PRIMITIVES OF THE FOURTH CLASS.

The following primitives belong to the Fourth Class, which consists wholly of Derivatives formed from some of the preceding primitives. Thus in page 43, two primitives are said to be formed from the primitive Akin, now. one of these is,

X. t'han, craving, desirous, covetous. (Shyčh-wun). It is formed by unitingpy, something precious, with kin, now, and produces five derivatives. By uniting with

yin, a man, it forms,

XI. Another is the adjective yèn, full of wine. (Tsäh-yoon). It is

formed by placing kin, now, above

yaó, expanding; and produces

nine derivatives. Uniting with nyú, a woman, it forms,

The five following examples illustrate the last Division of the Fourth Class of primitives, which have been already described as Derivatives of Derivatives. Such they will plainly appear to be, if we trace the primitive syen, to its origin.syen, which denotes affrighted, according to the Shyeh wun, and a confused noise, according to the Yooh-p'hyen, is formed by adding kko, the mouth, to itself: it then produces seven derivatives. One of these, formed by receiving another mouth, is,

XII. p'hin, order, rank, kind, degree, relative to which the Kwang品香 yoon says; "From two mouths alone arises strife, but by three can the nature

and quality of things be weighed." Uniting with yin, a man, it forms,

Of this third race,khyu, to hide, &c. produces no less than forty-seven; to give all of which would only tire the reader. We therefore adduce three, which afterwards become primitives themselves.

XII. The character khyu, to hide, uniting with tà, great, forms,

flyen, a box for perfumes; or accord

ing to the Yoon hooi, a box in which

a mirror is placed.

With

khyen, to owe, it forms,

ngou, to ease the stomach. Shych-w.

Also to force out the breath as in singing.

With up ts'haó, grass,

khyeu, a certain tree. Yooh-p’hyen.

These three of the fourth descent, became primitives in a certain degree; one of them produces two derivatives, and the other two, one each.

XIV. khyeu, a certain tree, uniting itfelf to mooh, wood, forms,

櫙

nagou, a species of thorn. Tsăh-
yoon.

Uniting with shoot, water,

ngoù, to drink water. Yooh-p'hyen.

XV.ngou, to ease the stomach, uniting withee, clothing, forms,

ngou, a cloth placed round the necks of children to receive saliva, &c.

XVI. flyen, a box for a mirror, &c. by uniting with moch, wood,

In this way are the Chinese characters formed from each other. Complex however as they appear, they are not without example in other languages. Many Geek words might be adduced which exhibit a mode of formation scarcely less complicated. The root saw, or isŋu, to stand, produces a greater number of derivatives than any Chinese primitive. One of these, a very common word, unisqu, to rise again, is in its turn the parent of no contemptible number; and of the third race, gaisupai, becomes also a primitive, producing κατεξανίσαμαι, μετεξανίςημι, προεξανιςαμαι, &c. &c. Thus also διδωμι, το give, produces exdoros, given out or published; and from this primitive, springs among others, a word now naturalized in our own language, avexdoros, a thing not yet published, an anecdote. From ypacw, to write, likewise proceeds παράγραφος, a paragraph, and from thence προσπαραγράφω, αντιπαραγράφομαι, &c. Others might be adduced in which the derivative is formed by adding to the Greek primitive, a particle, an adjective, or a substantive, as well as a preposition; but these may suffice. A similarity of conformation might be shewn to exist in Sungskrit words; but it seems useless to tire the reader with examples from a language at present so little known.

This view of the primitives and derivatives places the existence of design It is in forming the Chinese characters, beyond the possibility of doubt. scarcely more evident in the formation of a multitude of Latin verbs from one radical verb; or of the various Greek derivatives from their respective

primitives. Indeed for a language formed from about sixteen hundred roots, no one of which produces seventy derivatives, to be thus formed without any view to the meaning of its component parts, would exhibit a phenomenon hitherto unknown in the philological world. Were this design evident in the formation of only a third of the derivatives adduced, it would be sufficient to establish the truth of the fact; for if design be evident in the formation of a third part, what reason can be given for its not being carried through the language? Whether the inventors were happy in selecting characters to suggest the new idea intended, is a different question; but that such was their object, seems to appear with an evidence which acquires increasing force from every new examination of the language.

The connection between these component parts however is of a peculiar nature. It is not that of compound words in other languages; a little reflection. will convince us that this is scarcely possible. What would a language be, that by uniting about a thousand words, should attempt to name every object sensible and mental which language embraces? Nor is it exactly the connection formed in other languages by a preposition and a verb. Prepositions which, as united with verbs, scarcely exceed twenty in any language, (of which also several concur in expressing nearly the same idea,) seldom do more than mark some circumstance relative to the verb, or augment its force, or occasionally invert its meaning. The Chinese do much more; a primitive expressing some general idea, they combine with the most powerful objects in nature, the sun, the moon; fire, water; the hand, the heart, &c. so as thereby to suggest new ideas; and it is by thus attempting to suggest a new idea

J