat it. Dialog 2 between A and B (1A) Rng w%men zic j+b(i hu!nqng shngdn, hu!nqng w%men de tunj. let\E 1PL again toast\E celebrate\E Christmas, celebrate\E 1PL H reunion Again, let's raise a toast to celebrate Christmas and our reunion. (2B) G$nb(i! W% ty w%men yq' chng shngdn 'g( ba. cheers 1SG propose\E 1PL together sing\E Christmas song OPT Cheers! Let's sing a Christmas carol! (3A) Li, dji$ yq' guli tiow+. 1 1 come\E , everyone together come.over\E dance\E Come on, everybody, let's dance! (4B) Kui kn, fng y$nhu% le. hurry\E look\E, set.off\E fireworks PNC Hurry up, look! There are fireworks! (5B) H!o m#i de y$nhu%, h!o m#i de ys $. so beautiful\S H fireworks, so beautiful\S H night SFP What beautiful fireworks! What a beautiful night! (6B) W%men yq' q kn y$nhu% ba. 1 1PL together go.out\E look\E fireworks OPT Let's go out and look at the fireworks!

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (7A) H!o, q kn y$nhu%. 1 great go.out\E look\E fireworks Great, let's go! [C:6] CLEANING HOUSE [Wu, J. 2005 + fw] (1) Zuotian zaoshang women quan.jia yesterday morning 1PL whole.family fen.gong he.zuo da.sao fangzi. divide.work\E cooperate\E clean\E house Yesterday morning, our whole family worked together to clean the house. (2) Turangjian mama xiangqi zhongwu yao yong de gali mei mai, > < suddenly mom recall\E1 noon DES use\E H curry NOT buy\E lianmang diuxia saoba pao.qu chaoshi. hurry\E drop\E1 broom run.to\E1 supermarket Suddenly mom remembered she hadn't bought curry she wanted to use at noon. She hastily dropped the broom and ran to the supermarket. (3) Didi jiedao dianhua, ye chuqu le. 1 1 kid.bro get\E phonecall also go.out\E PNC My little brother got a phonecall, so he too went out. Jieguo wo he baba mang-le yi zheng ge zoashang, result 1SG and dad busy\S-PNC one whole CL morning lei-si wo le. tired.to.death\S1 1SG PNC In the end, Dad and I were busy cleaning the whole morning. I was dead tired. [C:7] COMPUTER MOUSE [fw] Q: (1) Where can I buy a computer mouse? Wo you yi-ge cong Xide dai.lai de 'mouse' 1SG have\S one-CL from Germany bring\E1 H mouse I have one that I brought over from Germany. Zai be.in\S1 Xide de shihou ba jisuanji mai.diao-le, Germany H time PAT computer sell\E1-PNC

(4)

(2) ! !

mai.diao yihou zhei-ge 'mouse' meiyou gei renjia, 1 < 1 sell\E after this-CL mouse NOT give\E 3RD jieguo na.dao Meiguo. result take.to\E1 U.S.A. When I was in Germany I sold my computer. But I didn't hand over the mouse to the buyer and in the end I brought it over to the U.S.A. 21

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (3) ! (4) ! Zheli mai jinsuanji dou you 'mouse'. here buy\E computer DIS have\S mouse Here when one buys a computer it always has a mouse. Suoyi zhei-ge 'mouse' yong!bu"zhao, ni keyi yong. 1 so this-CL mouse use#can't\S $succeed 2SG MAY> use\E So I have no use this mouse. You may use it. [C:8] CONVERSATION WITH A DYING PATIENT [Wu, R. 2005:975] (1) "Ruguo bing.qing zhende bu leguan, if illness.condition really NOT look.good\S, ni hui bu fangxin shenme shi?" wo xiaoxin-de wen. > 2SG EXP NOT easy.abt\S what matter 1SG cautious-AV ask\E "If your condition really doesn't\didn't look good, what will\would you be uneasy about?", I ask cautiously. (2) "Du gaozhong de xiaohai, xiansheng, tamen dou hai xuyao wo-de zhaogu, study\E hi.school H child, husband, 3PL DIS still need\S 1SG-H care danshi wo keneng guo!bu"liao zhe yi guan le" 1 but 1SG perhaps pass#can't\S $finish this CL obstacle PNC "My high-school kid and my husband both still need my care, but perhaps I can't survive this disease" (3) Huitan zai ta-de chuoqi-zhong jinxing-zhe. meeting be.at\S1 3SG-H sob-in proceed\E-DUR The session continues while she sobs. Wo-de xiongkou hen men. 1SG-H chest very constricted\S My chest feels very tight. Youyuzheng de xiong men jiu shi zhe-zhong ganjue. depression H chest constricted\S just be\S1 this-Mkind feeling The tight chest of a depressed patient is exactly this kind of feeling. "Zhishao, ni hai you jihui shuo.chu ni dui tamen-de ai. at.least 2SG still have\S chance speak.out\E1 2SG toward 3PL-H love\S At least you still have a chance to tell them you love them. Bu rang zhe-ge jihui xiaoshi ou." NOT DES let\E this-CL chance disappear\E SFP You shouldn't let this chance pass."
>

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yao

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Wo miao-le yi-xia ta-de jiancha baogao, 1SG glance\E-PNC one-Mmoment 3SG-H examination report daxian zhi ri keneng jiu zai shu ri zhi nei, death only day perhaps just be.at\S1 several day only within 22

MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES ta keneng sui.shi xian.ru hunmi, 1 3SG perhaps any.time sink.into\E coma dao shi ta jiu meiyou jihui zai shuo zhexie hua le. arrive\E1 time 3SG then have.no\S1 chance any.more say\E these words PNC I glance at her examination report. Death might come within just a day or a couple of days. She could slip into a coma at any time, and then she won't have a chance to say these words any more. [C:9] CROW GETS A DRINK OF WATER [K] (1) Y-zh& w)y$ k%uk*-le, one-CL crow thirsty\S-PNC, doch zh!o shu' h(. everywhere seek\E water drink\E A crow felt thirsty and looked everywhere for water. (2) Zh-sh, w)y$ kn-jin y-g pngzi, this-Mtime, crow see\E1 one-CL bottle, pngzi-l' y%u shu'. bottle-loc have\S water Suddenly, he saw a bottle with water in it. (3) K*sh pngzi h*n g$o, png-k%u h*n xi!o, but bottle POS tall\S, bottle-mouth POS small\S, l'bi$n de shu' yu sh!o, t$ h(#b$zho. [inside H water moreover little\S], 3SG drink#can't\S1$manage But the bottle was tall, and the opening was small. Moreover, there was so little water inside that the crow could not reach it. (4) Z*nme bn ne? how do\E SFP What could he do? W)y$ kn.jin pngbi$n y%u h*n du" xi!o shz', crow see\E1 side have\S POS many small stone t$ xi!ng-le xi!ng, y%u bnf! le! 3SG think\E-PNC think, have\S idea PNC The crow saw many pebbles lying around. He thought a bit and got an idea! (6) W)y$ b! xi!o shz' y g g di$o-q'li, crow PAT small stone one CL CL pick.up\E1 fng-do pngzi-l'. put-in\E1 bottle-loc One by one, he picked up the pebbles with his beak and put them in the bottle.

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23

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (7) Pngzi-l' de shu' mn~mn sh(ng.g$o, [bottle-loc H water] slow~slow rise\E1, w)y$ ji h(-zho shu' le. crow then drink-manage\E1 water PNC The water in the bottle rose slowly and finally the crow managed to get his drink. [D:1] DANCING SCHOOL? [Wu, R. 2002:518521 + fw] (1) Yiqian zai xuexiao haowan ne 1 before be.at\S school funny\S SFP [My] last school was funny. Pang yi-gongjin, fa wu.bai kuai. fat\S one-Mkg get.fine\E 500 dollar If one's weight was off by 1kg, one was fined $500. Women you yi-ge xinsheng xunlian de shihou hui liang a. > 1PL have\S one-CL freshman orientation H time EXP weigh\E SFP At our freshman orientation they would weigh us. Jiao ni chuan jinshenyi, ranhou zhan.zai bangchen-shangmian. 1 order\E 2SG wear\E tights then stand.on\E scale-top They told you to wear tights and step onto a scale. Laoshi jiu kan ni-de shengao, ranhou suan yi suan teacher then look\E 2SG-H height then calculate\E one calculation The teacher then looked at your height and made a calculation. Wo na-shihou hen shou. 1SG that-time very skinny\S At that time, I was very skinny. Wo na-shihou shishi-san gongjin. 1SG that-time forty-three kg Back then I [weighed] 43 kg. Ta jiu shuo: 3SG then say\E So he said: Ni yao gei wo pang-dao shishi-wu gongjin. 2SG DES> for 1SG fat-reach\E1 forty-five kg You have to gain weight up to 45 kg [lit. for me, i.e. I want you to].

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(10) Kai.xue de shihou, kai.xue na-tian, school.start\E1 H time, school.start\E1 that-Mday women you liang tizhong. < 1PL again weigh\E weight When the school started, on the first day of classes, we were weighed again. 24

MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (11) Zhan.zai bangchen-shangmian de shihou wo shao yi gongjin 1 stand.on\E scale-top H time 1SG short\S one kg When I stepped up onto the scale, I weighed one kilogram too little. (12) Wo fa wubai kuai. 1 1SG get.fine\E 500 dollar I got fined $500. (13) Di-er nian de shihou wo you zhan shang-qu de shihou < 2nd year H time [1SG again stand\E go.up\E1 H time] pang-le yi-gongjin fat\S-PNC one-Mkg In my second year, when I stepped up on the scale, I weighed one kg too much. (14) You bei fa wubai kuai. < 1 again AGT get.fine\E 500 dollar. Again I was fined $500. [D:2] DEER OR HORSE? [K] (1) Zi Qn-cho, y%u g h#n dsh de ji$nchn jio Zho G$o. at Qin-dynasty, have\S CL POS powerful H bad.minister named\S1 Zh. Gao During the Qin dynasty, there was a powerful wicked minister named Zhao Gao. (2) Zho G$o xi!ng zof!n, dnsh yu b zh&do Zao Gao wish\S rebel\E but still NOT know\S1 qn chn-zh"ng y%u du"-sh!o rn hu zh&ch t$. minister-among have\S many-few man EXP> support\E 3SG He wanted to rebel, but didn't know yet how many ministers would support him.
Mgroup

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Ysh t$ xi!ng-le g bnf! li csh. 1 thereupon 3SG think-PNC CL method do\E survey So he came up with a way to conduct a survey. T$ zi qn chn minqin sng-le y-tu l g*i hungshng, 3SG at Mgroup minister in.front.of give\E-PNC one-CL deer to emperor bng shu" zh sh y-p' qi$nl'm!. moreover say\E this be\S1 one-CL race.horse He presented the emperor with a deer in front of the ministers, and said it was a racehorse (lit. a-thousand-mile-(a-day)-horse)

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Hungshng b xn, shu", "Zh mngmng sh l a." 1 emperor NOT believe\S say\E, "this obviously be\S deer SFP" The emperor didn't believe him and said: "This is obviously a deer." Rnhu Zho G$o jij& wn g wi-dchn, afterward Zhao Gao use.opportunity\E ask\E CL court,

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner "Zh sh l hish m!?" "this be\S deer or horse?" Then Zhao Gao took this opportunity to ask the court, "Is this a deer or a horse?" (7) Zi dchn zh"ng, at minister among b g!n f!nkng Zho G$o de d"u zntng shu" sh m! [NOT DARE> oppose\E Zhao Gao H] DIS endorse\E say\E be\S1 horse g!n-y f!ndu Zho G$o de shu" sh l. [DARE>-but oppose\E Zhao Gao H] say\E be\S deer Those of the ministers who didn't dare to oppose him agreed with his that it was a horse, while those who did dare to oppose him said it was a deer. (8) Huli, Zho G$o jzh-le zhxi( f!ndu t$ de rn 1 later Zhao Gao remember\E -PNC those [oppose\E 3SG H man] bng ji$y' phi, y' g%ngg zj' de shl. and do\E persecution, so.as.to consolidate\E [self H power] Later, Zhao Gao remembered the ministers who didn't agree with him and persecuted them to solidify his power. [D:3] DID YOU WATCH THE WORLD CUP LAST NIGHT [G] (1A) N' zuw!n kn Shjib(i le m$? 2SG last.night watch\E World.Cup PNC YN Did you watch the World Cup last night? (2B) W% xi!ng kn, dnsh w% d#i shng hny+ k. 1 1SG want\S watch\E, but 1SG have.to\S attend\E Chinese class I wanted to watch it, but I had to go to my Chinese class. (3B) Sikung rh? competition how? How was the game? (4A) Zuw!n y%u li!ng-ch!ng, d"u sh D z+ de b'si. last.night have\S two-CLgame, DIS be\S1 D group H match Last night there were two matches in Group D. (5A) Dgu du s b' lng yng-le odly du. Germany team four CMP zero win\E1-PNC Australia team Germany beat Australia 4-0. (6B) Dgu du zh(n lhai, y%u s-ge jnqi. Germany team really awesome\S, have\S four-CL goal The German team is really awesome, to have scored four goals. (7A) Ji$n du zi d-b$shs$n f(nzh"ng t&.jn y-g di!nqi, Ghana team in rd-83 minute kick.in\E one-CL penalty.kick

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES y& b' lng zhn.shng Si#rwiy du. 1 one CMP zero prevail.over\E Serbia team Ghana scored a penalty kick in the 83rd minute and beat Serbia 1-0. (8B) Di!nqi? Wishnme? penalty.kick? why? A penalty kick? Why? (9A) Y&nwi Si#rwiy du.yun zi b#nf$ng jnq)-ni because Serbia team.member in CL restricted.area-in sh%uqi fngu&. handball break.rules\E Because a Serbian player touched the ball with his hand in the penalty area. (10B) Zh(n k#x&! really be.a.pity\S What a pity! [D:4] THE DONKEY OF GUIZHOU [P] 1 (1) Qin-zh"ng do zh-ge df$ng yunb#n miy%u lzi, Guizhou-in province this-CL place originally have.no\S1 donkey y%u g x'ho du" sh de rn have\S CL like\S much business H person yng chun yn.zi-le y&-tu l jnr Qin de. use\E ship convey\E-PNC one-CL donkey enter\E1 Guizhou H Once upon a time, when there were no donkeys in Guizhou, a businessman brought a donkey into Guizhou by ship. (2) Yn.do hu qu miy%u shnme yngchu, move.to\E1 after but have.no\S1 what usefulness bin b! t$ fngzh.zi sh$n-xi. then PAT 3SG put.at\E1 mountain-below Afterwards, having no more use for it, he left it at the foot of a mountain. (3) L!oh+ jindo t$, y& kn yunli sh g jd de dngw, 1 1 tiger see\E 3SG, one look\E at.first be\S CL huge\S H animal b! t$ dngzu shnq de d%ngxi. 3SG treat\E divine\S H creature A tiger saw it, and at first seeing that it was a huge animal he treated it with respect.
PAT

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Ysh y'ncng.zi shln-zh"ng t"ut"u kn t$. thereupon hide.in\E1 forest-in stealthily look\E 3SG So he hid himself in the forest and stealthily kept an eye on it.

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (5) L!oh+ jinjin-de z%u ch)li ji(jn t$, 1 tiger gradually-AV walk\E come.out\E approach\E 3SG, shf(n xi!ox&n.j'n.shn, b zh&do t$ sh shnme d%ngxi. extremely cautious.timid\S NOT know\S1 3SG be\S1 what creature Gradually, the tiger began to come out and approach it, still extremely cautiously, not knowing what kind of creature it was. 2 (6) Y&-ti$n, lzi y&sh(ng chng mng, l!oh+ f(ichng hip, one-Mday donkey high-pitched long bray\E, tiger extremely afraid\S yu!nyu!n-de toz%u; rnwi lzi ji$ng yo y!o zj', > distant-AV run.away\E1; believe\S donkey ? DES bite\E self, f(ichng k%ngj. extremely afraid\S One day, the donkey gave a high-pitched long bray. The tiger ran away in terror. He thought the donkey was going to bite him and was petrified. (7) Rn'r l!oh+ li.li w!ngw!ng-de gu$nch t$, but tiger come.come\E1 often-AV watch\E 3SG jude lzi h!oxing miy%u shnme tsh) de b#nl'ng sh de; think\S donkey seem.like\S have.no\S1 what special\S H ability be\S1 H jinjin-de xgun-le t$-de jiosh(ng, gradually-AV be.used.to\S-PNC 3SG-H braying yu kojn t$ qin.qin.hu.hu-de z%udng; again approach\E 3SG front.front.rear.rear-AV walk.around\E1 dn l!oh+ sh'zh"ng b g!n h hu lzi bj&. > but tiger all.along NOT DARE with mix\E donkey fight\E But he often came back to watch it, and it seemed to him the donkey had no special powers. Gradually, he got used to its braying and again came closer and circled around it. But all that time the tiger didn't dare to pick a fight with the donkey. (8) Mnmn-de, l!oh+ yu kojn-le lzi, tidu gngwi subin, slowly-AV tiger again approach\E-PNC donkey, manner even.more casual\S, png c$.y'ko, ch"ngzhung mofn t$. touch\E rub.against\E1 collide\E offend\E 3SG Slowly, the tiger again approached the donkey, even more brazenly than before. He touched it, rubbed against it, and bumped into it to provoke him. (9) L f(ichng fnn, yng tzi t& l!oh+. donkey extremely angry\S, use\E hoof kick\E tiger The donkey was furious and kicked at the tiger with his hoofs.

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (10) L!oh+ y&nc' r x&nx', pnsun c' sh, x&nxi!ng.do: tiger as.a.result but happy\S, calculate\E this matter, figure.out\E1 "Lzi de b#nl'ng zh'bugu rc' ble!" donkey H ability be#can't\S1$surpass thus nothing.much The tiger thought gleefully: "So the donkey can do no more than this. It's nothing!" (11) Ysh tioyu.q'lai, dsh(ng h%ujio, y!o dun l de hulng, thereupon jump.up\E1 loudly roar\E, bite\E cut.off\E donkey H throat, ch&wn-le t$-de ru, ci lq. eat\E-PNC 3SG-H meat, only.then leave\E So he pounced on the donkey with a loud roar and bit it in the throat, choking it to death. When he'd had his fill of the meat, he left. [D:5] DRAGON LOVER [G] (1) Cngqin y%u g rn jio Y-g"ng, 1 long.ago have\S CL man named\S Lord Ye, t$ h*n x'huan lng. 3SG very like\S dragon Long ago, there was a man named Lord Ye, who loved dragons. (2) T$-de y&fu-shng xi-zhe lng, 3SG-H cloth-loc embroider\E-DUR dragon, ji+b(i-shng k-zhe lng, qing-shng hu-zhe lng. cup-loc carve\E-DUR dragon, wall-loc paint\E-DUR dragon There were dragons embroidered on his clothes, carved on his cup, and painted on his walls. (3) Ti$n-shng de zh(n lng zhdo-le Yg"ng zhme x'huan lng, heaven-loc H real dragon know\S-PNC Lord Ye so like\S dragon bin xijing-do t$ ji$. then descend.to\E1 3SG home A real dragon in heaven learned that Lord Ye loved dragons so much, so it descended down to his home. (4) Lng zi chu$ngk%u zh$ngwng, b! w*iba sh*njn-le dt&ng. 1 dragon in window peep\E, PAT tail push.in\E -PNC hall It peered in through the window and pushed its tail into the hall. Dnsh Yg"ng qu bi zh(n lng xi de li!ns c$ngbi, but Lord Ye however AGT real dragon frighten\E H face pale\S zhu!nsh(n ji p!o. turn.around\E1 then run\E But Lord Ye was so frightened by the real dragon that he turned pale, turned around and fled. 29

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (6) Knli, Yg"ng bng b sh zh(n de x'huan lng ya! 1 apparently Lord Ye at.all NOT be\S real H like\S dragon SFP Apparently, it was not at all real dragons that Lord Ye loved. T$ su% x'huan de zh'-sh nxie xing lng de d"ngxi. 1 3SG that.which like\S H only-be\S those.CL [resemble\S dragon H thing] What he loved were just things that looked like dragons. [D:6] DRAWING PANCAKES TO STAVE OFF HUNGER [G] (1) S$ngu shdi Wigu de hungd Co Ru, Three.Kingdoms period WeiState H emperor Cao Rui zh+nbi xu!nb y-g y%u cinng de rn 1 1 intend\S select.best\E one-CL have\S ability H man do choting li zugu$n. to court come\E1 take.official.post\E During the Three Kingdoms Period (220280), the emperor of Wei, Cao Rui, intended to select a distinguished man to come to his court as a new official. (2) Co Ru du t$ de dchn shu": Cao Rui to 3SG H official say\E He told his officials: "Xu!nz rnci, select\E distinguished.man b nng gu$ng zh!o y%u x)mng de rn. > merely seek\E [have\S false.reputation H man] When you select a distinguished man, you cannot just look for someone with a (possibly) false reputation.
NOT CAN

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X)mng h!oxing sh hu de y-kui b'ng, false.reputation resemble\S be\S1 [draw\E H one-CL pancake] zh'-nng kn, b nng ji#ju dzi j&' de wnt a!" > > only-CAN look\E NOT CAN solve\E belly hunger H problem SFP Fake fame is like drawing a pancake. You can only look at it, it wont solve your problem if you're hungry. [D:7] DRIPPING WATER WILL VANQUISH STONE [K]

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Y ti$n, Sngcho xinlng Zh$ng Gu$iy one Mday, Song.dynasty county.magistrate Zhang Guaiya zi ymen zh"uwi xnxng. be.in.prg\S1 gov.office surroundings patrol.walk\E One day during the Song dynasty (9601279), the county magistrate Zhang Guaiya was going the rounds of the government buildings. 30

MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (2) Kndo y-ge xi!ol hu$nghuang.zh$ngzhang-de 1 see\E one-CL minor.clerk open.in.panic-AV cng qin.k-zh"ng z%u ch)li. from money.vault-loc walk\E come.out\E1 He saw a minor clerk rush out of the money vault in a hurry. (3) Zh$ng Gu$iy b! t$ h!n.zh wn: Zhang Guaiya PAT 3SG yell.stop\E1 ask\E: Zhang Guaiya yelled to him to stop and asked him: "N' zhme hu$nghuang.zh$ngzhang gn shnme?" "2SG like.this open.in.panic\E do\E what.for?" "Why did you rush out like this?" (4) "Mi shnme." N xi!ol hud shu". 1 "NOT anything" that minor.clerk answer\E say\E "No reason," the clerk answered. Zh$ng Gu$iy linxi!ng.do zujn qin.k j&ngchng sh&qi, 1 Zhang Guaiya recall\E recently money.vault daily lose.by.theft\E bin rng sucng du t$ jnxng s"uch. then let\E1 attendant to 3SG advance\E search\E Zhang Guaiya recalled the things stolen from the vault recently, so he ordered his men to advance and search the clerk. (6) Jigu%, zi tuj&n-l' s"u.do y-mi tngqin. 1 result, in head.band-loc search.until\E one-M copper.coin Eventually, a copper coin was found in his headband. Zh$ng Gu$iy wn t$ ygng t"u-le du".sh!o qin, Zhang Guaiya ask\E 3SG altogether steal\E-PNC how.much money xi!ol b chngrn lngwi t"u-gu minor.clerk NOT admit\E1 additional steal\E-TRM qin, money

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Zh$ng Gu$iy bin xi.lng kod!. Zhang Guaiya then order\E flog\E When Zhang Guaiya asked him how money he had stolen altogether, the clerk would not admit he had ever stolen any other money. Zhang Guaiya then ordered him to be flogged. (8) Xi!ol b.f shu": minor.clerk NOT.give.in\E say\E The clerk didnt give in and said: "T"u-le y-mi tngqin y%u shnme li!obq', steal\E-PNC one-M copper.coin have\S what extraordinary nndo n' hi nng sh$-le w%?" > could.it.be.that 2SG still CAN kill\E-PNC 1SG "Whats the big deal about stealing a copper coin? Can you really kill me for that?" 31

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (9) Zh$ng Gu$iy shf(n fnn, Zhang Guaiya extremely angry\S ji b! t$ y$ do xngch!ng zhngsh%u shzhng. then PAT 3SG detain\E to execution.ground behead\E publicly.expose\E Zhang Guaiya was furious and sent him to be publicly beheaded. (10) Bng du su%y%u rn shu": moreover to all people say\E He also told the [assembled] people: "Shu' d& b.tng-de d&, ji nng b! shtou d&.chu$n, "water drip\E non-stop-AV drip\E, then CAN> PAT stone drip.passthrough\E1 gng_b _yng_shu" sh m#iti$n t"udo le." let.alone be\S1 every.day steal\E1 PNC "If water drips non-stop, it can drip through stone, let alone if one steals every day." [D:8] THE DRUNKARD [E] (1) Y%u y-g ji+-gu', b.gu!n shnme qng.kung, have\S one-CL drunkard, no.matter what situation, zh'.yo t$ kn.jin-le ji+, ji h( q'lai mi gu. 1 1 as.long.as 3SG see\E -PNC wine, then drink\E begin\E NOT enough\S1 There was once a drunkard. In any situation, as long as saw any wine, hed start drinking and never had enough. (2) Y%u y-c, t$ do y-ge pngyou ji$ h( ji+, have\S one-Me, 3SG come.to\E1 one-CL friend house drink\E wine h(-le h#n chng shji$n, k#sh hi mi h(.gu. drink\E-PNC very long time, but still NOT drink.enough\E1 Once he came to a friends house to drink wine. He drank for a very long time but still didnt have enough. (3) Zh-sh hou, ti$nk"ng h)rn w) yn m b, this-M moment, sky suddenly dark\S cloud thick\S cloth, y!n kn-zhe d y+ ji yo lido. eye see\E-DUR big rain then DES> come\E1 At that moment, the sky suddenly turned dark with clouds [like] thick cloth. It looked like it was going to rain heavily. (4) G(n.cng t$ de rn cu&.c shu": follow\E 3SG H man urge\E say\E His companion urged him: "Y!n kn ji yo xi y+ le, znmen z!o y-di!n z%u ba! > 1 eye see\E then DES fall\E rain PNC, 1+2-coll early\S one-Mbit leave\E OPT "It looks like its going to rain. Lets leave a bit sooner!" 32

MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (5) T$ hud shu": 3SG reply\E1 say\E: He replied: "Y!n kn xi y+ le, z#nme hi li.de.j z%u ya?" 1 1 eye see\E fall\E rain PNC, how still have.time\S leave\E SFP? "If you already see it rain, how can we still have time to leave?" (6) B-d y-hur, y) zh& ti$n qng le, NOT-big one-Mwhile, rain stop\E sky clear\S PNC, g(ncng de rn yu cuc t$ shu": follow\E H person again urge\E 3SG say\E In a little while, when the rain stopped and the sky cleared, his companion urged him again: (7) "Xinzi y) tng le, w%men k"y# z%u le!" > "now rain stop\E PNC, 1PL CAN leave\E PNC "Now the rain has stopped, so we can leave!" T$ hu.d shu": "Y) tng le, hi j-zhe z%u gn shnme?" 3SG reply\E1 say\E: rain stop\E PNC, still hurry\E-DUR leave\E do\E what? He answered: "The rain has stopped, so why leave in a hurry?" G(ncng de rn zh'.h!o#b$cu& le. follow\E H person try#cant\S1$persuade PNC His companion couldnt persuade him. [E:1] THE ELEPHANT AND THE ANT [K] (1) Y%u y-ti$n, dxing h m!y' f$sh(ng-le y-ch!ng zh(ngln, have\S one-Mday elephant and ant break.out\E1-PNC one-Me debate t$ li! d"u rnwi zj'-de lqi b' duf$ng d. 3SG both DIS think\S self-H strength than oponent big\S One day, an elephant and an ant began to argue because each thought he was stronger than the other. (2) Dxing zh'-zhe y-k( d.sh du m!y' shu": elephant point\E-DUR one-CL big.tree to ant say\E: Pointing to a big tree, the elephant said to the ant: N' nng b.q' zh-k( sh ma? > 1 2SG CAN pull.up\E this-CL tree YN Can you pull up this tree? M!y' wnngwil, dxing ji yng bzi b! sh lin g(n b.q'. ant helpless\S1, elephant then use\E nose PAT tree incl. root pull.up\E1 When the ant couldn't do anything, the elephant uprooted the tree with his trunk.

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (5) M!y' z%u.do y-pin c!o.y-qin, du dxing shu": 1 ant walk.to\E one-CL grass.blade-front, to elephant say\E Walking up to a grass-blade, the ant said to the elephant: N' nng b$ndng zh-pin c!o.y ma? > 2SG CAN move\E this-CL grass.blade YN Can you move this blade of grass? Dxing wln rh elephant whatever do\E y# b-nng yng bzi yu!n.q' dshng de c!oy, also NOT-CAN use\E nose roll.up\E1 on.ground H grass.blade r m!y' qu nng b(iq' c!o.y q&ngs"ng zr-de z%u.dng. but ant but CAN> pick.up\E1 grass.blade relaxed\S freely-AV walk.abt\E No matter what the elephant did he couldnt pick up the blade of grass with his trunk, whereas the ant was able to pick it up and carry it around with ease. (8) Zuhu, t$men q'ng ti$nshn li pngpn. 1 finally, 3PL ask\E God come\E judge.contest\E Finally, they asked God to come and give verdict. Ti$nshn t&ng-le t$men gz sshu" de l'yu, God hear\E-PNC 3PL each tell\E H reason y# wf! pndun shu de lqi d. 1 also unable\S decide\E who H strength big\S But after listening to their arguments, even God was unable to decide which one was more powerful. [E:2] EMPTY HOUSE [Wu, R. 2002:523] (1A) Wishme n'men ji$ xinzi zh' y%u n' y-ge rn ne? why 2PL home now only have\S 2SG one-CL person SFP Why are you all alone in you guys' apartment? (2B) Yinwei Naiqian jintian b yong shangban, hu.ji$ q. > 1 because Naiqian today NOT NEED work\E return.home\E go\E1 Naiqian has gone home, because she doesnt have to work today. (3B) T$ hu t$ ayi ji$ pi t$ mimei. 1 3SG return\E 3SG aunt home accompany\E 3SG kid.sister Shes gone to her aunts house to stay with her younger sister. (4B) N-ge w% lngwi y-ge shyou q Davis kn t$ xi$nsheng. 1 that-CL 1SG other one-CL roommate go\E Davis see\E 3SG husband My other roommate has gone to Davis to see her husband. (5A) Naiqian de mimei sh zi zhli nin.sh) ma? 1 1 Naiqian H kid.sister be\S be.at\S here study\E YN Is Naiqians sister studying here? 34

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES [E:3] EYE TROUBLE [LT:200] (1) Wo de yanjing you maobing, 1SG H eye have\S trouble kan duo le shu, jiu bu shufo. read\E much PNC book, then NEG comfortable\S I have trouble with my eyes. When I read a lot, I feel uncomfortable. [F:1] THE FARMER AND THE HARE [P] (1) Cngqin, y%u y-ge nngf). long.ago have\S one-CL peasant Once upon a time there was a peasant. Y-ti$n, zi t$ g(ng.tin de shhou, one-Mday, be.at\S1 3SG plow.field\E H time, h)rn p!o guli y-zh& y*t, suddenly run\E pass.by\E1 one-CL hare qih!o pngzi y-ge sh-zhu$ng-shng, bzi zhdun s' le. 1 1 1 accidentally bump.at\E one-CL tree-stump-loc neck break\E die\E PNC One day, while he was plowing his field, suddenly a hare darted past him, bumped into a tree stump and fell dead with its neck broken. (3) Nngf) b! tzi sh hu ji$ q, peasant PAT hare pick.up\E return\E1 home go\E1 m*i~m*i-de ch&-le y-dn tru. beautiful~beautiful-AV eat-PNC one-Mmeal hare.stew The peasant picked up the hare, took it home and had an exquisite hare-stew. (4) D$ng w!n, t$ ji xi!ng: that night, 3SG then think\E: That night he thought: "W% hb x&n~x&n~k+~k+-de zhngd ne? "1SG needlessly hard~hard-AV till.land\E SFP "I needn't work so hard, surely? M*i-ti$n zi sh-zhu$ng png d*ng-zhe every-Mday at tree-stump side wait\E-DUR ji!n zhung.s' de y*t ji h!o le." 1 pick.up\E [hit.dead\E H hare] then good\S PNC If I just wait every day at the tree stump and pick up hares that hit it and die, that will be fine." (7) Ysh t$ cng-c' b zi g(nzhng, thereupon 3SG from-Mevt NOT again farm\E 35

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner m*i-ti$n zi sh-zhu$ng png d#ngdi y*t de doli: every-Mday at tree-stump beside wait\E1 hare H come\E1 So from then on, he didn't farm any more. Every day he just waited by the tree stump for [more] hares to come. (8) Dnsh, cng-n y'hu, but from-that after t$ zi miy%u f$xin y-zh& y*t zhungzi sh-zhu$ng-shng. < 1 3SG again NOT discover\E one-CL hare run.into\E1 tree-stump-loc But from then on, he never again saw a hare run into the tree stump. [F:2] THE FARMER AND THE HARE [T] (1) Sng-gu y%u ge nngmn zhng zi g(ng tin. Song-land have\S CL peasant just be.at\S1 plow\E field In Song (9601279), a peasant was plowing his field. Tin-bi$n y%u k( d sh-zhu$ng, yi-zh& tzi f(ib(n guli, field-side have\S CL big tree-stump one-CL hare dart\E pass.by\E1 b xi!ox&n zhung-zi sh-zhu$ng-shng, zhdun bzi s' le. 1 1 1 NOT careful\S bump-at\E tree-stump-loc, break\E neck die\E PNC Next to the field, there was a big tree stump. A hare darting past happened to bump into it, and fell dead with its neck broken. (3) Zh-ge nngmn wy zh"ng ddo tzi, shf(n g$oxng. this-CL peasant unexpectedly get\E1 hare, extremely happy\S The peasant was extremely happy with this unexpected windfall of a hare. Cng-c' bin fngxia nngj, sh%u.zi sh-zhu$ng pngbi$n, from-Me then put.down\E1 farm.tools, guard.at\E1 tree-stump beside x&wng zic ddo zhung-s' de tzi. hope\S again get\E1 [bump-die\E1 H hare] From then on, he stopped farming and stood guard by the tree stump, hoping to get another fatally injured hare. (5) Jigu%, ziy* miy%u ddo tzi, r t$-de zh-zh%ng xngwi in.the.end, any.more <NOT get\E1 hare, but+ 3SG-H this-Mkind behavior qu bi dngzu xiohu zi Sng-gu chunk$i le + but AGT treat.as\E joke at Song-land (news.)get.around\E PNC In the end, he never got another hare, but his behaviour became a byword when the news spread throughout Song.

