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.
|
糊里糊塗 |
ho di ho toh | carelessness |
carelessness, unorganized, confused |
|
臭鷄 |
tsao kue | smelly chicken |
to describe someone lousy, inferior skills, new hand |
|
無明無朗 |
bo bing bo lang | not clear |
topsy-turvy, thoughtless |
| 有空無榫 | woo k’ang bo soon | mortise without tenon (dowel), or slot without tab | to describe futile effort because it won’t achieve any results |
|
豬哥做馬騎 |
ti ko tsue beh k’ia | riding a boar to substitute for a horse |
meaning to save, salvage in time of desperation |