# 伺候隔些时就接去住



## Xiaoma

Hi,
I have a problem with this sentence: "伺候隔些时就接去住".

Could you please help me? What does it mean?

剑妮说是她父亲的朋友。有一次他去后，亨利嬷嬷打趣，问“剑妮的魏先生走了？”剑妮在楼上回头一笑，道：“人家魏先生结了婚的，嬷嬷！”(...)
剑妮到魏家去住了几星期，暂时走读。她说明魏先生的父母都在香港，老夫妇都非常喜欢她，做家乡菜给她吃，惯得她不得了。他们媳妇不知道是没出来还是回去了。
*伺候隔些时就接去住*，剑妮在宿舍里人缘不错，也没有人说什么。一住一个月，有点不好意思，说“家乡菜吃胖了。”

(张爱玲《小团圆》)

Thank you


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## Ghabi

There's perhaps a punctuation error: "伺候" seems to follow the preceeding sentence, not "隔些......". Again, I suggest you check the book.


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## Xiaoma

Ghabi said:


> There's perhaps a punctuation error: "伺候" seems to follow the preceeding sentence, not "隔些......". Again, I suggest you check the book.



I'm afraid this is correct, at least there is no punctuation error


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## JJchang

They are planning that after a while they will take her home as a boarder. 
伺候 here means waiting for the occasion.

Have you tried to read something else first? Like 朱自清, 梁啟超, 夏丏尊, even though they are older than 張愛玲, there are less surprises in terms of sentence structures and usage of words.


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## Xiaoma

JJchang said:


> They are planning that after a while they will take her home as a boarder.
> 伺候 here means waiting for the occasion.
> 
> Have you tried to read something else first? Like 朱自清, 梁啟超, 夏丏尊, even though they are older than 張愛玲, there are less surprises in terms of sentence structures and usage of words.



Do you mean they are planning to take her home as a boarder for good? Not only from time to time as before?

I have not read her other books yet but I am happy to hear that not all of them are so difficult.

Thank you so much for your help!


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## Razzle Storm

Xiaoma said:


> Do you mean they are planning to take her home as a boarder for good? Not only from time to time as before?
> 
> I have not read her other books yet but I am happy to hear that not all of them are so difficult.
> 
> Thank you so much for your help!




The 朱自清, 梁啟超, 夏丏尊,  that JJchang mentioned are all authors. They are definitely good reads if you're interested in that Modern Literature.

 Some of the grammar 张爱玲 used in her books can vary from mainstream use. I used the phrase "思想是痛苦的一件事" quoting from her story 封锁 once only to have someone correct me, saying that it sounded weird.


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## Xiaoma

Razzle Storm said:


> The 朱自清, 梁啟超, 夏丏尊,  that JJchang mentioned are all authors. They are definitely good reads if you're interested in that Modern Literature.
> 
> Some of the grammar 张爱玲 used in her books can vary from mainstream use. I used the phrase "思想是痛苦的一件事" quoting from her story 封锁 once only to have someone correct me, saying that it sounded weird.



哈哈, indeed, they are all authors, it seems that I need one more cup of coffee 

Thank you!


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## Ghabi

It's amazing that you can spot all these eccentricities of the text, Xiaoma. Your Chinese has to be really good to do this. Bravo!


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## Xiaoma

哪里, 哪里 I still must put quite a lot of effort to read the rest of the text


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## JJchang

Okay, her other books are slightly easier. If you want to you can try the novels from her earlier years. The novels from her later years like 小團圓 use a mixture of Chinese and English grammar and they are not easy even for Chinese to read. You might have found out already that in 小團圓 the sentences are rather random, they are not necessarily related to the sentence before or after. Do not start quoting her sentences in your writing or conversation. It's OK for her to write like that because she's 張愛玲, it's not OK for the rest of us.


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## Xiaoma

JJchang said:


> You might have found out already that in 小團圓 the sentences are rather random, they are not necessarily related to the sentence before or after.



Yes, I have noticed this. At the beginning I was completely confused



JJchang said:


> Do not start quoting her sentences in your writing or conversation.



This is a tempting vision to quote her sentences but I will try to refrain

JJchang, thank you!