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES [F:3] A FISHERMAN BENEFITS [G] (1) Y-zh& bng zi sh$t$n-shng shi tiyang, 1 one-CL clam be.on\S beach-loc bask\E sun y-zh& y f(i.li zhu t$-de ru, one-CL snipe fly.come\E1 peck\E 3SG-H meat bng m!shng h.shng, ji$.zh-le y de zu'. clam immediately close.up\E1 clamp.fixed-PNC snipe H beak A clam was basking in the sun on the beach, when a snipe swooped down to eat it. The clam immediately closed up, with the snipes beak in his grip. (2) Y shu": snipe say\E: The snipe said: "J&nti$n b xiy+, mngti$n b xiy+, ji hu g$n.s' n'." > 1 today NOT rain\E, tomorrow NOT rain\E then EXP dry.die\E 2SG "If it doesn't rain today or tomorrow, youll dry out and die." (3) Bng y* du y shu": clam also to snipe say\E The clam replied: "J&nti$n n'-de zu' ch)!b"q, mngti$n n'-de zu' ch)!b"q 1 today 2SG-H beak exit#can't\S $go, tomorrow 2SG-H beak exit#can't\S1$go ji hu g$n.s' n'." then EXP> starve.die\E1 2SG "If you cant get your beak free today or tomorrow, youll starve to death." (4) Y h bng d"u b-k*n hxi$ng fng-q, snipe and clam DIS NOT-agree\E mutually give.up\E1 yf) ji b! t$men li!ng ykui zhu"-z%u le. fisherman then PAT 3PL both together capture-go\E1 PNC Since neither the snipe nor the clam would give up, in the end a fisherman got both. [F:4] FISH IN WATER [T] (1) D"nghn mnin, ti$nxi d lun. Eastern.Han.dynasty final.years, country big in.confusion\S In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the country was in confusion. Li Bi wi t%ngy& ti$nxi, Liu Bei in.order.to unify\E1 country ty bif!ng y'nj) de Zh) G#ling xnqi b$ngzh. deliberately call.on\E [hide\E H Zhu Geliang] look.for\E help In order to reunite the country, Liu Bei went to look for Zhu Geliang, who was hiding in the countryside, to ask him for help. 37

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (3) T$ lin q-le li!ng-c d"u mi jindo Zh) G#ling, 1 3SG in.succession go\E -PNC two-Me DIS NOT see\E1 Zhu Geliang d-s$n-c ci jindo-le t$. 3rd-Me only.then see\E1-PNC 3SG He went twice without finding Zhu Geliang. First the third time did he meet him. (4) Li Bi shu"mng li-y, Liu Bei explain\E come-purpose bng chngtn-le zj' de hngt dzh. and talk.freely\E-PNC self H grand.plan high.aims Liu Bei explained why he had come and explained his great plan to Zhu Geliang. (5) Zh) G#ling y# tch)-le zh"uxing de zhnl f$ngzh(n. Zhu Geliang also propose\E-PNC detailed\S H strategy guidelines Zhu Geliang then proposed some detailed strategies. Li Bi t&ng hu dx', Liu Bei hear\E after overjoyed\S, ysh l Zh) G#ling wi j)nsh&. 1 then immediately Zhu Geliang take.as\E advisor When Liu Bei heard him out, he was so overjoyed that he immediately appointed him his military advisor. (7) T$ shu": 3SG say\E: He said: "W% Li Bi y%u-le Zh) G#ling, "1SG Liu Bei have\S-PNC Zhu Geliang, ji h!oxing yer y%u-le shu' yyng." just seem.like\S fish have\S-PNC water same" "Zhu Geliang is to me like water is to a fish." (8) Li Bi zi Zh) G#ling de b$ngzh.xi, Liu Bei be.at\S1 Zhu Geliang H assistance, shl bdun kud, zuzh"ng shxin-le mbi$o. 1 power continuously expand\E, finally achieve\E -PNC goal With the assistance of Zhu Geliang, Liu Beis power increased steadily, until finally he realized his goal.

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES [F:5] FISHING TRIP [Hc:134] [Mother to her three-year old son, re-telling a story he has just told her.] (1) Ou, agong diao.yu diao.dao de shihou oh, [grandpa catch.fish\E catch\E1 H time] ranhou ba yu na.dao tongzi limian. afterward PAT fish put\E1 bucket inside Oh, when grandpa was fishing and caught sth., he put it in a bucket. (2) Na yu jiu yizhi tiao yizhi tiao, shi-bu-shi? that fish then non-stop jump\E non-stop jump\E, be\S-NOT-be\S? And then the fishsg kept jumping and jumping, right? Jigu% tiao.dao na shui jian.qilai. due.to jump\E1 that water splash.up\E1 And because it jumped, the water splashed up. Jian.dao ni-de kuzi jiu shi~shi, dui-bu-dui? 1 1 splash\E 2SG-H pants then wet~wet\S , right\S-NOT-right\S? And when it splashed up, your pants got soaked, right? [F:6] FLYING KITES [Y:82] (1) Fengzheng fang.dao gaokong shang.qu yihou kite put.to\E1 sky go.up\E1 after la fengsheng de xian zhenme ye la!bu"zhi. 1 pull\E kite H string really NPI pull#cant\S $straight zongshi xiang xia.wan. always want\S go.down\E1 When flying a kite in the sky, the string of the kite cant be pulled straight. It is always bent downwards. (2) zhe shi weishenme ne? that be\S1 why SFP Why is that? yuanlai buguan fang fengzheng de xian you duome xi turn.out no.matter [put\E kite H string] have\S how thin\S dou shi you zhongliang de 1 DIS be\S have\S weight SFP It turns out that no matter how thin the string of the kite is, it does have weight. (4) xian de zhongliang shi you-yu diqiu dui xian you xiyin de liliang string H weight be\S1 due.to earth to string have\S [attract\E H force] er chan-sheng de. ?? ? SFP The weight of the string is due to the force of the earth attracting the string. 39

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (5) Zhe-ge liliang haoxiang wuxing de 1 this-CL force resemble\S invisible\S H ba
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xian xiangxi.zhuai, Xian jiu la!bu"zhi de. string pull.down\E1 string then pull#cant\S1$straight SFP This force is like an invisible hand, pulling the string down, so the string cannot be pulled straight. (6) Qishi, fengzheng ye you zhongliang. however, kite also have\S weight However, the kite also has weight. Yinwei, feng chui-zhe fengzheng because wind blow\E-DUR kite shi fengzheng xiang shang.sheng, be\S1 kite want\S fly.up\E1 suoyi fengzheng bing-bu xiang xia.chen. therefore kite at.all-NEG want\S go.down\E1 Because the wind blows on the kite, it makes the kite fly up, so that it has no tendency to go down. (8) Zheyang, zai fang fengzheng shi 1 thus be.at\S put\E kite time piao.zai kongzhong de xian xing-cheng yi-ge wang.qu de huxing. 1 [float.in\E1 sky H string] take.form\E [one-CL curved\S H shape] So when one is flying a kite, the string floating in the sky takes the shape of an arc. (9) piao.zai kongzhong de xian yue chang, [float .in\E1 sky H string] the.more long\S xian wang.qu de yue lihai yue la!bu"zhi. string curved\S H the.more ?? the.more pull#cant\S1$straight The longer the string floating in the sky, the more curved the string and the harder it is to pull straight. [F:7] FOUCAULT'S EXPERIMENT [Y:88] (1) 1851 nian Foucault zai Bali zuo-le yi-ge shiyan 1851 year Foucault in Paris do-PNC one-CL experiment In 1851 Foucault did an experiment in Paris. Ta yong yi-tiao chang 67 gongchi de xi.sheng, 3SG use\E [one-CL long 67 meter H thin.string] xiamian shuan-zhe yi ge zhong-qiu, under tie-DUR [one CL heavy-ball] shangduan xi.zai gao-gao de difang, top-end tie.at\E1 high-high\S1 H place 40

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES rang zhong-qiu zidongdi baidong-qilai, let\E1 heavy-ball freely swing-begin\E1 qiu de xiamian fang yi-ge sha-pan ball H under put\E1 [one-CL sand-pan] He used a 67-meter long rope tied to a heavy ball and with the top.end tied high up. He set the heavy ball swinging freely and under the ball he put a pan-of-sand. (3) Dang qiu baidong shi when ball swing\E time qingqing-de cong sha.pan-shang hua-guo, liuxia hua-hen. 1 gently-AV from sand.pan-top draw-across\E leave\E1 draw-mark As the ball swung, it gently drew a pattern across the surface of the sand pan, leaving a trace. [F:8] THE FOX AND THE GRAPES [K] (1) Y-zh& hli f$xin-le y-k( ptao sh, one-CL fox discover\E1-PNC one-CL grape vine sh-shng zh!ng.m!n-le xi$ngtin de ptao. 1 vine-on.top grow.full\E -PNC delicious\S H grape A fox found a grape vine, which was full of delicious grapes. (2) Hli kn-zhe ptao, r#n!b"zh yng shtou ti!n-zhe zu'chn 1 fox look\E-DUR grape, restrain.slf#cant\S $stop use\E tongue lick\E-DUR lip, r#n!b"zh yng shtou ti!n-zhe zu'chn, restrain.slf#cant\S1$stop use\E tongue lick\E-DUR lip, x&n xi!ng: "W$ $! Sh h!o shw li!" mind think\E: "wow! is\S1 good food this!" Looking at the grapes, the fox couldnt help licking his lips as he thought: Wow, this is good food! (3) T$ xing-shng tio-le j'-c, 3SG toward-top jump\E-PNC few-Me qu z%ngsh gu!b"do. but nevertheless reach#cant\S1$manage But although he jumped up toward them several times, he couldnt reach them. (4) Fjn de xi!o dngw d"u zi xio hli. nearby H small animal DIS be.at\S1 laugh\E fox All the little animals in the vicinity were laughing at the fox. "Hng! Zh-xi( ptao hi h*n su$n, b nng ch& de!" "humph! this-CLpl grape still very sour\S, NOT CAN eat\E H!" "Humph! These grapes are still too sour to eat!"

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (6) Hli d)nang-zhe, chu tu sng.qi de hu.ji$-le. fox pout.mutter\E-DUR, [hang\E head dejected\S] H return.home\E1-PNC Muttering to himself and with his head hung dejectedly, the fox ran back home. [F:9] THE FOX AND THE TIGER [P] 1 (1) Zi mom de s(nln-l' , l!oh+ sh zu xi"ng-m*ng de yshu , 1 in [dense H jungle-inside] tiger be\S [most ferocious H beast] ho.ch(ng s(nln zh& wng . claim.to.be\E [jungle H king] Deep in the jungle, the tiger was the most ferocious beast. He claimed to be the king of the jungle. (2) 2 (3) T$ m*i-ti$n d"u yo b+ ch& qt$ dngw . 3SG every-Mday DIS DES> catch\E eat\E other animal Every day he would catch and devour other animals. Yi-ti$n , t$ png-do-le yi-zh& hli , 1 one-Mday 3SG come.across\E -PNC one-CL fox hli g$ng yo li)-z%u , y' bi t$ y& b! zhu%-zh. fox just DES> slip.away\E1, already AGT 3SG one grab\E1 hold.fast\E1 One day he came across a fox, who got caught just as he was about to slip away. (4) Ji!ohu de hli kn-jin zij' wf! to.tu" , 1 [wily H fox] see\E self unable\S1 run.away\E1 ji shu!-le yi-ge hu$zh$o , then play\E-PNC one-CL trick When the wily fox saw he couldn't get away, he used subterfuge. (5) T$ y&-b*n-zhng-j&ng-de chiz l$oh+ shu" : 3SG always.serious-AV reprimand\E tiger say\E Sternly reprimanding the tiger, he said: "N' z*nme g!n ch& w%? 2SG how DARE> eat\E 1SG "How dare you eat me? W% sh Ti$nd rnmng li gu!nl' su%y%u de yshu de 1SG be\S1 [Tiandi appoint\E come\E1 govern\E all H animal] SFP ,

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n' yo ch&-le w% , jishi weikang Ti$nd de ming. " 2SG DES> eat\E-PNC 1SG thereby defy\E [Tiandi H command] I am the ruler of all the animals appointed by the Creator himself. If you eat me, you will defy the Creator's own rule."

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (8) L!oh+ yi ting lng-zh-le . tiger one hear\E confused-stop\E1-PNC Hearing that, the tiger stopped dumbfounded. Hli m! shng ji(-zhe shu": fox at.once continue\E-DUR speak\E The fox at once went on speaking:

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(10) "Ni yoshi b xin, 2SG if NOT believe\S ji g(n zi w%-humian z%u then follow\E at 1SG-behind walk\E yi-tang , kn~kan sh-b-sh 1 one-Mtrip look~look\E be\S1-NOT-be\S1

su%y%u de y*shu jin-le w% d"u g!nkui tomng." 1 all H animal see\E -PNC 1SG DIS at.once run.for.life\E1 "If you don't believe me, follow me and come for a walk behind me. See if it's not true that every animal upon seeing me at once runs for its life." (11) L!oh+ t&ng hli shu"-hu de k%uq h*n d , tiger hear\E fox talk\E H manner.of.speech POS big\S tidu y* h*n qing-yng , y%u.j'-fn xi$ng.xn-le , attitude also POS tough\S, a.few-Mpoint think.believe\E1-PNC juding g(n-zhe hli q kn-kan . 1 decide\E follow\E-DUR fox go\E look-look\E1 When the tiger heard the fox talk big and look tough, he half-way believed him and decided to follow him and go and take a look. 3 (12) S(nln-l' d~d xi!o~xi!o de y*shu-men , jungle-inside big~big small~small H animal-coll kn-jin hli [d.yo d.b!i yo.w+ yng.w(i]-de z+o-gu li, 1 1 1 see\E fox swagger\E strut\E AV walk-by\E come\E humian g(n-zhe yi-zh& [zh$ng.y w+.zh!o de d l!oh+] , behind follow\E-DUR one-CL bare.fang\S brandish.claw\E H big tiger d"u xi de yomng , sch b(nto. 1 DIS scare\E H cause.death\E in.all.directions flee\E The jungle creatures big and small, when they saw the fox come by strutting and swaggering, with a huge menacing tiger following right up behind him, they all fled in mortal terror, scattering in all directions. (13) L!oh+ kn-zhe , b zh&do [y*shu-men p de] sh zij' , tiger see\E-DUR , NOT know\S1 animal-coll afraid\S H be\S1 self y'wi zh*n sh bi hli de w(i-f*ng xi-p!o de , 1 1 think\E really be\S AGT [fox H might] scare-run\E SFP chd' xi$ng.xn-le hli de hu . completely think.believe\E1-PNC [fox H speech] 43

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner Seeing that, the tiger didn't realize that what the animals were afraid of was himself. He thought it really was the might of the fox that scared them away. So he was completely convinced by the fox's words. (14) T$ p hli gui-zu zij' , 3SG afraid\S fox blame\E1 self zu-ch) shnme du zij' bli de j+dng , issue.ruling\E something reply\E [self unsuccessful H act] ysh y* hu$ng-mng to.z%u-le. thereupon also in.great.hurry flee\E1-PNC He was afraid the fox would be angry with him, and would issue some ruling to avenge his own failed attack. So he too fled as fast as he could. [F:10] THE FROG IN THE WELL [K] (1) Y-k%u fi.j'ng-l' zh-zhe y-zh& q&ngw$. one-CL abandoned.well-in live\E-DUR one-CL frog In an abandoned well, there lived a frog. Y%u y-ti$n, have\S one-Mday q&ngw$ zi j'ng-bi$n png.do-le y-zh& h!igu&. frog at well-side meet\E1-PNC one-CL sea.turtle One day, he met a sea turtle next to the well. (3) Q&ngw$ ji du h!igu& ku$k%u shu": frog then to sea.turtle proudly say\E: The frog said proudly to the turtle: N' kn w% zh-zi zhl' du"me kuil h sh)sh, 2SG see\E [1SG live-at\S1 here how happily and comfortably] shu y* b' b shng w%, rqi* w% hi sh zhl' de zh+rn. who NPI than NOT above\S 1SG, but 1SG only be\S1 here H master You see how happy and comfortable I live here. No ones life can compare to mine! I am the master here. (5) H!igu& t&ng-le q&ngw$ de hu, sea.turtle hear\E-PNC frog H speech, do zh(n xi!ng jnq k~kan. then really wish\S go.in\E1 look~look\E1 When the sea.turtle heard that, he really wanted to go in and take a look. (6) Dn t$ hi miy%u jnq, ji y'j&ng bi bnzh le. but 3SG still NOT go.in\E1, then already AGT stumble\E PNC But on the way in, he stumbled on something.

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (7) H!igu& linmng hutu-le li!ng-b, rnhu du q&ngw$ shu": 1 sea.turtle hastily recoil\E -PNC two-Mstep, then to frog say\E: Hastily stepping back a couple of steps, he said to the frog: N' jin-gu d.h!i ma? 2SG see\E1-TRM sea YN? Have you ever seen the sea? Q&ngw$ yo.yotu: frog shake.head\E1: The frog shook his head:

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(10) Ch)-le zhl' w% miy%u q-gu qt$ dfang. exit\E1-PNC here 1SG NOT go-TRM other place I have never been outside of this well. (11) D.h!i wbi$nwj, m*il zhung-gu$n, sea boundless\S1, beautiful\S spectacular\S, nl' hi zh-zhe h*n-du" qt$ de pngyou. there still live\E-DUR very-many other H friend The sea is boundless, beautiful and spectacular, and I have many friends there. (12) Zh-zi dh!i-l', ci-sh zh(n de kuil ne! 1 1 live-in\S sea-loc, this-be\S real H happiness SFP To live in the sea, that is real happiness! (13) Q&ngw$ t&ng-le h!igu& de y-f$n hu, frog hear\E-PNC sea.turtle H one-M speech, ch&j&ng de d$i zi nl', startled\S H foolish\S at here zi miy%u hu k* shu" le. any.more <NOT speech after.all speak\E PNC When the frog heard this, he felt embarrassed and somewhat ashamed of his arrogance. He had nothing more to say. [F:11] FULL STEAM AHEAD TO A DEAD END [K] (1) Y-zh& l!osh+ zu$n.do niji!oji$n-l' le. one-CL mouse dig.into\E1 cow.horn.tip-in PNC A mouse went into a cow horn. (2) T$ p!o!b"ch)li, qu hi p&nmng w!ng l' zu$n. 1 3SG run#can't\S $come.out, but still with.all.might go.twd\E inside dig\E It couldn't get out, but it was till pressing on toward the tip with all its might. Niji!o du t$ shu": cow.horn to 3SG say\E: The cow horn advised: 45

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (4) "Pngyou, q'ng tu ch)qu, "friend, please retreat\E go.out\E1, n' yu w!ng l' zu$n, l yu zh!i." 2SG the.more go.twd\E inside dig\E, road the.more narrow\S "Please go back my friend. The further you go in, the narrower the road will be." (5) L!osh+ sh(ngq-de shu": mouse angry-AV say\E The mouse said angrily: "H(ng! W% sh b!izhbno de y&ngxing, "humph! 1SG be\S1 indomitable\S1 H hero, zh'y%u qinjn, ju b hutu!" only forge.ahead\E, definitely NOT retreat\E "Humph! I am an indomitable hero. I only go forward, never retreat!" (7) Niji!o shu": "K#sh n' de l z%u.cu-le a!" cow.horn say\E: "but 2SG H way go.wrong\E1-PNC SFP!" The cow horn said: "But you are going the wrong way!" L!osh+ hish ji$nch zj' de yjin: mouse still insist\E self H idea: The mouse insisted: "Xixie n', w% ysh(ng jish zu$ndng-gu rzi de, "thank 2SG, 1SG all.life just.so dig\E-TRM days.of.life H z#nme hu cu ne?" 1 how be.possible\S wrong\S SFP "Thank you, but I have been digging like this all my life. How could I be wrong?" (10) Bji+, zh-wi "y&ngxing" bin huhu m(ns'.zi niji!oji$n-l' le. soon, this-CL "hero" then alive\S suffocate.die.in\E1 cow.horn.tip-in PNC Soon, this "hero" met his end, suffocating to death in the cow horn. [F:12] FUTURE PLANS [LT:660] (1A) W%men d!sun zu shnme ne? 1PL plan\S1 do\E what SFP What are our plans? (2B) Xi-ch( y'hu, xi$n do Dhu Fndin xi)xi yi-hu'r. descend-car\E1 after first arrive\E1 Dahua Hotel rest\E one-Mbit When we get off [the train], well first check into the Dahua Hotel and rest a bit. (3B) Ch&-le w+-fn, jiu q k$i-hu. eat\E-PNC afternoon.meal then go\E1 attend-meeting\E After lunch well go and attend the meeting.

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (4B) Sn-le hu, mi sh le. [disperse\E-PNC meeting have.no\S1 affair After the meeting we have no business affairs. (5B) K$y% do h-bi$n kn+kan > 1 1 MAY arrive\E lake-side look~look\E huzh# g yi-ge chun hu~hua. or rent\E one-CL boat row~row\E1 [We] can go to the lake and take a look or rent a boat and row a bit. [G:1] GECKOS TAIL [K] (1) Y-zh& xi!o bh+ zhng p$.zi qing-shng zhu" wnzi. one-CL little gecko just crawl.on\E wall-on seek\E mosquitoes A gecko was crawling on a wall in search of mosquitoes. T)rn, y-tio sh y!o.zh-le t$-de w#iba. 1 suddenly, one-CL snake bite.hold\E -PNC 3SG-H tail Suddenly, a snake gripped him by the tail with its teeth. Xi!o bh+ zhng dun-le w#iba top!o-le. little gecko just break\E-PNC tail run.away\E1-PNC The little gecko ran away, but his tail was broken. T$ x&nxiang: Miy%u w#iba du" ch%u a! 1 3SG think\E: have.no\S tail very ugly\S SFP! He thought: I am so ugly without a tail! Ysh t$ judng q ji y-tio w*iba. 1 so 3SG decide\E go\E borrow\E one-CL tail So he decided to go and borrow a tail from somebody. Kndo xi!o y zi shu'-l' kuile-de yuli.yuq, t$ wn: see\E1 little fish in river-LOC merry-AV swim.back&forth\E 3SG ask\E: Seeing a little fish swimming merrily back and forth in the river, he asked: Xi!o y ji*ji*, n' nng b! w*iba jig*i w% ma? little fish sister, 2SG CAN> PAT tail lend\E1 1SG YN? Sister Fish, can you lend me your tail? Xi!o y shu", "Dubq', w% hi yo yng t$ yuy%ng ne. little fish say\E, sorry, 1SG still DES> use\E 3SG swim\E SFP The fish answered, I am sorry, but I need it for swimming. Xi!o bh+ yu kndo xi!o ynzi zi ti$nk"ng f(i. little gecko again see\E1 little swallow in sky fly\E The little gecko then saw a swallow flying in the sky.

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (10) T$ shu": Ynzi $y, n' nng b! w*iba jig*i w% ma? 3SG say\E: swallow aunt, 2SG CAN> PAT tail lend\E1 1SG YN? Aunt Swallow, can you lend me your tail? (11) Ynzi hud.do, "B xng a, w% yo yng t$ li f(i.xng ne. 1 > 1 swallow respond\E , sorry, 1SG DES use\E 3SG come\E fly.??\E SFP The swallow answered, I am sorry, but I need it when I fly. (12) Xi!o bh+ miy%u fngq jx xnzh!o x&n w#iba. < 1 little gecko NOT give.up\E continue\E seek\E new tail The little gecko didnt give up and continued to look for a new tail. (13) Rn'*r, t$ y-c yu y-c de k"ngsh%u #r gu&. however, 3SG one-Mevt again one-Mevt H empty.handed\S1 ?? ?? But he failed again and again. (14) T$ g!ndo f(ichng j+sng, ysh huji$ gos-le m$ma. 3SG feel.rvc\E1 extremely depressed\S, so return.home\E1 tell\E-PNC mom He felt so depressed that he went back home and told his mom what happened. (15) Xi!o bh+ de m$ma w(ixio-zhe shu", little gecko H mom smile\E-DUR say\E, The little geckos mom said with a smile: B!obi, n' hu.tu kn~kan. dear, 2SG turn.head\E look~look\E1 My dear, turn your head and take a look. (16) Xi!o bh+ zhu!n.gu tu q, t$ j&ngx& de jio.do: 1 little gecko toss.over\E1 head go\E1, 3SG joy H shout\E Tossing his head back, the little gecko gave a shout of joy: , w% yu zh!ng.ch) y-tio x&n w*ib$ la! oh, 1SG again grow.out\E1 one-CL new tail SFP Oh, I've grown a new tail. [G:2] GENERAL TIAN JI IN A HORSE RACE [T] (1) Qgu de d ji$ng.j)n Tin J h#n x'huan si.m!. Qi.state H big general Tian Ji very like\S race.horse\E Tian Ji, a general from the land of Qi, was very fond of horse races. Y%u y-hu, Tin J h Q wng yu(dng, jnxng y-c b'si. have\S one-Mtime, Tian Ji and Qi king agree\E, conduct\E one-Me race Once, Tian Ji and the king of Qi agreed to race their horses. T$men b! gz de m! f(n.chng shng, zh"ng, xi s$n d#ng. 1 3PL PAT each H horse divide.into\E high, middle, low three CLgrade They both divided their horses into three grades: high, middle, and low.

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (4) B'si sh, shng.d#ng.m! du shng.d#ng.m!, race time, high.grade.horse oppose\E high.grade.horse, zh"ng.d#ng.m! du zh"ng.d#ng.m!, middle.grade.horse oppose\E middle.grade.horse, xi.d#ng.m! du xi.d#ng.m!. low.grade.horse oppose\E low.grade.horse In the competition, a high-grade horse raced against a high-grade horse, a middlegrade horse, against a middle-grade, and a low-grade horse, against a low-grade. (5) Yuy Q wng m#i y-d#ng de m! d"u b' Tin J de qing, since Qi king each one-CLgrade H horse DIS than Tian Ji H strong\S s$n-ch!ng b'si xili Tin J d"u sh) le. three-CLevt race come.down\E1 Tian Ji DIS lose\E PNC Since at each level, the king's horses were better than general Tian Ji's, the general lost all the three races. (6) Tin J de h!o pngyou S)n Bn kn.wn b'si du Tin J shu": 1 Tian Ji H good friend Sun Bin look.finish\E race to Tian Ji say\E: After watching all the races, Sun Bin, a good friend of Tian Ji, told him: "Cng g$ngci de qngxng kn, from a.moment.ago H situation see\E, Q wng de m! b' n' de kui b li!o du".sh!o, Qi king H horse than 2SG H fast\S NOT clearly that.much w% y%u bnf! rng n' yng." 1SG have\S method help\E 2SG win\E1 "From what I saw, the king's horses are not much better than yours. I have an idea to help you win." (8) Ysh, Tin J q'ng.qi h Q wng zi b' y-c, Q wng d$yng le. so, Tian Ji ask\E with Qi king again race\E one-Me, Qi king agree\E PNC So Tian Ji asked king Qi for a rematch, and the king agreed. Tin J xi$n yng xi.d#ng.m! du Q wng de shng.d#ng.m!, Tian Ji first use\E low.grade.horse oppose\E Qi king H high.grade.horse, d y&-ch!ng sh) le. first one-Mevt lose\E PNC In the first match, Tian Ji used his low-grade horse to compete against king Qis high-grade horse. So Tian Ji lost the first race. (10) Ji(zhe Tin J yng shng.d#ng.m! du Q wng de zh"ng.d#ng.m!, then Tian Ji use\E high.grade.horse oppose\E Qi king H mid.grade.horse, yng-le d.r-ch!ng. win\E1-PNC second-Mevt Then Tian Ji used his high-grade horse to compete against king Qis middle-grade horse, and won the second race. 49

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (11) D.s$n-ch!ng Tin J yng zh"ng.d#ng.m! du Q wng de xi.d#ng.m!, third-Mevt Tian Ji use\E mid.grade.horse oppose\E Qi king H low.gr.horse yu yng-le y&-ch!ng. again win\E1-PNC one-Mevt In the third race, Tian Ji used his mid-grade horse to compete against king Qis lowgrade horse, and won that race too. (12) S$n-ch!ng zh"ng Tin J yng-le li!ng-ch!ng, zuhu hu.shng. 1 three-Mevt among Tian Ji win\E -PNC two-Mevt, finally win\E So out of the three races, Tian Ji won two, and thus won the competition. [G:3] GIFT OF COAL IN SNOWY WEATHER [G] (1) Sng.cho de shhou, Song.Dynasty H time, sng.tiz"ng Zho Gu$ngy sh yi-ge gu$nx&n qingk+rn de hungd. Song.emperor Zhao Guangyi be\S1 one-CL caring\S poor.people H emperor During the Song Dynasty, emperor Zhao Guangyi was a ruler who cared about the poor. (2) Y%u yi-nin xi d.xu#, ti$nq f(ichng de hnl#ng, have\S one-Myear fall\E1 heavy.snow weather extremely H cold\S rn-men d"u du%.zi w)-l' y hn. 1 person-coll DIS hide.in\E house-in resist\E cold One winter, it snowed heavily and the weather was extremely cold. Everybody hid in their houses trying to keep warm. (3) Sng.tiz"ng zhngzi g"ng-zh"ng xi)xi, Song.emperor just palace-in relax\E ybi$n q+nu!n, ybi$n p'nchng gzh%ng m#iwi ji$yo. sim.both warm.slf\E, and sample\E all.kinds delicious delicacies The emperor of Song was relaxing in his palace, warming himself by the fire and sampling all kinds of fine delicacies. (4) D$ng t$ kndo chu$ng-wi de dxu# sh, when 3SG see\E1 [window-outside H heavy.snow] time, h)rn xi!ngq'-le nxi( k#lin de qingrn. suddenly remember\E1-PNC those pitiful\S H poor.people When he saw the heavy snow[drifts] outside the window, he suddenly remembered those unfortunate poor. (5) T$men ch&!b"b!o, 3PL eat#can't\S1$full chu$n!b"nu!n, dress#can't\S1$warm

zhngzi dxu#-zh"ng i dng shu . just heavy.snow-in suffer\E freeze\E suffer\E hungry\S 50

MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES They didn't have enough to eat and not enough clothes to stay warm. Right now in these heavy snows they were suffering from hunger and cold. (6) Ysh, thereupon sng.tiz"ng ji pi gu$nyun di-shng x+du" lingshi h mtn, Song.emperor then send\E official carry\E1 much food and coal lido l!ob!xng sh(nghu de dfang. 1 arrive\E ordinary.people live\E H place So the emperor of Song sent out his officials to take lots of food and coal to neighbourhoods where ordinary people lived. (7) Gu$nyunmen b! lingshi h mtn official-coll PAT food and coal sngg#i nxi( qingk+rn h g)d de l!orn. 1 give\E those poor.people and solitary\S H old.people The officials distributed the food and the coal among the poor and the solitary old. (8) Rng t$men y%u m' zufn, let\E 3PL have\S rice cook\E y%u mtn sh(nghu% q+nu!n le. have\S coal light.fire\E warm.slf\E PNC They gave them rice to cook and coal to light a fire to warm themselves by. (9) Zh-jin sh d$ngsh h"ngdng-le zh#ngg j&ngchng. this-Mevt affair then stir.up\E1-PNC whole capital This event created a sensation in the whole capital at the time. [G:4] GIVING UP HALFWAY [T] (1) Wigu y%u g jio Yu Yngz' de rn 1 Wei.state have\S CL named\S Le Yangzi H man do yu!n.f$ng q xn.sh& qixu. to far.M go\E1 seek.teacher\E study\E In Wei there was once a man named Le Yangzi who went far away to study. Y-nin hu, Yu Yngz' ji huli le. one-Myear later, Le Yanzi then return\E1 PNC A year later, he came back. Q&zi wn t$ wi.h zhme z!o ji huji$ le. wife ask\E 3SG for.what so soon then return\E1 PNC His wife asked him why he'd come back so soon. !!

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (4) Yu Yngz' shu": "Ch).mn shji$n chng le, xi!ng ji$." 1 Le Yangzi say\E: "go.away\E period long\S PNC miss\S home" Le Yangzi replied: "I've been gone so long. I just missed home." Q&zi t&ng hu, wife hear\E after nq' y-b! ji!nd$o b! g$ng zh&.h!o de b ji!n.dun le. pick.up\E1 one-CL scissors PAT just weave.finish\E1 H cloth cut.up\E1 PNC When she heard that, his wife took a pair of scissors and cut up the cloth she had just woven. !! (6) Rnhu shu": afterward say\E: Then she said: "Zh b sh y-g(n s& y-g(n s& j&.l#i q'.li de, "this cloth be\S1 one-CL thread one-CL thread build.up\E1 finish\E1 SFP w% xinzi y' ji$ng t$ ji!n.dun, 1SG now one just 3SG cut.up\E1 zhyng y'qin de shji$n ji d"u bibi lng.fi le." this.way before H time then DIS in.vain wasted\S1 PNC "This cloth was woven thread by thread. Now that I have cut it, the time spent weaving it is all wasted." (7) Q&zi ji(zhe yu shu": wife immediately again say\E: His wife then went on to say: "D.sh) y# sh zhyng, y&ngg$i m#iti$n hud x&n de zh&shi, "study\E also be\S1 like.this, should\S1 daily get\E1 new H knowledge, rgu% bnt'rfi, if give.up.halfway\E1, h g(dun zh& b y%u shnme li!ng yng ne?" and cut.up\E1 woven cloth have\S1 what two Mkind SFP "Your study is also like this. You should learn new knowledge every day. If you give up halfway, it is the same as cutting the woven cloth." (8) Yu Yngz' bi q&zi de hu sh(nsh(n g!ndng le, Le Yangzi AGT wife H speech profoundly move\E PNC ysh yu q wnchng xuy, thereupon again go\E1 finish\E1 study y-lin q& nin miy%u hu-gu ji$. 1 in.a.row seven year NOT return\E -TRM home Le Yangzi was very moved by what his wife said and went on to finish his studies. This time, he didn't come home for seven years.

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES [G:5] GOLD STANDARD [E] (1) Y%u y-ge gu$nli have\S one-CL officer gu sh(ngri, 1 pass\E birthday,

t$ de xish+ zh&do t$ sh+ sh+, 3SG H subordinate know\S1 3SG belong\S1 mouse ! ji gng.tng cu-le y-xi( hung j&n, then jointly chip.in\E-PNC somepl yellow gold, zh-zo-le y-zh& j&n l!o sh+ sng.g#i t$. cast\E-PNC one-CL gold old mouse give\E1 3SG There was once an officer whose birthday was coming up. His men know his zodiac sign was the mouse, so they all chipped in some pure gold pieces and cast a golden statue of an old mouse to present to him. (2) Gu$nli kndo xish+ yng j&n l!o sh+ g#i zj' zh shu, officer see\E1 subordinate use\E gold old mouse give\E1 self wish\S long.life x&n-li f(ichng g$oxng. heart-in extremely happy\S When the officer saw that his men had presented him with a golden old mouse to wish him long life, his heart filled with extreme happiness. (3) G$oxng zh& y, t$ ji du xish+ shu": happy\S only cause, 3SG then to subordinate say\E: And only because of this happiness, he then said to his men: "N'men zh& b zh&do, xi g y ji sh w% titai de sh(ngri le!" 1 2PL only NOT know\S , next CL month then be\S1 1SG wife H birthday PNC "You didn't know that next month it's my wife's birthday!" Xish+-men shu": subordinate-coll say\E His men said: "B zh&do a, q'ng wn l!oye, titai sh sh+ shnme de?" 1 1 NOT know\S SFP, ask.to\E ask\E Sir, wife be\S belong\S what H? "Indeed we didn't know that. May we ask, Sir, what is your wifes zodiac sign?" Gu$nli hud shu": officer reply\E1 say\E: The officer answered: "T$ b' w% xi!o y-su, sh ch%u nin shng de, 3SG than 1SG small\S one-Myear, be\S1 ? year become\E H, sh+ ni." belong\S bull "She is one year younger than me, so shell be ? years old. Her sign is the bull."

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (9) Xish+-men t&ng-le, b j&n xi-le y tio. subordinate-coll hear\E-PNC, NOT refrain\E scared\S-PNC one jump\E When his men heard that, they were so startled they jumped (?).

(10) X&n xi!ng: heart think\E In their hearts they thought: (11) Yo zh y-tio j&n ni, n d"i x)yo du".sh!o hung j&n na! > if cast\E one-CL gold bull, then MUST need how.much yellow gold SFP If we were to cast a statue of a golden bull, what a lot of gold we would need then! [G:6] THE GOOD SON [G] (1) Jn-cho y%u y-ge jio Wng Xing de ninq&ng rn, Jin-dynasty have\S one-CL named\S1 Wang Xiang H young man, z!o.nin sng m+. 1 early.years lose.by.death\E mother During the Jin dynasty, there was a young man named Wang Xiang who had lost his mother as a young boy. J-m+ bng b c'i. step-mother at.all NOT love\S1 His step-mother was not at all kind to him.

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(3) Yi-nin d"ng-ti$n, Wng Xing de j-m+ sh(ng-bng xi!ng ch& l'.y. one-Myear winter-day!! Wang Xiang H step-mother get-ill\E1 wish\S eat\E carp One winter day, Wang Xiang's step-mother felt poorly and had a craving for carp. Dn y&n ti$n.hn hshu' b&ngdng, wf! b+zhu". however because cold.weather river frozen\S can't\S catch\E But because of the frost, the river was frozen so it was impossible to catch anything. Ysh, Wng Xing bin w y b&ng-shng d!ogo. thereupon, Wang Xiang then lie.down\E on ice-loc pray\E So Wang Xiang lay down on the ice and prayed. H)rnji$n, b&ng li-k$i-le, cng lifng-ch yu-ch) li!ng-tio l'y. suddenly, ice crack-open\E1-PNC from crack jump-out\E1 two-CL carp Suddenly, the ice cracked open and out of the crack jumped out two carp fish. T$ g$oxng-de p*ng-zhe l'y hu-q 3SG happy-ADV carry\E-DUR carp.fish go.back\E1 zu t$ng g*i j-m+ h(. make\E soup give\E1 step-mother drink\E Wang Xiang happily carried the carp fish home and made soup for his step-mother.

