Grammar – M

M̄-chiah – Only by [verbing] / only then / only in that case will / is for … and only for …  

M̄  kan-na sī … – Is not only … 

M̄ -kóan - Whether or not / no matter (which / who / what, etc.)             

M̄ nā … iá koh / m̄ …Not only … , but also … 

M̄ nā … tian-tò - See: m̄-nā (bô)… hóan-tò-tńg …

M̄-nā (bô) [X] hóan-tò-tńg [Y] – Not only [X] but conversely [Y] 

M̄ nā sī … iā sī – Is not just … , but also … 

M̄-nā X jī-chhiáⁿ (koh) Y – Not only X, but also Y 

M̄-nā … koh … – Not only … but also .. 

(Pēng) m̄ sī … iā m̄ sī … tio̍h sī … – Is not … , nor is it … , but it is actually … 

M̄ nā m̄ X, jî-chhiáⁿ koh Y – Not only X, but even Y 

M̄ sī … , tio̍h sī … – If it’s not … , then it’s … 

M̄ sī [A], tio̍h sī [B] , á bô, tio̍h sī [C] – If it’s not A, it’s B, and if it’s neither A nor B, it’s C 

M̄ sī X, (jî) sī Y – Not X but Y, Y instead of X 

M̄ sī X,tio̍h sī Y – Either…or… / if not…, then… 

M̄-thang – One should not / one must not… 

[Verb] m̄-tio̍h – [Verb] wrongly 

…Mā hó, … mā hó, (chí iàu …) – Whether … or … ; both … and …, (as long as …) 

Mài kóng sī X, tio̍h sī (liân ) Y – Even (if) Y, let alone X 

Múi-(chi̍t-)pái – Every time that…

M-chiah

Only (then); (only) in that case will …; and perforce ends up …; finally 

Related: Chiah

 

Ūi-tio̍h lí hó, m̄-chiah it-ti̍t kóng lí.

It’s for your own good that I keep criticizing you.

 

Khòaⁿ i m̄-lâi, góa m̄-chiah cháu.

Seeing that she wasn’t going to come, I finally left.

 

Tú khai-sí ê sî, Liân-ha̍p-kok bô chi-chhî Bí-kok phah Iraq, só·-í Bí-kok m̄-chiah ē tan-to̍k hêng-tōng.

 At first, the United Nations did not support the U.S. attack on Iraq, so America finally had to act alone.

M kan-na sī …

Is not only …

 

Siáu Hàn-gí ē seng-un tōng-jiân m̄ kan-na sī piáu-bêng bī-lâi hàn-gí ê si̍t-iōng ì-gī ē koh khah kiông, i koh khah piáu-bêng, sè-kài su-iàu liáu-kái Tiong-kok.

Of course, the heating up of the Chinese-language craze does not only demonstrate the growing usefulness of Chinese in the future, it also demonstrates that the world needs to understand China.

M-kóan

Whether or not; no matter (which/what/who/etc.)

Related: Put-kóan; bô-kóan

 

M̄-kóan khì á-sī m̄-khì, lóng kā góa kóng chi̍t siaⁿ.

Whether or not you go, let me know.

 

M̄-kóan sía-mi̍h tiâu-kiāⁿ, i lóng goān-ì tap-èng.

No matter under what condition, he’s always willing to do it.

 

M̄-kóan sī tó chi̍t chióng thôan-jiám-pīⁿ, lóng ē chō-sêng lāu-peh-sìⁿ ê kiaⁿ-hiâⁿ.

No matter what infectious disease it is, it can bring about panic amongst the people.

M-nā … iá-koh / mā …

Not only A, but also B

 

Khì-gia̍p èng-kai tāi-le̍k phòe-ha̍p kap chi-ōan, m̄-nā ài kiông-hòa khì-gia̍p ê kang-hōe cho·-chit, iá-koh su-iàu ha̍p-lí an-pâi kang-lâng ê lô-tōng sî-kan.

Industry should go all out to cooperate and support this, and needs not just to strengthen labor organizations, but also needs to rationalize the arrangement of workers’ hours.

 

Che m̄-nā hián-chhut Liân-ha̍p-kok “Sè-kài Jîn-koân Soan-giân”, iáu bô lo̍k-si̍t tī choân-kiû ni̍h, siōng-chhiáⁿ lō͘-chhut Liân-ha̍p-kok tùi Tâi-oân jîn-bîn ki-pún jîn-koân ê chhim-hāi.

This not only demonstrates that the spirit of the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” has not yet been implemented worldwide, but also reveals the UN’s violation of the basic human rights of the Taiwanese people.