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## linglin66

*伺候是不是应该是此后*



Xiaoma said:


> Hi,
> I have a problem with this sentence: "伺候隔些时就接去住".
> 
> Could you please help me? What does it mean?
> 
> 剑妮说是她父亲的朋友。有一次他去后，亨利嬷嬷打趣，问“剑妮的魏先生走了？”剑妮在楼上回头一笑，道：“人家魏先生结了婚的，嬷嬷！”(...)
> 剑妮到魏家去住了几星期，暂时走读。她说明魏先生的父母都在香港，老夫妇都非常喜欢她，做家乡菜给她吃，惯得她不得了。他们媳妇不知道是没出来还是回去了。
> *伺候隔些时就接去住*，剑妮在宿舍里人缘不错，也没有人说什么。一住一个月，有点不好意思，说“家乡菜吃胖了。”
> 
> (张爱玲《小团圆》)
> 
> Thank you


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## JJchang

linglin66 said:


> *伺候是不是应该是此后*



不是, 請去讀小團圓


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## AVim

同意linglin66的看法。应该是“此后”。
个人推测：录入者使用拼音输入法。


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## JJchang

This is not a democracy. This is her writing. Even if there's an option, 此后 is actually worse than 伺候. You cannot start a paragraph with 此后, because what would be 此 in this sense?


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## AVim

我猜想作者大概就是想说，自从剑妮到魏家去住了几星期*之后*，隔些时就接去住，而且一住就是一个月。呵呵，看来剑妮是喜欢上魏家了。


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## JJchang

You are seriously confused and digging the hole even deeper... "接去住" means 魏家 pick her up and take her in, not she volunteer to move in in the first instance.


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## linglin66

Of course, you *can* start a paragraph or sentence with 此后, which means *from then on*.  But 伺候 means to provide services to someone as a servant, it didn't make any sense here.





JJchang said:


> This is not a democracy. This is her writing. Even if there's an option, 此后 is actually worse than 伺候. You cannot start a paragraph with 此后, because what would be 此 in this sense?


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## AVim

JJchang said:


> You are seriously confused and digging the hole even deeper... "接去住" means 魏家 pick her up and take her in, not she volunteer to move in in the first instance.



呵呵，原来是*被接去住*呀，我还以为是*接着去住*呢。不过这并不影响对“此后”的判断啊？也就是说，在此之后她常被魏家接去住。您说呢？


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## Jerry Chan

I agree 伺候 here means "to wait for an occasion." It's quite obvious.

伺候 is simply 伺(機) + (等)候
Its another meaning, a more widely recognized one, of 服侍 has confused us a bit, I think.


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## JJchang

linglin66 said:


> Of course, you *can* start a paragraph or sentence with 此后, which means *from then on*.  But 伺候 means to provide services to someone as a servant, it didn't make any sense here.



From what then on? It makes no sense in either English or Chinese.
伺候 here means waiting for the occasion.


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## JJchang

AVim said:


> 呵呵，原来是*被接去住*呀，我还以为是*接着去住*呢。不过这并不影响对“此后”的判断啊？也就是说，在此之后她常被魏家接去住。您说呢？



我說你這不對. 什麼是"此"? "就接去住" 的意思不是常被接去住, 是就接過去長住了


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## JJchang

關於伺候的定義:
http://wenda.tianya.cn/wenda/thread?tid=7ffec40255b17df5
水滸傳: 宋江傳令，先調水軍頭領，去江裡收拾江船，伺候征進睦州...

想必這寫水滸傳的中文也不好囉


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## AVim

JJchang said:


> 我說你這不對. 什麼是"此"? "就接去住" 的意思不是常被接去住, 是就接過去長住了


谢谢，“伺候”我明白了；可是“接去住” 不就是被魏家接过去吗？难道是剑尼自己接自己，还是说“接着”去住？


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## avlee

To me, it's like an illusive word game shown on almost all Chinese language exams I've taken. 
When most native Chinese people, at least my generation, start to lose the impatience to comprehend those classic novels, our foreign friends dig deeper to solve more literature puzzles and share the findings with us all.


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## linglin66

Hi, Xiaoma

I consult the Advanced Chinese Dictionary, the results are as follows, 
伺候[serve]∶在人身边照料生活;服侍
     [wait]∶等候;守候。例如：伺候柴进回庄,林冲便说道…——《水浒传》
It did get two meanings, but when I go to the Modern Chinese Dictionary published in 1998, the second meaning was missing.  So I might say it is a dying usage and I never see anybody use it in that meaning in true-life.  As 张爱玲 was born in 1920, it is understandable and reasonable she use it in that way.  Sorry that I may mislead you.