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES [G:7] GREEDY PIG BAJIE [K] [Pig Bajie has the head of a pig and the body of a human, and is fat and greedy for food.] (1) Tngs(ng h t$-de s$n-g td: Tang.monk and 3SG-H three-CL disciples: S)n Wk"ng, Zh) B$ji, Sh$ Hshang yq' q Ynd q+.j&ng. 1 Sun Wukong, Pig Bajie, Monk Sha together go\E India seek.scriptures\E Monk Tang and his three disciples, Sun Wukong, Pig Bajie, and Monk Sha went to India to seek (Buddhist) scriptures. (2) Y%u y-ti$n, ti$n r-j le. have\S one-Mday, day hot-extremely\S1 PNC One day, it was extremely hot. S)n Wk"ng h Zh) B$ji q zh!o shu'gu%. Sun Wukong with Pig Bajie go\E1 look.for\E fruit Sun Wukong went off with Pig Bajie to look for fruit. Bn l-shang, B$ji shu" dzi tng. half way-loc Bajie say\E stomach ache\S Along the way, Bajie said he had a stomach ache. S)n Wk"ng zh&do, B$ji zh'sh xi!ng t"ul!n, Sun Wukong know\S Bajie only wish\S slack.off\E ji zj' q zh!o shu'gu le. then self go\E1 look.for\E fruit PNC Sun Wukong knew Bajie just wanted to goof off so he went on alone to seek fruit. (6) Huli, Zh) B$ji zi fjn f$xin-le y-g x&gu$. later, Pig Bajie in vicinity discover\E1-PNC one-CL watermelon A bit later, Pig Bajie found a watermelon nearby. T$ b! x&gu$ f(n.chng s-kui, 3SG PAT watermelon divide.into\E1 four-CLpiece d!sun f(n.g#i sh&fu h tngbn ch&. 1 intend\S divide.among\E master and companion eat\E He divided it into four pieces, intending to share it with his master and companions. (8) K#sh zj' mi r#n.zh, b$ s-kui x&gu$ d"u ch& le. < but self NOT restrain\E, PAT four-CLpiece watermelon DIS eat\E PNC But he couldn't restrain himself and ate all the four pieces himself. Kn.do S)n Wk"ng hulai, see\E1 Sun Wukong return\E1 t$ linmng b! x&gu$ p r(ng.dio le. 1 3SG hastily PAT watermelon peel throw.away\E PNC When he saw Sun Wukong return, he hastily threw away the watermelon peel.

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (10) X&n.xi!ng mi rn hu f$xin de. > 1 think\E NOT person EXP notice\E SFP He figured noone would notice. (11) Rn'r, zi hu.q de l-shang, 1 however at [return\E H way-loc] B$ji c!i.do-le zj' g$ngci r(ng de x&gu$ p-shang, Bajie step.on\E1-PNC self moment.ago throw.away\E H watermelon peel-loc lin shu$i-le s-ji$o. in.succession fall\E-PNC four-Mfall However, on the way back, Pig Bajie stepped on the peels he had just thrown away, and fell over four times in a row. (12) D$ng t$-de sh&fu h tngbn zh&do hu when 3SG-H master and fellow know\S after d"u xio B$ji t$n ch&. DIS laugh\E Bajie greedy\S eat\E When his master and fellows found out about it, they all laughed at the greedy Pig Bajie. [G:8] GRINDING IRON PESTLE INTO A NEEDLE [K] (1) L' Bi xi!o shhou t t$nwn , Li Bai small\S time esp. like.to.play\S , y do shng k ji z%ushn. once come\E1 attend\E class then inattentive\S When Li Bai [one of the most famous poets in China's history] was a little boy, he was too fond of having fun, so he didn't pay attention at school. (2) J&n-ti$n zh sh$n zhu" xi!o-ni!o, this-day this hill catch\E little-bird, mng-ti$n n sh$n q zh$i.z!o. 1 next-day that hill go\E pick.dates\E One day he'd catch birds on one hill, the next day he'd pick dates on another hill. (3) Xi-le sh$n gu xi!o-h, h-bi$n zu-zhe l!o-ppo. 1 1 descend\E -PNC hill cross\E little-stream, stream-shore sit\S-DUR old-grandma Once coming down from the hills, he crossed a stream. Beside it, an old woman was sitting. L!o-ppo b p li , zhng m y-g(n ti*bngchui. old-grandma NOT afraid\S tired\S, just grind\E one-CL iron.pestle She was tirelessly (lit. not afraid of tiring) grinding with an iron pestle.

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (5) L' Bi kn-le xio-h(h(, shu": Li Bai see\E-PNC laugh\E say\E: Seeing her, Li Bai laughed: "Sh!zi ci gn zh zh%ng hu ne!" fool only do\E this Mkind work SFP "Only a fool would do this kind of work, surely!"

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(7) L!o-ppo c-xing de shu": old-grandma kind AV say\E: The old woman answered kindly: (8) "B p ti*bng c) yu yng , w% yo m.chng xihu$zh(n!" > 1 NOT afraid\S iron.pestle thick\S and hard\S, 1SG DES grind.into\E needle "Never mind the pestle is so thick and hard; I will still grind it into a needle. L' Bi n-gu ti*bngchui, Li Bai take-TRM iron.pestle, mi
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m j'-xi ji h*n li, shu": NOT grind\E a.few-Mmoment then POS tired\S, say\E: Li Bai took over the iron pestle, but in a little while grew tired and said: (10) "0iy"u, shnme shhou nng m.chng a? oh, what time CAN> grind.up\E1 SFP? "Oh, when can this be ground up? I won't do this!" (11) W% b gn le!" 1SG NOT do\E PNC I won't do this any more!" (12) L!o-ppo yoyao tu, tnx&-do: old-woman shake\E1 head, sigh-rv\E1: The old lady shook her head with a sigh: "Zh'yo g"ngfu sh(n, ti*ch+ m.chng zh(n!" if.only efforts deep\S, pestle grind.up\E1 really "If you work hard, the pestle can really be ground up." (13) L!o-ppo de hu zh qi$n j&n, old-grandma H speech worth\S1 1000 gold, L' Bi lolo j-zi x&n! 1 Li Bai firmly record-in\E heart The old granny's words were so impressive, that they stuck in Li Bai's mind. (14) Cng-c' d.sh) b p k+, chng-le y-wi d sh&rn! from-Me study\E NOT afraid\S toil\E, become\E-PNC one-CL great poet From then, he was tireless in his studies, and eventually became a great poet.

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner [H:1] HARE AND TORTOISE [K] (1) W)gu& p!o bit tio, chng~chng l b'si p!o. tortoise run\E hare hop\E, long~long way compete\E run\E The tortoise ran and the hare hopped. They were running a long distance race. Xi!o tzi h*n ji$oo, bn l-shang shu.zho le. 1 little hare very proud\S, half way-on fall.asleep\E PNC The hare was so conceited that he took a nap halfway through. Xi!o w)gu& b-tng p!o, do huli jng xi$n-do little tortoise non-stop run\E until later unexpectedly first-arrive\E1 But the tortoise ran non-stop and, surprisingly, crossed the finish line first. Xi!o w)gu& h$h$ xio, xi!o tzi xi)-s' le. 1 little tortoise ha-ha laugh\E little hare ashamed-die\S PNC In the end the tortoise laughed happily, and the hare felt dreadfully ashamed. [H:2] THE HORSE-TIGER [G] (1) Sngdi y%u ge huji$, zuhu w!ngw!ng sux&nsu%y, Song.dynasty have\S CL painter, paint\E often follow.heart's.desires\E lng rn g!o!b"q&ng t$ hu de sh shnme. 1 1 CLmost people do#can't\S $clear 3SG paint\E H be\S what During the Song Dynasty, there was a painter who painted whatever he felt like. Most people could not figure out what he was painting. (2) Y-c, t$ g$ng hu-le y-ge h+-tu, one-Me, 3SG just paint\E-PNC one-CL tiger-head png.shng y%u ge pngyou li q'ng t$ hu m!, 1 1 encounter\E have\S CL friend come\E ask\E 3SG paint\E horse t$ ji sush%u zi h+-tu-hu hu.shng m! de sh(nz'. 3SG then in.passing at tiger-head-behind paint\E1 horse H body Once, when he had just painted the head of a tiger, he met a friend who asked him to paint a horse. So he casually painted a horses body behind the tiger head. (3) Pngyou wn t$ hu de sh m! hish h+, t$ d: friend ask\E 3SG paint\E H be\S1 horse or\Q tiger, 3SG reply\E: "M!m!huhu!" "Horse-tiger!" When his friend asked him whether it was a painting of a horse or a tiger, he replied: "A horse-tiger!" (i.e. "I don't care!") (4) Pngyou miy%u yo hu, t$ bin ji$ng hu gu.zi t&ngtng. friend NOT want\S painting, 3SG then use\E painting hang.in\E1 hall His friend didnt want the painting, so he took it and hang it in his living room.

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (5) D rz' jin-le wn t$ hu-l' sh shnme, t$ shu" sh h+, 1 big son see\E -PNC ask\E 3SG painting-in be\S1 what, 3SG say\E be\S1 tiger, xi!o rz' wn t$, qu shu" sh m!. little son ask\E 3SG, but say\E be\S1 horse When his eldest son saw it and asked him what it was a painting of, he said it was a tiger. But when his younger son asked him, he said it was a horse. (6) B-ji+, d rz' wich) d!li sh, 1 NOT-long, big son go.out\E go.hunting\E time b! rn.ji$ de m! d$ng.chng l!oh+ sh.s'-le, 1 1 PAT person H horse consider.as\S tiger shoot.dead\E -PNC huji$ bdb g#i m! zh+rn pi qin. painter have.to\S1 to horse owner pay.for.loss\E money A little later, when his eldest son was out hunting, he mistook someones horse for a tiger and shot it dead. The painted had to pay the owner a lot of money for his loss. (7) r t$ de xi!o rz' wich) png.shng l!oh+, but 3SG H little son go.out\E1 encounter\E1 tiger qu y'wi sh m! xi!ng q q, jigu% bi l!oh+ y!o.s'-le. but believe\S be\S1 horse wish\S go\E1 ride\E, then PSV tiger bite.dead\E1-PNC On the other hand, his younger son went out and came across a tiger. But when he mistook it for a horse and wanted to go for a ride, the tiger killed him. (8) Huji$ h#n sh$ngx&n, ji b! hu sh$o-le. painter very sad\S, then PAT painting burn\E-PNC In his grief, the painter burned the painting. [H:3] HOW THE EMPEROR OF QIN WON [G] (1) Zhnggu m q&, q& xing zh(ng b . Warring.States.period end stage, seven state vie.for\E hegemony Late in the Warring States period (475221 BC), there were seven kingdoms vying for supremacy. Qzh"ng Qn-gu h#n qingd, bng tmu t.ngy& ti$nxi. among Qin-state very powerful, also conspire\E unify\E realm The most powerful kingdom was Qin and it wanted to conquer the entire realm under its rule. Qn.zh$owng zh1nbi yu-gu Hn, Wi li,ng gu d, Qgu. Qin.emperor intend\S1 cross-pass\E1 Han, Wei both CLstate strike\E Qi.state The emperor of Qin intended to attack the kingdom of Qi by going through Han and Wei. Dn csh Fn J) shu": but strategist Fan Ju say\E But his strategist Fan Ju said: 59

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (5) "Xinzi Qgu shli hi sun sh qingd, now Qi.state power still regard.as\S be\S1 formidable, dn l Qngu h#n yu,n. but from Qin.state very far\S "At present, the kingdom of Qi is still regarded as very powerful, and it is far from Qi. (6) Jsh- d,.shng le, even.if strike.victory\E PNC y# bx) yu.gu Hn, Wi li,ng gu ci nng dod, 1 even must\S pass.cross\E Han, Wei both CLstate not.until CAN\S arrive\E1 h#n nn sh.u zh. very difficult\S defend\E stay\E Even if we win, we would have to cross Han and Wei to get there, so it would be very difficult to hang on to. (7) Su.ybr mnman xing wi tuzh,n, therefore [we]d.better slowly toward outside expand\E zh yng su% d de m#i y cn y ch' t+di, this manner REL get\E1 H each one Minch one M territory d"u ji$ng w#nw#n d$ngd$ng de wi Qngu su. y"ngy.u, 1 DIS WILL\S stable.stable\S H Qin.state REL possess\S zh yng ji nng zhjin t.ngy& ti$nxi le." this manner then CAN\S gradually unify realm PNC Therefore, wed better slowly expand outwards. Then every inch of land we get well be able control firmly. In this way we can gradually unify the whole realm." (8) Qn.zh$owng bin c,iyng-le zh-ge clu, Qin.emperor then adopt\E-PNC this-CL tactics gu.rn zi x1du" zhny zh"ng q1d shngl. 1 sure.enough in many military.campaign win\E obtain\E victory The emperor of Qin adopted this tactic, and sure enough he won many military campaigns. [I:1] INTERNET CAFE [T] Dialog 1 (intermediate) (1A) Hi, Lx&, n' w!nshng shngw!ng de j&ngl du" ma? hi Lucy 2SG evening surf.internet\E H experience many\S YN Hi Lucy, have you surfed the internet in the evening many times? (2B) Shde, h#n du", rqi# w% j&ngchng shng.do sh(ny. yes very many\S, also 1SG often surf.to\E1 late.night Yes, very many. I often surf until late at night.

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (3A) W, n' j&ngl zh(n wngshng, wow, 2SG energy really vigorous\S shu nme sh!o nndo n' b jude li ma? sleep\E so little\S QUE 2SG NOT feel\S tired\S YN? Wow, you have a lot of energy. Don't you feel tired when you sleep so little? (4B) Miy%u, w% jude t'ng y%uq de. No, 1SG feel\S very interesting\S SFP No, I don't. I find it very interesting. Dialog 2 (advanced) (1A) Hi, Jik, z#nme zhme chu.mi.k+li!n de? hi Jack why so frowning.worried\S SFP Hi Jack, why do you look so worried? (2B) i, bi t le, zujn mng-zhe f$b wnzh$ng, oh DON'T mention\E PNC, recently busy\S-DUR publish\E article w% de dinn!o qu wf! linw!ng le. 1 1SG H computer but unable\S network\E PNC Oh, don't mention it. I am working on an article for publication, but my computer can't connect to the internet. (3A) , yunli sh zhme hush. oh so be\S1 like.this business Oh, so its like that. (4A) Shqng h#n j'nj ma? business very urgent\S YN Is it very urgent? (5B) Sh-de, zi gu li!ng-ti$n ji yo f$bu le. yes, again pass\E1 two-Mday then DES> publish\E PNC Yes, it's supposed to appear in two days. (6A) Rgu% n' zhoj de hu, ky% q w!ngb$. if 2SG worried\S H case, CAN> go\E1 internet.cafe If you're worried, you could go to an internet cafe. (7B) W!ngb$? W% du zh'r b-sh, internet.cafe 1SG right here NOT-familiar\S n' zh&do fjn n!l' y%u w!ngb$ ma? 2SG know\S1 vicinity where have\S internet.cafe YN Internet cafe? I am not familiar with this area. Do you know where there is an internet cafe nearby? (8A) Wny l d"ng-bi$n y%u g xi!o m!y' Wenyi Rd. east-side have\S CL Little Ants n' k"y% q nl' 2SG CAN> go\E1 there shngw!ng. surf.internet\E 61 w!ngb$, internet.cafe

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner On the east side of the Wenyi Road, there is an internet cafe called Little Ants. You can go there to get on the internet. (9B) Ti h!o le, xixie n' de tx'ng. too good\S PNC, thank\E 2SG H draw.attention.to\E Great, thank you for telling me about it. (10B) Dule, n-ge w!ngb$ w!ngs z#nme-yng? by.the.way that-CL internet.cafe connection.speed how-be.like\S By the way, at that internet cafe, what is the speed of the internet connection? (11A) W!ngs h#n kui, w% j&ngchng q nl'. 1 connection.speed very fast\S, 1SG often go\E there It's very fast. I often go there. (12B) N ji h!o. that then good\S That's fine then. (13B) Nme y-ge xi!osh du".sh!o qin? so one-CL hour how.much\S money So, how much does it cost per hour?

(14A) Bsh h#n gu, s$n kui qin y-ge xi!osh. NOT very expensive\S, three-Myuan money one-CL hour Its not very expensive, three yuan per hour. (15B) H!o de, w% xiw+ ji q. good\S SFP, 1SG afternoon then go\E1 Good. I'll go there in the afternoon. [I:2] IT'S NEVER TOO LATE [K] (1) Cngqin y%u g rn, y!ng-le j'-zh& yng . long.ago have\S CL man, keep\E-PNC few-CL sheep Once upon a time, there was a man who kept a few sheep. Y-ti$n z!oshang , t$ f$xin sh!o-le y-zh& yng . one-day morning , 3SG discover\E short\S-PNC one-CL sheep One morning he noticed that one sheep was missing. Yunli yng-jun p-le g k+long , turn.out sheep-pen break\E-PNC CL hole , yji$n lng cng k)long-l' zu$n at.night wolf from hole-loc dig.into\E1 jnli b! yng di$o.z%u-le . enter\E1 PAT sheep steal.away\E1-PNC It turned out that there was a hole in the sheep pen. A wolf had sneaked in through the hole during the night, stolen the sheep and got away with it. (4) Lnju qungo t$ shu": neighbour advise\E 3SG say\E : His neighbor advised him: 62

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (5) "G!nkui b! yng-jun xi) yi-xi) , d+shng n-g k)long ba. " 1 quickly PAT sheep-pen fix\E one-Mfix , cover.up\E that-CL hole OPT "You better fix the pen and cover the hole right away." T$ shu" : "Yng y'j&ng di)-le , hi xi) yng-jun gn shnme ne ?" 3SG say\E: "sheep already lose\E-PNC , still fix\E sheep-pen do\E what SFP?" The man said: "Since the sheep is already lost, what's the point of fixing the pen?" T$ mi ji(shu lnju de qungo . < 3SG NOT follow\E [neighbour H advice] So he didn't follow the neighbour's advice. Drti$n z!oshang , t$ q fng.yng, next.day morning, 3SG go\E1 herd.sheep\E, f$xin yu sh!o-le y-zh& yng . notice\E again short\S-PNC one-CL sheep The next morning, when he herded his sheep, he again found a sheep was missing. (9) Yunli lng yu cng k)long-l' zu$n jnli b! yng di$o.z%u-le . < turn.out wolf again from hole-loc dig.in\E1 enter\E1 PAT sheep steal\E1-PNC It turned out that again the wolf had got in through the hole, grabbed a sheep and and got away with it.

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(10) T$ h*n huhu' b.g$i b ji(shu lnju de qungo. 3SG very sorry\S , NOT.?? NOT follow\E [neighbour H advice] The man was very sorry that he had not followed his neighbour's advice. (11) T$ g!nkui d+shng n-g k)long , 3SG quickly cover.up\E1 that-CL hole, b! yng-jun xi) de ji(ji(shshi de PAT sheep-pen fix\E H secure SFP He immediately plugged up the hole and secured the sheep pen. (12) Cng-c', t$-de yng zi miy%u bi lng di$o.z%u le. from-then , 3SG-H sheep again <NOT AGT wolf steal.leave\E1 PNC From then on, no more of his sheep were stolen by wolves. [J:1] JEALOUS WIFE [T] (1) Zi Tng-cho, y%u g dchn jio Fng Xunlng, at Tang-dynasty, have\S CL minister named\S1 Fang Xuanling, t$ h*n p l!opo. 3SG very afraid\S wife During the Tang dynasty, there was a minister named Fang Xuanling, who was very afraid of his wife. (2) Y%u y-ti$n, z!o-cho zh&hu, Fng Xunlng b huji$ have\S one-Mday morning-court after, Fang Xuanling NOT go.home\E1 63

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner qu zi cho-zh"ng pihui. but in court-interior pace.back&forth\E One day after morning court, Fang Xuanling didn't go home but instead paced back and forth in the inner court. (3) Tng Tiz"ng h*n Tang Taizong POS qgui de wn t$, amazed\S H ask\E 3SG

t$ shu" f)rn zhng=zi sh(ngq, b g!n huji$. 1 > 3SG say\E wife just=be.at\S rage\E, NOT DARE go.home\E1 Emperor Taizong was so amazed that he asked him [why]. Fang Xuanling said that his wife was angry so he didn't dare to go home. (4) Tiz"ng h*n ch&j&ng, Taizong POS shocked\S, mi xi!ngdo Fng Xunlng jng zhme p l!opo. not occur.to\E1 Fang Xuanling actually so afraid\S wife Taizong was shocked. It hadn't occurred to him that Fang Xuanling was really so afraid of his wife. (5) Ysh, wile t t$-de dchn ch2 y-k%u q, 1 thereupon, in.order.to for 3SG-H minister exit\E one-Mmouthful air Tiz"ng ji cg*i Xunlng y-g xi!oqi. Taizong then bestow\E1 Xuanling one-CL concubine So to help his minister save face, he presented him with a concubine. (6) Fng Xunlng d$ngrn b=g!n yo, Fang Xuanling of.course NOT=DARE> want\S1 Tiz"ng ji pi hunghu qunshu" Fng Xunlng de q&zi, Taizong then send\E queen persuade\E Fang Xuanling H wife y* b gu!nyng. also NOT useful\S When Fang Xuanling didn't dare to accept the gift, Taizong sent his queen to speak to Mrs. Fang, but that was no use either. (7) Tiz"ng d n, bin c Fng f)rn d-ji+, shu": Taizong big get.furious\E1, then bestow\E1 Fang Mrs. poison-wine, say\E Taizong got furious. He presented Mrs. Fang with poisoned wine and said: "N' yo hu ji bi jd, 2SG want\S live\E then DON'T jealous\S, ru yo jd n ji h(xia zh-b(i d-ji+ ba!" 1 if want\S jealous\S in.that.case then drink.up\E this-Mcup poison-wine OPT "If you want to live, leave off your jealousy. Or if you want to hang on to it, then drink this cup of poisoned wine!" (9) Tiz"ng y'wi zh-yng ji k$y% Taizong think\E this-M then CAN> 64 xido t$, frighten\E1 3SG

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES qu jin Fng f)rn ji$ng d-ji+ ji(guqu, hn li y'nxi. 1 1 but see\E Fang Mrs. PAT poison-wine receive\E harbor\E tear drink\E Taizong thought this would frighten her, but Mrs. Fang received the wine and drunk it, with tears in her eyes. (10) Tiz"ng kndo zh-zh%ng qngxng, x&nl' dwi zhnj&ng, tndo: Taizong see\E1 this-M situation, heart-in extremely shocked\S, exclaim\E1 Seeing that, Taizong was so shocked that he exclaimed: (11) "Zh-yang de n+z', w% jin-le d"u p, gngbishu" Xunlng le." this-Mkind H woman, 1SG see\E-PNC even afraid\S, let.alone Xuanling PNC "What a woman! Even I am afraid of her, let alone Xuanling!" (12) Dnsh, Tiz"ng bng b=sh zh(n yo t$ s', but Taizong in.fact NOT=FOC really want\S 3SG die\E1 zh'=sh n-le nng c xihu t$, but=FOC take\E1-PNC strong vinegar frighten\E1 3SG mi=xi!ngdo qu xido-le zj' h b!igu$n. 1 un=expectedly but frighten\E -PNC self and minister Taizong had not, in fact, intended for her to die; he had just used sharp vinegar to try to frighten her. But he only frightened himself and all of his ministers. [K:1] KEELUNG HOSPITAL [YC:51] (1) Jilong yiyuan wei kuoda fuwu fanwei, Kee-lung hospital work.to\E expand\E1 service coverage jiji tishen yiliao actively improve\E med.treatment fuwu pinzhi ji biaozhunhua, service quality and standardization

huo weishengshu renke wei banli wailao tijian yiyuan. win\E Dep.Health certificate as handle\E foreign.worker phys.exam. hospital Kee-lung General Hospital is working to expand service coverage. It is actively improving medical treatment quality and stadardization and has won the Dept. of Health certificate to handle physical examinations of foreign workers. [K:2] KILLING THE HEN THAT LAYS GOLDEN EGGS [K] (1) Y%u y-du pnqing de f)f, t$men y!ng-le y-zh& l!o m+j&. have\S one-CL poor H couple, 3PL keep\E-PNC one-CL old hen. Once there was a poor couple who had an old hen. T)rn y%u y-ti$n, l!o m+j& xi-le y-zh& j&ndn. 1 suddenly have\S one-Mday, old hen lay\E -PNC one-CL gold.egg Suddenly one day the hen laid a golden egg.

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (3) Bngqi* y'hu m*i-ti$n xi y-zh&. 1 moreover afterward every-Mday lay\E one-CL And from then on, it laid one daily. Zh-du f)f cng-c' gushng-le fy de rzi. this-CL couple from-Mtime live\E-PNC rich H life So from then on, the couple lived well. Huli, t$men xi!ng: later, 3PL think\E Some time later, they had an idea: "Jrn zh-zh& j& m*i-ti$n d"u nng since this-CL hen every-Mday DIS CAN> xi y-zh& j&ndn, lay\E1 one-CL gold.egg,

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nme j&-de d-l' k*ndng y%u h*n du" j&ndn, then hen-H belly-in definite have\S very many gold.egg br sh$-le j&, b! su%y%u de j&ndn d"u q+ ch)li. 1 'd better kill\E-PNC hen, PAT all H gold.egg DIS collect\E get.out\E Since the hen lays a golden egg every day, it must have many eggs in its belly. We'd better kill it and take out all the golden eggs. (7) Ysh, t$men sh$-le l!o m+j&. therefore, 3PL kill\E-PNC old hen So they killed the old hen. K*sh p"uk$i j&-de dzi y kn, bng miy%u j&ndn. 1 1 but cut.open\E hen-H belly one look\E, at.all have.no\S gold.egg But when they cut open its belly and had a look, there were no golden eggs at all. T$men b! j3 sh$-le, zi y* miy%u j&ndn le. 1 3PL PAT hen kill\E-PNC, then also have.no\S gold.egg PNC They had killed the hen and now they had no golden eggs either. [K:3] A KITTEN GOES FISHING [K] (1) Yi-tin, xi!o.m$o g(n m$o.m$ma q dio.y. one-Mday little.cat follow\E cat.mom go\E1 catch.fish\E One day, a kitten went fishing with his mom. T$men g$ng zu.xi, yi-zh& q&ngtng f(i li-le. 3PL barely sit.down\E1, one-CL dragonfly fly\E come\E1-PNC As soon as they sat down, a dragonfly came flying by. Xi!o.m$o fng.xi yg$n ji q zhu" q&ngtng. kitten put.down\E1 fish.rod then go\E1 catch\E dragonfly Dropping his fishing rod, the kitten ran after the dragonfly.

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (4) Q&ngtng f(i z%u-le, dragonfly fly\E leave\E1-PNC xi!o.m$o mi zhu".zho, k"ng-zhe sh%u hu.li-le. 1 kitten NOT catch\E , empty\S-DUR hand come.back\E1-PNC When the dragonfly flew off, the kitten had failed to catch it so he came back empty-handed. (5) Zh-sh, m$o.m$ma dio-le yi-tio d y. this-Mmoment cat.mom catch\E-PNC one-CL big fish At that moment, his mom caught a big fish. Xi!o.m$o yu zu.xia dio.y, yi-zh& hdi f(i li-le. little.cat again sit.down\E1 catch.fish\E, one-CL butterfly fly\E come\E1-PNC The kitten again sat down to fish, when a butterfly came flying by. Xi!o.m$o yu fng.xi yg$n q zhu" hdi. kitten again put.down\E1 fish.rod go\E1 catch\E butterfly The kitten again dropped his fishing rod, to run after the butterfly. Hdi f(i z%u-le, butterfly fly\E leave\E1-PNC xi!o.m$o yu mi zhu".zho, k"ng-zhe sh%u hu.li-le. < 1 kitten again NOT catch.manage\E , empty\S-DUR hand come.back\E1-PNC But the butterfly few off, and the kitten again failed to make a catch and came back empty-handed. (9) Zhngh!o, m$o.m$ma yu dio-le yi-tio d y. just.then cat.mom again catch\E-PNC one-CL big fish Just then, his mom again caught a big fish.

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(10) Xi!o.m$o shu": "W% z*nme yi-tio y y* dio!b"zho?" little.cat say\E: "1SG how one-CL fish even catch#can't\S1$manage?" The kitten said: "How [come] I can't catch any fish?" (11) M$o.m$ma kn-le kn xi!o.m$o, shu": cat.mom look\E-PNC look little.cat, say\E: Glancing at the kitten, his mom said: (12) "Dio.y yo yx&nyy, catch.fish\E DES> whole.hearted\S1, n' y.hu'r zhu" q&ngtng, 2SG a.Mwhile chase\E dragonfly, y.hu'r zhu" hdi, a.Mwhile chase\E butterfly,

z*nme nng dio.do y ne? > 1 how CAN catch\E fish SFP "Fishing requires whole-hearted effort. If you keep chasing dragonflies one moment and butterflies the next, how can you catch any fish?"

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (13) Xi!o.m$o t&ng-le m$ma de hu h*n nn.wiqng, kitten hear\E-PNC [mom H speech] POS ashamed\S, k$ish' yx&nyy de dio.y begin\E [whole.hearted\S1 H catch.fish\E1] When the kitten heard his mom, he felt ashamed and began to pay attention. (14) Q&ngtng yu f(i li-le, hdi y* f(i li-le dragonfly again fly\E come\E1-PNC butterfly also fly\E come\E1-PNC The dragonfly again came flying by, and so did the butterfly. (15) Xi!o.m$o ji xing mi kn.jin yi-yng, yi-dng y mi dng. < 1 kitten then resemble\S NOT see\E same, one-move even <NOT move\E The kitten looked just as if he hadn't seen them, he didn't stir an inch. (16) By&hur, wa! Yi-tio d y! in.a.moment, wow! one-CL big fish! In a moment, wow! A big fish! (17) Y zi d-shang p&p&p$p$ de lun bng, fish on ground-loc pit-a-pat H chaotic\S leap\E, xi!o.m$o g!nj'n zhu".zh, g$oxng de h!n-q'li: little.cat quickly catch.hold\E1, happy\S H shout-begin\E "W% dio.do d y la, w% dio.do d y la!" "1SG catch\E1 big fish SFP, 1SG catch\E1 big fish SFP!" As the fish flopped around pit-a-pat on the ground, the kitten quickly caught it and shouted happily: "I've caught a big fish, I've caught a big fish!" [K:4] KITTEN PLANTS FISH [K] (1) Y%u y-zh& c"ngmng de xi!om$o , have\S one-CL clever H kitten , z%ngsh x'hu$n p!o-li p!o-q. always like\S run-come\E1 run-go\E1 There was once a clever kitten that liked to get around. (2) Ch)nti$n li-le, m$ma di t$ q zhng.ci. spring come\E1-PNC, mother take\E1 3SG go\E1 plant.vegetable\E When spring came, his mom took him to plant vegetables. Yi x&ngq& hu, xi!om$o f$xin ci f$y le. one week after, kitten notice\E1 vegetable sprout\E PNC The following week, the kitten noticed that the vegetable [seed]s had sprouted Ysh t$ wn m$ma wishnme zh%ngzi hu f$y. > thereupon 3SG ask\E mother how seed EXP sprout\E So he asked his mom how seeds could sprout.

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (5) M$ma gosu t$ mother tell\E 3SG zh%ngzi x&sh"u-le nt+-l' de shu'fen h yng.y!ng, seed absorb\E-PNC [soil-loc H water and nutrients] rnhu ji hu f$y, zi zh!ng yzi, > after then EXP sprout\E, &then grow\E leaf, zuhu hu jich) h*n du" ci. at.last EXP> yield\E POS many vegetable His mother told him that seeds absorb water and nutrients from the soil. Then they would sprout and grow leaves, and finally would yield many vegetables. (6-7) Xi!om$o xi!ng: kitten think\E: The kitten thought: Rgu% w% b! y zhng.do nt+-l', if 1SG PAT fish plant.into\E1 soil-loc, hu-bu-hu zh!ngch) h*n du" y ne? > > 1 EXP -NOT-EXP yield\E POS many fish SFP? If I plant fish in the soil, will they yield many fish? (8) Dr-ti$n, xi!om$o n-le j'-tio y, zhng.zi-le t+-l'. 1 1 next-Mday, kitten take\E -PNC a.few-CL fish, plant.in\E -PNC soil-loc The next day, the kitten took some fish and planted them in the soil. Xi!om$o m*i-ti$n d"u ji$o.shu' , kitten every-Mday DIS water\E , y-g x&ngq& guq-le, k*sh y hish miy%u f$y. one-CL week pass\E1-PNC, but fish still <NOT sprout\E He watered them every day, but after a week the fish still hadn't sprouted. (10) Xi!om$o h#n zhoj , w$k$i nt+ y kn. 1 kitten POS anxious\S , dig.open\E soil one look\E Anxious, the kitten dug up the fish to take a look. (11) Wa, y qunb ln.dio-le , zh' shngxi g+tu le. 1 oh fish all rot.away\E -PNC , only remain\E1 bone PNC Oh no, the fish were all rotted away, only the bones remained. (12) Xi!om$o h*n qgui y* h*n sh$ngx&n, ji q wn m$ma. 1 kitten POS amazed\S also POS sad\S, then go\E ask\E mother Puzzled and unhappy, the kitten then went to ask his mom. (13) "Wishnme w% b! y zhng.do nt+-l' why 1SG PAT fish plant.into\E1 soil-loc b hu zh!ngch) y?" > 1 NOT EXP grow.into\E fish "I have planted fish in the soil, so why didn't they yield any fish?" 69

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (14) M$ma xio-le, t$ shu": mother laugh\E-PNC, 3SG say\E: His mom laughed and said: (15) "Y sh dngw , b nng zhng de. fish be\S animal , NOT CAN> plant\E SFP "Fish are animals. They cannot be planted. (16) Zh'y%u zhw ci k$y% zhngzh . only plant only CAN> plant\E. Only plants can be planted. (17) B'r f$nqi, hunggu$, x&gu$ d*ng. for.example tomato cucumber water-melon etc For example, tomato, cucumber, water-melon and so on." (18) Xi!om$o mngbai-le zh-ge dol', t$ xi!ng: kitten understand\S-PNC this-CL fact, 3SG think\E: When the kitten understood this, he thought: (19) J&nhu w% yo du" xux , henceforth 1SG DES> much learn\E1 , ci hu zh&do h*n du" zh&sh. so EXP> know\S POS much knowledge From now on, I am going to learn more so that I will know more. [K:5] KONG RONG PICKS THE SMALLEST PEAR [K] (1) D"nghn shhou, y%u ge jio K%ng Rng de rn. 1 East.Han time, have\S CL named\S Kong Rong H man During the Eastern Han Dynasty there was a man named Kong Rong. T$ xi!o shhou h#n c"ngming, y%u w+-ge g(ge, y-ge ddi. 3SG small\S time very smart\S, have\S five-GL big.bro, one-CL little.bro He was very smart ever since he was a little boy. He had five older brothers and one younger brother. Y-ti$n bba m!i-le yxi( lzi, one-Mday father buy\E-PNC somepl pear, ty ji!n-le y-g zu d de g#i K%ng Rng, intentionally pick.out\E-PNC one-CL most big\S H give\E1 Kong Rong K%ng Rng qu yotu b yo, n-le y-g zu xi!o de l. 1 Kong Rong but shake.head\E NOT want\S, take\E -PNC one-CL most small\S H pear One day, his father bought some pears. When he picked one of the largest and deliberately gave it to Kong Rong, the boy shook his head and picked the smallest pear instead.

