Useful Phrases in the Shanghai Dialect 1908

he compilation of these phrases was suggested by the frequent requests on the part of busy residents or transient visitors for a handbook containing easily-learned every-day words and phrases. The compiler is well aware that there is no royal road or short cut to learning, and would recommend to those who have the time for the more thorough study of the colloquial a careful study of Dr. Hawks Pott’s “Lessons in the Shanghai Dialect” (or Dr. Yates’ First Lessons in Chinese), and a constant use of the Shanghai Vocabulary, as well as the excellent Chinese-English Dictionary prepared by Messrs. Silsby and Davis.

We trust that these phrases will not only be of immediate use to the busy house-wife and merchant, or inquiring tourist, but will be of effective assistance to the student in the acquisition of a knowledge of the idiom. The Chinese mode of thought and method of speech differs so largely from our own that the acquirement of a fluent and familiar use of colloquial Chinese seems only possible by committing to memory, or carefully studying, such sentences as are collected in the following pages. A useful practice would be to rewrite the English word by word, according to the order in the vernacular, so as to perceive the construction of sentences and the peculiar use of verbs, adverbs, prepositions, connective and terminal particles, etc. To aid in the recognition of the English equivalents of the Chinese character or romanised we have added an index and 

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vocabulary of the words used in this book. This will require to be used cautiously, as the meanings given in many cases are not the primary ones, but rather those used in certain phrases. It ought also to be mentioned that the grammatical and topical groups at the end of the book are not complete, but are added for convenience of reference and in the hope that they will tempt to a fuller study through the medium of the more elaborate works.

The description of the romanised system used is reproduced, by kind permission, from the material supplied by Rev. J. A. Silsby to accompany the romanised translation of the Police Regulations published by the Shanghai Municipal Council. This system of romanisation was adopted by the Shanghai Vernacular Society in 1899, and has many merits, not the least being the absence of diacritical marks.

Grateful thanks are accorded to friends who have helped with advice, particularly to Rev. G. F. Fitch, D.D., Rev. J. A. Silsby, and Mr. Kau Voong-dz (高鳳池). Such help was very necessary from the manner in which various native teachers differed as to pronunciation and idiom.

In spite of all the pains taken in the preparation of these sentences and in the revision for this second edition it is possible that errors still remain; the compiler, therefore, will be grateful for corrections, which will be duly noted in prospect of a possible future edition.

G. M.

Shanghai, 23rd March, 1908.