The Adverb "Cai" On The Heroic Sons And Daughters Of A Manchurian Family

"Cai" (才)is a multifunctional adverb, the study on it's semantics and function is one of the key problems that modern Chinese pay attention to. The paper carry on deep description and analysis on The Heroic Sons and Daughters of a Manchurian Family. The main research is as following:Has traced it's abundant semantics and mutual influence of this kind of adverbs, we know the adverbs all have abundant semantics, "cai"(才) with abundant semantics has obviously influenced by other adverbs. Has described their common development direction. The time when they appeared are different, but their semantics carried on, therefore they substituted each other on functions and structures. Has summarized it's basic semantics and derivative semantics. Basic semantic is "cai"(才)A which means appraisal of time, quantity, range, behavior, etc. "cai "b is derived from "cai "(才)A which means condition, reasons and purpose. "cai"(才)c is derived from "cai"(才)B which means firm tone and emphasis.The focal point this paper research is abundant semantic and function of "cai"(才). Search through The Heroic Sons and Daughters of a Manchurian Family, there are 1,174 examples in all, which can be divided into three classes. Class one includes three subclasses which show time, quantity and range. Class two includes two subclasses which show condition and reason. Class three includes two subclasses which show dispute and emphasis. "cai"(才) often means not only time relation but also logical relation or condition relation in one sentence, therefore we can't distinguish them clearly.The semantic of "cai"(才) meaning some movement going on becomes little during this period, but which is a characteristic in contemporary Chinese.When the semantic of "cai"(才) means time, quantity, degree, there will be quantity words in the sentence, analysing the semantic indication of "cai"(才) we need divide them clearly which is absolute quantity element, which is relative quantity element. "cai"(才) often appears at the end of one sentence with "shi"(是) or "hao"(好). In this structure "cai" combines "shi"(是) or "hao"(好) closely. "Cai" combining the tone phase "ne"(呢) has the function of emphasis. "Cai" can't be drown away from the sentence freely, the structure "caihao"(才好), "caishi"(才是) tend more closely and the semantic is merged gradually too.