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (4) Bba h#n hoq, ji wn: "Wishnme ne?" father very curious\S, then ask\E: "Why SFP?" His father was curious and asked: "Why?" K%ng Rng shu": Kong Rong say\E: Kong Rong said: "W% ninj xi!o, w% ch& xi!o l, d de g#i g(ge ch&." "1SG age small\S, 1SG eat\E small pear, big H let\E1 big.bro eat\E "I am younger, so I should eat the smaller pear. My older brothers should eat the bigger ones." (6) Bba t&ng hu h#n g$oxng, yu wn: father hear\E after very happy\S again ask\E His father was very happy to hear that, but he asked again: "N ddi b' n' hi xi!o ya?" that little.bro than 2SG still.more small\S SFP "What about your younger brother, who is even smaller than you are?" K%ng Rng shu": Kong Rong say\E: Kong Rong said: "W% b' ddi d, w% sh g(ge, 1SG than little.bro big\S, 1SG be\S1 big.bro w% y#ngg&i b! d de li.g#i xi!o ddi ch&." 1SG OUGHT> PAT big\S H leave.for\E1 small little.bro eat\E "I am bigger than my younger brother, I am his older brother, so I should leave him a bigger fruit." (9) Huli, K%ng Rng chngwi-le y-ge h#n y%uxuwen de rn. 1 later Kong Rong become\E -PNC one-CL very scholarly\S H man Later, Kong Rong became a great scholar. [L:1] LISI AND THE CAR [L:1 + fw] (1) N-ling ch( , jiqin ti gu, yns y* b h!o, that-CL car, price too high\S, color also NOT good\S, Lisi b x'huan. Lisi NOT like\S That car is too expensive and the color is ugly. Lisi doesnt like it. Zuti$n q kn-le, hi k$i-le y.hur, yesterday go look\E-PNC even drive\E-PNC a.Mwhile hish b x'huan, mi m!i. < still NOT like\S NOT buy\E Yesterday he went to take a look at it and even took it out for a spin. He still didnt like it so he didnt buy it. 71

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner [L:2] LITTLE CRAB [K] (1) Y-g yu.gu$ng mng.ling de yw!n, one-CL moon.lit\S bright\S H night xi!o pngxi zi sh$t$n-shng z%u-zhe. little crab be.on\S1 beach-loc walk\E-DUR One bright moon-lit night, a little crab was walking on the beach. (2) Pngxi m$ma kn.do xi!o pngxi hu, jio.do: crab mom see\E1 little crab after, yell.to\E1: When his mom saw him, she yelled to him: "Hizi! N' z#nme hng-zhe z%u ne? Du" nnkn $! child 2SG why sideways\S1-DUR walk\E SFP too ugly\S SFP "Child! Why do you walk sideways? It's so ugly! Hu
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dji$ xiohua, yo zhz%u ya." everybody laugh.at\E, DES> straight.walk\E SFP You'll be a laughingstock for everybody. You should walk straight!"
>

bi

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Xi!o pngxi shu": "Zh&do le, m$ma." little crab say\E: "know\S1 PNC, mom." The little crab said: "I see, mom." K#sh, xi!o pngxi hish g!o!b"d%ng z#nme zh.z%u. 1 but, little crab still do#can't\S $understand how straight.walk\E But the little crab still couldn't figure out how to walk straight. Xi!o pngxi shu": "M$ma, n' shfn y-xi h!o little crab say\E: "mom, 2SG show\E one-Mmoment good\S The little crab said: "Mom, could you just show my the right way?" Pngxi m$ma shu": "H!ode, h#n ji!nd$n de!" crab mom say\E: "ok, very easy\S SFP" The crab's mom said: "Ok, it's very easy!" Pngxi m$ma n+l de zh-zhe zh.z%u, crab mom try.hard\E H try\E-DUR straight.walk\E dnsh, wln z#nme z%u qu d"u zh'-nng hng-zhe z%u. but no.matter how walk\E but DIS only-CAN> sideways\S1-DUR walk\E She tried hard to walk straight, but no matter what she did, she could only walk sideways. ma?" YN"

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Xi!o pngxi zh'-nng g(nzi m$ma hutou, little crab only-CAN> follow.in\E1 mom footsteps, xu-zhe m$ma de yngzi. study\E-DUR mom H manner So the little crab could only follow in his mom's footsteps, imitating her ways.

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES [L:3] LITTLE MONKEY [K] (1) Y%u y- ti$n, have\S one-Mday, y-zh& xi!o huzi xi-sh$n q wn. one-CL little monkey descend-mountain\E1 go\E1 play\E One day, a little monkey came down the mountain to play. (2) T$ z%u-do y-pin ym' 3SG walk-to\E1 one-M corn d-l', field-in,

kn.jian ym'-ji de yu d yu du", see\E1 corn-bear.fruit\E H both big\S and many\S, f(ichng g$oxng. extremely happy\S He came to a cornfield and was delighted to see many big ears of ripe corn. (3) T$ ji b$i-le y-ge, 1 3SG then break.off\E -PNC one-CL, kng-zhe w!ng-qin z%u. carry.on.shoulder\E-DUR toward-ahead walk\E Breaking one off, he went on carrying it on his shoulder. (4) Xi!o huzi z%u.do y-k( tosh xi, little monkey walk.to\E1 one-CL peach tree, knjian yu d yu hng de tozi, f(ichng g$oxng. 1 see\E both big\S and red\S H peach extremely happy\S He then came to a peach tree and was delighted to see big red peaches. (5) T$ ji r(ng-le ym', q zh$i tozi. 3SG then toss\E-PNC corn go\E1 pick\E peach Dropping the corn, he went to pick some peaches. Xi!o huzi p#ng-zhe j'-ge tozi, little monkey hold\E-DUR a.few-CL peach, z%u.do y-pin gu$ d-l' 1 walk.to\E one-M melon field-in Carrying a few peaches, he then came to a melon field. (7) T$ knjian yu d yu yun de x&gu$, 1 3SG see\E both big\S and round\S H watermelon, f(ichng g$oxng, ji r(ng-le tozi q zh$i x&gu$. extremely happy\S, then toss\E-PNC peach go\E1 pick\E watermelon When he saw big round watermelons, he was so delighted that he dropped the peaches and picked a melon instead.

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (8) Xi!o huzi bo-zhe y-ge d x&gu$, w!ng-hu z%u. little monkey hold\E-DUR one-CL big watermelon, toward-back walk\E Carrying the big watermelon, the little monkey headed back home. T$ knjian y-zh& xi!o t bngbeng tiotiao de, 1 1 1 3SG see\E one-CL little rabbit spring~spring\E hop~hop\E SFP, zh(n k*i. really lovely\S Suddenly he saw a little rabbit hopping around. It was really lovely. (10) T$ f(ichng g$oxng, 3SG extremely happy\S, ji r(ng-le x&gu$ q zhu& xi!o t. then toss\E-PNC watermelon go\E1 chase\E little rabbit Delighted, he dropped the watermelon and went after the rabbit. (11) Xi!o t p!o-jn lnzi, b jin le. little rabbit run-into\E1 wood, NOT see\E PNC The rabbit ran off into the wood and disappeared. (12) Xi!o huzi zh'.h!o k"ng-zhe sh%u hu-ji$ q le. little monkey per.force empty\S-DUR hand return-home\E1 go\E1 PNC So in the end, the little monkey had to return home empty-handed. [L:4] THE LOST HORSE [K] (1) Zhngu sh, y-wi xng Si de l!o.rn y!ng-le x+du% m!. Warring.States time, one-CL name\S1 Sai H old.man keep\E-PNC Ma.lot horse During the Warring States period, there was an old man, named Mr. Sai, who kept a lot of horses. Y-ti$n, t$-de m! qn zh"ng h)rn y%u y-p' di)sh& le. one-Mday, 3SG-H horse Mherd center suddenly have\S one-CLhorse lose\E1 PNC One day, a horse from his herd went missing. Lnj)-men t&ng-shu" zh-jin sh, d"u p!o li $nwi t$. neighbor-coll hear-say\E this-M matter, DIS run\E come\E1 console\E 3SG When his neighbours heard about this, they all came running to console him. Si w(ng qu xio-le xio Sai Mr. but smile\E-PNC smile But Mr. Sai smiled and said: shu": say\E:

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"Mi sh, y*x+ hu di-li shnme h!o-yn ne." > 1 NOT matter, maybe EXP bring\E what good-fortune SFP "No matter. Maybe it will bring me good fortune." Gu-le j'-ti$n, pass\E1-PNC a.few-Mday 74

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES di)sh& de m! b-j'n zj' p!o hu 1 [lose\E H horse] NOT-only self run\E return\E1 ji$, home

hi di-hu y-p' Xi"ngn de jn-m!. also bring-return\E1 one-CL [Xiongnu H fine-horse] A few days later, not only did the lost horse come running back home, but it also brought with it a fine horse from Xiongnu. (7) Lnj)-men t&ng-shu" zh-jin sh, neighbor-coll hear-say\E this-M matter, d"u li.xing Si w(ng doh. 1 DIS come.to\E Sai Mr. congratulate\E When his neighbours heard about this, they all came to Mr. Sai to congratulate him. (8) Si w(ng qu y-di!n d"u b g$oxng, t$ y"ul de shu": Sai Mr. but a.Mbit DIS NOT happy\S, 3SG worried\S H say\E: But Mr. Sai was not at all happy. He said worriedly: "Zh b ydng sh h!o-sh, this NOT necessarily be\S1 good-thing, y*x+ hu r*ch) mfan li." maybe EXP> cause\E trouble come\E1 "This is not necessarily a good thing. It might cause trouble." (10) Y%u y-ti$n , have\S one-Mday Si w(ng de rzi q-zhe n-p' Xi"ngn de jn-m! ch)yu, [Sai Mr. H son] ride\E-DUR that-CL Xiongnu H fine-horse go.on.trip\E1 b xi!ox&n dio-le xi.li , b! tu' shu$i dun le. 1 NOT careful\S fall\E-PNC come.down\E , PAT leg fall\E break\E PNC One day, his son went for a ride on the fine horse from Xiongnu. He had an accident, fell off and broke a leg. (11) Si w(ng qu shu": " Mi shnme, y*x+ sh fqi ne. " Sai Mr but say\E: "NOT what, maybe be\S1 good.fortune SFP" But Mr. Sai just said: "It's nothing. Maybe it's a blessing [in disguise]." [L:4] THE LOST HORSE [S] (1) Jn si-shng zh& rn y%u shn sh zh*, close.to\S border-loc CL person have\S righteous method N m! wg wng r r h, 1 horse without.cause escape\E and enter\E barbarian rn ji( dio zh&. person all condole.with\E 3SG Close to the border, there lived a man who led a righteous life. [One day] when his horse accidentally escaped into barbarian territory, everyone pitied him. 75

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (2) Q f yu(: "C' h j b wi f h)! CL old.man say\E: "this why suddenly NOT become\E good.fortune SFP [But] the old man said: "Why shouldn't this turn out to be a good thing!" J& sh-yu, q m! jing h jnm! r be\S several-Mmonth, 3SG horse lead\E barbarian steed & gu&, return\E

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rn ji( h zh&. man all congratulate\E 3SG Several months later, when his horse returned, leading a superb barbarian stallion, everyone congratulated him. (4) Q f yu(: "C' h j b-nng wi hu h)! > CL old.man say\E: "this why suddenly NOT-CAN become\E misfortune SFP [But] the old man said: "Why shouldn't this turn out to be a bad thing!"

(5) Ji$ f lingm!, q z' ho q, du r zh q b, family rich\S good.horse, 3SG son fond\S ride\E, fall\E & break\E 3SG thigh rn ji( dio zh&. person all condole\E 3SG The family was enriched by a good horse, and his son enjoyed riding it. When he fell and broke his hip, everyone pitied him. (6) Q f yu(: "C' h j b wi f h)! CL old.man say\E: "this why suddenly NOT become\E good.fortune SFP [But] the old man said: "Why shouldn't this turn out to be a good thing!"

(7) J& y&-nin, h rn.d r si, be\S one-Myear, barbarian large.party enter\E1 border, d&ng zhung zh* y'n xin r zhn, jn si zh& rn, all strong\S N draw\E bow & fight.war\E near\S border CL person s'-zh# shji+, c' d y' b% zh& g, 1 die\E -N 9.out.of.10, this alone because lame\S 3SG therefore f.z' xi$ng.b!o father.son guard.each.other\E A year later, a large party of barbarians entered the border region. All the ablebodied men took up their bows and went to war. Of the people living near the border, nine out of ten men were killed. But just because the old man's son was lame, these two managed to save each other. (8) G f zh' wi hu, therefore good.fortune 3SG become\S misfortune hu zh& wi f, misfortune 3SG become\S good.fortune hu b-k" j sh(n.bk#c y#. transform\E NOT-CAN> extremely puzzling&unpredictable\S also So his good fortune turned into his misfortune, and his misfortune into good fortune. Such transformations are extremely puzzling and impossible to predict. 76

MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES [L:6] THE LOST HORSE [P] 1 (1) Zhng-gu shq& y%u y&-wi l!o.rn, mngjio S$i W(ng. wage.war-state period have\S one-CL old.man named\S1 Sai Weng During the Warring States period (475221 B.C) there was a man named Sai Weng. T$ y!ng-le x+du" m!, 3SG keep\E-PNC many horse y&-ti$n m!qn-zh"ng h)rn y%u y&-p& z%ush&-le. one-Mday horse.herd-in suddenly have\S one-CL get.lost\E1-PNC He kept many horses. One day one of the horses from his herd got lost. (3) Lnj)-men t&ng.do zh-sh, neighbor-coll hear\E1 this-Mmatter d"u li $nwi t$ b b ti zhoj, 1 > DIS come\E comfort\E 3SG NOT NEED too.much worry\E ninlng d-le, du" zhy sh(nt'. age big\S-PNC, much pay.attention\E health When his neighbors heard that, they all came to comfort him that he need not worry too much, that he was old and should pay attention to his health. (4) S$i W(ng jin y%u rn qunwi, xio shu": Sai Weng see\E have\S person console\E, smile\E say\E When Sai Weng saw that people had come to console him, he smiled and said: "Di)-le y&-p' m! s+nsh& b d, "lose\E-PNC one-CL horse loss NOT big\S, mi zh+n hi hu dili lqi." > NOT certain\S still EXP bring.about\E good.fortune" "Losing one horse is not a big loss. It might still bring out good fortune." 2 (6) Lnj) t&ng-le S$i W(ng de hu x&n-li jude h!oxio neighbour hear\E-PNC Sai Weng H speech, heart-in think\E ridiculous\S When the neighbours heard Sai Weng's reply, they thought it was ridiculous. (7) M! di)-le, mngmng sh jin huish, horse lose\E-PNC, obviously be\S1 M bad.thing t$ qu rnwi y#x+ sh h!osh, xi!nrn sh zw%'$nwi ry'. 3SG but think\S maybe be\S1 good.thing, clear be\S1 comfort.se\E nothing.more Losing a horse was obviously a bad thing, but he thought it might be a good thing. He was just trying to comfort himself, nothing more. (8) K#sh gu-le mi j'-ti$n, di) m! b-j'n zdng huji$, 1 but pass\E -PNC NOT many-Mday, lose\E horse NOT-only voluntarily cm.back\E1 hi di.hu y&-p' jn m!. but.also bring.back\E1 one-CL spirited.horse horse 77

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner But after a few days, not only did the lost horse return of its own accord, but it also brought a spirited horse along with it. 3 (9) Lnj) t&ng shu" m! zj' hu.lai-le, neighbor hear\E say\E horse self come.back\E1-PNC f(ichng pif S$i W(ng de yjin, xing S$i W(ng doh shu": extremely admire\S Sai Weng H prediction to Sai Wen compliment\E say\E When his neighbors heard that that the horse had returned of its own accord, they very much admired Sai Wengs prediction and complimented him with these words: (10) "Hishi nn l!o y%u yu!njin, m! b-j'n miy%u di), after.all 2SG Sir have\S vision, horse NOT-only NOT lost\E hi dihu y&-p' h!o m!, zh(n sh fqi ya." 1 1 but.also bring.back\E one-CL good horse, really be\S good.fortune SFP "So you were right, Sir, after all. Not only is the horse not lost, but it also brought with it another good horse. That's good fortune indeed." 4 (11) S$i W(ng t&ng-le lnrn de zhh, Sai Weng hear\E-PNC neighbor H congratulations f!n do y&di!n g$oxng de yngzi d"u miy%u, y"ul-de shu": 1 contrary to Ma.bit happy\S H manner even have.no\S , anxious-AV say\E: When Sai Weng heard his neighbors' congratulations, he didn't look at all happy. On the contrary, he said anxiously: (12) "Bibi dle y&-p' h!o m!, b-y&dng sh shnme fqi, much.ado enough one-CL good horse, NOT-definite be\S1 what good.fortune y#x+ r#.ch) shnme mfan li." 1 maybe stir.up\E what trouble come\E1 "Enough! [You make] much ado about one good horse. It is not necessarily good fortune. Trouble may come of it yet." 5 (13) Lnj)-men y'wi t$ gzuz&ti chnsh+ l!oninrn de ji!ohu. neighbour-coll believe\S 3SG pretend\E simply old.people H cunning His neighbours thought he was pretending, just an old mans cunning. (14) X&n-li mngmng g$oxng, y%uy b shu".ch)li. heart-in obviously happy\S, intend\S NOT express\E1 In his heart, he was obviously happy, but wouldn't admit it. (15) S$i W(ng y%u g d sh(ngz', f(ichng x'huan q m!. Sai Weng have\S CL sole offspring, extremely like\S ride\E horse Sai Weng had an only son, who was very fond of riding horses. (16) T$ f$xin di.hulai de n-p' m! g.pn sh(ng z&, 3SG discover\E [bring.back\E1 H this-CL horse] well.bred born\S1 looks

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES sh(ngchng t d, s&mng lioling, bi$o.hn shn jn, height hoof big\S, whinny resonant\S, intrepid spirit race.horse y& kn ji zh&do sh p' h!o m!. one look\E then know\S1 be\S1 CL good horse He discovered that the new horse looked well-bred, had big hoofs, resonant whinny, and intrepid spirit of a race.horse. As soon as he saw it he knew it was a good horse. (17) T$ m#iti$n d"u q m! ch).yu, x&n-zh"ng yng.yng-d.y 1 3SG every.day DIS ride\E horse go.for.a.ride\E heart-in v.pleased.w.slf\S He went for a horse ride on it every day, feeling immensely pleased with himself. 6 (18) Y&-ti$n, t$ g$oxng de y%uxi( guhu%, d! m! f(ib(n, 1 one-Mday, 3SG happy\S H somewhat go.too.far\E , make\E horse gallop\E y&-g liqie, cng m!bi-shng di(.xilai, shu$i dun-le tu'. one-CL stumble\E, from horse.back-loc fall.down\E1, fall\E break\E1-PNC leg One day he was so happy that he went a little too far. When he made the horse gallop, it stumbled, he fell off the horse and broke a leg in his fall. (19) Lnj) t&ng shu", f(nf(n li wiwn. 1 neighbor hear\E say\E one.aft.another come\E express.sympathy\E When his neighbors heard that, they came one after another to express sympathy. 7 (20) S$i W(ng shu": Sai Weng say\E Sai Weng said: (21) "Mishnme, tu' shu$i.dun-le qu b!ozh xngmng, 1 never.mind, leg fall.break\E -PNC but save\E1 life, hux+ sh fqi ne maybe be\S1 good.fortune SFP "Never mind. He fell and broke a leg, but he saved his life. This may be a good fortune." (22) Lnj)-men jude t$ yu zi hynluny+. 1 neighbor-coll think\S 3SG again be.in.prg\S talk.nonsense\E The neighbors thought he was again talking nonsense. (23) T$men xi!ng b ch), shu$i dung tu' hu dili shnme fqi. 1 3PL wish\S NOT go.out\E , fall\E break\E leg EXP> bring\E1 what good.fortune They wished he had not gone out, fallen, and broken his leg to bring any good fortune. 8 (24) B-ji+, Xi"ngn b&ng dj) rq&n, NOT-long.after, Hun soldier carry.out.major.attack\E invade\E1 q&ngninrn bi yng zh' rw+, young.people PSV comply.with\E draft enlist\E

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner S$i W(ng de rzi y&nwi shu$i dun-le tu', Sai Weng H son because fall\E break\E-PNC leg, b-nng q d$ng.b&ng. > 1 NOT-CAN go\E serve.as.soldier\E A little later, Hun soldiers invaded in large numbers and young men were drafted into the army. But because Sai Weng's son had fallen and broken a leg, he could not go and serve as a soldier. (25) Rw+ de q&ngninrn d"u zhn s'-le, enlist\E H young.men DIS fight.in.war\E die\E1-PNC wiy%u S$i W(ng de rzi b!oqun-le xngmng. only Sai Weng H son save\E-PNC life The enlisted men all fought and died in the war. Only Sai Weng's son survived. [L:7] THE LOST SWORD [P] (1) Ch+-gu y%u g rn chng chun d Ji$ng. Chu-land have\S CL man take\E boat cross\E Jiang In Chu (722-221 b.c.), a man was once taking a boat across the river Jiang. Jin cng chun-shng dio.jn shu'-l' le. sword from boat-loc fall.in\E1 water-in PNC His sword fell out of the boat into the river. Zh-ge rn bin jmng this-CL man then in.haste\S zi chun-bi$n k-xi yi-ge jhao, shu": 1 on boat-side carve-down\E one-CL mark, say\E: The man then hastily carved a line down the bow of the boat and said: (4) "Zh sh w%-de jin dio xiqu de dfang." this be\S1 1SG-H sword fall\E go.down\E1 H place "This is where my sword fell off and sunk down." Rnhu ji y"uxin-de d*ng-zhe chun ko'n. afterward then at.leisure-ADV wait\E-DUR boat land\E And then he calmly waited for the boat to land. Chun ko'n tngxili y'hu, boat land\E stop\E1 after t$ ji cng k jhao de dfang tiojn shu'-l' q zh!o jin, 1 1 3SG then from [carve\E mark H place] jump.in\E water-in go\E seek\E sword k*sh ziy* miy%u zh!odo jin. but any.more <NOT find\E1 sword When the boat stopped at the landing, he jumped from the place where he had carved his mark into the river in search of his sword. But he never found it again. 80

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES [L:8] LOVE ME, LOVE MY CROWS [G] (1) Sh$ngcho m nin, . ShangDynasty final year, Zh"u W+-wng zi Ji$ng Shng (tig"ng) d#ng rn de b$ngzh xi, Zhou Wu-king be.at\S1 Jiang Shang (counsellor) et al. man H assist\E ?? ch)b&ng t!of Zhu wng bng q+.d shngl. send.troops\E attack\E Zhou king and get\E1 victory At the end of the Shang Dynasty, king Zhou Wu, assisted by his counsellor Jiang Shang and others, waged war against king Zhou and defeated him. (2) Zhu-wng s'-hu, Zhou-king die\E1-after, W+-wng g!n.do ti$nxi bng miy%u $ndng. Wu-king move.to\E1 realm and <NOT stable\S After king Zhou's death, king Wu occupied his country, which was still unstable. (3) T$ wn Ji$ng tig"ng: 3SG ask\E Jiang counsellor: "Jn-le Y&nd), 1 enter\E -PNC Yindu y&ngg$i rh $npi ji wngcho de gu$nyun ne?" > OUGHT how arrange\E former dynasty H administrator SFP He asked his counsellor Jiang: "When we enter Yindu (the capital), what should we do with the former administrators?" (4) Ji$ng tig"ng Jiang counsellor shu": say\E:

"W% t&ng-shu"-gu zhyng de hu, 1SG hear-say\E-TRM this.kind H speech, rgu% x'hu$n n-ge rn, if like\S that-CL man ji lin t$ w)d'ng-shng de w)y$ y# x'hu!n; then even [3SG roof-loc H crow] also like\S rgu% b x'hu$n n-ge rn, if NOT like\S that-CL man ji lin t$ ji$ de qingb h lba y# t!oyn. then even [3SG home H wall and fence] also disgusting\S Jiang said: "I once heard a saying: 'If you like someone, then you even like crows on his roof; but if you don't like someone, then even the walls and the fences of his home are disgusting.

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (5) Ji sh shu", sh$.jn qunb drn, yi-ge y# b lixi. then be\S1 say\E kill.off\E all enemy one-CL even NOT leave.behind\E1 That is to say, kill off all the enemies, to the last man. Dwng n' kn z#nmeyng?" majesty 2SG look\E how What do you think, Your Majesty?" W+-wng rnwi b nng zh.yng. Wu-king believe\S NOT CAN> this.way King Wu thought that he couldn't [do] that. Zh sh Zh"ug"ng shu".do: this time Zhougong speak.up\E1: Then Zhougong spoke up: "W% rnwi y#ngd&ng rng t$men d"u hu do zj' ji$-l', > 1 "1SG believe\S OUGHT> let\E 3PL DIS EXP go.to\E self home-loc gz g(ngzhng zj' de tind." each cultivate\E self H field" "I think we should let them all go home and till their own fields." (10) W+-wng t&ng-le, f(ichng g$oxng, x&n-zh"ng hurn.k$il!ng, Wu-king hear\E-PNC extremely happy\S heart-in enlightened\S jude ti$nxi k"y% $ndng le. feel\S realm CAN> stable\S PNC When king Wu heard that, he was delighted and enlightened. Now he felt the country might be stable. [L:9] THE LUNCH BOX [Hc:145] (1) Tingting libaier jiu yizhi cui. Tingting Tuesday then continuously press\E On Tuesday Tingting kept asking [for a lunch box]. Wo xiansheng jiu qu mai biandang. 1 1SG husband then go\E buy\E lunch.box So my husband went out to buy a lunch box. Jieguo maidao biandang, ta you bu xihuan lou. 1 result buy.manage\E lunch.box 3SG but NOT like\S SFP But when he finally bought one, she didn't like it. Ta yao weibolu na-zhong baibai de a. 3SG want\S microwave that-Mkind white\S H SFP She wanted a white lunch box [that can go in] a microwave, Jieguo ta ba mai na-zhong de ta you bu yao. result 3SG dad buy\E that-Mkind H 3SG but NOT want\S In the end, she didn't want the kind her dad had bought. 82

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (6) Jieguo jiu zai ku. 1 result then be.at\S cry\E So then she was crying. Wo jiu ma ta shuo: 1SG then scold\E 3SG say\E So I scolded him and said: "Ta shuo yao gen-zhe ni qu, 3SG say\E want\S follow\E-DUR 2SG go\E1 ni you bu yao gei ta gen la. 2SG but NOT want\S let\E 3SG follow\E SFP "She said she wanted to go with you, but you wouldn't let her. (9) Ta shuo: "Ni bu yao zhe-yangzi chong 3SG say\E "2SG NOT DES> this-way spoil\E He said: "You shouldn't spoil her like this." ta." 3SG"

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(10) Jieguo zuotian dai le. 1 result yesterday take\E PNC In the end, she did take it [to school] yesterday. (11) You, fanying you buhui buhao. EXCL reaction but NOT bad\S Hey, her reaction wasn't bad. (12) Jiu buhui zai jiang le. then NOT again complain\E PNC Since then she hasn't complained any more. [M:1] MA LIANG AND THE MAGIC BRUSH [K] (1) Cngqin, y%u ge hizi jio M! Ling, f(ichng x'huan hu-hu. long.ago have\S CL child named\S1 Ma Liang, extremely like\S paint\E Long ago, there was a boy, named Ma Liang, who loved to paint. (2) Dnsh t$ miy%u hub', but 3SG have.no\S1 paint.brush, ji yng shzh& linx. then use\E stick practice\E But he had no paint brush, so he used sticks to practice. (3) Yti$n, t$ mngjin one-Mday 3SG dream\E1 y%u rn sng-le t$ yi-zh& shn.b', 1 have\S person give\E -PNC 3SG one-CL magic.brush j&ngu$ngsh!nsh!n, f(ichng pioliang. glittering\S1, extremely beautiful\S 83

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner One night he dreamt that someone presented him with a magic brush, which was glittering and very beautiful. (4) X'ngli jngrn zh(n de y%u yi-zh& shn.b'. wake.up\E1 actually really H have\S one-CL magic.brush When he woke up, he really did have a magic brush. Zh-zh& b'.hu ch)li de d"ngxi d"u hu hu guli, this-CL paint.brush emerge\E1 H thing DIS EXP> live\S1 come.over\E1 huli, yi-ge d cizhu zh&do le. later one-CL big lord know\S PNC This brush had the property that whatever was painted with it would come alive. After a while, a rich lord found out about it. (6) T$ b! M! Ling gu$n-le q'li, 3SG PAT Ma Liang lock\E-PNC begin\E1, zh+nbi .s' t$, du.li shn.b'. intend\S1 starve\E1 3SG, seize.by.force\E1 magic.brush He locked Ma Liang up to starve him and seize his magic brush by force. (7) M Ling qu yng shnb' hu-le b'ng. Ma Liang but use\E magic.brush paint\E-PNC flat.bread But Ma Liang painted flat.bread with his brush. Bny hu-le t&zi, to ch) tzh+ ji$. midnight paint\E-PNC ladder, flee\E exit\E1 lord home At midnight, he painted a ladder and escaped out of the lords mansion. Mi z%u du" yu!n, zh' t&ngjin humian y-zhn xu$nhu. NOT walk\E very far, but hear\E1 behind one-Mburst clamor Before hed gone very far, he heard clamor [of pursuit] behind him.

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(10) Cizhu q-zhe kui.m!, zhu& shng.li le. 1 lord ride\E-DUR fast.horse, chase\E come.up\E PNC Riding a fast horse, the lord was catching up with him. (11) M! Ling yng shnb' hu-le g"ng.jin, Ma Liang use\E magic.brush paint\E-PNC bow.arrow zhng sh.zhng cizhu de y$nhu, just shoot.hit\E1 lord H throat cizhu f$nsh(n di(xi m! q. 1 1 lord stand.up\E fall.down\E horse [fall].off\E1 Ma Liang drew a bow and arrow with his magic brush, and shot the lord through the throat so that he fell off his horse. (12) M! Ling p$ip$i jnm!, f(i yiyng de xingqin q le. Ma Liang pat~pat\E1 steed, fly\E same H onward go\E1 PNC Ma Liang gave the horse a pat and rode off at flying speed.

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES [M:2] MA LIANG AND THE MAGIC BRUSH [P] A boy learns to paint 1.1 (1) T&ng rnji$ shu", cngqin, y%u g hizi mngzi jiozu M! Ling. hear\E people say\E, long.ago, have\S CL boy name called\S1 Ma Liang Long ago, 'tis said, there was a boy named Ma Liang. (2) Fq&n m+q&n z!oji s'-le, father mother already.earlier die\E1-PNC, ko t$ zj' d! chi, g( c!o gu rzi. support\E 3SG self chop\E wood, cut\E grass pass\E1 life His father and mother were already dead, so he supported himself by chopping wood and cutting grass to make a living. (3) T$ cng xi!o x'huan xu hu, 3SG from little\S like\S learn\E paint\E, k#sh, t$ lin y&-zh& b' y# miy%u a! but 3SG even one-CL brush at.all have.no\S1 SFP Since boyhood, he had wanted to learn painting, but he didn't even have a brush! 1.2 (4) Y&-ti$n, t$ z%ugu y&-g xugu!n mnk%u, one-Mday, 3SG walk.past\E1 one-CL school gate, knjin xugu!n-l' de hush&, n-zhe y&-zh& b', 1 see\E school-in H painting-teacher, hold\E-DUR one-CL brush, zhngzi hu hu, t$ bzju-de z%u-le jnq, just.then paint\E picture, 3SG unconscious-AV walk\E-PNC go.in\E1 du hu-sh& shu": to painting-teacher say\E One day, he walked past the school gate and saw the painting teacher inside the school, holding a brush and painting a picture. Without thinking, he walked in and said to the teacher: (5) "W% h#n xi!ng xu hu, jig#i w% y&-zh& b' k"y% ma?" "1SG very wish\S learn\E paint\E, lend\E 1SG one-CL brush CAN> YN?" "I very much wish to learn to paint. Lend me a brush, could you?"

1.3 (6) Hush& dng-le t$ y&-y!n, painting.teacher glare\E-PNC 3SG one-Mglance, "p(i!", y&-k%u tumo t+ zi t$ li!n-shng, m.do: "pah!", one-Mmouthful spittle spit\E in 3SG face-loc, tell.off\E1: The painting teacher gave him a glare and, pah!, spat him in the face. Then he told him off:

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (7) "Qing hizi xi!ng n b', hi xi!ng xu hu hu? poor child wish\S hold\E brush, even wish\S learn\E paint\E painting "A poor child wants to hold a brush, and even wants to learn to paint?" Zumng la!" dream\E SFP Dream on!" Shu".wn, ji jing t$ ni!n ch)mn.li. 1 speak.finish\E , then lead\E 3SG expel\E go.out.door\E1 Then he lead him to the door and threw him out.

