Lojban and Chinese, A Word A Day
- canja
- trade
- 买卖mai3mai4,交易jiao1yi4
canja ≔ x1 exchanges/trades/barters commodity x2 for x3 with x4; x1, x4 is a trader/merchant/businessman
- jdini canja
- money trade
- 金钱jin1 qian2 交易jiao1yi4
金 ⇔ gold. 钱 ⇔ money. 交 ⇔ exchange. 易 ⇔ convenience. 金钱 ⇔ money in a formal context. 交易 ⇔ trade, commerce.
- jamna
- war
- 战zhan4 争zheng1
jamna ≔ x1 (person/mass) wars against x2 over territory/matter x3; x1 is at war with x2
- le merko ku jamna le muslo
- American and Islam is warring.
- 美国与回教战争
- le jungo ku jamna le ponjo
- Chinese and Japanese is warring.
- 中国与日本战争
“ku” marks the end of “le”
- catra
- kill
- 杀sha1
catra ≔ x1 (agent) kills/slaughters/murders x2 by action/method x3
- mi catra le danlu
- i kill animal
- le danlu ku catra do
- animal kill you
- le danlu ku catra le danlu
- animals kill animals
Enclosing a word between “le” and “ku” makes it a “noun”, and can be used in one of the x1, x2, x3… places. “ku” is often not necessary.
- bajra
- run
- 跑pao3
bajra ≔ x1 runs on surface x2 using limbs x3 with gait x4
- mi klama le zarci ku zo'e zo'e le bajra ku
- i run to the store (i go store blank blank run)
- 我跑步去商店 （i run gait go commerce shop)
recall that “le zarci ku” means store.
- co'o
- goodbye
- 再zai4 见jian4
再 ⇔ again. 见 ⇔ see. 再见 ⇔ “see you again” or “see you/goodbye”.
- taxfu
- clothing
- 衣yi1 物wu4
taxfu ≔ x1 is dress/a garment/clothing for wearing by x2 (gender/species/body part) serving purpose x3
- zo'e vecnu mi le taxfu
- i buy clothing
- 我买mai3 衣物.
Recall “zo'e” is blank. So the literal English version is: “blank sells me clothing”.
- sutra
- fast
- 快kuai4
sutra ≔ x1 is fast/swift/quick/hastes/rapid at doing/being/bringing about x2 (event/state)
- mi sutra
- I'm fast
- 我很快.
- do sutra
- you are fast
- 你很快
- mi sutra lo nu citka
- I eat fast (i'm fast at the-event-of-eating
- 我吃得快
- xu do sutra le nu citka
- do you eat fast (true? you are fast at eating?)
- 你吃得快吗?
- mi na sutra
- I'm not fast
- 我不快
- xu do sutra le nu cadzu
- do you walk fast?
- 你走得快吗?
- ko sutra
- faster!
- 快kuai4 点dian3
“nu … kei” makes something abstract.
- coi
- hi, hello
- 你好
“coi” is the standard greeting. “coi” can be used for “hi”, “hello”.
你好 ⇔ used for general greeting; iterally: “you good”.
- jmive
- alive
- 活huo2 的de3
jmive ≔ x1 lives/is alive by standard x2; x1 is an organism/living thing
- xu ta jmive
- is that alive?
- ta na jmive
- that is not alive.
活 ⇔ live, to live, living. 的 ⇔ often added at the end of sentence to indicate a state. 活的 ⇔ alive.