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.
| 叫豬叫狗， 不如自己跑 |
kio ti kio kao, poot du kai ki tsao | commanding a pig or dog, it would be better to run yourself | instead of relying on others, it would be better to do the task yourself. |
| 厝內無貓 ,老鼠翹腳 |
tsu lai bo niao, lo tsi k’iao k’a | without the cat, the mouse relaxes | a place without someone in authority will end up disordered and in a mess. |
| 豬仔貪別人槽 | ti-ya t’am pat lang tsö | pigs fond of eating food from other’s trough | someone greedy for other people’s possession. |
| 十嘴九尻川 (屁股) |
tsap tsui kao k’a tseng | ten mouths nine buttocks | too many opinions for a simple matter |
| 老鼠供貓 做生日 |
lo tsi kang niao tsue sin dit | mouse caters a birthday party for cat | pertaining to a hypocritical act |