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(10) M! Ling sh g y%uzhq de hizi, t$ shu": Ma Liang be\S1 CL ambitious\S H child, 3SG say\S Ma Liang was an ambitious boy. He said: (11) "Wishnme qing hizi b-nng n b', why poor child NOT-CAN> hold\E brush, lin hu y# b-nng xu ne? > even paint\E NPI NOT-CAN learn\E SFP "Why shouldn't a poor child hold a brush and even learn to paint? (12) W% jish yo xu hu hu!" 1SG do want\S learn\E paint\E painting I do want to learn to paint!" (13) Cng-c', t$ xijux&n xu hu, from-Me, 3SG resolve\E learn\E paint\E, m#i-ti$n yngx&n k+ lin. every-Mday diligent\S painstaking\S practice\E From then on, he resolved to learn to paint. Every day he practiced diligently and painstakingly. (14) T$ do sh$n-shng d! chi sh, 3SG arrive\E hill-top chop\E firewood time, ji!n y&-g(n k) shzh&, zi sh$d-l' xu-zhe mio f(i ni!o. pick.up\E one-CL dry branch, on sand-loc study\E-DUR depict\E fly\E bird When he came to a hill-top to cut firewood, he'd pick up a dry branch and practice in the sand drawing birds in flight. (15) T$ do h-bi$n g( c!o sh, yng c!o.g(n zhn.zhn hshu', 3SG arrive\E river-side cut\E grass time, use\E grass dip.dip\E river, zi n.sh-shng xu-zhe mio yu y. on shore-loc study\E-DUR depict\E swim\E fish When he came to a river bank to cut grass, he'd use grass dipped in the river to practice on the shore drawing swimming fish. (16) W!nshang, hu.do ji$-l', n y&-kui mtn, evening, return\E1 home-in, take\E one-Mpiece charcoal 86

MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES zi yodng de b-shng, yu b! biti$n mio gu de d"ngxi, 1 on dugout H wall-loc, again PAT daytime depict\E pass\E H thing, y&-jin y&-jin zi hu y&-bin. one-Mevt one-Mevt be.in.prg\S1 paint\E one-Mgo And in the evenings, when he came home, he'd take a piece of charcoal and, on the walls of his dugout, he'd again draw all the events of the day, one by one. A dream come true 2.1 (17) T$ miy%u b', dn hishi ji$nch xu hu hu. 1 3SG have.no\S brush, but still persevere\E study\E paint\E painting He had no brush, but he still persevered in trying to learn to paint. (18) Y&-nin y&-nin de guqu, one-Myr one-Myr H pass\E1, M! Ling xu hu miy%u y&-ti$n jin.dun-gu. Ma Liang study\E paint\E have.no\S1 one-Mday interrupt\E-TRM Year by year, Ma Liang practiced painting without interruption even for a day. (19) T$ yodng de s-b, hu-shng di hu, 3SG dugout H four-CLwall, painting-loc v.in.layers\E paint\E, m~m hu$~hu$ qun sh hu-le. CL~CL flower~flower all be\S1 paint\E-PNC The four walls of his dugout, were covered with painting upon painting, and one by one he had painted every flower. (20) D$ngrn, jnb y# h#n kui, of.course, progress also very rapid\S, zh(n sh hu q' de ni!o ji ch$ b-hu jio-le, true be\S1 paint\E group H bird then differ\S NOT-EXP> call\E-PNC hu q' de y ji ch$ b-hu yu-le, paint\E group H fish then differ\S NOT-EXP> swim\E-PNC Of course, he made rapid progress. Truly, when he painted a flock of birds the only difference was that they wouldn't sing, and when he painted a schoold of fish, that they wouldn't swim. (21) Y&-hu, t$ zi c)n-k%u hu-le zh& xi!o m+j&, one-Mocc, 3SG at village-entrance paint\E-PNC CL little hen, c)n-k%u de shng-k"ng ji chng-ti$n y%u l!oy&ng d!zhun. village-entrance H above-sky then whole-day have\S eagle circle\E Once, when he painted a chicken at the entrance of the village, eagles circled above that spot all day long. (22) Y&-hu, t$ zi sh$n-hu hu-le zh& h(i mo lng, one-Mocc, 3SG at hill-back paint\E-PNC CL black hair wolf,

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner xi de niyng b g!n zi sh$n-hu ch& c!o. > frighten\E H cattle NOT DARE at hill-back eat\E grass Once, when he painted a black wolf behind a hill, it was so frightening that cattle didn't dare to go there to graze. (23) Dnsh M! Ling hi miy%u y&-zh& b' a! but Ma Liang still have.no\S1 one-CL brush SFP But Ma Liang still didn't have any brush! 2.2 (24) T$ du"me xi!ng, zj' nng y%u y&-zh& b'. 3SG how wish\S, self CAN> have\S one-CL brush How he wished he could have a brush. 2.3 (25) Y&-g w!nshang, M! Ling t!ng zi yodng-l', one-CL night, Ma Liang lie.down\E in dugout-loc y&nwi t$ zh#ng-ti$n gnhu, xu hu, y'j&ng h#n pjun, because 3SG whole-day work\E, study\E paint\E, already very tired\S, y& t!ng.xilai, ji mmh)h)-de shuzho-le. one lie.down\E1, then dazed-AV fall.asleep\E1-PNC One night, Ma Liang lay down in his dugout. He was very tired because he'd been working all day and practicing his painting. So as soon as he lay down, he fell asleep in a daze. 2.4 (26) B zh&do shnme shhou, yodng-l' ling q' w+c!i de gu$ngmng, 1 1 NOT know\S what time, dugout-in shine\E start\E colorful\S H radiance li-le g bi hx) l!orn, b! y&-zh& b' sngg#i t$, shu": come\E1-PNC white beard old.man, PAT one-CL brush give.as.gift\E1 3SG, say\E Suddenly, his dugout began to fill with a colorful radiance, and out of it appeared a white-bearded old man. Presenting him with a brush, he said: (27) "Zh sh y&-zh& shn.b', yo this be\S1 one-CL magic.brush, DES> "This is a magic brush. Use it well." 2.5 (28) M! Ling ji(.guli y& kn, n 1 Ma Liang take.over\E one look\E, that h!o.h!o yng." well use\E b' j&n gu$ng cn.cn de ; 1 brush golden\S light brilliant\S SFP

n zi sh%u-shng chn din.din de. take\E in hand-loc weight heavy\S SFP When Ma Liang took it, he immediately saw that the brush was golden and shone with a brilliant light. It weighed heavily in his hand. (29) T$ l de bng.xi chung li: 1 3SG happy\S H jump.down\E bed come\E1: He was so happy that he jumped out of bed:

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (30) "Xixie n', l!oyye" "thanks 2SG, grandfather" "Thank you, Grandfather" Magic brush put to good use 3.1 (28) M! Ling de hu miy%u shu"-wn, 1 Ma Liang H speech have.no\S speak.finish\E1, bi hx) l!orn y'j&ng bjin-le. white beard old.man already disappear\E-PNC Before Ma Liang had finished speaking, the white-bearded man was already gone. 3.2 (29) M! Ling y& j&ng, ji x'ng.gulai, ru.ru y!njing, Ma Liang one start\E, then wake.up\E1, rub.rub\E1 eye, yunli sh g mng ne! at.first be\S1 CL dream SFP Ma Liang woke up with a start and rubbed his eyes. Surely, it was a dream! (30) K# yu b-sh mng a, 1 but again NOT-be\S dream SFP n-zh& b' b-sh h!o.h!o-de zi zj' de sh%u-l' ma! that-CL brush NOT-be\S1 properly in self H hand-loc YN But then again, it could not be a dream, or the brush could not be right there in his own hand! 3.3 (31) T$ shf(n g$oxng, ji b(n ch) yodng, 1 3SG utterly happy\S, then rush\E exit\E dugout, $iji$'$ih q qi$o.mn, b! hu%bn d"u jio.x'ng, go.house.to.house\E go\E1 knock.on.door\E, PAT mate DIS call.awake\E1 gosu t$men: "W% y%u zh& b' la!" tell\E 3PL: "1SG have\S CL brush SFP!" Utterly thrilled, he rushed out of the dugout to run house to house, knocking on doors and waking up all his friends to tell them: "I have a brush!" (32) Zh-sh ci bny-l'! this-Mtime only midnight-in! At the time it was midnight! 3.4 (33) T$ yng b' hu-le y&-zh& ni!o, ni!o p).p) chb!ng, 3SG use\E brush paint\E-PNC one-CL bird, bird flutter\E1 wing f(i.do ti$n-shng q, du t$ q&q&ch$ch$-de chng q' g( li. 1 1 1 fly.to\E sky-loc go\E , twd 3SG chattering-AV sing\E start\E song come\E1 He used the brush to paint a bird, and the bird fluttered its wings, flew up into the sky, and began to sing to him in a chattering manner.

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (34) T$ yng b' hu-le y&-tio y, y w$n.w$n w#iba, 3SG use\E brush paint\E-PNC one-CL fish, fish bend\E1 tail yu.jn shu'-l' q, du t$ yoyob!ib!i-de tio q' w+ li. swim.in\E1 water-in go\E1, twd 3SG swaggering-AV leap\E start\E1 dance come\E1 He used the brush to paint a fish, and the fish flipped its tail, swam off in the water sky, and began a leaping dance for him in a swaggering manner. (35) T$ x'j-le, shu": 1 3SG thrilled.to.bits\S -PNC, say\E: He was thrilled to bits and said: (36) "Zh shn.b' du" h!o ya!" "this magic.brush how good\S SFP!" "How wonderful this magic brush is!" 3.5 (37) M! Ling y%u-le zh-zh& shn.b', Ma Liang have\S-PNC this-CL magic.brush ti$n.ti$n t c)n-l' de qingk+ rn hu hu: Mday.Mday for village-in H poor people paint\E painting: shi ji$ miy%u l.b, t$ ji g#i t$ hu l.b, who family have.no\S1 hoe, 3SG then for 3SG paint\E hoe shi ji$ miy%u g(ng.ni, t$ ji g#i t$ hu g(ng.ni, 1 who family have.no\S plow.ox, 3SG then for 3SG paint\E plow.ox shi ji$ miy%u shu'.ch(, t$ ji g#i t$ hu shu'.ch(, who family have.no\S1 water.cart, 3SG then for 3SG paint\E water.cart shi ji$ miy%u sh.m, t$ ji g#i t$ hu sh.m 1 who family have.no\S grindstone, 3SG then for 3SG paint\E grindstone Now that Ma Liang had this magic brush, he painted pictures for poor people in the village every day. If a family had no hoe, he painted them a hoe; if a family had no plow-oxen, he painted them plow-oxen; if a family had no water-cart, he painted them a water-cart; if a family had no grindstone, he painted them a grindstone; Trouble with greedy landlord 4.1 (38) Ti$n-xi miy%u b-tu f(ng de qing, heaven-under have.no\S1 CAN'T-penetrate\E news H wall, xi$oxi h#n kui chun jn-le news POS fast\S spread\E enter\E1-PNC lnjn zhungyun-l' y&-g cizh+ de #rduo. neighboring manor-loc one-CL evil lord H ear There are no walls in the world that news can't penetrate. Soon the news spread to reach the ears of a rich evil landlord in the neighboring manor.

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (39) Zh cizh+ xingli t$nln bdo, < this lord always greedy\S tyrannical\S ji pi li!ng-g ji$.d&ng li b! t$ zhu$.q, then dispatch\E two-CL family.servant come\E1 PAT 3SG arrest&take.away\E1 b& t$ hu hu. force\E 3SG paint\E painting This rich landlord, who had always been greedy and a tyrant, dispatched two house servants to go and capture Ma Liang to force him to paint paintings. 4.2 (40) M! Ling ninj su& xi!o, qu sh(ng.li sh g yng xngzi. Ma Liang age although small\S, but born.with\E1 be\S1 CL hardy nature Although Ma Liang was young, he had been born with a hardy spirit. (41) T$ kn.tu zh cizh+ de hui x&nchng, 3SG see.through\E1 this lord H rotten intentions rnpng cizh+ z#nyng h%ng t$, h t$, no.matter lord how coax\E 3SG, threaten\E 3SG, y$o t$ hu j&n yunb!o, t$ jish b k#n hu. demand\E 3SG paint\E gold bar, 3SG thereupon NOT agree\E paint\E He saw through the lords rotten intentions, and no matter how much the lord coaxed him, threatened him, and demanded that he paint gold bars, he would not agree to do it. 4.3 (42) Cizh+ jing t$ gu$n.zi m!.ji-l', y# b g#i t$ fn ch&, lord take\E 3SG lock.in\E1 stable-loc, even NOT give\E1 3SG food eat\E f(iyo t$ hu j&n yunb!o b-k#. > insist\E 3SG paint\E gold bar NOT-CAN The lord locked him in the stable. He would not even feed him, insisting that it was impossible until he painted some gold bars. 4.4 (43) Yw!n, xu# f(nf(nyngyng-de lu-zhe, night, snow blow.as.blizzard-AV fall\E-DUR, d-shang y'j&ng j& q'-le hu y&-cng. 1 ground-loc already accumulate\E start\E -PNC deep one-Mlayer During the night, there was a blizzard, and deep snow drifts had already begun to accumulate on the ground. (44) Cizh+ xi!ng, M! Ling zh y&-xi y&dng shu!b"li!o la. lord think\E, Ma Liang this one-try surely can't.stand SFP The lord thought that Ma Liang surely wouldn't be able to stand this after a bit. (45) T$ z%u do m!ji q kn.kan, 3SG walk\E reach\E1 stable go\E1 take.a.look\E1,

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner zh' jin l'-mian tu ch) hng de ling.gu$ng, 1 only see\E inside penetrate\E come.out\E red\S H reflected.light yu!n.yu!n wn.do y&-g+ xi$ng.p(np(n de widao. distantly smell\E1 one-Mwhiff delicious\S H flavor He went over to the stable to take a look, but he only saw red glow of reflected light from the inside and distantly smelled a whiff of delicious flavor. (46) T$ jude qgui, qi$oqi$o z%u jn, w!ng l' y& kn, $! 3SG feel\S baffled\S, stealthily walk\E near toward interior one look\E, oh! M! Ling sh$o q'-le y&-du& mchi, y&-min k!o zhohu%, 1 Ma Liang burn\E start\E -PNC one-Mpile firewood, one-Mside roast\E burn\E y&-min zh(ng ch&-zhe r h"ng.h"ng de b'ngzi ne! one-Mside just eat\E-DUR hot\S baked\S H pancake SFP He felt baffled and stealthily approached closer toward the interior to take a look. Oh! Ma Liang had started a fire with a pile of firewood. One side was burning hotly, and on the other side he was just eating a hot baked pancake. 4.5 (47) Cizh+ zh&do, zh chihuo h b'ngzi, lord know\S1, this firewood and pancake, sh M! Ling yng shn.b' hu de, be\S1 Ma Liang use\E magic.brush paint\E H ji qh)h)-de q jio.ji$-le li, then panting.with.rage-AV go\E1 call.household\E-PNC come\E1 y$o t$men du-gu M! Ling sh%u-shng n-zh& shn.b' demand\E 3PL seize.from\E-TRM Ma Liang hand-loc this-CL magic.brush The lord knew that this firedwood and this pancake Ma Liang had painted with his magic brush. So panting with rage, he went to call his household to come over and demand that they seize the magic brush from Ma Liang's hands by force. 4.6 (48) H!o j'-ge xi"ngm#ng de ji$.d&ng, ch"ng jn m!ji, good few-CL ferocious\S H house.servant, burst.in\E enter\E1 stable, qu b jin M! Ling, zh' jin hu-mian qing.b-shng, but NOT see\E Ma Liang, only see\E back-side wall-loc, ko-zhe y&-ji t&zi lean.against\E-DUR one-CL ladder Quite a few ferocious house servants burst into the stable. But they didn't see Ma Liang, only the inner side of an outer wall with a ladder leaning against it. (49) M! Ling chn-zhe ti$n-h(i, p$n.shng zh t&zi, Ma Liang avail\E-DUR darkness, climb.up\E1 this ladder, f$n qing z%u-le. scale\E wall leave\E-PNC

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES Taking advantage of the darkness, Ma Liang had climbed up this ladder, climbed over the wall and escaped. 4.7 (50) Cizh+ jmng jio ji$.d&ng p$n.shng t&zi q zhu&. lord hastily order\E house.servant climb.up\E1 ladder go\E1 chase\E The lord hastily ordered his house servants to climb up the ladder and give chase. (51) Ji$.d&ng-men mi p.shng s$n-b, ji shu$i xilai-le. house.servant-coll NOT climb.up\E1 three-Mstep, then fall&break\E come.dwn\E1 Before they had climbed three steps, it came crushing down. (52) Yunli, zh t&zi sh M! Ling yng shn.b' hu de. actually, this ladder be\S1 Ma Liang use\E magic.brush paint\E H. For it was, in fact, a ladder that Ma Liang had painted with his magic brush. Pursuit 5.1 (53) M! Ling ch)-le cizh+ de zhu$ngyun. Ma Liang exit\E1-PNC evil landlord H manor Ma Liang had escaped the evil landlord's manor. (54) T$ zh&do zi c)nzi-l' sh b-nng zh-le, 3SG know\S1 in village-loc be\S1 NOT-CAN> stay\E-PNC t$ xing zj' de c)nlu hu&-le hu&.sh%u, 3SG toward self H village wave\E-PNC wave.hand mm-de shu"-le y&-j: silent-AV say\E-PNC one-Msentence But he knew he couldn't stay in the village. So he waved goodbye to his own village, with a silent thought: (55) "Hu%bn-men, w% hu hulai de." "friend-coll, 1SG EXP> return\E1 SFP "Friends, I'll be back." 5.2 (56) M! Ling yng shn.b' hu-le y&-p' d jn.m!, Ma Liang use\E magic.brush paint\E-PNC one-CL big steed, tio shng m!.bi, xing d l-shng b(n q. jump\E climb\E1 horse.back, toward big road-loc rush\E go\E1 Ma Liang painted a big steed with his magic brush, jumped onto its back and galloped off toward the main road. 5.3 (57) Miy%u z%u.ch) du".shao l, zh' t&ng.jin hu-mian y&-zhn xu$nhu, 1 NOT walk.away\E how.much road, only hear\E1 behind one-M clamor hu tu y& kn, hu%b! zho de t"ngmng, turn\E1 head one look\E, torch burn\E H brightly.lit\S,

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner cizh+ q-zhe p' kui m!, lord ride\E-DUR CL fast horse, sh%u zh y&-b! mng hu!ng.hu!ng de g$ngd$o, hand hold\E one-CL bright\S dazzling\S1 H sword di-zhe y&-qn ji$.d&ng, zhu& shngli-le. take.along\E-DUR one-Mgroup house.servant, chase\E come.up\E1-PNC Before he had gone any distance along the road, he heard clamor behind him. Turning his head to take a look, [he saw] brightly lit torches, the lord riding a fast horse, with a dazzlingly bright sword in his hand, and accompanied by his men, had caught up with him. 5.4 (58) Y!nkn ji yo zhu&.zh$o-le, M! Ling bhu$ng.bmng, in.a.moment then DES> catch\E1-PNC, Ma Liang calm.&.unhurried\S, yng shn.b' hu-le y&-zh$ng g"ng, y&-zh& jin. use\E magic.brush paint\E-PNC one-CL bow, one-CL arrow They were just about to catch him, when Ma Liang, cool and collected, used his magic brush to draw a bow and an arrow. (59) Jin y& shng.xin, "s"u", de y&-sh(ng, shzhng cizh+ de m!, arrow one wind.up\E1, "whoosh" H one-Msound, shoot.at\E lord H horse, m! y& chndng, cizh+ f$nsh(n di( xi m! q-le. 1 horse one quiver\E, lord stand.up\E fall\E go.down\E horse go\E1-PNC He wound up the [bow with] the arrow, and whoosh, he shot it off at the lord's horse. The horse gave a quiver, the lord stood up [in the stirrups] and fell off. (60) M! Ling p$i.p$i d jnm!, Ma Liang pat.pat\E1 big steed, d jnm! xing f(i y&-yng de xing.qin q-le. big steed seem\S fly\E just.like H forward go\E1-PNC Ma Liang gave his big steed a pat & the horse seemed to fly as it bounded forward. Starting afresh 6.1 (61) M! Ling linr di y de zi l-shang p!o-le h!o j-ti$n, Ma Liang day.after.day incl. night H on road-loc run\E-PNC good few-Mday do-le y&-g shzhn-l', 1 come.to\E -PNC one-CL little.town-loc, knkan l ji$xi$ng y'j&ng h#n yu!n, look.look\E1 leave\E hometown already very distant\S ji zi zhr zn zh.xilai. then at here temporarily settle.down\E1 After a good many days and nights on the road, Ma Liang came to a little town. He saw that his hometown which he had left was already very far behind, so he settled down here for a while. 94

MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES 6.2 (62) T$ hu-le x+du" hu, n.do ji(f$ng q mi. 3SG paint\E-PNC many painting, take.to\E1 neighbourhood go\E1 sell\E He painted many paintings, which he took around the neighbourhood and sold. (63) Y&nwi t$ p rn zh&do, bin b rng hu hu q'lai, because 3SG afraid\S people know\S1, so NOT let\E1 painting live\E begin\E1 hu.chng de d"ngxi, b.sh sh!o zu' bin.sh dun tu' de. 1 1 paint\E H thing, NOT.be lack\S mouth then.be broken\S leg H Because he was afraid of people finding out, he did not let his painting come to life. Whatever he painted, if it did not lack a mouth it would have a broken leg. 6.3 (64) Y&-ti$n, t$ hu-le y&-zh& miy%u y!njing de bih, one-Mday, 3SG paint\E-PNC one-CL have.no\S1 eye H crane y& b-xi!ox&n, zi t$ li!n-shng jin.shng y&-d& mshu', 1 one NOT-careful\S, at 3SG face-loc splash.on\E one-Mdrop ink, bih bin y!njing y& zh(ng, sh$n q' shu$ng y, crane then eye one open\E, fan\E begin\E1 both wing, f(i shng ti$n q-le. fly\E rise\E1 sky go\E1-PNC One day, when he painted a crane without eyes, he carelessly let a drop of ink splash on its face. The crane at once opened its eyes, began to flap its wings, and flew off up into the sky. 6.4 (65) Zh y& li, zh#ng-g shzhn d"u h"ngdng-le, d$ngd de gu$nyun, 1 this one go\E , whole-CL little.town DIS stirred.up\S-PNC, local\S H official jing zh-jin sh zu.g#i-le hungd. command\E this-Mevt matter present.to\E1-PNC emperor This all at once created a sensation in the whole town, and the local officials commanded that this news item be conveyed to the emperor. (66) Hungd xi y&-do shngzh', 1 emperor issue\E one-CL decree, pi rn li di M! Ling do j&ngchng q, 1 1 send\E man come\E take.along\E Ma Liang come.to\E capital go\E1 g#i hungd hu hu. for emperor paint\E painting The emperor decreed that men be sent to bring Ma Liang back to the capital to paint paintings for the emperor. Greedy emperor seizes magic brush 7.1 (67) M! Ling b k#n q, t$men b! t$ l$.q-le. 1 1 Ma Liang NOT agree\E go\E , 3PL PAT 3SG drag.away\E -PNC Ma Liang would not agree to go, so they dragged him away by force. 95

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (68) M! Ling t&ng.jin-gu x+du" Ma Liang hear\E-TRM much zh-ge hui hungd q&w+ xi!o mn b!ixng de sh, this-CL bad emperor bully\E little citizen common.people H affair x&n-l' hntu-le, n! k#n g#i hungd hu ne! heart-loc hate.bitterly\S-PNC, how agree\E for emperor paint\E SFP! Ma Liang had heard about many cases where this bad emperor bullied ordinary people who were his subjects. In their hearts, they hated him bitterly, so how could he agree to paint for this emperor! (69) Hungd jio t$ hu y&-tio lng, emperor order\E 3SG paint\E one-CL dragon, t$ qu hu-le y&-zh& d bh+. 3SG but paint\E-PNC one-CL big lizard The emperor ordered him to paint a dragon, but he painted a big lizard. (70) Hungd jio t$ hu y&-zh& fng, emperor order\E 3SG paint\E one-CL phoenix, t$ qu hu-le y&-zh& d w)y$. 3SG but paint\E-PNC one-CL big crow The emperor ordered him to paint a pheonix, but he painted a big crow. (71) D bh+ h d w)y$ shf(n nnkn, big lizard and big crow utterly ugly\S zi hungg"ng-l' lun p lun jio, in imperial.palace-loc wreak.havoc\E crawl\E wreak.havoc\E screech\E hi d! q' ji li, nng d hungg"ng-l' w)q&b$z$o. 1 1 also fight\E begin\E ? next, manage\E make\E imperial.palace-loc hideous.mess The big lizard and the big crow were utterly hideous. They wreaked havoc on the imperial palace by crawling and screeching everywhere. Then they began to fight and managed to turn the imperial palace into a disgusting mess. 7.2 (72) Hungd d wi f$n, emperor big because.of get.angry\E, ji mng wish-men qi!ng.xi t$ de shn.b', then order\E guard-coll snatch\E1 3SG H magic.brush jing t$ d! r-le ji$nlo. 1 lead\E 3SG beaten\E enter\E -PNC prison The emperor was infuriated by this, so he ordered his guards to seize his magic brush and lead him away to be beaten and locked up in prison. 7.3 (73) Hungd n.do shn.b', ji zj' li hu-le. 1 1 emperor take\E magic.brush, then self come\E paint\E-PNC When the emperor received the magic brush, he himself started painting. 96

MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (74) T$ xi$n hu y&-zu j&n-sh$n. 3SG first paint\E one-CLmt gold-mountain First, he painted a mountain of gold. (75) T$nx&nbz de hungd, hu-le y&-zu yu y&-zu, greedy&insatiable\S H emperor, paint\E-PNC one-CLmt again one-CLmt hu-le y&-zu yu y&-zu, chng.chng di.di-de hu-le x+du". paint\E-PNC one-CLmt again one-CLmt layer.layer piled.up-AV paint\E-PNC many Being greedy and insatiable, he painted a mountain after mountain, over and over, until he had painted many layers piled one on top of another. (76) Hu.h!o y& kn, n! sh j&n-sh$n! qu sh du& de d shtou; paint\E1 one look\E, how be\S1 gold-mountain! but be\S1 pile H big rock; shng-mian y$ de ti du", ji t$ xilai, on.top press\E H highest in.excess\S, then 3SG come.down\E1 ch$i y&xi( b! hungd de ji!o y# z sh$ng-le. send\E some PAT emperor H foot also smash\E injure\E-PNC But when he finished and took a look, there was no mountain of gold but a pile of boulders. The top bolder was one too many and came crashing down. This sent down several more, which also smashed the emperors foot. 7.4 (77) Hungd hi b s'x&n. emperor still NOT willing.to.give.up\S1 The emperor was still not willing to give up. (78) T$ x&n-li xi!ng, hu j&n-sh$n b-chng, ji hu j&n-zhu$n. > 3SG heart-in think\E, paint\E gold-mountain NOT-ABLE , then paint\E gold-bar In his heart he thought, if I can't paint a golden mountain, Ill paint a gold bar. (79) T$ hu-le y&-kui xin xi!o, 3SG paint\E-PNC one-Mpiece seem\S small\S, hu-le y&-kui xin xi!o, paint\E-PNC one-Mpiece seem\S small\S, zuhu hu.chng chng.chng de y&-dtio. finally paint\E1 long.long\S1 H one-Mbig.string He painted a bar and it seemed too small. Then he painted one more and that too seemed too small. Finally, he painted a long long row of big bars [of gold]. (80) Hu.h!o y& kn, n! sh j&n-zhu$n! 1 paint\E one look\E, how be\S1 gold-bar! qu sh y&-tio chng.chng de d m!ngsh, 1 but be\S one-CLstring long.long\S1 H big python zh$ng.k$i xu pn sh.de d k%u, xing t$ p).li. open.up\E1 [? basin be.like\S big mouth], toward 3SG throw.self.onto\E1 But when he finished and took a look, there was no row of gold bricks but a long long python. It opened up its huge mouth, like , to throw itself over him. 97

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (81) Xngku& wish-men ji de kui, brn, luckily, guard-coll save\E H quick\S, otherwise, hungd z!o bi d m!ngsh ch&.dio-le. emperor early PSV big python eat.up\E1-PNC Luckily, his guards quickly came to his rescue. Otherwise, the emperor would soon have been devoured by the huge python. Final confrontation 8.1 (82) Hungd miy%u bnf!, zh'd jing M! Ling fng.ch)li, 1 1 emperor have.no\S choice only.obliged\S order\E Ma Liang set.free\E1 yu ji!x&ngx&ng-de du t$ shu"-le y&xi( h!o.hu, again deceptive-AV to 3SG speak\E-PNC somepl words.of.praise shnme y$o g#i t$ x+du" x+du" j&n.yn, what demand\E give\E1 3SG much much gold.silver, shnme y$o f(ng t$ zu h#n d h#n d de gu$n what demand\E grant\E 3SG act.as\E very big very big H official The emperor had no choice but to order that Ma Liang be set free. He again deceptively spoke to him some words of praise. He would give him as much gold and silver as he demanded, and whatever high offices he demanded 8.2 (83) M! Ling y&-x&n.xi!ng du.hu shn.b', Ma Liang wholeheartedly.wish\S seize.back\E1 magic.brush t$ zhu$ngzu d$ying.xilai. 3SG pretend\E agree\E1 Ma Liang was determined to seize back the magic brush, so he pretended to agree. (84) Hungd jin M! Ling d$ying-le, h#n sh g$oxng, emperor see\E Ma Liang agree\E-PNC, very be\S1 happy\S, ji b! shn.b' hun.g#i-le M! Ling, 1 then PAT magic.brush return.to\E -PNC Ma Liang, y$o M! Ling g#i t$ hu hu. demand\E Ma Liang for 3SG paint\E painting When the emperor saw that Ma Liang agreed, he was very happy. He returned the magic brush to Ma Liang and demanded that he paint some paintings for him. 8.3 (85) Hungd xi!ng, hu j&n-sh$n j&n-zhu$n d"u bchng, emperor think\E, paint\E gold-mountain gold-bar DIS no.good\S nme hu zh) yo.qin.sh ba! so paint\E CL money.tree OPT! The emperor thought, since it's no good to paint gold-mountains or gold-bars, then let him paint a money-tree!

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (86) Yo.qin.sh-shng, ji( de d"u sh qin. money.tree-loc, bear.fruit\E H DIS be\S1 money On a money-tree, all the fruit is money. (87) Q&ngq&ng y& yo, ji nng dio.xi x+du" qin li, > 1 lightly one shake\E then ABLE drop.down\E much money come\E1 zh y%u du" h!o a! this have\S how good\S SFP If one gives it a light shake, it can drop a lot of money. How good it would be to have this tree! (88) T$ ji jio M! Ling hu yo.qin.sh le. 3SG then order\E Ma Liang paint\E money.tree PNC So he ordered Ma Liang to paint a money-tree. 8.4 (89) M! Ling x&n-li d!.dng-le zh+yi, b shu" shnme hu, Ma Liang heart-in fix.on\E-PNC plan, NOT say\E what word tq' shn.b' y& hu&, y&-g w-bi$n de dh!i, lift\E magic.brush one wave\E, one-CL boundless\S1 H sea, ch)xin.zi y!n.qin le, ln.ln de h!ishu', miy%u y&-s& b"wn, 1 appear.in\E1 view PNC, blue.blue\S H sea.water, have.no\S one-M ripple, lingsh!nsh!n de xing y&-mian d y jng. shining.bright\S H resemble\S one-side big jade mirrow In his heart, Ma Liang had fixed on a plan, but he didn't say anything. He lifted the magic brush, gave it a wave, and a boundless sea appeared, pure blue sea water, without a ripple, shining so bright that it resembled a big jade mirror. 8.5 (90) Hungd kn-le h#n bm!nyi, li!n y& b!n, h.do: emperor see\E-PNC very dissatisfied\S, face one stop.smiling\E, yell.to\E: When the emperor saw that, he was very displeased. He at once stopped smiling and yelled: (91) "Jio n' hu yo.qin.sh, shi jio n' hu h!i!" "order\E 2SG paint\E money.tree, who order\E 2SG paint\E sea!" "I told you to paint a money tree. Who told you to paint a sea?!" 8.6 (92) M! Ling zi h!i-zh"ng.y$ng hu-le g d!o, shng hu-le zh) sh, Ma Liang in sea-middle paint\E-PNC CL island, top paint\E-PNC CL tree, shu": say\E: Ma Liang painted an island in the middle of the sea, on the island he painted a tree, and said: (93) "Zh b-sh yo.qin.sh ma!" 1 "this NOT-be\S money.tree YN!" "Isn't this a money tree?!" 99

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner 8.7 (94) Hungd kn.jin n-zh) sh, f$-zhe yoy!n de j&ns gu$ngmng, emperor see\E1 that-CL tree, send\E-DUR dazzling\S H golden radiance, hulng-l' y-le j& k%u tu shu', throat-in choke\E-PNC almost CL saliva water\E, ji+ x&x&x&-de xio-le q'lai, then happy-AV laugh\E-PNC start\E1, j b$b$-de du M! Ling shu": urgent longing-AV toward Ma Liang say\E When the emperor saw the tree, sending forth dazzling gold radiance, he choked up and almost salivated. Then he began to laugh happily and said to Ma Liang with urgent longing: (95) "G!nkui hu zh& d chun ba! at.once paint\E CL big ship OPT "Quick, paint a big ship! (96) W% yo do d!o shngq yo qin!" 1SG want\S go.to\E1 island go.up\E1 shake\E money!" I want to go to the island and climb up and shake down some money!" 8.8 (97) Hungd x&n-li y!ng z&.z& de, xin chun z%u de ti mn, 1 emperor heart-in itch\E taste.taste\E H, seem\S ship move\E H too slow\S zi chun.tu-shng jio: at ship.prow-loc shout\E: In his heart, the emperor was itching to have a go. It seemed to him that the ship was moving too slowly, so he shouted from the ships prow: (98) "F(ng d xi(! F(ng d xi(!" wind big more wind big more "More wind! More wind!" 8.9 (99) M! Ling ji$-le j'-b' c).c) de f(ng. 1 Ma Liang add\E-PNC several-Mstroke rough.rough\S H wind Ma Liang added some gusty wind. (100) H!i dngdng q'lai-le, chun-shng de png g+ de m!n.m!n de, 1 sea storm start\E -PNC, ship-aboard H sail convex\S H full.full\S1 H, js xing h!i-zh"ngy$ng sh'.q. rapid toward sea-middle sail.out\E1 A storm blew up, the ships sails caught the wind fully, and the ship surged forward toward open sea. 8.10 (101) M! Ling yu ji$.shng j'-b' d.f(ng. 1 Ma Liang again add.on.top\E several-Mstroke gale Ma Liang increased the wind several strokes to a gale. 100

MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (102) H!i b'$n de h%u.jio q'lai, ju!nq' xi"ngy%ng de lng.t$o, sea disturbed\S H howl\E start\E1, swirl\E surge.up\E1 H wave, chun yo.yo hung.hung-le. ship rock.rock\E1 sway.sway\E1-PNC As the stormy sea began to howl, waves swirled and surged, and the ship began to rock and sway. 9.1 (103) Hungd k$ish' hip, xing M! Ling yo sh%u, 1 emperor begin\E afraid\S, toward Ma Liang wave\E hand, d.sh(ng-de h!n.do: loud-AV yell.to\E The emperor began to feel frightened. He waved to Ma Liang and yelled loudly: (104) "F(ng gu-le! F(ng gu-le!" "wind enough\E-PNC! wind enough\S-PNC! "Enough wind! Enough wind!" 9.2 (105) M! Ling zhu$ngzu miy%u t&ngjin, b xi( sh%u de hu-zhe f(ng. Ma Liang pretend\E NOT hear\E1, NOT rest\E hand H paint\E-DUR wind Ma Liang pretended not to hear, and continued to paint more wind. (106) H!ishu' f$n-le, lngt$o p).shng chun q-le, sea.water get.angry\E-PNC, wave pound.on\E1 ship go\E1-PNC, chun q&ng.xi-le, chung-shng lun q'lai-le. 1 ship tilt\E -PNC, ship-aboard in.confusion\S start\E1-PNC The sea grew angry, waves began to pound against the ship, which began to tilt, throwing everything on board in confusion. 9.3 (107) Hungd bi h!ishu' d! de hnsh(n sh&ll de, emperor PSV sea.water make\E H all.over dripping.wet\S H, bo-zhe chun de wig$n, bzh-de jioh!n: hug\E-DUR ship H mast, repeatedly-AV yell\E The emperor was soaked through by sea water. Clinging to a mast, he kept yelling: (108) "F(ng ti d-le! Chun yo f$n-le! B-yo zi hu-le!" > "wind too big\S-PNC! ship DES capsize\E-PNC! NOT-DES again paint\E-PNC "The wind is too strong! The ship is going to capsize! Dont paint any more!" 9.4 (109) M! Ling hishi bzh sh%u de hu f(ng. Ma Liang still repeatedly use.hand\E H paint\E wind Ma Liang still continued painting more and more wind. (110) F(ng gng d-le, wind even.more big\S-PNC, chu&.li-le x+du" hu.hu de w)yn, blow.together\E1-PNC many\S thick.thick\S H black.cloud 101

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner yu mng li, yu sh!ndin, hi xi.q' boy+ li. 1 again thunder\E thunder, again lightning.flash\E, still rise\E rainstorm come\E1 The wind grew ever more violent. It blew together many thick stormclouds. Again and again thunder struck and lightning flashed, and torrential rain came down. (111) Lng gng m#ng-le, wave even.more ferocious\S-PNC h!ishu' xing y&-d+.d+ d!ot$n de g$o qing, sea.water seem\S one-CLwall.CLwall collapse\E H high wall, ji(.lin.b.dun-de w!ng chun-shng y q. in.unbroken.succession-AV toward ship-aboard press.down\E go\E1 The waves grew even more ferocious. The sea seemed like huge walls collapsing one after another, slamming against the ship in unbroken succession. 9.5 (112) Chun f$n-le. ship capsize\E-PNC The ship capsized. (113) Chun su-le. ship break.into.pieces\E-PNC It broke up into little pieces. (114) Hui hungd ne? bad emperor SFP? And what about the bad emperor? (115) B.jin-le, dgi chn.do h!id' q-le 1 1 gone\S -PNC, probably sink.to\E sea.bottom go\E1-PNC He was gone, probably sunk down to the bottom of the sea. (116) "Shn.b' M! Ling" de gshi, ji zhyng chunk$i-le. "magic.brush Ma Liang" H story, then thus spread\E1-PNC The story of "The Magic Brush and Ma Liang" then spread far and wide. (117) Dnsh, M! Ling huli z#n.yng-le ne? but Ma Liang afterward how.do\E-PNC SFP? But what did Ma Liang do afterward? (118) Dji$ d"u b q&ng.chu everybody DIS NOT find.out\E1 Nobody knows. Epilogue 10.1 (119) Y%u de shu": have\S H say\E Some say: (120) "T$ hu.do zj' de ji$xi$ng, "3SG return\E1 self H home.town, 102

MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES hu n-xi( zhngd de hu%bn zi y&q'." 1 with those-CL farm\E H compatriot be.at\S together "He went back to his home village to live again with the other farmers." (121) Y%u de shu": have\S H say\E And some say: (122) "T$ doch lilng, "3SG everywhere wander\E, zhu$n.mn g#i.j' x+du" qingk+ de rn hu hu." 1 specialized\S provide\E many poor\S H people paint\E painting "He wandered around everywhere, and specialized in providing for poor people by painting pictures for them." [M:3] THE MAN WHO SOLD SHIELDS AND SPEARS [G] (1) Y%u yi-ge Ch+gu rn, mi dn yu mi mo. have\S one-CL Chu.State man, sell\S shield also sell\E spear There was once a man in Chu who sold shields and spears. T$ ku$yo zj' de dn, shu": 3SG brag.abt\E self H shield say\E: He would brag about his shields, saying: "W% de dn ji$ng w b', "1SG H shield hard\S NPI than rnh f(ngl de d"ngxi d"u chu$n!b"tu t$." 1 whatever sharp\S H thing DIS pierce#can't\S $penetrate 3SG "My shield is harder than anything. Nothing, no matter how sharp, can pierce it." (4) T$ yu ku$yo zj' de mo, shu": 3SG also brag.abt\E self H spear say\E: He also bragged about his spears, saying: "W% de mo f(ngl j le, "1SG H spear sharp\S extremely PNC shnme ji$ng de d"ngxi d"u nng c.chu$n." what hard\S H thing DIS CAN> pierce\E "My spear is extremely sharp. It will pierce through anything." (6) Y%u rn wn t$: have\S man ask\E 3SG Somebody asked him:

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (7) "Rgu% yng nn de mo c nn de dn, if use\E 2SG H spear pierce\E 2SG H shield jigu% hu z#nme.yng ne?" result EXP> how SFP "And if I use your spear to pierce your shield, what will be the outcome?" (8) N-rn zh$ng-k%u-jish, yi-j hu y# d!b"shng.li. this-CLman mouth-agape-speechless\S one-CL speech even answer#can't\S1$rvc Mouth agape and at loss for words, the man was unable to answer anything. [M:4] MONEY EGGPLANTS [E] (1) Y%u y-wi g$ng xu zhng qizi de ninq&ng nngmin, have\S one-CL just learn\E plant\E eggplant H young peasant, qizi z%ngsh zhng#b"hu. eggplant always plant#can't\S1$alive There was once a young peasant who had just learnt to plant eggplants, but he could never keep his eggplants alive. (2) Qi mio g$ng ch) t+ sh hi h#n h!o, 1 eggplant sprout\E just exit\E soil time still POS good\S dnsh zh!ng b d ji s' le. but grow\E NOT big\S then die\E1 PNC Just after the eggplants sprouted up from the soil, they were still fine, but before they grew to be big, they always died. (3) Wile sh' qizi nng.gu chng.hu, 1 in.order.to get\E eggplant able\S grow.alive\E1, t$ y# yng-le h#n du" f$ng.f!, 3SG even use\E-PNC very many method dn d"u miy%u b qizi y!ng.hu. but DIS have.no\S1 PAT eggplant keep.alive\E1 In order to enable the eggplants to survive, he had tried very many methods, but he never managed to keep the eggplants alive. (4) Miy%u bnf!, t$ ji q wn y-wi y%u j&ngyn de l!o nngmin 1 1 hv.no\S method, 3SG then go\E ask\E one-CL have\S experience H old peasant Having no solution, he went to ask an old experienced peasant. L!o nngmin wn.mng-le qngkung y'hu shu": 1 old peasant ask.understand\E -PNC situation after say\E When the old peasant understood the situation, he said: Qizi b hu, zh h#n h!o bn! eggplant NOT alive\S, this very good method If eggplants don't survive, here is a very good method. 104

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (7) N' zi m#i-k( qi y$ng de g(n xi mi.shng y-wn qin, 2SG at each-CL eggplant shoot H root under bury\E1 one-M money, qizi ji hu le! eggplant then alive\S PNC If you bury some money under the root of each eggplant, the eggplant will live! (8) Ninq&ng nngmin y%u di!n b ji#, ji wn l!o nngmin: young peasant have\S Mbit NOT understand\E, then ask\E old peasant There was something the young peasant didn't understand, so he asked the old man: Wi shnme yo mi qin > for what DES bury\E money What should I bury the money for? ne?
SFP

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(10) L!o nngmin xio-zhe du ninq&ng nngmin shu": old peasant smile\E-DUR to young peasant say\E The old peasant said smiling to the young man: (11) "N' miy%u t&ng.shu" ma, 2SG <NOT hear.say\E YN, 'y%u qin zh# sh(ng, w qin zh# s'' ya!" have\S money person live\E, have.no\S1 money person die\E1 SFP "Haven't you heard it said, 'If there is money, one lives; without money, one dies' !" [M:5] THE MOON [Y:71] (1) Yueliang gao~gao gua.zai tianshang. moon high~high\S1 hang.in\S1 sky The moon hangs very high in the sky. Ta li dimian hen yuan hen yuan, 3SG away.from earth very far\S very far\S meiyou shenme dongxi keyi dang.zhu ta. have.no\S1 what thing CAN> obscure\E 3SG It is far, far away from the earth; nothing can obscure it. (3) Suoyi buguan zou.dao nar, zong neng kanjian yueliang. therefore no.matter walk.to\E1 where, always CAN> see\E1 moon Therefore no matter where one goes, one can always see the moon. Zhe-yang women jiu hui juede yueliang zai gen-zhe ren zou. this-way 1PL then EXP> feel\S moon be.at\S1 follow\E-DUR person walk\E Thus we are likely to feel then that the moon is following the person around.