M̄-nā (bô) A hóan-tò-tńg B / m̄-nā (bô) A tian-tò B

Not only (not) A, but conversely B

 

I phah-m̄-kìⁿ hōe-á-chîⁿ, m̄-kó m̄-nā bô kám-kak chin siong-sim, hóan-tò-tńg i khòaⁿ-íⁿ hoaⁿ-hí!

He lost all the money he raised from his monthly investment club, but not only was he not sad, he actually seemed happy!

 

Lí nā kan-na jiok sè-sio̍k ê pò-sîu, m̄-nā bô hō· lí khòai-lo̍k, tian-tò ē sit-lo̍h ka-tī ê lêng-hûn.

If you only pursue worldly rewards, not only does it not make you happy, you can even lose your soul.

 

Tōa-pō·-hūn ê La-Teng Bí-chiu hiat-thóng ê Bí-kok-lâng m̄-nā bô chi-chhî siang-gí kàu-io̍k, tian-tò bô hóan-tùi “uî-it Eng-gí” ê hoat-lu̍t.

Most Hispanics not only don’t support bilingual education, they don’t even oppose English-only laws.

M-nā sī A iā sī B

Is not just A, but also B

 

Iōng lán ji̍t-siông seng-o̍ah teh kóng ê ōe lâi siá phoe, siá sin-bûn, siá ke̍k-pún, siá bûn-ha̍k chok-phín, siá hoat-lu̍t tiâu-bûn, chit ê ūn-tōng m̄-nā sī Tâi-gí bûn-jī-hòa ê ūn-tōng niā-niā, iā sī Tâi-ôan-lâng beh iōng Tâi-ôan chò chú-thé, tui-kiû sū-sióng hiān-tāi-hòa, chèng-tī keng-chè bîn-chú-hòa, bûn-hòa Tâi-ôan-hòa ê sin bûn-hòa ūn-tōng.

To use the laguage that we speak in our daily lives to write letters, news, plays, works of literature, or laws, this is not just a movement to make Taiwanese into a written language, but also a new cultural movement to make Taiwan central to the lives of Taiwanese people, to seek to modernize their thinking, democratize their politics and the economy, and “Taiwanize” the culture.

M-nā A jī-chhiáⁿ (koh) B

Not only A, but also B; Not only A, but even B

 

I m̄-nā m̄ chia̍h bah, jî-chhiáⁿ koh m̄ chia̍h hái-sán leh!

He not only doesn’t eat meat, but he also doesn’t even eat seafood!

 

I m̄-nā ū chîⁿ, jī-chhiáⁿ koh ū tē-ūi.

He’s not only rich, but he also has high status (in society).

 

I m̄-nā ài lim chiú, jî-chhiáⁿ te̍k-pia̍t ài chia̍h hun.

He not only likes to drink, but also really likes to smoke.

 

I saⁿ-tǹg m̄-nā kan-na chia̍h chhài, jî-chhiáⁿ só·-ū ê gû-leng chè-phín mā lóng m̄-chia̍h.

She’s not only a vegetarian, but she also doesn’t even eat products made with milk.

 

Tō-pán-chu só· gûi-hāi ê tùi-siōng m̄-nā sī hái-gōa ê chhut-pán-siā, kok-lāi ê chhut-pán-gia̍p-chiá mā kāng-khóan tùi che kám-kak chin bô hoat-to·.

It’s not only overseas publishers that are hurt by pirated books: domestic publishers are likewise at their wits’ ends.

 

M̄-nā sī A-chiu ê sì-sió-liông, jî-chhiáⁿ Tāi-lio̍k mā sī Tâi-ôan keng-chè kēng-cheng ê tùi-siōng.

It’s not only the “Four Asian Dragons” but also Mainland China that is Taiwan’s economic competitor.

M-nā A koh B

Not only A, but also B

 

Kóe-chí m̄-nā hó chia̍h, koh êng-ióng.

It’s not only delicious, but it’s also nutritious.

 

I m̄-nā ài kóng pe̍h-chha̍t, koh ài kóng lâng ê kha-chhng-āu oe.

He not only likes to talk shit, but also to talk behind people’s backs.

M̄ sī A, iā m̄ sī B, tio̍h sī C

Is not A, nor is it B, but it is actually C

 

In chhut-hiān pēng m̄ sī beh chhú-tāi “Khóng chú kong” só· tāi-piáu ê thôan-thóng hû-hō, iā m̄-sī chi̍t chióng pó·-chhiong, tio̍h sī hō-siōng chiong-hián.

Their appearance is not meant to take the place of the traditional symbols represented by Confucius, nor are they a kind of supplement to them, but it’s rather a case of both (the old and the new) having their place.