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.
| Idioms, expressions | Hokkien pronunciation | Literal translation | Meaning |
| 添柴添火 | t’nee tsa t’nee heh | adding firewood and fire | inflaming the situation |
| 撿到一活 | k’iô tiô tsi wâ | pick up a life | obtain something out of sheer luck |
| 趁橫財 | t’an hnui tsai | to earn unexpected fortune | to earn dirty money |
| 囝仔人有耳無嘴 |
kin-na lang u hee bo tsuì | little kid with ear but no mouth | kids must not interfere when adults are talking |
| 借刀殺人 | tsiô toh sat din | borrow knife to kill someone | using another person to attack your enemy |