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner [M:6] MY AMERICAN FRIEND [Wu, R. 2005:978] (1) Yedan ershisi:hao chi.wan fan zhihou, 1 Christmas twenty.fourth eat.finish\E meal after ta jiu yao gen ta nanpengyou fai.dao xiaweiyi qu, 3SG then DES> with 3SG boyfriend fly.to\E1 Hawai go\E1 chi.wan mashang jiu yao zou le ou 1 > eat.finish\E immediately then DES leave\E PNC SFP [On] Christmas, on the twenty fourth after dinner, she was going to fly to Hawai with her boyfriend, as soon as she finished eating she was going to leave, wow! (2) Wo jiu shuo, 1SG then say\E, "Ou zhende ou? Na ni-de fumu bu hui zenme-yang? "Oh really SFP? then 2SG-H parents NOT EXP> how-be.like\S?" So I said, "Oh, really, wow? Then won't your parents be [hurt] in some way?" (3) Ta jingya-de kan-zhe wo, wen wo: "%Why%?" 3SG surprised-AV look\E-DUR 1SG, ask\E 1SG: "Why?" Looking at me in surprise, she asked me: "Why?" Wo jiu shuo, "Ou" 1SG just say\E, "Wow!" I just said: "Wow!" Na shihou yishi.dao bu yiyang, jiazhi guan bu tong la. that time aware.get\E1 NOT same\S1, value view NOT same\S1 SFP That's when I became aware that it's different, the [cultural] values are different. [M:7] MR. LI [Hj:358] (1) Zuotian lai-le yi-ge xiansheng, yesterday come\E1-PNC one-CL gentleman gao-gao de, dai-le yi-fu yin-bian de jinshi yenjing. 1 tall-tall\S SFP, wear\E-PNC [one-CL gold-rim H myopia glasses] Yesterday a gentleman came in. He was very tall and wore gold-rimmed glasses. (2) Wo wen Lisi ren-bu-renshi. 1SG ask\E Lisi know\S1-NOT-know\S1 I asked Lisi if he knew him. Lisi shuo ta bu renshi. Lisi say\E 3SG NOT know\S1 Lisi said he didnt know him. Zhangsan shuo ta renshi. Zhangsan say\E 3SG know\S1 Zhangsan said he did know him. 106

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (5) Ta shuo Xiaozhang gaosu ta yihou, 3SG say\E [Principal tell\E 3SG after cai zhidao shi Xiaozhang de pengyou xing Li]]. first.then know\S [be\S1 Principal H friend named\S1 Li He said hed found out when the principal told him it was his friend, Mr. Li. [M:8] MR. XIA [Y:50] (1) Waibian jinlai-le yi-ge ren, 1 outside come.in\E -PNC one-CL man [you] liang-ge hong yanjing, yi-fu yuan lian [have\S] two-CL red eyes one-CL round face dai-zhe yi-ding xiao maozi. wear\E-DUR one-CL little hat Yesterday a gentleman came in. He had red eyes, a round face, and wore a little hat. (2) Ta xing Xia, [shi] ershi wu sui, zhu taibei. 1 1 3SG named\S Xia [be\S ] twenty five ? live.in\E Taipei His name was Mr. Xia, he was twenty five, and he lived in Taipei. [N:1] NEW YEARS DAY [G] (1) S qi$n du" nin qin de shhu, y%u y-wi hungd Yo, four thousand more year before H time, have\S one-CL emperor Yao t$ wi rnmen zu-le h#n du" h!osh, h#n shu idi. 3SG to people do\E-PNC very many good.deed, very get\E love&respect About 4000 years ago, Emperor Yao did a lot of good for his people and had their great love and respect. (2) T$ qsh de shhu, 3SG die\E1 H time xi!ng-zhe zj' de rzi miy%u zu hungd de cinng, 1 think\E-DUR self H son have.no\S [act.as\E emperor H ability] ysh rnmng Shn wi xi y-rn hungd . thereupon appoint\E Shun for next one-CL emperor When he was dying, he thought his own son was incapable of acting as an emperor, so he appointed Shun to be the next emperor. (3) Yo du Shn shu": Yao to Shun say\E: Yao told Shun:

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (4) "Y'hu ydng yo xu!n y-ge y"uxi de rn li zu hungd." > "later surely DES select\E one-CL excellent H person next act.as\E emperor "In the future, be sure to select an outstanding person to serve as the next emperor." Yo s' hu, wile jnin t$, 1 Yao die\E after, in.order.to commemorate\E 3SG, Shn js ti$nd. Shun offer.sacrifices\E heaven&earth When Emperor Yao died, Shun offered sacrifices to heaven and earth to commemorate him. (6) Huli Shn rnmng zh shu' y%u g"ng de Y+ zu-le hungd. later Shun appoint\E manage\E flood have\S merit H Yu act.as\E-PNC emperor Later, Shun appointed Yu, who had successfully managed a flood, to be the next emperor.

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(7) Y+ y# wi rnmen zu-le h#n du" h!osh, h#n shu idi. Yu too to people do\E-PNC very many good.deed, very get\E love&respect Yu too did a lot of good for the people and had their great love and respect. (8) Huli rnmen b! Shn js de n y-ti$n, later people PAT Shun offer.sacrifices\E H that one-Mday, d$ngzu y-nin de k$ish', b! zh(ngyu ch)y& ch(ngwi "yundn". treat.as\E one-Myear H start, PAT 1st.month 1st.day call\E1 "New Yr Day" Afterwards, people celebrated the day when Shun offered sacrifices as the start of the year and called the first day of the first lunar month "Yuandan" (New Yr. Day) [O:1] AN OLD HORSE KNOWS THE WAY [G] (1) G"ngyun.qin lilis$n nin, Q Hung"ng yng Y$ngu de y$oqi, B.C. 663 year, Qi Huangong answer\E Yanguo H order ch).b&ng g"ngd! rq&n Y$ngu de Sh$nrng, despatch.troops\E attack\E [invade\E Yanguo H Shanrong] xinggu Gu!n Zhng h dfu X Png sutng qinw!ng. premier Guan Zhong and senior.official Xi Peng accompany\E go\E In 663 B.C., Qi Huangong was ordered by Yanguo to push back against invaders of Shanrong. He went with Premier Guan Zhong and a senior officer Xi Peng. (2) Q-j)n sh ch)nti$n ch).zh(ng de, 1 1 Qi-army be\S spring go.out.to.battle\E SFP, do k!ixun'rgu& sh y'-sh d"ngti$n, c!om bin-le yng, until return.victorious\E be\S1 one-Mtime winter due.to change\E-PNC looks, dj)n zi sh$ng+-l' zh!o#b$do hu.li de l. 1 1 army at valley-in seek#can't\S $succeed [return\E H way]

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES It was spring when Qi's army set out to do battle, and it was winter when it was on its way back victorious. Due to the change in the way the land looked, the army couldn't find its way back out of the valley. (3) Shji$n y chng, j)ndu de j'y!ng f$sh(ng knnan, time one long, [troops H provisions] occur\E problem(s) rgu% zi b zh!o.do ch)-l, dj)n ji hu kn.s' zi zh-l'. if soon NOT find\E1 exit-way, army then EXP> trapped.die\E1 at this-in After a while, supplies became difficult. If they didn't find a way out soon, the army would be die there trapped. (4) Xinggu Gu!n Zhng xi!ng-le yi-ge zh+y: premier Guan Zhong think\E-PNC one-CL idea: jrn g%u l.ji$ h*n yu!n y* nng xn.hu ji$ q, > 1 since dog leave.home\E very far even CAN circle.back\E home go\E1 nme j)n zh"ng de l!o-m! y* y&ngg$i hu y%u rnsh lt de bnl'ng then army use\E H old-horse too ought\S EXP> have\S recogn.\E route H skill Premier Guan Zhong had an idea: Since dogs can find their way home even if they are far away, old army horses should also have route finding skills. (5) Ysh Gu!n Zhng lj ti$o.ch) thereupon Guan Zhong immediately pick.out\E1 j'-p' l!o-m!, a.few-CL old-horse

rng t$men zi dj)n de zu qinmian zyu xngz%u. let\E1 3PL at [army H most front] free\S walk\E He immediately chose a few old horses and let them walk freely ahead of the army. (6) Y* zh(n qguai, also really strange\S zhxi( l!o-m! d"u hobyuy-de cho yi-ge f$ngxing xnjn. these old-horse DIS unhesitatingly-AV toward one-CL direction walk\E And it was really strange to see these old horses all, without hesitation, walk in the same direction. (7) Dj)n ji j'n g(n-zhe t$men, army then walk\E follow\E-DUR 3PL, zuhu zh"ngy z%uch)-le finally at.long.last walk.out\E1-PNC sh$ng+, valley

zh!o.do-le hu Q-gu de dl. 1 1 seek.out\E -PNC return\E Qi-land H highway The army followed the old horses and thus finally at long last got out of the valley and found their way back to the land of Qi.

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner [O:2] ONCE SHOT TWICE SHY [K] (1) Zhngu sh, Warring.States time, Wi.gu y%u y-g jio G(ng Li de sh.jin nngsh%u. Wei.state have\S one-CL named\S1 Geng Lei H archery expert During the Civil War, in Wei, there was an expert archer named Geng Lei. (2) Y%u y-ti$n, have\S one-Mday, G(ng Li kn-jin y-zh& dyn cng tud'ng-shng f(i Geng Lei see\E1 one-CL goose thru overhead-loc fly\E One day, he saw a goose flying high overhead. (3) T$ bin du Wi.wng shu": 3SG then to Wei.king say\E: He told the Emperor of Wei: "Diwng, w% k$y% b yng jin, zh' l$ y-xi g"ng, "Your Majesty, 1SG CAN> NOT use\E arrow, only pull\E one-CL bow, zh-zh& dyn ji nng dio xi.lai." this-CL goose then CAN> fall\E come.down\E1 "Your Majesty, I can bring this goose down without shooting off a single arrow, just by plucking the bow(string)." (4) Sh.jin nng d.do zh.yng de shu'.png?" archery CAN> achieve\E1 such.M H proficiency?" Wi.wng wn. Wei.king ask\E "Can archery achieve such a level of proficiency?", asked the Emperor of Wei. (5) G(ng Li bin j+q' g"ng, Geng Lei then raise\E1 bow, zh' l$-le y-xi xin, only pull\E-PNC one-CL string, n-zh& dyn ji cng bn k"ng-zh"ng dio-le xi.lai. this-CL goose then from half sky-in fall\E-PNC come.down\E1 Geng Lei raised his bow, plucked the string, and down fell the goose out of the sky. (6) Wi.wng kn.do hu dch&-yj&ng, shu": Wei.king see\E1 after amazed\S, say\E: Seeing that the Emperor of Wei was amazed & said: "Zh(n y%u zh.yng de shqing!" "really have\S such.M H event "So it really was true!" gu. pass\E1

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (7) G(ng Li du Wiwng ji!ng: Geng Lei to Weiwang explain\E: Geng Lei explained to the Emperor: "Y&nwi zh-zh& dyn sh(nshng y%u jin sh$ng, because this-CL goose on.its.body have\S arrow wound, su%y' f*i de h*n mn. therefore fly\E H very slow\S "The goose had an arrow wound, so it was flying very slowly. (9) rqi* d$ng t$ t&ng.do g"ng.xin sh(ng.xi!ng hu, moreover when 3SG hear\E1 bow.string sound after, hip zi.c bi jin sh-zhng, afraid\S again AGT hurt\E hit-target\E1, ysh ji p&nmng w!ng g$o f(i. so then strive.hard\E toward high fly\E When it heard the twang of a bowstring, it was afraid of getting shot again, so it made a supreme effort to soar. (10) Dn sh$ngk%u yu li.k$i, but wound again split.open\E1, tngtng nn r*n, ji cng k"ngzh"ng dio-le xilai." pain hard\S bear\E, then from sky fall\E-PNC come.down\E1 But this reopened the wound. It couldn't bear the pain and fell out of the sky." [O:3] ONE HUNDRED SHOTS, ONE HUNDRED HITS [T] (1) Y,ng Yuj& sh g+di zhmng de shjin nngsh.u. Yang Youji be\S1 ancient.times famous\S H archery expert Yang Youji was a famous archer in ancient China. D$ngsh, hi y.u y-g shjin nngsh.u jio P$n D,ng. at.that.time, also have\S one-CL archery expert named\S1 Pan Dang At that time, there was also another expert archer, named Pan Dang. T$ nng m*i jin d.u sh.zhng jin.b, de b,x&n. 3SG CAN> each arrow DIS shoot.hit\E1 arrow.target H bulls.eye He was able to hit bulls eye with every arrow. Y,ng Yuj& du P$n D,ng shu": Yang Youji to Pan Dang say\E: Yang Youji told Pan Dang: Rgu. n- nng zi b,i-b zh& wi sh.zhng li1y, if 2SG CAN> be.at\S1 100-Mstep GEN outside shoot.hit\E1 willow.leaf

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner n- ci sh zh(nzhng de sh.jin nngsh.u. 2SG only.then be\S1 genuine\S H archery expert If you can hit a willow leaf at hundred paces, only then will you be a real sharpshooter. (6) P$n D,ng b fq, Pan Dang NOT convinced\S, ysh xu,n-le li1sh-shng de s$n-pin yzi, hence choose\E-PNC willow-on H three-CL leaf bng yng y&, r, s$n bi$o ho. and with one, two, three mark\E mark Pan Dang was not convinced, so he chose three willow leaves and marked them one, two, three. (7) Rnhu t$ rng Y,ng Yuj& tu.do b,i-b zh& wi, afterward 3SG make\E Yang Youji move.back\E1 100-Mstep GEN outside, n shnx q sh. 1 in order go\E shoot\E He then asked Yang Youji to back away one hundred steps and shoot the leaves in that order. (8) Y,ng Yuj& lin sh s$n-jin, Yang Youji in.succession shoot\E three-Marrow s$n-jin d"u f(ichng zh1nqu de sh.zhng-le yx&n. 1 three-Marrow DIS extremely accurate\S H shoot.hit\E -PNC leaf.center Yang Youji shot three times in succession, and every time he hit the leaf right in the center. [P:1] PARACHUTE [Y:87, 91] (1) Jiangluosan-dingshang you-le yi-ge xiaodong. parachute-top have\S-PNC one-CL little.hole At the top of a parachute there is a little hole. San-nei yi-bufen kongqi jiu cong zhe-ge xiaodong-li pai-le chuqu, parachute-in one-Mpart air then from this-CL little.hole-in push\E-PNC exit\E1 waimian de kongqi ye neng jishi jinru san-nei bucong. > 1 outside H air also CAN in-time come.in\E parachute-in replenish\E When some of the air in the parachute pushs its way out through this little hole, some outside air can enter the parachute in time to replenish it. (3) Suoyi, zhe-ge xiao.dong jiao pai-qi-kong. therefore this-CL little.hole called\S1 push-out-air Therefore, this little hole is called the air-hole. Yaoshi jiangluosan-dingshan meiyou xiaodong, if parachute-top have.no\S1 little.hole 112

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES cong sanyi-bianshang liu jinqu de kongqi 1 [from parachute-side flow\E enter\E H air] jiu dou ji.zai san-ding, then DIS concentrate.in\E1 parachute-top bu
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rongyi pao.dao san-wai qu 1 easy\S run.to\E parachute-outside go\E1

waimian liudong de kongqi [outside flow\E H air] ye bu rongyi jinru san-nei also NOT easy\S come.in\E1 parachute-in If there were no little hole in the top of the parachute, the air flowing in from the sides of the parachute would all concentrate at the top, since it wouldn't be easy for it to escape back out of the parachute, and neither would it be easy for the outside air to get in. [P:2] PICKING A KETTLE THAT ISNT BOILING [G] (1) H#n ji1 y-qin, y.u fzli, k$i-le ji$n xi,o chgu,n. very long ago, have\S father+son together open\E1-PNC CL little tea-house A long time ago there was a father and son who opened a little tea-house. D$ngsh de zh&xin Bi l,oye t$nci hol, then H county.magistrate Bai lord greedy\S fond.of.profit\S, j&ngchng li bi h( ch. 1 daily come\E for.free drink\E tea A local magistrate, Lord Bai, who was very greedy, came by every day and drank tea for free. (3) Y ti$n, Bi l,oye h(-le y k.u ch, ji zhu-zhe mi shu": one Mday, Bai lord drink\E-PNC one Msip tea, then wrinkle\E-DUR brow say\E One day, Lord Bai took a sip of tea and, wrinkling his brow, complained: "Zh shu- mi k$i, ch y* mi wir." this water NOT boiled\s1, tea also have.no\S1 taste "The water is not boiled and the tea has no taste." Xi!o zh!nggu shu": young shopkeeper say\E The young shopkeeper replied: "L!oye, zh ch hi sh shngd#ng de Lngj-ng; lord, this tea even be\S1 top-notch H Longjing shu- y# sh sh$o k$ide, z#nme nng mi wir ne?" water also be\S1 boiled boiled, how CAN\S1 have.no\S1 taste SFP "My lord, this tea is our prime Longjing, and the water too is piping hot, so how it have no taste?" 113

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (9) Gu-le jti$n, Bi l!oye jinjin b li le. 1 1 pass\E -PNC few Mday, Bai lord gradually NOT come\E PNC After a few days, Lord Bai gradually stopped coming.

(10) L!o zh!nggu bin wn rzi: old shopkeeper then ask\E son The old shopkeeper asked his son: (11) "Bi l!oye wi shnme b li le?" 1 "Bai lord what reason NOT come\E PNC?" "Why has Lord Bai stopped coming?" (12) rzi j&ling-de y xio, shu": son clever-AV one smile\E, say\E: The son smiled craftily and said: (13) "W% g#i t$ q&ch, sh n! h b k$i t n! h!" "1SG for 3SG steep.tea\E, be\S1 which CLpot NOT boiled\S1 pick which CLpot!" "Whenever I made his tea, I always picked a kettle that hasn't boiled yet." [P:3] PLAYING HARP TO A COW [K] (1) Zhngu shdi, y%u yi-ge jio G"ngmng Y de y&nyuji$, 1 Warring.States period, have\S one-CL named\S Gongming Yi H musician, t$ h*n hu tnqn. 3SG very able\S play.strings\E During the Warring States Period, there was musician named Gongming Yi, who played very well. (2) H#n du" rn d"u x'huan t&ng t$ tnqn, rn-men h#n jngzhng t$. very many man DIS like\S listen\E 3SG play\E, man-coll very revere\S 3SG Very many people liked to listen to him play, and everybody revered him. Y-ti$n, G"ngmng Y zi ji$owi yuwn sh, kndo-le y-tu ni. one-Mday Gongming Yi in countryside stroll\E time, see\E1-PNC one-CL cow One day, when Gongming was taking a walk in the countryside, he saw a cow. T$ xi!ng: "Dji$ d"u znyng w% de qnj, 3SG think\E "everybody DIS praise\E 1SG H musicianship, br w% g#i ni y# tn y-q+ ba!" why.not 1SG for cow also play\E one-Msong OPT He thought: Everybody praises my music. Let me play some music for this cow! (5) T$ g#i ni tnzu-le y-q+ g+y! de q+zi, 1 3SG for cow play\E -PNC one-Msong elegant\S H tune, ni mi tu ch& c!o bl' t$. cow bury\E head eat\E grass ignore\E 3SG He played an elegant piece of music, but the cow just went on grazing with its head down, ignoring him. 114

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (6) T$ yu g#i ni tnzu-le y-q+ hu$nkui de q+zi, 1 3SG again for cow play\E -PNC one-Msong lively\S H tune, ni y&rn mi tu ch& c!o bl' t$. cow still bury\E head eat\E grass ignore\E 3SG He played another piece of lively music, but the cow still kept grazing with its head down, ignoring him. (7) G"ngmng Y n.ch) zj' de qunb b#nl'ng, ji#gu% ni hish bl' t$. 1 Gongming Yi show.off\E se H entire skill, result cow still ignore\E 3SG He showed off his whole repertoir, but the cow still ignored him. G"ngmng Y f(ichng sh&wng, k$ish' huiy zj' de qnj. Gongmin Yi extremely disappointed\S, begin\E1 doubt\S se H musicianship Gongming Yi was so disappointed that he began to doubt his own skill. Lrn shu": " B-shi n' tn de qn b h!o, passerby say\E NOT-be\S1 2SG play\E H harp NOT good\S, A passerby told him: "Its not that your music is no good, rsh ni g(nb#n t&ng!b"d%ng a!" rather cow simply listen#cant\S1$ SFP but that the cow simply cant understand it! [P:4] PREPARATION IS EVERYTHING [G] (1) Sngcho de shhou, y%u yi-ge jio Wn Tng de huji$, 1 Song.dynasty H time, have\S one-CL named\S Wen Tong H artist, h*n shnchng hu zhzi. POS good.at\S paint\E bamboo During the Song Dynasty, there was an artist named Wen Tong, who was famous for his bamboo paintings. (2) T$ zi zhzhi fjn z$i-le h*n du" zhzi, 3SG in home vicinity plant\E-PNC POS many bamboo, wln y&nti$n hish xi.y+, t$ y y%u shji$n ji gu$nch zhzi. whether cloudy\S or rain\E, 3SG one have\S time then watch\E bamboo He planted many bamboos near his home, and whatever the weather, when he had a moment he would observe them. (3) Shji$n yi-chng, time one-Mwhile, zhzi zi btng jji, btng qhou tiojin h btng shk de xngxing bamboo at diff. season, diff. weather condition and diff. moment H image sh(nsh(n kzi-le t$ x&nzh"ng. deeply imprint.on\E1-PNC 3SG mind After a while, images of bamboo at different seasons, different weather conditions, and different times were deeply imprinted on his mind. 115

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (4) Suy' d$ng t$ n-zhe b' zh+nbi zuhu sh, 1 therefore when 3SG take\E -DUR pen prepare\E paint\E time, zhzi de xngxing ji lk ch)xin.zi y!n qin. [bamboo H image] then at.once appear.at\E1 eye front So when took up his brush to paint, images of bamboo immediately appeared in front of his eyes. (5) T$-de pngyou ji shu": "D$ng Wn Tng zi hu zh sh, 1 3SG-H friend then say\E: when Wen Tong be.in.prg\S paint\E bamboo time, x&nzh"ng z!o y%u-le zhzi de xngxing." heart/mind in.advance have\S-PNC bamboo H image A friend of his said: "When Wen Tong paints bamboos, he has an image of bamboo in his mind from the outset." [R:1] THE RABBIT AND THE HUNTER [fw] (1) Cngqin, y%u y&-ge lirn. long.ago have\S one-CL hunter Long ago there was a hunter. Y%u y&-ti$n, lirn zhuig!n-zhe have\S one-Mday hunter chase\E-DUR One day, he was chasing a rabbit. y&-zh& one-CL tzi. rabbit

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Tzi p!o li-le, kn-do y&-ge sh$ndng, ji tio-le jn.qu. rabbit run\E tired\S-PNC see\E1 one-CL cave, then hop\E-PNC go.in\E1 When the rabbit was already tired, he saw a cave and hopped inside. Tzi xi!ng: rabbit think\E He thought: Ti$n na, yosh lirn li-le, ji hu sh$-le w% de. oh God, if hunter come\E1-PNC then EXP> kill\E-PNC 1SG SFP Oh God, if the hunter comes here hell kill me.

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W% g&i z#nme bn ne? 1SG OUGHT> how do\E SFP So what am I to do? w% d"i d'ng-zhe zh-ge sh$ndng. > 1SG MUST hold.up-DUR this-CL cave I am going to (stand here) holding up this cave. Rgu% t$ li-le, if 3SG come-PNC w% ji gos t$ cng w% ch)sh(ng n ti$n q', 1SG then tell\E 3SG from 1SG exit.alive\E1 that day loc 116

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES w% ji y&zh d'ng-zhe sh$ndng. 1SG then continuously hold.up-DUR cave If he comes here Ill tell him Ive been holding up this cave ever since I was born. (8) Ysh tzi k$ish' d'ng-zhe sh$ndng. 1 thereupon rabbit begin\E hold.up-DUR cave And then the rabbit began to hold up the cave. By&hu'r lirn gu%zh(n li-le. in.little.while hunter indeed come\E1-PNC In a little while the hunter did come.

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(10) T$ p!o jn sh$ndng d-jio: 3SG run\E enter\E1 cave yell\E Running into the cave, he yelled: (11) , xi!o tzi, w% zh"ngy zh!o.do n' le, w% yo sh$-le n'. ah, little rabbit, 1SG finally find\E1 2SG PNC 1SG DES> kill\E-PNC 2SG Ah, little rabbit, now that Ive found you at last, I am going to kill you. (12) , xi$nsh(ng, qi n' bi sh$ w%! tzi $iqi-zhe. oh, sir, beg\E 2SG DONT kill\E 1SG rabbit beg\E-DUR Oh, Sir, [I] beg you, dont kill me! begged the rabbit. (13) Cng w% ch)sh(ng n-ti$n q', from 1SG exit.alive\E1 that-Mloc loc, w% ji zi zhr d'ng-zhe zh-ge sh$ndng, 1 1SG then be.at\S here hold.up\E-DUR this-CL cave f%uz t$ ji hu t$ de. otherwise 3SG then EXP> collapse\E SFP Since the day I was born Ive been holding up this cave, lest it collapse. (14) W% de m$m$ ji zi n-bi$n de c!od-l'. 1 1SG H mom just be.at\S that-Mside H grass-loc My mother is just over there in the grass. (15) N' nng b$ng w% d'ng y&hur ma? > 2SG CAN help\E 1SG hold.up\E a.little.while YN Can you hold it up for me for a little while? (16) W% q zh!o m$m$ rng t$ gu-li b$ng-b$ng w%, 1 1 1SG go\E seek\E mom cause\E 3SG come.over\E help-help\E1 1SG w% shzi sh ti li le. 1SG really be\S1 too tired\S PNC Ill go to [my] mom and get her to come over and help me, [for] I am very tired. (17) H!o ba lirn shu", ysh k$ish' d'ng-zhe sh$ndng. All right hunter say\E, thereupon begin\E1 hold.up\E-DUR cave All right said the hunter and took over holding up the cave.

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (18) Tzi kn lirn shngdng le, ji g!nkui lk$i. rabbit see\E hunter get.fooled.E1 PNC then hastily leave\E1 As soon as the rabbit saw that he had fooled the hunter, he took off. (19) Lirn yzh d#ng-zhe tzi hulai, hunter continuously wait\E-DUR rabbit come.back\E1 dnsh tzi zi y# miy%u ch)xin-guo. but rabbit again NPI <NOT appear\E1-TRM The hunter kept waiting for the rabbit to return, but he never showed up again. (20) Lirn ji zhyng yzh d'ng-zhe sh$ndng. hunter then thus continuously hold.up\E-DUR cave So the hunter just remained like this, holding up the cave. [R:2] THE RABBIT AND THE OX [T] (1) H#n ji+ POS long y'qin, before,

Yhungdd d!sun zi dngw-zh"ng xu!n sh'r-g pi sh(ngxi$o. Jade.Emperor plan\S1 among animal-loc select\E twelve-CL CL zodiac.sign Long ago, the Jade Emperor planned to select twelve animals for zodiac signs. (2) G(nj gu&dng, zi zh'dng de n-y ti$n, n!-ge dngw xi$n do according decree, on [appoint\E H that-CL day] those-CL animal first arr.\E1 ji hu bi xu!n zhng. then EXP AGT select\E among According to the decree, the [signs] would be selected from among the animals who arrived first on the appointed day. (3) Hungni y+ tzi yu(dng yq' c$nji$ jngsi. ox and rabbit agree\E together participate\E competition The ox and the rabbit agreed to participate in the competition together. Zh(ng sh(ngxi$o de rzi zh"ngy li le. 1 [vie.for\E zodiac.signs H date] at.last come\E PNC At last, the day of the competition arrived. Tzi q' de h#n z!o, miy%u d#ng hungni ji ch)f$ le. 1 1 rabbit rise\E H POS early\S NOT wait\E ox then set.out\E PNC The rabbit got up early, and set out without waiting for the ox. Tzi p!o-le y-zhnzi, rabbit run\E-PNC a-Mshort.time f$xin l-shang miy%u qt$ dngw de y'ngzi. discover\E1 way-on have.no\S1 other animal H shadow After a short spurt, he noticed that there were no other animals on the way.

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (7) Ysh, zi c!od-shang shu-q' jio li. + 1 thereupon, on grass-loc sleep-start \E nap +start\E1 So he fell asleep in a meadow. Su&rn hungni ch)f$ w!n le, p!o de yu mn, 1 although ox set.out\E late\S PNC run\E H also slow\S dn png-zhe yl, even.so rely.on\E-DUR perseverance zi tzi shu-jio de shhou, be.at\S1 rabbit sleep\E H time, ji dod ti$ng"ng le. 1 then arrive\E temple.of.Jade.Emperor PNC Although the ox set out later and ran more slowly, because of his perseverance he arrived at the temple of the Jade Emperor while the rabbit was still asleep. (9) Zuhu, tzi zh' pi.do-le sh(ngxi$o de d-s mng ultimately, rabbit only rank.get\E1-PNC zodiac.signs H fourth place In the end, the rabbit got only the fourth place among the zodiac signs.

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(10) Pi.zi t$ qin-min de sh l!osh+, hungni h l!oh+. 1 ranked.at\S1 3SG ahead H be\S rat, ox and tiger Ahead of him were the rat, the ox, and the tiger. [R:3] REGISTRATION AT A HOSPITAL [G] Dialogue between Nurse A and Patient B: (1A) Z!oshang h!o! Q'ng.wn nn x).yo gu n!ge k(sh? 1 morning good ask.to.ask\E 2SG need\S register.in\E which department Good morning. May I ask which department you want to register in? (2B) W% y# b ti q&ng.ch+. 1SG NPI NOT very clear\S I dont really know. (3A) N q'ng.wn nn n!l' b sh)fu. then ask.to.ask\E1 2SG where NOT comfortable\S In that case, may I ask whats troubling you? (lit. where you're not comfortable) (4B) W% wi tng, #x&n, hi xi!ng t. 1SG stomach ache\S, feel.sick\S, also wish\S vomit\E I have stomach ache and feel sick and nauseous. (5A) N nn zu h!o gu xi$ohu nik( ba! then 2SG most good\S register.in\E Gastoenterology Dept. OPT In that case, it may be best if you register in the Gastoenterology Dept.

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (6A) Nn y'qin li-gu w%men y&yun ma? 1 2SG before come\E -TRM 1PL hospital YN Have you ever been to this hospital? (7B) Miy%u.
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No. (8A) H!o de, n q'ng nn xi$n tinxi# zh-zh$ng gu.hobi!o. 1 1 good SFP, then ask\E 2SG first fill.out\E this-CL registration.form Fine. In that case, may I ask you to fill out this registration form. (9A) W%men x)yo nn de ninlng, zhzh' h xngbi d#ng xnx&. 1PL need\S 2SG H age, address, and gender et. al. information We need information such as your age, address, gender, etc. (10B) Bi!o tin.h!o-le, g#i n'. form fill.out\E1-PNC give\E1 2SG I have filled out the form. Here you are. (11A) Xixi. Xi$ohu nik( de guho fi sh sh yun. thank\E1 gastoenterology dept. H register.in\E1 fee be\S1 ten yuan Thank you. The registration fee for the Gastoenterology Dept. is 10 yuan. (12B) H!o de. Q'ng.wn xi$ohu nik( zi n!l'? good SFP ask.to.ask\E1 gastoenterology dept. be.at\S1 where Ok. May I ask where the Gastoenterology Department is? (13A) Q'ng nn zu dint& do w+ lu, yu gu!i. ask\E1 2SG take\E elevator arrive\E1 five floor, right turn\E Take the elevator to the fifth floor and turn right. (14A) Nn hu kn.do zh'shpi de. 2SG EXP> see\E1 sign SFP You'll see a sign. (15B) Du" xi le. much thank\E PNC Thank you very much. (16A) B kqi. polite Not at all.
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[R:4] RIDDLE 1 [K] (1) N'men zh&do w% sh shu ma? 2PL know\S1 1SG be\S1 who YN Do you know who I am?

