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.
| 請鬼醫病 | tsnia kui ee pni | requesting the ghost to cure the sickness | wrong approach to remedy a problem |
| 後生家仔衝高高 | hao sni ke ah tsing ko ko | young guy is impulsive | young guy is impulsive and impudent |
| 找鬼哭無爸 | tse kui k’ao bo pe | to look for ghost and cry for losing a father | a situation beyond one’s means to find a solution |
| 相分吃有剩 | sna pun tsia u tsun | when food is shared, there will be surplus | there is always something for everyone as long as we are willing to share |
| 毋扛佛， 扛和尚 | bo kang poot, kang he-sniu | unable to challenge the Buddha, challengethe monk instead | picking on or blaming the weaker because one is afraid to touch the stronger |