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## avlee

linglin66 said:


> Hi, Xiaoma
> 
> I consult the Advanced Chinese Dictionary, the results are as follows,
> 伺候[serve]∶在人身边照料生活;服侍
> [wait]∶等候;守候。例如：伺候柴进回庄,林冲便说道…——《水浒传》
> It did get two meanings, but when I go to the Modern Chinese Dictionary published in 1998, the second meaning was missing. So I might say it is a dying usage and I never see anybody use it in that meaning in true-life. As 张爱玲 was born in 1920, it is understandable and reasonable she use it in that way. Sorry that I may mislead you.


 Good job! Thanks for the sharing!


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## Xiaoma

Thank you, linglin66!


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## AVim

我还是很困惑，想问大家一下：“伺候隔些时就接去住” 这句话的主语是谁？谁“伺候”，谁“接”？


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## JJchang

魏家等機會對的時候魏家就接劍妮去住
這不是"常接她去住", 是接她去長住


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## whiz

Hi! I am a chinese and i am very glad to help you. I think there a wrong written word, "*伺候(serve)*", which should be "此后（After that）". Both of two words have the same pronuncation. I think it's a input mistake.


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## whiz

whiz said:


> Hi! I am a chinese and i am very glad to help you. I think there a wrong written word, "*伺候(serve)*", which should be "此后（After that）". Both of two words have the same pronuncation. I think it's a input mistake.



I searched the book on the internet and found that the origin word "伺候" is right. As a result, the only reason i can give is the word "伺候" means 此后 in 张爱玲's age. You see, it's kinda like "whither" and "where". Any way, since it also confused a native chinese, you worry too much about that. =)


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## Jerry Chan

whiz said:


> I searched the book on the internet and found that the origin word "伺候" is right. As a result, the only reason i can give is the word "伺候" means 此后 in 张爱玲's age. You see, it's kinda like "whither" and "where". Any way, since it also confused a native chinese, you worry too much about that. =)



Hi Whiz,
Welcome to the forum.

But I'm afraid what you said is not true.
小團圓 was written in 1970s. It's not like ancient time.

伺候 never meant 此後 in any time. They have totally different meaning.  伺 doesn't sound like 此 either in most other Chinese languages, such as Wu and Cantonese. (Eileen Chang was Shanghainese and lived mainly in Shanghai and Hong Kong)


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## whiz

Jerry Chan said:


> Hi Whiz,
> Welcome to the forum.
> 
> But I'm afraid what you said is not true.
> 小團圓 was written in 1970s. It's not like ancient time.
> 
> 伺候 never meant 此後 in any time. They have totally different meaning.  伺 doesn't sound like 此 either in most other Chinese languages, such as Wu and Cantonese. (Eileen Chang was Shanghainese and lived mainly in Shanghai and Hong Kong)



I looked after the dictionary. It turns out you are right. There three meanings for 伺候. The third one is "wait". Btw, I am a shanghainese as well. =P


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## Mrblur

Dear Xiaoma,

I am Chinese, and I am very superised you can read 张爱玲's book -_-... actually, some words/phrases and grammar in 张爱玲's book are quite different from nowadays chinese...anyway, most of her books were published near 80 years ago... 

In my opinion, *伺候隔些时就接去住 = （老夫妇）伺（机）（等）候隔些时就接（剑妮）去住*

*at here, 伺候 means wait for a time*

*Hope I can help.*


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## avlee

avlee said:


> To me, it's like an illusive word game shown on almost all Chinese language exams I've taken.
> When most native Chinese people, at least my generation, start to lose the patience to comprehend those classic novels, our foreign friends dig deeper to solve more literature puzzles and share the findings with us all.


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## JJchang

Mrblur said:


> Dear Xiaoma,
> 
> I am Chinese, and I am very superised you can read 张爱玲's book -_-... actually, some words/phrases and grammar in 张爱玲's book are quite different from nowadays chinese...anyway, most of her books were published near 80 years ago...
> 
> In my opinion, *伺候隔些时就接去住 = （老夫妇）伺（机）（等）候隔些时就接（剑妮）去住*
> 
> *at here, 伺候 means wait for a time*
> 
> *Hope I can help.*



Actually she's not that old.


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## Lianxin

此後隔些時就接去住，劍妮在宿舍裏人緣不錯，也沒有人說什麼。


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## SuperXW

Lianxin said:


> 此後隔些時就接去住，劍妮在宿舍裏人緣不錯，也沒有人說什麼。


不知为何旧账被翻开，建议阅读前面的对答。


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