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (2) Tiyng y ch)li, w% ji binchng-le "q", 1 1 sun as.soon.as come.out\E , 1SG then turn.into\E -PNC "vapor" zi ti$n-shng pi$o.li pi$o.q, rn-men jio w% "yn". in sky-loc float.come\E1 float.go\E1, person-coll call\E 1SG "cloud" As soon as the sun came out, I turned into vapor. When I sail back and forth across the sky, people call me "cloud". (3) Zi ti$n-shng, l#ngf(ng y li, in sky-loc, cold.wind as.soon.as come\E1, w% ji bin.chng xi!o y+.zh) dio.xili, rn-men jio w% "y+". 1 1 1SG then turn.into\E little rain.drop fall.down\E person-coll call\E 1SG "rain" Up in the sky, when cold wind comes and I turn into little rain drops and fall down to the ground, people call me "rain". (4) Do-le d"ngti$n, come\E1-PNC winter, w% yu bin.chng y du%.du% xi!o hu$ pi$o xili, 1 1SG again turn.into\E one mass little flower float\E come.down\E1 rn-men jio w% "xu#". person-coll call\E 1SG "snow" When winter comes and I again turn into a mass of little flowers and float down, people call me "snow". (5) W% y%ushhou i zi h-l' shujio, y%ushhou i zi h-l' hu$n.p!o, 1SG sometimes like\S in lake-loc sleep\E, sometimes like\S in river-loc run\E y%ushhou i zi dhi-l' yu chng yu tio, sometimes like\S in ocean-loc both sing\E and dance\E Sometimes I like to sleep in a lake, sometimes I run in a river, and sometimes I sing and dance in an ocean. (6) Rn-men y-ti$n d"u sh!o!b"li!o w%. person-coll one-Mday even do.without#can't\S1$complete 1SG People can't live without me even one day. Dji$ zh&do w% sh shu ma? everybody know\S1 1SG be\S1 who YN Everybody, do you know who I am? [R:5] RIDDLE 2 [K] (1) C$icai w% sh shu? guess.guess\E1 1SG be\S1 who Try to guess who I am.

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (2) W% chngchng cng n' sh(n-bi$n j&ng.gu, 1SG often from 2SG body-loc pass\E1 n' qu kn!b"do w%, y# m"!b"zho w%. 2SG but look#can't\S1$perceive 1SG, also touch#can't\S1$manage 1SG I often pass by you, but you can't see me or touch me. (3) Xi!o c!o jin w% w$n y$o, hu$'r jin w% di!n tu, little grass meet\E 1SG bend\E waist, flower meet\E 1SG nod\E head, xi!o sh jin w% zh$o sh%u, yndu% su w% tiow+, little tree meet\E 1SG wave\E branch, cloud with 1SG dance\E xi!o pngyou, q'ng n' c$icai, w% sh shu? little friend, ask\E 2SG guess.guess\E, 1SG be\S1 who When little grasses meet me, they bow at the waist; when flowers meet me, they bow their heads; when little trees meet me, they wave their branches. Clouds dance with me. Little friend, will you please try to guess who I am? [R:6] RIVER-CRAB [Y:69] (1) Ba
PAT

he.pangxie fang.zai penzi-li, dai yi-huir, 1 river.crab put.in\E basin-in, wait\E one-Mbit

jiu hui cong ta-de zui-bian tu.chu xuduo xiao paopao then EXP> from 3SG-H mouth-side vomit.out\E1 many small bubble If you put a river-crab in a basin and wait a bit, it will expell lots of bubbles out of the side of its mouth. (2) Zhe-shi zenme hui shi ne ? this-M why EXP> be\S1 SFP Why should that happen? He.pangxie shi shenghuo.zai shui-li de dongwu river.crab be\S1 [live.in\S1 water-in H animal] A river-crab is a water animal. Ta han yu yi.yang, yong sai zai shui-zhong huxi. 3SG and fish similar\S1 use\E gill in water-loc breathe\E Like a fish, it uses gills to breathe in the water. He.pangxie bu guang neng zai shui-li shenghuo, river.crab NOT only CAN> in water-loc live\E hai keyi pa.dao ludi-shang lai zhao shiwu chi. > 1 1 also CAN crawl.onto\E land-loc come\E seek\E food eat\E A river-crab can not only live in water, but can also crawl onto land to seek food. (6) Buguo, ta shang an yihou, 1 however, 3SG climb\E shore after

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES sai jiu hui bian ganzao, huxi bu fang.bian. > gill then EXP become\E dry\S breathe\E NOT comfortable\S However, when it climbs ashore, its gills dry up so its hard to breathe. (7) Zhe-yang, he.pangxie so river.crab jiu ba cun.zai sai-li de shui han hu.chu de kongqi then PAT [[contained.in\S1 gill-in H water] and [breathe.out\E1 H air]] cong zui de liang-bian tu from [mouth H two-side] vomit chu.lai, come.out\E1

xing.cheng zuduo xiao pao.pao, dui.zai zui de mianqian. 1 1 take.form\E many small bubble gather.in\E [mouth H front] So the river-crab expels the water from its gills and breathes out air as vomit, which takes the form of many small bubbles gathering in front of its mouth. [R:5] ROUND VS. OVAL BARRELS [Y:14] (1) Sha-shui-che-shang de tuoyuan-xing da tong sprinkle-water-car-top H oval-shape big barrel shi zhuang shui yong de. 1 be\S [hold\E water] use\E SFP Big oval barrels on top of sprinkler trucks are used to hold water. (2) Women xiwang da tong neng duo zhuang dian shui. 1PL want\S big barrel CAN> much hold\E Mqnt water We want a big barrel that is able to hold a lot of water. Yuan-xing da tong zhuang shui zui duo. ball-shape big barrel hold\E water most much\S (For a given size,) a big spherical barrel holds the largest quantity of water. Danshi yuan-xing tong rongyi zuo-you gundong, but ball-shape barrel easy\S left-right roll\E bu-yi wengu-de anzhuang.zai sha-shui-che-shang. 1 NOT-easy\S stable-AV install.on\E sprinkle-water-car-top But a round barrel rolls easily and is hard to install and stabilize on top of a sprinkler truck. (5) Ruguo ba tong zuo-cheng tuoyuan-xing de, 1 if PAT barrel make-into\E oval-shape SFP zhuang shui bijiao du, hai bi yuan-xing tong wending. hold\E water relatively much\S also more.than ball-shape barrel stable\S If the barrel is given an oval shape, it holds a relatively large quantity of water and is more stable than a spherical barrel.

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (6) Tuoyuan-xing da tong de ling yi-ge youdian shi zhizuo rongyi. 1 oval-shape big barrel H other one-CL advantage be\S produce\E easy\S Another advantage of big oval barrels is that they are easy to make. [R:6] ROUND VS. SQUARE BOWLS [Y:84] (1) Zhao-lai tongyang da-xiao de liang-kuai tiepi. 1 seek-out\E hv.same\S1 size H two-CL metal Find two pieces of metal of the same size. Zuo-cheng yi-ge yuan-wan he yi-ge fang-wan make-into\E1 one-CL round-bowl and one-CL square-bowl Make one round and one square bowl. Ba
PAT

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yuan-wan-li zhuang-man-le shui. round-bowl-in hold-full\E1-PNC water

ranhou ba yuan-wan-zhong de shui man~man dao-jin fang-wan-li 1 then PAT round-bowl-inside H water slowly pour.in\E square-bow-in Fill the round bowl with water, and then slowly pour the water from the round bowl into the square bowl. (4) Ni hui faxian fang-wan zhuang!bu"xia zhe-xie shui. 2SG EXP> discover\E1 square-bowl hold#cant\S1$down that-CL water you xie shui hui liu-chulai. have\S CL water EXP> flow-out\E1 You will find the square bowl cant hold this water. There will be some overflow. [S:1] SALIVA [Y:88] (1) Tuoye liu-lian de duoshao quan kao danao zhihui. [saliva flow-amount H size] completely dependent\S brain command The flow rate of saliva is completely determined by commands from the brain. Suan de shiwu dui tuoye-xian ciji zui qiang. [sour\S H food] to saliva-gland stimulate\E most strong\S Sour food stimulates salivary glands most strongly. Mei-ci chi suan de shiwu shi, danao jiu fachu xinhao, every-Me eat\E sour\S H food time, brain then send.out\E1 signal rang tuoye-xian liu.chu haoduo koushui lai. 1 1 order\E saliva-gland flow.out\E much saliva come\E1 Whenever one eats sour food, the brain sends out a signal ordering a lot of saliva to flow out of the salivary glands.

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES [S:2] SICK CHILD [L] (1) Jiajia bing le, zuotian wanshang jiu fa.shao. Jiajia sick\S PNC, yesterday night then run.a.fever\E Jiajia is sick. She ran a fever last night. Lisi zhidao ta-de mama hen mang, mei Lisi know\S1 3SG-H mom very busy\S, NOT gan
DARE
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gaosu ta, tell\E 3SG,

dai ta qu kan-le jizhen, da-le zhen. take\E1 3SG go\E1 see\E-PNC emergency.room&, do\E-PNC injection Lisi knew her mom was busy, so he didnt want to tell her. He just took her to the emergency room and they gave her an injection. [S:3] SILLY BIRD [T] (1) Sh-shng y-zh& ni!o-m$ma f).ch)-le li-zh& ni!o-b!obao, 1 tree-on one-CL bird-mamma hatch.out\E -PNC six-CL bird-baby Xi!oli yu shu yu xi!o, g*ge-ji*jie-men d"u q&fu t$; Xiaoliu both weak\S and small\S, sister-brother-coll DIS bully\E 3SG; j&ngchng cng t$ zu'-l' qi!ng chngzi, often from [3SG beak-in] rob\E worm, Xi!oli zh' d$i -zhe dzi. > Xiaoliu only MUST hungry\S-DUR belly When a bird mom up in a tree hatched six baby chicks, Xiaoliu was weak and small and his siblings all bullied him. They would often snatch worms out his beak, so that Xiaoliu had to go hungry. (2) G*ge-ji*jie-men jio t$ bn ni!o. sister-brother-coll call\E 3SG silly bird They called him silly bird. Ysh t$ jux&n dunlin h!o sh(nt', thereupon 3SG resolve\E train\E good\S health, rng g*ge-ji*jie-men b zi cho.xio zj'. so.that sister-brother-coll NOT any.more laugh.at\E self Finally, he resolved to train himself into health, so that his siblings would not laugh at him any more. (4) T$ zhq f(ichng d, 3SG will extremely big\S, m*i-ti$n d"u q' de h*n z!o, 1 every-Mday DIS rise\E H very early\S d*ng g*ge-ji*jie-men x'ngli, before sister-brother-coll wake.up\E1, 125

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner t$ y'j&ng p!o-wn b, ch&-le chngzi le. + 1+ 3SG already run -finish\E steps, eat\E-PNC worm PNC He had extremely strong will and rose very early every day. By the time his siblings woke up, he would have already finished his training run and hunting for worms. (5) D"ng.ti$n do-le, ni!o-qn yo nn f(i le; winter come\E1-PNC, bird-flock DES> south fly\E PNC; bn-ni!o sh ni!o-qn zh"ng dy-g f(i w!ng nn-f$ng de. 1 silly-bird be\S bird-flock amongst first-CL fly\E toward south-direction SFP When winter came and the whole flock was going to migrate south, it was the silly bird who was the first one of the whole flock to fly south. [S:4] SIMA GUANG TO THE RESCUE [P] (1) S&m! Gu$ng sh B#i Sng Sh zu y%u mngwng de dchn zh&y& , 1 Sima Guang be\S [N. Song Dynasty most [have\S fame H minister one.of] t$ sh Sh!n zh"u Xixin (j&n Sh$nx& Xinxin) rn. 3SG be\S1 Shan province Xia county now Shanxi province man Sima Guang was one of the most famous ministers of the North Song Dynasty. He lived in the Xia county of the Shan province (now the Shanxi province). (2) T$ de mngsh(ng cng yu-xi!o de shhou y'j&ng k$ish' chun.k$i-le. [3SG H fame] from [small\S H time] already begin\E1 spread\E1-PNC He became famous already as a young boy. Jshu" t$ q&-su n-nin, ji k$ish' zhu$n.x&n d-sh). 1 'tis.said 3SG seven-Mage that-Myear then begin\E be.focused\S read-book\E At the age of seven, 'tis said, he began to focus on his studies. Bln sh d f-sh+ ti$n , huzh* sh+-ji+ hn-d"ng, no.matter be\S1 big hot-hot.summer day , or cold-cold winter t$ z%ng p*ng-zh sh) 1 3SG always hold.firmly\E book b
NOT

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fng , let.go\E1

y%u.shhou lin ch&.fn h(.shu' d"u wng le. sometimes even eat.food\E drink.water\E DIS forget\E PNC Summer or winter, he was now always deep in a book. Sometimes he would even forget to eat and drink. (5) T$ b.dn d-sh) yng.g"ng , rqi* h*n j&lng. 3SG NOT.only read-book\E study.hard\E but.also very quick-witted\S Not only did he study hard, he was also very quick-witted. Y%u yi-c have\S one-Me t$ g(n xi!o hu%bn-men zi hu.yunzi-l' wn-shu! . 3SG with little playmate-coll at back.courtyard-inside play\E Once he was playing with other children in the inner courtyard. 126

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (7) Yunzi-l' y%u y&-k%u d shu'-g$ng , courtyard-in have\S one-CL big water-urn y%u ge xi!ohi p-do g$ng yn-shng , have\S CL child climb-to\E1 urn brim-loc yi b xi!ox&n, dio-do g$ng-li . 1 one NOT careful\S, fall-into\E urn-inside In the courtyard there was a big water urn. One child climbed up to the brim of the urn, had an accident and fell inside. (8) G$ng d shu'-sh(n , y!nkn n hizi kui yo md'ng le . urn big\S water-depth soon that child soon DES> drown\E PNC The water in the urn was very deep. Soon the child was drowning. Bide hizi-men yi jin ch)-le sh , 1 1 other child-coll once see\E happen\E -PNC accident xi de [y&min k) h!n , scared\S H sim.both cry\E call.for.help\E y&min w!ng.wi p!o zh!o dren li ji]. 1 sim.and toward.outside run\E seek\E adult come\E rescue\E When the other children saw the accident, they were so terrified that they cried for help and ran out to look for an adult to come to the rescue. (10) S&ma Gu$ng b-hu$ng b-mng, Sima Guang calm\S un-hurried\S shnsh%u cng dshang sh-q' yi-kui d shkui , 1 smoothly from ground pick-up\E one-M big stone, sh'jn lqi cho shu'-g$ng z-q . use.all\E strength toward water-urn smash.to.bits\E1 Sima Guan didn't panic. Keeping his cool, he picked up a big stone from the ground and with all his might hurled it at the water urn to smash it. (11) "P(ng" de yi-sheng , shu'-g$ng "bang" H one-M, water-urn p-le , break\E-PNC ,

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g$ng-l' de shu'-li-le ch)-li , urn-inside H water-stream\E-PNC come.out\E1 , bi y$n zi shu'-l' de xi!ohi y* dji-le . flood [be.in\S1 water-inside H child] also get.saved\E1-PNC Bang! The water urn broke, water came pouring out and by this flood the child inside the water was also saved.
AGT

(12) Zh-jin %urn de shqng , this-Mevt [chance H affair], sh' yu xi!o de S&m! Gu$ng ch)-le mng. 1 cause\E [young little H Sima Guang] get\E -PNC fame This incident made little Sima Guang famous. 127

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (13) D"ngj&ng h Luyng y%u rn Kaifeng and Luoyang have\S man b! zh-jin sh hu chng t-hu, gu$ng fn li-chun. this-CL event draw\E turn.into\E picture far&wide spread\E In Kaifeng and Luoyang artists painted pictures of this event, spreading the word far and wide.
PAT

[S:5] THE SIMPLETON AND THE CAMEL [G] (1) Cngqin y%u ge rn cngli miy%u jin-gu lutuo, long.ago have\S CL person every NOT see\E-TRM camel y# g(nb#n b zh&do y%u lutuo zh-zh%ng dngw. 1 also absolutely NOT know\S have\S camel this-Mkind animal Once upon a time there was a man who had never seen a camel and didn't even know there was such an animal. (2) Y%u y&-ti$n, t$ zi chng-bian jin.do y&-zh& sh(ngkou, have\S one-Mday 3SG at city.walls-loc see\E1 one-CL beast.of.burden bi-shng zh!ng-le h!o d de li!ng-ge g(da. back-loc grow\E-PNC very big\S H two-CL lump One day, he saw a strange beas of burden just outside of town, who had grown two big lumps on its back. (3) T$ jude h#n j&ngq, d.h) xi!o.jio do: 3SG feel\S very surprised\S, big.call\E small.call\E come\E1 He was very surprised and called all and sundry to come over: "0iya, kui li ya, kui li kn ya!" "oh.my, quick come\E1 SFP, quick come\E1 see\E SFP "Oh my! Come quick! Come quick and look!" Rn-men fngxi g"ngzu d"u p!o-le gu.li, 1 person-coll put.down\E1 work DIS run\E-PNC come.over\E dn qu bng miy%u jindo shnme qgui de shqing. but however at.all NOT see\E1 what strange\S H thing Everybody put down their work and rushed over, but they couldn't see anything strange. (6) Ysh y%u rn wn: "N' zi h!n shnme a?" 1 thereupon have\S person ask\E: "2SG be.in.prg\S yell\E what SFP?" Finally somebody asked: "What are you yelling for?" T$ shu": "N' qio zh-p' m! de bi-shang zh%ng-le li!ng-ge d b$o." 3SG say\E 2SG look\E this-CL horse H back-loc grow\E-PNC two-CL big tumor He answered: "Look at this horse, which has grown two big tumors on its back."

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (8) Rn-men zh ci hu!ngrndw, person-coll then only suddenly.realize\E1, yunli t$ sh zi shu" n-p' lutuo. formerly 3SG be\S1 in.prg\S1 speak\E that-CL camel Only then did everybody realize what what he was talking about was this camel. (9) Dji$ d"u bj#n dxio q'li. everybody DIS CAN'T.HELP> laugh\E start\E1 So they all could do nothing else than burst out laughing. [S:6] SMARTY-PANTS [G] (1) B#isng shq&, y%u wi huji$ jio S)n Zh&w(i. 1 N.Song.Dynasty period have\S CL painter named\S Sun Zhiwei During the Northern Song Dynasty, there was a painter named Sun Zhiwei. Y-c huhu sh, pngyou q'ng t$ q y'n.ji+. 1 1 one-Me paint~paint\E time, friend invite\E 3SG go\E drink.wine\E Once when he was teaching a class, a friend invited him to come out for a drink. T$ du dz'men shu": 3SG to student-COLL say\E: He said to his students: "Zh-f hu zh' shngxi zhus. "this-CL painting only remain\E1 color\E "All that remains [to be done] is to color the painting. (4) W% huli sh, x&wng n'men y'j&ng hu.h!o le." 1 1 1SG return\E time, hope\S 2PL already paint.finish\E PNC By the time I get back, I hope you'll have finished it." S)n Zh&w(i z%u hu, Sun Zhiwei leave\E1 after, y-g jio Tng Rny de dz' shu": 1 one-CL named\S Tong Renyi H student say\E: When Sun Zhiwei left, one student, named Tong Renyi, said: (6) "L!osh& z%ng yo zi png-zh"ng hu y-zh& xi$nhu$, > teacher always DES at vase-loc paint\E one-CL fresh.flower k" zh-c qu miy%u. this-Me but NOT "Our teacher would always paint a flower, but this time he couldn't."
CAN
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Yx+ sh libj huh!o, maybe be\S1 not.have.time\S1 paint.finish\E1,

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner w%men hish huh!o-le zi zhus ba. 1 1PL d.better paint.finish\E -PNC only.then color\E OPT Maybe he didnt have time to finish it. Wed better finish it and then add color." (8) Ysh, Tng Rny hu-le y-zh& hng linhu$. and.so, Tong Renyi paint\E-PNC one-CL red lotus.flower And so Tong Renyi painted a red lotus flower. S)n Zh&w(i huli sh shu": 1 Sun Zhiwei return\E time say\E: When Sun Zhiwei came back, he said:

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(10) "Zh b#n sh zhny$opng, this originally be\S1 demon-vase, n'men qu b! t$ binchng-le hu$png." 1 2PL but PAT 3SG turn.into\E -PNC flower-vase "This was meant to be a vase to keep away demons, but you've turned it into a flower-vase." (11) Shu"-zhe, b$ hu s&-le ge f#n.su. say\E-DUR, PAT painting tear\E-PNC CL break.up\E1 As he said that, he tore the painting to pieces. [S:7] SNAKE FEET [T] (1) Ch+-gu y%u g guz. Chu-land have\S CL nobleman There was once a nobleman in Chu. J-gu zzong y'hu, offer.sacrifice.to-TRM ancestor after, t$ b! y-h jji+ sh!ngg*i b$ngmng de prn. 1 3SG PAT one-Mjug wine give.as.reward\E [help\E H servant] [One day] after ancestor worship, he rewarded the servants who helped him with a jug of wine. (3) Prn sh$ngliang shu": servant talk.over\E say\E After talking it over, the servants said: "W%men d"u li hu sh, 1 1PL DIS let's\E draw\E snake, shu xi$n huh!o, shu ji h( zh-h ji+." 1 who first draw\E , who then drink\E this-Mjug wine "Let us all draw snakes. Whoever finishes first gets this jug of wine." (5) Y%u y-g rn h*n kui b! sh huh!o le. have\S one-CL man very quick\S PAT snake draw\E1 PNC One man finished his snake very quickly. 130

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (6) T$ du$nq' ji+.h zhng yo h(, 1 > 3SG hold.up\E wine.jug just DES drink\E kndo bi.rn hi zi mng-zhe hu sh, ji dy-de shu": see\E1 others still be.at\S1 hurry\E-DUR draw\E snake, then complacently say\E He raised the jug and was just about to drain it, but when he saw that the others were still busy drawing, he said complacently: (7) "W% nnggu zi g*i sh ti$nshng j'-zh& ji!o ne!" > 1 1SG CAN still to snake add.to\E a.few-CL foot SFP "I can still add a few feet to my snake, surely!" K*sh mi-d*ng t$ b! ji!o hu-wn, but before 3SG PAT foot draw-finish\E1, lng y-g rn y' b! sh huchng-le. besides one-CL man already PAT snake draw\E1-PNC But before he finished drawing the feet, another man had already finished his snake. (9) N-rn b! n-h ji+ qi!ng.guq, shu": that-CLman PAT that-Mjug wine snatch.away\E1, say\E The man snatched away the wine jug and said:

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(10) "Sh b*nli sh miy%u ji!o de, 1 snake of.course FOC have.no\S feet H, n' z*nme nng g*i t$ ti$nshng ji!o ne?" 2SG how CAN> to 3SG add.to\E1 feet SFP "A snake doesn't have any feet, of course, so how on earth can you add feet to it?" (11) Shu"-wn, bin b! h zh"ng de ji+ h(-le speak-finish\E1, then PAT Mjug [interior H wine] drink\E-PNC And with these words, he drained the jug. xiqu. put.down\E1

(12) N-ge [g*i sh hu ji!o de rn] zu-zh"ng miy%u h(do ji+. 1 that-CL [to snake draw\E foot H man] end-in NOT drink.up\E wine So in the end the man who added feet to his snake did not get the wine. [S:8] SNOW WHITE [K] (1) Cng.qin y%u y-g g"ngzh+, t$-de pf) bi-de xing xu*, long.ago have\S one-CL princess, 3SG-H skin white-H resemble\S snow suy' guwng g*i t$ q'mng wi Bi.Xu* g"ngzh+ . therefore King to 3SG name\E CL Snow.White Princess Once upon a time there was a princess whose skin was white as snow, so the King named her Snow White. (2) Dnsh g"ngzh+ de m$ma q.sh de h*n z!o. 1 But [princess H mother] pass.away\E H POS early Unfortunately, her mother soon died. 131

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (3) Mi gu du" ji+, guwng yu q+-le y-wi wnghu. < 1 NOT pass\E much time, king again take.wife\E-PNC one-CL queen A little later, the King married again. Wnghu y%u y-min m jng, Queen have\S one-CL magic mirror, m*i-c wnghu wn: "Shji shng shu zu pioliang?", every-time Queen ask\E: "world in who most beautiful\S?", hud z%ng sh: " Wnghu zu pioliang." answer always be\S1: "Queen most beautiful\S" The new Queen had a magic mirror. Every time she asked: "Who is the fairest one of all?", the answer invariably was "Your Majesty is the fairest one of all." (5) Dnsh y%u y-ti$n m jng gosu wnghu: but have\S one-CLday magic mirror tell\E queen: "Bi.Xu* g"ngzh+ zu pioliang." Snow White princess most beautiful\S But one day the magic mirror told the Queen: "Snow White is the fairest one of all." (6) Wnghu f(ichng sh(ngq. queen extremely rage\E The Queen got furious. Ysh, t$ bi-zhe guwng thereupon, 3SG hide.sth.from\E-DUR king, xilng lirn b! Bi.Xu* g"ngzh+ di.do shln-l' sh$-dio. order\E hunter PAT Snow White princess take.to\E1 forest-loc kill\E1 Without telling the King, she ordered a hunter to take Snow White to the forest and kill her. (8) Dnsh lirn sh-zi b r*nx&n sh$.dio Bi.Xu* g"ngzh+ 1 but hunter in.fact NOT cruel\S kill\E Snow White princess ysh ji b! t$ fng-le. therefore then PAT 3SG let.go\E1-PNC But actually, the hunter didn't have the heart to kill the princess, so he let her go. Bi.Xu* g"ngzh+ zi shln-l' y.jin-le q&-g xi!o'!irn, Snow White princess in forest-loc meet\E1-PNC seven-CL dwarf bngqi* h t$men kuil de sh(nghu-zi yq. and with 3PL happy\S H live-at\S1 together In the forest Snow White met seven dwarves and settled down happily to live among them. (10) Wnghu y'wi Bi.Xu* g"ngzh+ y'j&ng s' le, 1 queen believe\S Snow White princess already die\E PNC, ji wn m jng: "Shji shng shu zu pioliang?" then ask\E magic mirror: "world in who most beautiful\S?" 132

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES Thinking that Snow White was already dead, the Queen asked her magic mirror: "Who is the fairest one of all?" (11) M jng shu": "Bi.Xu* g"ngzh+ zu pioliang." magic mirror say\E: "Snow White princess most beautiful\S The mirror answered: "Snow White is the fairest one of all." (12) Wnghu t&ng-le f(ichng sh(ngq. queen hear\E-PNC extremely rage\E When the Queen heard that, she got furious. (13) T$ w*izhu$ng.chng y-g l!o-ppo, 3SG disguise.into\E1 one-CL old-grandma b! y-g d pnggu% g*i-le Bi.Xu* g"ngzh+ one-CL poison apple give\E1-PNC Snow White princess She disguised herself as an old granny and gave Snow White a poisoned apple.
PAT

(14) Bi.Xu* g"ngzh+ ch&.xi d pnggu% hu, ji s'.q-le. Snow White princess eat.down\E1 poison apple after then die\E1-PNC As soon as Snow White swallowed the apple, she fell down dead. (15) Xi!o'!irn-men f(ichng sh$ng.x&n, dwarf-coll extremely heart.broken\S1 zh+nbi g*i t$ j+xng shngd de zngl'. plan\S for 3SG hold\E [grand H funeral] Heartbroken, the dwarves made plans to give Snow White a grand funeral. (16) Ln-gu de y-ge wngz' g$ngh!o l.gu. [neighbour-country H one-CL prince] happen.to\E pass.by\E1 A prince from the neighbouring kingdom happened to pass by. (17) D$ng t$ kn-do m*il de Bi.Xu* g"ngzh+ sh, when 3SG see\E1 beauty H Snow White princess Mtime qng!b"zjn de q&nw*n-le t$. 1 emotion#can't\S $restrain.self H kiss\E-PNC 3SG When he saw the beauty of Snow White, he just had to kiss her. (18) T)rn, Bi.Xu* g"ngzh+ t+.ch)-le ch&.jn.q de d pnggu%, 1 1 suddenly, Snow White princess spit.out\E -PNC [eat.up\E H poison apple] yu hu-le gu.li. again live\E-PNC come.up\E1 Suddenly, Snow White spit out the poisoned apple she had swallowed. She came back to life and arose. (19) Wngz' b! Bi.Xu* g"ngzh+ di hu-le wngg"ng, 1 prince PAT Snow White princess take.back\E -PNC palace bng zh+nbi j+xng h)nl'. 1 and get.ready\E hold\E wedding The prince took her back to his palace and started preparations for the wedding. 133

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (20) Wnghu dzh& Bi.Xu* g"ngzh+ hi hu-zhe, queen learn Snow White princess still live\E-DUR, ji bin.hu-le nw), then change.back.into\E1-PNC witch, q-zhe t$-de m sozhou, di-zhe m-jin ride-DUR 3SG-H magic broom carry\E-DUR magic-wand f(i.w!ng wngz' de wng.g"ng. fly.toward\E [prince H palace] When the Queen found out that Snow White was still alive, she changed back into a witch. Riding her witch broom and wielding her witch's wand she flew off to the prince's palace. (21) Dn d$ng wnghu f(i.do wngg"ng shngk"ng de shhou, but when queen fly.to\E1 palace above H time y-do sh!ndin b! t$ p&.s'-le. one-CL lightning PAT 3SG strike.dead\E1-PNC But just as she flew over the palace, a lightning struck her dead. (22) Cng-c' y'hu, wngz' h g"ngzh+ gu.shng-le xngf de sh(nghu. from-then afterward, prince and princess live\S1-PNC [happy H life] From then on, the Prince and Snow White lived happily ever after. [S:9] SUMMER TRAVEL PLANS [T] Dialog 1 (beginner level) (1A) Sh+ji y%u sh#nme $npi ma? summer.vacation have\S what arrangement YN Do [you] have any plans for the summer? (2B) Sh+ji w% c$nji$ zh"ngwn sh+ch&b$n summer.vacation 1SG participate Chinese summer.course xu zh"ngwn study\E Chinese This summer I am going to take a Chinese summer course to study Chinese. Dialog 2 (intermediate level) (3A) N' gn.m n(? 2SG do.what\E SFP Come on! (lit. what are you doing?) (4A) Jio n' z#nm( b l' w%? call\E 2SG why NOT answer\E 1SG Why dont you answer me when I call you? (5B) Boqin, w% jng xi!ng-zhe w% de l+xng jhu le. sorry\S 1SG only think\E-DUR 1SG H summer.travel plan PNC Im sorry. I've just been thinking about my summer travel plans. 134

MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (6A) L sh+ji hi y%u li!ng-zh"u ne, until summer.vacation still have\S two-Mweek SFP n' ji xi!ng de zhme ch)shn. 2SG already think\E H so absorbed\S Its still two weeks until the summer, but youre already so preoccuppied with it. (7B) W% jhu q zh"nggu ne, shu" shhu, 1SG plan\S1 go\E1 China SFP speak\E truth w% xinzi ji xi!ng sh"ushi xngl' dngsh(n. 1SG right.now then wish\S pack\E luggage set.out\E1 I plan to go to China. To tell you the truth, Id like to pack up and leave right now. (8A) N' b nng shu" z%u ji z%u a. 2SG NOT CAN> speak\E leave\E1 then leave\E1 SFP You cant leave right as you speak. (9A) Mngti$n hi y%u k ne. tomorrow still have\S class SFP We still have classes tomorrow. (10B) W% q ding j&pio. 1SG go\E1 order\E plane.ticket I am going to book my flight right away. [S:10] THE SWAN FEATHER [P] (1) Tng cho Zh(n-gun nin.ji$n , Tang dynasty Zhenguan Era X&y Hug( gu sh dtng de f$ngu. Xiyu Uighur land be\S1 Tang.dynasty H vassal.state In the Zhenguan Era of Tang dynasty, Uighur was a vassal state of Tang dynasty. (2) Yi-c Hug( gu wile bi!osh du dtng de y%u-h!o , once Uighur land in.order.to show\E [toward Tang dynasty H friendly.relations] bin pi sh'zh* Mi!n Bg$o then send\E1 emissary Mian Bogao di-le yi-p& zh(nq yb!o q bijin Tng wng. 1 carry\E-PNC one-CL rare&precious.things go\E pay.tribute\E Tang Emperor Once, Uighur, to show its friendship toward Tang dynasty, sent an emissary, named Mian Bogao, with a load of rare treasures to go and pay respects to the Emperor. (3) Zi zh-p& gngw-zh"ng , in this-CL tribute-within , zu zh(ngu de yo sh+ yi-zh& [h!njin de zh(n qn bi.ti$n ]. > 1 most precious\S H DES reckon\S one-CL [rare H precious bird white swan] Among these gifts, the most precious was an exotic bird, a white swan. 135

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (4) Mi!n Bg$o zu d$nx&n de y* sh zh-zh& bi.ti$n , Mian Bogao most anxious\S H ?? be\S1 this-CL white swan , wny& y%u ge s$n chng li!ng du!n , if have\S CL unexpected misfortune , k$ z*nme xing gu wng ji$odi ne? CAN how to Emperor explain\E SFP? Mian Bogao" was most anxious about this white swan&. If anything were to happen, how could he" explain it to the Emperor?
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Su%y' y&l-shng , t$ q&nz wi.shu' wi.sh , 1 therefore whole.journey-loc , 3SG personally give.water\E feed\E1 , yi-k y*b g!n dimn . one-Minstant not.even DARE> neglect\E Therefore, throughout the journey he" personally gave it& food and water. Not for a moment did he" dare to let it& out of his sight.

