--- title: When the “Minister Deer” saw the calamity he said, “Our great elder… — Gleanings from Chinese folklore · tree and pragmatics description: When the “Minister Deer” saw the calamity he said, “Our great elder brother is dead, I will see what I can do,” so he said, “Let us see who can cut his head off, throw it away, get it again and grow it on.” Who acts: Minister Deer, Deer, great elder brother, us. 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The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (Minister Deer, Deer, great elder brother, us), what happens, when and where, as Mova's frames read it from the tree. **Mova's own parse.** This tree may be wrong. ## The tree {#tree} ```conllu # sent_id = book:pg75089:16:81 # text = When the “Minister Deer” saw the calamity he said, “Our great elder brother is dead, I will see what I can do,” so he said, “Let us see who can cut his head off, throw it away, get it again and grow it on.” 1 When when ADV WRB PronType=Int 7 advmod _ _ 2 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 5 det _ _ 3 “ " PUNCT `` _ 5 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 4 Minister Minister PROPN NNP Number=Sing 5 compound _ _ 5 Deer Deer PROPN NNP Number=Sing 7 nsubj _ SpaceAfter=No 6 ” " PUNCT '' _ 5 punct _ _ 7 saw see VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 11 advcl _ _ 8 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 9 det _ _ 9 calamity calamity NOUN NN Number=Sing 7 obj _ _ 10 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 11 nsubj _ _ 11 said say VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ SpaceAfter=No 12 , , PUNCT , _ 19 punct _ _ 13 “ " PUNCT `` _ 19 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 14 Our our PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 17 nmod:poss _ _ 15 great great ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 17 amod _ _ 16 elder elder NOUN NN Number=Sing 17 compound _ _ 17 brother brother NOUN NN Number=Sing 19 nsubj _ _ 18 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 19 cop _ _ 19 dead dead ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 11 ccomp _ SpaceAfter=No 20 , , PUNCT , _ 23 punct _ _ 21 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 23 nsubj _ _ 22 will will AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 23 aux _ _ 23 see see VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 19 parataxis _ _ 24 what what PRON WP PronType=Int 27 obj _ _ 25 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 27 nsubj _ _ 26 can can AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 27 aux _ _ 27 do do VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 23 ccomp _ SpaceAfter=No 28 , , PUNCT , _ 23 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 29 ” " PUNCT '' _ 19 punct _ _ 30 so so ADV RB _ 32 advmod _ _ 31 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 32 nsubj _ _ 32 said say VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 11 advcl _ SpaceAfter=No 33 , , PUNCT , _ 35 punct _ _ 34 “ " PUNCT `` _ 35 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 35 Let let VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 32 ccomp _ _ 36 us we PRON PRP Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs 35 obj _ _ 37 see see VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 35 xcomp _ _ 38 who who PRON WP PronType=Rel 40 nsubj _ _ 39 can can AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 40 aux _ _ 40 cut cut VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 37 ccomp _ _ 41 his his PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 42 nmod:poss _ _ 42 head head NOUN NN Number=Sing 40 obj _ _ 43 off off ADP RP _ 40 compound:prt _ SpaceAfter=No 44 , , PUNCT , _ 45 punct _ _ 45 throw throw VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 35 conj _ _ 46 it it PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 45 obj _ _ 47 away away ADV RB _ 45 advmod _ SpaceAfter=No 48 , , PUNCT , _ 49 punct _ _ 49 get get VERB VB Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin 35 parataxis _ _ 50 it it PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 49 obj _ _ 51 again again ADV RB _ 49 advmod _ _ 52 and and CCONJ CC _ 53 cc _ _ 53 grow grow VERB VB Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin 49 conj _ _ 54 it it PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 53 obj _ _ 55 on on ADP RP _ 53 compound:prt _ SpaceAfter=No 56 . . PUNCT . _ 35 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 57 ” " PUNCT '' _ 35 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **see** | past | the Minister Deer | the calamity | | | | | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer calamity=Stimulus | | 2 | **say** *speech: assert* | past | Deer | | | | | | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent | | 3 | **is** *in a quote* | present | Our great elder brother | | | | | dead *property* | tree rules | | 4 | **see** *in a quote* | future | Deer | | | | | | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V how S\_INF»: agent=Experiencer clause=Stimulus | | 5 | **do** *in a quote* | can | Deer | | | | | what *obj* | vn act-114-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent what=Eventuality | | 6 | **say** *speech: assert* | past | Deer | | | | | | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic | | 7 | **let** *in a quote* | infinitive | | us | | | | | tree rules | | 8 | **see** *in a quote* | infinitive | us *not said here* | | | | | | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V how S\_INF»: agent=Experiencer clause=Stimulus | | 9 | **cut off** *in a quote* | can | | Deer's head | | | | who *nsubj* | vn stop-55.4-1 «NP V NP.eventuality»: agent=Affector head=Eventuality | | 10 | **throw away** *in a quote* | infinitive | | head | | | | away *property* | vn throw-17.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent it=Theme | | 11 | **get** *in a quote* | infinitive | | head | | | again | | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer it=Stimulus | | 12 | **grow on** *in a quote* | infinitive | | head | | | | | vn appear-48.1.1 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location it=Theme | One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree. **Text:** «Gleanings from Chinese folklore» by Nellie Naomi Russell, Project Gutenberg book 75089 (public domain in the USA). **Tree:** Mova's own parse, Elamur Cosmic License. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), the chapter read in order. - ← previous: [sentence 80](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg75089/16/80/) - next →: [sentence 82](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg75089/16/82/) - ↑ back to [T’ang Sung’s Journey to Get the Buddhist Classics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg75089/16/)