A Pronouncing and Defining Dictionary of the Swatow Dialect (汕頭方言音義字典) / ngan

昂

To rise higher and higher; grand; imposing; high, as in price.
mûeh kè ti ngan;

the prices of articles vary.
cì-khì ngan-ngan;

self possessed.
tàⁿ ūe màiⁿ khah kek ngan;

in speaking do not say what offends one’s self-love.

眼

The eye; marks resembling an eye; an opening.
i kâi ngán-sîn hó̤;

the expression of his eye is good.
ŭ ngán bô̤ cū;

he has eyes without lenses; he is not discriminating as to the merits of persons.
i hó̤ ngán lâk;

he judges things at a glance.
thóiⁿ i m̄ tŏ̤ ngán kài;

kept no impression of him in mind.
ngán côiⁿ ŭ sṳ̄ mē?

Have you any immediate business?
tèng pá-ngán;

stand the next to the senior wrangler in the cìn-sṳ̆ examination.
i cêk sang hó̤ ngán-mâk;

he has a fine pair of eyes.
cūaⁿ jîn bô̤ kùi ngán;

low people have not valuable eyes.
khṳ̀ tàu cêk kâi sìⁿ ngán;

go and get a pivot put in the end of the fan.
ka-to̤ ngán khah siap, ēng îu buah i kût cē;

the pivot of the shears is so tight that the blades move with much friction, take some oil and oil it.
chŵn cîah cêk sang bâi ngán;

his beauty lies wholly in his eyes.
i nŏ̤ nâng bâi lâi ngán khṳ̀;

the two were exchanging meaning glances.
sang ngán hue-lêng;

a pheasant’s feather with two eyes on it.
khóng-chieh kâi mô̤ⁿ ŭ ngán;

peacocks’ feathers have eyes.
hó̤ ngán tói;

strong sharp eyes.

垛

A target hung near a race course.
cìⁿ-ngán-khang;

openings in the battlement of a wall, for archers to shoot through.

淬

To temper by plunging in water.
ngàn chìu cúi;

to temper by plunging in cold water.
cí īeⁿ kǹg sĭ khṳ̀ ngàn chim kheⁿ kâi kheⁿ cúi;

this sort of steel is tempered in the water of a deep pit.
līen lío khîeh khṳ̀ ngàn cúi, līen lío khîeh khṳ̀ ngàn cúi, ngàn jú ke hûe jú hó̤;

heat it and plunge it into water, repeating the process, the more times the better.

掐

To seize with force; to pinch hard.
ngàn kàu ŭ ku-ā kâi cńg-kah ūi;

pinched so as to leave the prints of the nails.
lṳ́ kio úa lìam hó̤-hó̤, màiⁿ ngàn tîeh;

pinch me softly, and not so hard as to hurt.
úa hàm i lâi kio úa tĕⁿ pùe-kṳn, kŭa saⁿ khṳt i ngàn phùa khṳ̀;

I asked him to come and gently pinch the sinews of my back for me, and he pinched so hard as to tear holes in my tunic.

冷

言

A word; a sentence; a remark; an assertion; a phrase; speech, talk, sayings; report, rumor; an order; to discourse, to say, to address, to talk, to express an opinion.
nŏ̤ nâng cŏ̤ tó̤ ngân-thâm ngí-lŭn;

two persons sat chatting together.
ngân-gṳ́;

words, talk.
sit ngân;

a slip of the tongue.
hue ngân, khá gṳ́;

exaggeration, hyperbole.
chéⁿ sì kâi lîang ngân;

a useful and moral allegory.
m̄ kẃn nâng ngân sĭ, ngân hui;

pay no attention to people’s gossip.
gṳ̄-sṳ́ sĭ ngân-kuaⁿ;

censors are officials whose duty it is to speak.
có̤-sak ngân lō;

interrupt the conversation.
ngân hĕng m̄ hṳuû;

his words and actions do not correspond.
cêk ngân cū khó̤-íⁿ lío-kak;

one word may bring it to an end.
cău ngân cău gṳ́;

a complete fabrication.
lêng cai i ngân gūa kâi ì-sṳ̀;

can understand the implied meaning.
cêk ngân lâng cĭn;

it cannot be told in a word.
khá ngûn;

smooth talk.
cía sĭ sĭm ngân khî coi cū sĭ, m̄ sĭ sît kâi;

this is setting things at their very highest figure, it is not really thus.
bô̤ hṳ ngân;

no empty talk.
thiaⁿ lú kaî kim ngân;

heed your valueable suggestions.
màiⁿ to̤ ngân;

do not have so much talk about it.
màiⁿ thiaⁿ i ngân tn̂g ngân tó̤;

pay no heed to what he says, whether he says much or little.
pĕng bô̤ ngân gṳ́; put ngân put gṳ́; say nothing at all.

雁

A wild goose, white and smaller than the common goose; its annual flight determines the seasons.
hông ngăn lâi;

when the wild geese return.
ŏi sīa pue ngăn;

can hit a wild goose on the wing.

閩南語書寫