Hokkien, on the tongues of Tsinoys, has grown and evolved, taking on a life of its own. Sometimes words simply fail us. With some creativity, Tsinoys have strung together words to form colorful phrases that simply hit the bull’s eye. Here are some expressions unique to Hokkien as favored by Tsinoys.
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横横梗梗 |
huin huin kè kè |
disturbing horizontally |
obstructionist |
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脱赤腳 |
t’eng tsià k’a |
barefoot |
barefooted |
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汁汁滴滴 |
tsap tsap tì tì |
drops and drizzle |
bits and pieces |
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嘴飽目毋飽 |
tsui pa bak mm pa |
mouth full but eyes not full |
describing one’s greediness |
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半目開閉 |
puan bak k’ui k’uè |
eyes half open |
turning a blind eye |