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Zh-ti$n , Mi!n Bg$o li-do Mi!n.yng hbi$n , 1 this-Mday , Mian Bogao come.to\E Mian.yang lake.shore , zh' jin bi.ti$n sh(n.chng just see\E1 white swan stretch\E1 ch&l de strain\E AV Mi!n Bg$o Mian Bogao bzi , zh$ng-zhe zu'b! neck, open.up\E-DUR mouth , chu!x&-zhe , gasp.for.breath-DUR ,

x&n-zh"ng b-r*n , bin d!k$i lngzi , 1 heart-in can't.bear\E , then open\E cage,

b! bi.ti$n di.do shu'.bi$n, rng t$ h(-le ge tng.kui . 1 1 PAT white swan carry.to\E lake.side let\E 3SG drink\E-PNC CL until.content One day, arriving at Mianyang Lake, Mian Bogao saw the swan stretch its neck, mouth agape and strenuously gasping for breath. Unable to bear it, Mian Bogao opened the cage, carried the swan to the lake, and let it drink its fill. (7) Shuzh& biti$n h(.z-le shu' , surprise! white swan drink.full\E1-PNC water , h.j'ng yi sh$n chb!ng , "p) l! l!" f(i.shng-le ti$n . crane.neck\E one slap.face\E wing "whoosh" fly.up\E1-PNC sky " But as soon as the white swan had drunk his fill, it craned its neck, slapped him in the face with its wings, and whoosh! off it flew into the sky. (8) Mi!n Bg$o Mian Bogao xing.qin yi p) , forward one throw.self\E ,

zh' b.xi j'-g(n y+mo , only pull.down\E1 few-CL feather , qu mi nng zhu$.zh bi.ti$n , > 1 but NOT CAN catch\E white swan

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES y!n zh(ng zh(ng k$n-zhe t$ f(i de wy'ng wz"ng . look.on.helplessly\E look\E-DUR 3SG fly\E H disappear.without.trace\E1 Mian Bogao threw himself forward but he only got hold of a few feathers. He failed to catch the swan, watching helplessly as it flew off and vanished from sight. (9) Yi-shji$n , Mi!n Bg$o p*ng-zhe j'-g(n xu*bi de mo , a-while , Mian Bogao hold\E-DUR few-CL snow.white H swan feather , zhlng lng de f$d$i , stare\E blankly AV lost.in.thought\S , n!ozi-l' li hu~hu de xi!ng-zhe yi-ge wnti : 1 1 mind-in come\E return~return\E H think\E-DUR one-CL question : For a time, Mian Bogao" stood holding a few snow white feathers, staring blankly and lost in thought. Over and over the same question went through his" mind: (10) "Z*nme bn? Jngng ma? what's do\E? pay.tribute\E YN? N shnme q jin Tng Tiz"ng ne? 1 1 take\E what go\E see\E Emperor Taizong SFP ? Hu.qu ma? Yu z*n g!n q jin Hug( gu wng ne?" go.back\E1 YN? again how DARE> go\E1 see\E1 Huige governor SFP? "What am I" to do? What about the tribute? What will I now take to Emperor Taizong? And what about going back? How dare I face the governor of Uighur?" (11) S&qin xi!ng hu , pst&fut think\E after, Mi!n B G$o judng jx d"ng xng , Mian Bo Gao decide\E continue\E east travel\E , t$ n.ch) yi-kui jibi de chuzi , 3SG take.out\E1 one-Mpiece [white H silk] , xi!o.x&n yy de b! mo b$o.h!o , careful solemn AV PAT feather wrap.up\E1 , yu zi chuzi-shng t-le yi-sh%u sh& : also on silk-surface inscribe\E-PNC one-CL poem: After thinking it over, Mian Bogao" decided to continue his mission to the east. He" took out a piece of white silk and carefully wrapped up the swan feathers. On the silk wrapping he" wrote a poem: (12) "Ti$n' gng Tng cho , swan gift Tang dynasty, sh$n zhng l gng yo , mountain serious\S road more far\S , Mi!nyng h sh& b!o , Mianyang lake lose\E treasure , "A gift of a swan to Tang dynasty. After high mountains and long roads, lost the treasure at Mianyang Lake,

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner Hug( qng nn p$o , Uighur friendship hard\S give.up\E , shng fng Tng ti$nz', Your highness, Emperor Tang , q'ng zu ask\E1 punish\E Mi$n Bg$o, Mian Bogao ,

but the friendship of Uighur lives on. Your highness, Emperor Tang, please punish guilty Mian Bogao. A trifling symbol of genuine respect, swan feathers sent from afar."

w q&ng rn yi zhng , gift slight\S man intention serious\S , qi$nl' sng ' mo !" far.from send\E1 swan feather

(13) Mi!n Bg$o di-zhe zh)b!o h hu .mo , Mian Bogao carry\E-DUR jewels together.with swan.feather , p&x&ng diyu , b clo k+ , bji+ ji do-le Chng'$n . travel\E day&night , NOT spare\E effort, soon then arrive\E1-PNC Chang'an Carrying the jewels and the swan feathers, Mian Bogao traveled day and night, sparing no effort. He" soon arrived at the journey's end, Chang'an (ancient name of Xi'an, capital of China during Tang dynasty). (14) Tng Tiz"ng ji(jin-le Mi!n Bg$o , Tang emperor Taizong grant.audience\E-PNC Mian Bogao , Mi!n Bg$o xin.shng .mo . Mian Bogao offer.tribute\E1 swan.feather Emperor Taizong" granted an audience to Mian Bogao&, and Mian Bogao& presented his tribute of swan feathers. (15) Tng Tiz"ng kn-le n-sh%u sh& , Tang emperor Taizong read\E-PNC that-CL poem, yu t&ng-le Mi!n Bg$o de s.shu". also hear\E-PNC Mian Bogao H story , f(idn miy%u gui.zu t$ , not.only <NOT blame\E 3SG, f!n'r jude Mi!n Bg$o zh"ng.chng l!osh, b r+ sh'mng , but.even think\E Mian Bogao loyal\S honest\S, NOT fail.in\E mission , ji zhng.zhng de sh!ngc-le t$ . then heavily AV reward\E-PNC 3SG Emperor Taizong" read the poem and heard Mian Bogao&'s story. Not only did he" not blame him&, but even thought that Mian Bogao& had proved himself loyal and honest and had not failed in his& mission. So he" rewarded him& richly.

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES [T:1] TEACHING ASSISTANT [Wu, R. 2002:529 + fw] (1) Na-ge zhujiao shi yi-ge cong Datong gong xueyuan lai de. 1 1 that-CL TA be\S one-CL from Datong Industrial Institute come\E H That TA came from the Datong Industrial Institute. Ranhou na-ge zhujiao ye bu hui a. 1 then that-CL TA also NOT know.how\S SFP So the TA didn't know how [to do this] either. Mei-ci ta xie de daan every-Mtime 3SG write\E H answer dou bei
DIS

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laoshi da yi-ge da ca ou. teacher place\E one-CL big cross SFP Every time he wrote an answer, it was always crossed out by the teacher.
AGT

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Ou ranhou ta mei-ci hou ta na-ge kan!bu"dong a. oh then 3SG every-Mtime after 3SG that look#can't\S1$understand SFP And afterwards every time he couldn't figure it out. Suoyi ta jiu kan na-ge zuihou de daan a therefore 3SG just look\E that-CL final\S1 H answer SFP yinwei butong de. because different\S1 SFP So he'd just stare at the final answer because it was different. Butong de fangfa, different\S1 H method ni-de na-ge chulai de jieguo yiding bu yiyang. 2SG-H that-CL come.out\E1 H result definitely NOT same\S1. With a different method, the result you get is definitely not the same.

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Jieguo, wo mei-ci chu.lai de na-ge jieguo result 1SG every-Mtime come.out\E1 H that-CL result yiding gen ta bu yiyang. definitely with 3SG NOT same\S1 So every time, the result I got was definitely not the same as his.

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Wo juede 1SG think\S ni zuoye jiu bu yong zai nabian shang.lai shang.chu de. > 2SG homework just NOT NEED at that-Mside teach\E1 teach\E1 SFP I think that homework, you just don't need to teach at all.

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Ni jiu zhijie ba daan fa.xialai, wo jiu zhidao le. 1 2SG just directly PAT answer return\E 1SG then know\S1 PNC You just distribute the answers directly, and then I figure it out.

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (10) You yi-ge nanhaizi wo yongyuan jide. have\S one-CL boy 1SG forever remember\E There was one boy I'll remember forever. (11) Ta shuo: "Lian ni dou kao name gao!" 3SG say\E "even 2SG even exam so high\S" He said: "Even you got such a high exam.grade!" (12) Ta yisi shi shuo, "Ni weijifen dou guo!bu"liao." 3SG meaning be\S1 say\E "2SG calculus even pass#can't\S1$finish" yinwei wo na-shihou weijifen bei dang because 1SG that-time calculus AGT flunk\E What he meant was "You couldn't even pass Calculus!", because I had flunked Calculus at that time. (13) Dagai, wo kan, hen duo ren ye zhidao ma. probably 1SG suppose\S, POS many person also know\S1 SFP Probably, I suppose, many people also knew it. (14) Buguo na-ge ren yiding zhidao. however that-CL person definitely know\S1 But that guy definitely knew. (15) Na-ge ren xianzai zai Pulisindun. that-CL person now be.at\S1 Princeton That guy is now at Princeton. [T:2] THE THIEF AND THE PAUPER [E] (1) Y%u yi-ge xi!o t"u bny-l' ch).q t"u.qi. 1 have\S one-CL little thief midnight-loc go.out\E steal\E1 A little thief came out at midnight to steal. T$ do-le yi-ji$, b! qing w$-le yi-ge k)long, 3SG come.to\E1-PNC one-CLhome, PAT wall scoop one-CL hole, p.do w)-l', f$xin zh ji$ rn h*n qing, 1 climb.into\E house-loc discover\E this CLhome person very poor\S miy%u shnme d"ngxi k# t"u, ysh ji d!k$i fng.mn, have.no\S1 what thing CAN> steal\E, thereupon then open\E1 house.door mn b j&ng.x&n de z%u-le ch).qu. slow\S NOT careful\S H walk\E-PNC go.out\E1 He came to a house, dug a hole in the wall, and climbed inside. He found that this person was very poor and had nothing worth stealing. So he opened the door and walked out openly and without conceal. (3) Xi!o t"u de yi-qi xng.dng qing ji$ de zh+.rn d"u kn.do-le. little thief H one-Mentire behavior poor home H owner DIS see\E1-PNC All of the little thiefs actions had been observed by the poor house owner. 140

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (4) T$ du g$ng z%u.ch) mn de xi!o t"u h!n.do: 1 3SG to just walk.out\E door H little thief shout.to\E1 He went to the door and shouted after the little thief: "N-wi hnzi, q'ng n' b! mn gu$n.shng zi z%u!" that-CL guy, ask\E 2SG PAT house close.up\E1 then walk\E "Hey you, shut the door when you leave! Xi!o t"u t&ng-le hu tu, shu": 1 little thief hear\E-PNC turn\E head, say\E: When the little thief heard that, he turned his head and said: N' z#nme zhyng 2SG why this.way l!n, lazy\S

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gui.b.d n' ji$ qing de shnme d"ngxi y# miy%u! no.wonder 2SG house poor\S H what thing NPI have.no\S1 "Why are you so lazy?! No wonder your house is so poor you have nothing at all!" (8) Qing zh+.rn ji(-zhe shu": poor owner reply\E-DUR say\E The poor house-owner replied: N' xi!ng de do t'ng.h!o, 1 2SG think\E H reach\E excellent, n' pn w% qn.kui q'.lai, h!o zhng.qin m!i d"ngxi, 2SG hope\S 1SG run.around(?)\E start\E1 good\S earn.money\E buy\E thing, m!i.li d"ngxi h!o rng n' t"u a! 1 1 1 buy\E thing done\S let\E 2SG steal\E SFP "You've thought up an excellent [plan]: You hope I'll start running around, earning money and buying things. And when I've bought a lot of stuff, I'll let you steal it! (10) N' xi!ng.cu-le, w% pi$n b n-yng! 1 2SG think.wrong\E -PNC, 1SG fool\E NOT that-way! You think wrong. You won't fool ME that way!" [T:3] THREE MONKS [K] (1) Sh$n-shng y%u zu xi!o-mio, mountain-top have\S CL little-tempole, mio-l' y%u g xi!o hshang. temple-in have\S CL little monk Up on a mountain there was a little temple, where there lived a little monk. (2) Xi!o hshang m*i-ti$n yng bi!ndn ti$o li!ng-t%ng shu'. little monk every-Mday use\E shoulder.yoke draw\E two-Mbucket water Every day he drew two buckets of water with a sholder yoke.

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (3) Shu' du" de h(#b$wn. water much\S H drink#can't\S1$finish There was so much water that he could drink his fill without running out. Bji+, li-le g shu hshang. 1 soon, come\E -PNC CL thin monk A little later, a thin monk came. Shu hshang b thin monk NOT yuny ygrn ti$o-shu', willing\S alone draw-water\E,

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ysh t$men yq' q ti-shu', 1 thereupon 3PL together go\E lift-water\E, zh-yng zh' nng ti y-t%ng shu'. this-Mkind only CAN> lift\E one-Mbucket water He was not willing to draw water alone, so they now went to fetch water together. Therefore they could only draw one bucket of water. (6) T$men hi sh y%u shu' h( de. 3PL still FOC have\S water drink\E SFP They still had water to drink. Huli, li-le g png 1 later come\E -PNC CL fat\S Later, a fat monk came. hshang. monk

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Zh-c, mi-rn yuny q ti$o-shu' le. 1 this-Mtime, no-CLman willing\S go\E draw-water\E PNC Now, nobody was willing to go for water. Y&nwi bi$ndn zh'-yo li!ng-g rn ti. > because shoulder.yoke only-DES two-CL man lift\E For the shoulder-yoke only requires two people.

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(10) Zh-yng ji hu y%u y-g rn xin-zhe le, this-Mkind then EXP> have\S one-CL man idle\S-DUR PNC, dnsh t$men shu y* b yuny. but 3PL who ever NOT willing\S So now one man would have to be idle, but they were unwilling to agree on who it should be. (11) Ysh t$men mi shu' h( le. thereupon 3PL have.no\S1 water drink\E PNC So now they had no water to drink. (12) N-w!n, mio-l' zho-hu% le. that-Mnight temple-in catch-fire\E PNC That night a fire broke out in the temple.

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (13) S$n-g hshang yq' fnl de p)mi-le d-hu%. 1 three-CL monk together spare.no.effort\E H extinguish\E -PNC big-fire Together, the three monks worked tirelessly until they had put out the conflagration. (14) Cng-c' t$men hxi$ng b$ngzh, from-Mevt 3SG mutually help\E, zrn ji y%u shu' h( le. natural then have\S water drink\E PNC From then on, they helped each other, so, naturally, they had enough water to drink. [T:4] TUBE ROSE [Y:734] (1) Huaer chabuduo dou zai baitian kai.fang, flower almost.all DIS in daytime open.\E1 yelaixiang que butong. tube.rose but different\S Almost all flowers bloom in the daytime, but the tube-rose is different. (2) Ta zai bangwan kai hua 3SG in evening open\E flower yue dao shenye, fachu de xiangwei yue nong. 1 1 more arrive\E deep.night [emit\E H scent] more strong\S It opens its flowers in the evening, and the deeper the night the stronger its scent. (3) Bangwan yelaixiang kai.fang evening tube.rose open.\E1 keshi hudie mifeng dou bu zai chulai le. 1 but butterfly bee all NOT any.more come.out\E PNC The tube-rose blooms in the evening, but butterflies and bees dont come out any more. (4) Ta zhiyou shan.fachu qiang.lie de xiangwei, 3SG only spread.out\E1 [powerfull\S H scent] cai neng jingyou naxie wanshang chulai > only.then CAN attract\E those [night come.out\E1 huodong de work\E H feie moth]

dao ta zheli lai bang ta chuanshou huafen. to 3SG here come\E1 help\E 3SG propagate\E pollen So it just emits powerful scent so that it can attract the moths that come out at night to work to come to it and help it propagate its pollen.

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner [V:1] VOLUNTEER [T] (1) Mo Su zi Zhogu d$i-le s$n nin, Mao Sui in Zhao.state live\E-PNC three Myear qu yzh b bi zhng-yng. but all.along NOT AGT put.in.important.position\E Mao Sui lived in the kingdom of Zhao for three years, without being entrusted with any important position throughout that time. (2) Yc Zhogu bi Qngu j)ndu wig"ng, once Zhao.state AGT Qin.state army besiege\E x)yo xu,n rsh-ge rn q Ch1gu qi.ji. need\S1 select 20-CL man go\E1 Chu.state beg.for.help\E Once, Zhao was besieged by the army of Qin and had to pick twenty men to go to [the neighboring state of] Chu for help. (3) Zhogu ti$o-le shji1-ge rn, dn zuhu hi qu( y-ge rn. Zhaoguo pick\E-PNC 19-CL man, but finally still lack\S one-CL man They selected nineteen men, but in the end they were still one man short. Ysh Mo Su zh1dng shu": "W. k"y'." thereupon Mao Sui take.initiative\E say\E: "1SG CAN>" Then Mao Sui volunteered by saying simply: "I can [do this]." Dn do-le Ch1gu, qu sh-zh"ng tn b ch) jigu.. but arrive\E1-PNC Chuguo, but all.along discuss\E NOT rise\E result But when they arrived in Chuguo, they negotiated for a long time to no avail. Mo Su kn shji$n b d#ng rn, Mao Sui see\E time NOT wait\E man ji ch"ng.do-le Ch1.wng minqin, at.once rush.to\E1-PNC Chu.king in.front.of b,
PAT

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ch) b&ng ji Zho du Ch1gu y.u l de doli exit\E1 army save\E Zhao for Chu have\S1 advantage H reason

xingx-de f(nx& g#i Ch1.wng t&ng. in.detail-AV analyze\E1 for Chu.king listen\E Mao Sui saw there was no time to lose, so he rushed to the emperor of Chu and explained to him in detail the advantages for Chu of saving Zhao from the [Qin] army. (7) Jigu. Ch1.wng d$ying m,shng ch) b&ng, result Chu.king promise\E immediately rise\E1 army, Qnj)n huli ji chtu le. Qin.army afterwards then retreat\E PNC Finally, the emperor of Chu promised to raise an army right away, and soon afterwards the Qin army retreated.

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES [W:1] WALLS HAVE EARS [T] (1) Cngqin, y%u y-ge hoqx&n h#n zhng de rn. long.ago have\S one-CL inquisitive\S very heavy\S H man Once upon a time, there was a very inquisitive man. T$ z%ngsh x'huan sch d!ting biren de mmi. 3SG always like\S everywhere ask.abt\E other.people H secret He always liked to invade other peoples privacy. T$ zh&do de mmi ti du" le , 3SG know\S1 H secret too many PNC, bi( zi x&nl' h#n nnshu. hold.back\E in heart-loc very hard.to.bear\S He knew too many secrects and found it hard to keep them all. Y-ti$n, t$ h(-le j'-b(i ji+, one-Mday, 3SG drink\E-PNC several-Mcup wine jigu% b! zj' d!ting.do de shqing qunb shu"-le ch)li. result ACC self ask.about\E1 H affairs whole say\E-PNC come.out\E1 One day he drank several cups of wine, and while drunk spilled all the secrets. (5) T$ mi xi!ng.do, 3SG NOT expect\E1, gb fngji$n-l' de rn t&ngjin-le t$ shu" de hu. 1 next.door room-in H man hear\E -PNC 3SG say\E H speech To his surprise, the man next door heard all he said. (6) Mi gu du"ji+, 1 NOT pass\E much.time su%y%u rn d"u zh&do-le t$ du"zu' de hui mobng. every man DIS know\S-PNC 3SG gossip\E H bad fault Very soon, everybody knew about his bad habit of gossiping. [W:2] WASTING ONE'S TALENT ON A TRIVIAL JOB [G] (1) Nnsng m, J&ngu bdun nn q&n. Nan.Song end Jin.state constantly south invade At the end of the Nan Song Dynasty, the kingdom of Jin repeatedly invaded south of the border. X&n Qij c$nji$-le kng j&n yj)n. Xin Qiji join\E-PNC resist volunteer.army Xin Qiji joined the resistance army. Huli, t$ zi choting-l- l rn Hb#i, Ji$ngx& d#ng f1sh-. later 3SG in dynasty-loc calndr. appoint\E Hubei, Jiangxi province governor Eventually, he was nominated the governor of the provinces of Hubei and Jiangxi. 145

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (4) T$ bj-n sh ge i-gu y&ngxing, 1 3SG not.only be\S CL patriotic hero hi xi#-le h#n du" i-gu sh&c. also write\E-PNC very many patriotic poem He was not only a national hero, but also wrote many patriotic poems. (5) 1203 nin, t$ bi rnmng wi Zhd"ng $nf1sh-, 1203 year, 3SG AGT appoint\E as Zhedong governor chng y1 igu sh&rn L Yu yln guji$ d sh. often with patriotic poet Lu You discuss\E country big matter In 1203, when he was appointed the governor of Zhedong, he often discussed the affairs of the state with another patriotic poet, Lu You. (6) D-r nin, hungd yo t$ q j&ngchng, 1 next year, emperor request\E 3SG go\E capital wnxn t$ du b#i f J&n.gu de yjian. ask 3SG for defeat attack Jin.state H opinion The following year, the emperor summoned Xin Qiji to the capital to ask his advice about the war with the kingdom of Jin. (7) Z.u zh&qin, L Yu sng t$ y sh.u sh&, sh&-zh"ng shu": leave\E before, Lu You give\E 3SG one CL poem, poem-in say\E: X&n Qj zu $nf1sh- ti dcixi,oyng le. Xin Qiji make\E governor too waste.of.talent\E PNC Before he left, Lu You gave him a poem where he wrote: To make Xin Qiji a governor is a terrible waste of talent. (8) X&n Qj do-le j&ngchng, 1 Xin Qiji arrive\E -PNC capital hungd qu zh- $npi t$ zu Zhnji$ngf1 zh&f1. emperor however only arrange\E 3SG make\E Zhenjiang-prefecture magistrate But when Xin Qiji arrived in the capital, the emperor merely arranged for him to be appointed the magistrate of the prefecture of Zhenjiang. (9) Bji1, zh wi igu y&ngxing bin zi y"u.fn-zh"ng bng sh. soon.aft this CL patriotic hero then be.in\S1 sorrow.anger-loc ill\S die\E Soon this national hero fell ill with sorrow and anger and died. [W:3] WHEN A BOY INVITES A GIRL [T] (1B) Zujn mng shnme ne? recently busy\S what SFP What have you been doing recently? (2G) Kui k!osh le, mng-zhe fx ne! soon take.exam\E PNC, busy\S-DUR review\E SFP I have exams soon. I've been busy reviewing [the material]. 146
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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (3G) Zh-j' ti$n yzh mizi sh)-du&-l' ne! 1 this-several Mday continuously bury.in\E book-pile-in SFP I've been buried in a pile of books non-stop for several days now! (4B) N' y# ti yngg"ng-le ba! 2SG too too hard.working\S-PNC SFP You're way too hard-working! (5B) Xiw+ ch)q sn-b, z#nme.yng? 1 afternoon go.out\E go.for.a.walk\E, how.about How about going out for a walk this afternoon? (6G) W% k# miy%u n' n.yng de xin.qng yzh! 1SG at.all have.no\S1 1SG this-Mkind H leisure.time carefree.mood I don't have any of the kind of leisure time and carefree mood that you do! (7B) Bi a!
DON'T SFP!

N' mi t&ngshu" 2SG <NOT hear.say\E

"zh' g"ngzu b wnshu! c"ngmng hizi y# binsh!" ma? 1 only work\E NOT play\E smart child even turn.into.fool\E YN Oh come on! Haven't you heard people say, "All work and no play turns even a bright child into a fool"? (8B) N' nndo xi!ng bin.chng sh!zi ma? 2SG QUE wish\S turn.into\E1 fool YN Do you want to turn into a fool? (9G) N h!o ba! then good\S SFP All right then! (10G) W% k# b-xi!ng bi n' shu".chng sh!zi. 1SG at.all NOT-wish\S AGT 2SG call\E1 fool I don't at all wish to be called a fool by you. (11G) W%men ch)q snb ba! 1PL go.out\E1 go.for.a.walk\E OPT Let's go out for a walk. [W:4] WHEN GRANDMA PASSED AWAY [Hc: 144] (1) Qunian wo waipo guoshi. last.year 1SG grandmother pass.away\E1 Last year my grandmother passed away. Yinwei sangjia you qi-tian, because bereavement.leave have\S seven-Mday wo xiansheng jiu qingjia a. 1 1SG husband then take.time.off\E SFP Since there is a seven-day bereavement leave my husband took some time off work. 147

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (3) Ta you sangjia hao xiu. 3SG have\S bereavement.leave ok\S take\E He was able to take a bereavement leave. Wo ye you sangjia hao xian. 1SG also have\S bereavement.leave ok\S take\E I was also able to take a bereavement leave. Jiu kandao renjia changfang chuzu, 1 then see\E someone factory.building rent\E jiu mashang da dianhua. then immediately make\E phone.call Then we saw someone's factory building for rent, so we immediately made a phone call. [W:5] WHY CATS HUNT MICE [K] (1) H*n ji+ y'qin, very long ago, m$o h l!osh+ jsh lnju, yush h!o pngyou. 1 cat and mouse be.both\S neighbour and good friend Long time ago, the cat and the mouse were neighbours and good friends. (2) Y%u y-ti$n, have\S one-Mday t&ngshu" hear\E

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Yhungdd yo xu!n sh'r zh%ng dngw zuwi rn de sh(ngxi$o, Emperor Jade DES> choose\E twelve among animal for [person H zodiac] t$men d"u xi!ng q bomng. 1 3PL DIS wish\S go\E sign.up\E One day, they heard that Emperor Jade was going to choose twelve animals for zodiac signs. They both wanted to go and sign up. (3) M$o shu": cat say\E: The cat said: "Zn-men d$i z!oq' q bomng, > 1 1 12-coll OUGHT early.rise\E go\E sign.up\E k*sh w% i shu!l!n"jio, z*nme-bn ne? but 1SG love\S #late$sleep\E1 how-do\E SFP "We should get up early to go and sign up, but I love to sleep late. What shall I do?" (5) L!osh+ shu": mouse say\E: The mouse said:

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (6) "Bi d$nx&n, w% q jio n', zn-men ykuir q." 1 "don't worry\E 1SG go\E wake\E 2SG, 12-coll together go\E1 "Don't worry! I'll come and wake you, and we'll go together." M$o t&ng-le h*n g$oxng. cat hear\E-PNC very happy\S The cat was very happy to hear that. Dr ti$n, l!osh+ z!oji x'ngli-le, next Mday, mouse early wake.up\E1-PNC k*sh t$ gu$ng xi!ngdo zj' de sh, but 3SG merely think.of\E1 [self H affairs] b! h!o pngyou m$o g*i wng-le. good\S friend cat ? forget\E-PNC The next day the mouse woke up early, but he only thought of his own affairs and forgot his good friend, the cat.
PAT

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Jigu%, l!osh+ bi xu!nshng-le. finally mouse AGT choose\E1-PNC In the end, the mouse was chosen.

(10) M$o y&nwi shu!l!n"jio, miy%u bi xu!nshng. cat because #late$sleep\E1 <NOT AGT choose\E1 The cat was not chosen, because he'd overslept. (11) Ysh m$o ji h*n sh*ng l!osh+ de q, thereupon cat then very very mouse H get.angry\E1 jin-le l!osh+ ji yo ch& t$. see\E-PNC mouse then DES> eat\E 3SG The cat got terribly angry with the mouse. If he ever saw him, he'd eat him. (12) Cng-zh y'hu, l!osh+ jin-le m$o from-this after, mouse see\E-PNC cat ji zhh!o p&nmng-de to. then MUST> with.all.might-ADV escape\E From then on, when a mouse sees a cat, it has to run as fast as it can. [W:6] WHY CRABS WALK SIDEWAYS [Y:75, YC:434] (1) Pangxie ping-zhe crab rely.on\S-DUR di-yi dui chuijiao-shang de ganjue.mao han yi-dui yanjing [first CLpair feeler-on H sensing.hair] and [one-CLpair eye] zai shui-zhong zhao yu, xia chi. in water-loc seek\E fish, shrimp eat\E

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner A crab relies on the sensing hair on the first pair of its feelers and on its eyes to look in the water for fish and shrimp to eat. (2) An-shang ru you shiwu, ta ye yao qiang shore-on if have\S food 3SG also DES> grab\E If there is food on land, it will grab it too. (omitted text terminating in a full stop.) Pangxie weishenme yao heng-zhe pa ne? > 1 crab why DES sideways\S -DUR crawl\E SFP Why does a crab crawl sideways? Zhe han ta na si-dui buzu de jiegou you guanxi. this and 3SG [that four-CLpair claw H structure] have\S relation This is related to the structure of its four pairs of claws. Pangxie you crab have\S si-dui buzu, sucheng "tuier", 1 four-CLpair claw commonly.called\S "tuier"

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youyu mei tiao tuier de guanjie zhi-neng xiang xia wanqu, since every CL tuier H joint only-CAN> toward down bend\E bu-neng xiang qian-hou wanqu > NOT-CAN toward fore-aft bend\E pa.xing shi, bixu xian yong yi-bian buzu de zhijian zhua di crawl\E time, MUST> first use\E one-side claw H finger.tip grip\E ground zai yong ling yi-bian de buzu sheng-chilai then use\E [other one-side H claw stretch.up\E1 shenti tui.guoqu. 1 PAT body push.through\E A crab has four pairs of claws, commonly called "tuier". Since every "tuier" joint can only bend downward, not forward or backward, when it crawls, it has to first use the tips of a claw on one side to get hold, and then use the claw on the other side to stretch up and push its body forward. (6) Suoyi, ta zhi hui heng-zhe pa. therefore 3SG only know.how\S1 sideways\S1-DUR crawl\E Therefore, it can only crawl sideways. [W:7] WHY SHELLFISH TURN RED [Y: 46, 53, 60] (1) Xia, pangxie de zhonglei hen duo, shrimp, crab H species very many\S shenshang dou you gezhong butong de yanse, body DIS have\S various\S different\S H color ba

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES keshi jingguo zhengzhu yihou, 1 but pass.through\E steam after shenti biaomian dou hui biancheng hongse le. > 1 body surface DIS EXP change.to\E red.color PNC There are many species of shrimps and crabs, which come in many different colors. But when they are steamed, they all turn red. (2) Zhe shi weishenme ne? this be\S1 why SFP Why is that? Yuanlai zai xia, xie jiake-xiamian de biaopi-zhong turn.out in shrimp, crab shell-underneath H layer(?)-in you yi-zhong yu re hui bei fenjie chulai de dongxi. > have\S one-Mkind red stuff EXP AGT ? come.out\E H ? ming jiao "xiahongsu", name(?) call\E "xiahongsu" ta yu qita sesu bu yiyang, bu pa gao-wen, 3SG and other pigment NOT similar\S NOT afraid\S high-temperature yudao gao-wen, ta jiu cong jiake-zhong chendian chulai meet\E high.temperature 3SG then from shell-inside exude\E cm.out\E1 bing xianchu feichang hanyan de hongse. and display\E extremely bright\S H red.color It turns out that both shrimps and crabs have a red pigment underneath the shell, which penetrates to the surface when heated. It is called "xiahongsu". Unlike other kinds of pigment, it tolerates high temperatures. When exposed to high temperatures, it exudes from the shell and exhibits a bright red color. (4) Youyu "xiahongsu" since "xiahongsu" ru yong you peng if use\E oil fry\E neng
CAN
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rongjie.zai you-zhong, 1 dissolve.in\E oil-in

xia she, shrimp ?

you jiu bian.cheng yin ren xiai de chenghongse le. 1 oil then turn.into\E one CL attractive\S H red.color PNC Since "xiahongsu" dissolves in oil, if we use oil to cook shrimp, the oil too will become an attractive red color.

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner [W:8] WORRYING THE SKY MIGHT FALL DOWN [G] (1) Cngqin zi Ch)nqi) Zhngu shq& de Q'gu, long.ago in Spring.and.Warrior period H State.of.Chi y%u y-ge d!nzi h*n xi!o have\S one-CL courage very small\S de rn, H man

t$ chng hu xi!ng.do y-xi( qgui de wnt. > 1 3SG often EXP think.up\E some strange\S H question Once upon a time, in the State of Chi, during the Spring and Warrior Period (770 B.C. 221 B.C.), there was a very cowardly man who often got worried about strange questions. (2) Y%u y-ti$n, t$ ch&-gu w!nfn hu, have\S one-Mday 3SG eat\E-TRM supper after n-le y-b! d pshn, zu.zi mn-qin chng.ling. take\E1-PNC one-CL big cattail.leaf.fan sit.in\S1 door-in.front cool.off.in.shade\E One day after supper, he took a big cattail leaf and sat in the doorway to cool off in the shade. (3) H)rn zynzy+ de shu": suddenly think.aloud\E H say\E Suddenly, he said aloud to himself: Ji!r y%u y-ti$n, ti$n t$-le xi.li, if have\S one-Mday, sky collapse\E-PNC come.down\E1, n g&i z*nme.bn ne? then OUGHT what.do\E SFP Suppose one day the sky fell down. What should one do then? (4) Cngc' y'hu, t$ j&h) m*i-ti$n wi zh-ge wnt fnn!o. from-Me after, 3SG almost every-Mday because this-CL problem worry\E From then on, he continued to worry about this possibility every day. Pngyou jin t$ zh"ngr j&ngshen hu!ngh), 1 friend perceive\E 3SG all.day.long mind distracted\S d"u h*n t t$ d$nx&n. DIS very for 3SG worry\S When his friends noticed he was always on edge, they began to worry about him. (6) D$ng dji$ zh&.do yuny&n hu, when everyone know\S1 cause after, d"u p!o li qun t$ shu", 1 DIS run\E come\E exhort\E 3SG say\E When they found out the cause, they all ran to him to plead:

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MANDARIN DISCOURSE SAMPLES (7) L!oxi"ng! N' hb zxnfnn!o n(? brother! 2SG why.should trouble.oneself\E SFP Brother, why do you trouble yourself needlessly? Ti$nk"ng z#nme hu t$ xi.li ne? > 1 sky why EXP collapse\E come.down\E SFP Why should the sky fall down? Zishu" jsh' zh(nde t$ xi.li, besides even.if really 3SG come.down\E1 n y* bsh n' ygrn k$y% ji*ju de a! then also NOT 2SG alone CAN solve\E H SFP Besides, even if it really did fall down, you couldnt do anything about it. (10) Xi!ngk$i di!n ba! get.over\E1 M OPT Get over it! (11) K*sh, wln pngyou z*nme shu", t$ d"u b xi$ngxng, but no.matter friend how say\E, 3SG DIS NOT accept.as.true\E1 rngrn shchng wi zh-ge wnt d$ny"u. still often because.of this-CL question worry\E However, no matter what his friends said, he would not be convinced and continued to worry about this problem. [X:1] XIAOLI [Li 2005:185] (1) Xi!oli ninq&ng pioliang , g"nzu y* h!o. Xiaoli young\S pretty\S , job also good\S Xiaoli is young and pretty. She has a good job, too. Su&rn y%u ge nnpngyou , k*sh b xi!ng jih)n. although have\S CL boyfriend , but NOT wish\S marry\E She has a boyfriend, but she doesnt wish to get married. [X:2] XIANGZI [Li 2004:36, 30, 32] (1) Xiangzi yao.shang-le ya, Xiangzi bite.down\E1-PNC teeth tang-zhe shui buguan gao-di shen-qian de pao qilai. wade-DUR water no.matter high\S-low\S deep\S-shallow\S H run\E begin\E1 Xiangzi clenched his teeth and began to run [pulling his rikshaw], wading through the water whether it was deep or shallow.

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http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mbittner (2) Gang pao chuqu bu yuan, 1 just run\E go.out\E NOT far\S tian hei-le yi-zhen, jingenzhe yiliang, sky dark\S-PNC one-Mwhile immediately bright\S, yu you mizhu ta-de yan. < rain again blur\E 3SG-H eye He hadn't run far when the sky darkened [again]. Immediately afterwards there was a flash and rain blurred his vision again. (3) La.dao-le, zuochede lian yi-ge tongban ye mei duo gei. 1 pull.arrive-PNC passenger even one-CL penny NPI NOT more\S give\E When he finally arrived, the passenger didn't even give him a penny extra. Xiangzi yi-kouqi pao.hui-le jia. 1 Xiangzi one-Mgo run.back\E -PNC home Xiangzi ran all the way home. Bao-zhe huo, hug\E-DUR fire kao-le yi-zhen, ta duosuo de xiang fengyu-zhong de shuye. toast\E-PNC one-Mwhile, 3SG shiver\E H resemble\S [storm-in H leaf] Sitting close by the fire, he warmed himself for a while, shivering like a leaf in a storm. (6) Huniu gei ta chong-le wan Huniu for 3SG make\E-PNC Mbowl jiang-tang-shui, ginger-sugar-water

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ta shazi-shi-de bao-zhe wan yi-qi he.wan. 3SG fool-like-AV hold\E-DUR bowl one-Mgulp drink.finish\E1 Huniu made him a bowl of sugared ginger tea, which he gulped down holding the bowl like an imbecile. (7) He.wan, ta zuan-le beiwo, shenme ye bu zhidao le. drink.finish\E1, 3SG get.under\E-PNC cover what NPI NOT know\S PNC When he finished, he got under the covers and knew no more. Huniu zhe-cai xiangqi qu qing daifu. Huniu only-then think.up\E1 go\E1 ask\E1 doctor Only then did Huniu think of going for a doctor. Zha-le liang-zhen , fu-le ji yao, get\E-PNC two-Mshot, take\E-PNC Mdose medicine ta qingxing.guolai, yizheng yan bian wen, 1 3SG wake.up\E at.once open.eyes\E then ask\E, "ai xia.yu ma?" "still fall.rain\E YN?" After he'd had two injections and some medicine, he woke up, opened his eyes and asked, "Is it still raining?" 154

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