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.
| 雜念大家 | tsap-diam ta-ke | a nagging mother-in-law | describing a nagger |
| 會老袂大 | eh lao bue tua | growing older butnot bigger | describing someone who always fails to learn from experience |
| 聰明反被聰明誤 | tsong-bing huan pe tsong-bing ngo | smart person commits lapses due to his intelligence | smart people are also prone to commit mistakes due to their over- confidence |
| 自己屎不知臭 | kai-ki sai um tsai tsao | one’s own stool doesn’t stench | people never realize one’s own shortcomings |
| 校長兼校丁， 教書兼敲鐘 | hao-tniu kiam hao-ting, ka-tse kiam k’a-tsing | principal also serves as janitor, ring the bell asidefrom teaching | someone who performs many tasks |