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 |
| 動嘴無動手 | tang tsuì bo tang tsiu |
move mouth but not move hands | to argue verbally without getting physical |
|
落大雨狗打 死也毋出門 | lo tua-ho kao p’a-si ah mm tsut meng | when it rains very hard, dogs refuse to go out even when whipped | under extreme circumstances, one refuses to do something even when threatened |
|
打在皮 痛在心 | p’a ti p’e t’nia ti sim |
whip on skin but hurt in heart | to describe parental suffering of frustration when trying to teach kids |
| 打啊要死毋像死 |
p’a-ah beh si mm tsniu si |
whip to death but doesn’t look like dead | to beat someone within an inch of death |
| 瀉啊腸肚直 | sia-ah teng to tit |
diarrhea until intestine and abdomen are straight | intense and grave diarrhea |