士多啤梨蘋果橙 (Strawberry Apple Orange)
主唱:Twins 填詞:林夕 編曲:伍樂城 C:炒焗炆煎煮 我怎麼可以輸 Fry bake stew pan-fry boil, how can I lose 親蜜的鰻魚 叫我不敢共處 That lovely eel, dares to coexist G:不用驚番薯 我的水果也許也可煮煮 Don’t be afraid of sweet potato, my fruits could perhaps be cooked, too 今夜不下廚 沒壞處 Not going to cook tonight; doesn’t matter C:誘惑太大了 忍到心也酸 想去吃但太多衫要穿 Temptation grows big, resist in grievance, would love to eat but too many clothes to wear G:要是戒盡到 少了一個圈 請答應 If I could persist, downsize by a circle, please say yes T:再相戀 愛定要吃苦 If we keep going, love would become bitter 但甜蜜更短 應該怎去選 Sweetness would otherwise be limited, how do I choose C:不吃飽 Without being full G:心更亂 Heart goes even more restless T:士多啤梨啤梨蘋果橙 Strawberry Pear Apple Orange G:什麼A餐B餐不敢揀 Meal A or Meal B, I don’t dare to choose T:是否比起失戀還淒慘 Is it more miserable than breaking up C:為了 想清減 To go on diet T:士多啤梨啤梨蘋果橙 Strawberry Pear Apple Orange G:和你試試這種燭光晚餐 To try out this candlelight dinner with you T:幸福比起初戀還簡單 Blessing is more simple than first love C:我只 我只須減 I just, I just need to go on a diet G《rap》: 士多啤梨啤梨蘋果橙 蘋果橙士多啤梨點樣揀 Strawberry Pear Apple Orange, Apple Orange Strawberry Pear, what to choose 係咪 減一磅 佢就愛我多一晚 想愛一個人 使唔使咁艱難 Is it that, one less pound, would equate to one more night of love; to love a person, why does it have to be this difficult 蘋果橙士多啤梨點樣揀 到底有冇人陪我撐 搞成咁樣真係有D唔抵爭 Apple Orange Strawberry, what to choose; is there anyone who would bear with me, or am I the one to be blamed for this 好在我唔係冇得揀 At least it’s not like I don’t have a choice T:炒飯的味道 Taste of fried rice C:吃過都知道好 You know it’s good once you’ve had it T:孤獨的味道 Taste of loneliness G:卻更不想遇到 You wouldn’t want to know T:一磅一絕路 One pound makes one dead end C:也許減到我可與他修好 Maybe I could make up with him if I stay fit T:一磅一自豪 One pound gives one pride G:但願看到 Just hope that you could see it through G:誘惑太大了 忍到心也酸 想去吃但太多衫要穿 Temptation grows big, resist in grievance, would love to eat but too many clothes to wear C:要是戒盡到 少了一個圈 請答應 If I could persist, downsize by a circle, please say yes T:再相戀 愛定要吃苦 但甜蜜更短 應該怎去選 If we keep going, love would become bitter, how should I choose C:不吃飽 Without being full G:心更亂 Heart goes even more restless T:士多啤梨啤梨蘋果橙 Strawberry Pear Apple Orange C:什麼A餐B餐不敢揀 Meal A or Meal B, I don’t dare to choose T:是否比起失戀還淒慘 Is it more miserable than breaking up G:為了 想清減 To go on diet T:士多啤梨啤梨蘋果橙 Strawberry Pear Apple Orange C:和你試試這種燭光晚餐 To try out this candlelight dinner with you T:幸福比起初戀還簡單 Blessing is more simple than first love G:我只 我只須減 I just, I just need to go on a diet C《rap》: 士多啤梨蘋果橙 蘋果橙士多啤梨點樣揀 Strawberry Apple Orange, Apple Orange Strawberry, what to choose G: 水果當正餐 想得你盛讚 Fruits as regular meal, just for your praise 十蚊兩梳蕉 三蚊一隻橙 你話失戀慘定係戒口難G: 一點不好玩 Ten dollars for two combs of bananas, three dollars for one orange, would you say breaking up or not eating is more difficult (G: It’s not fun at all) 食餐好就驚餐飽 情越濃 口越淡 One good meal results in one night of guilt; the more flavorful the love, the more bland everything tastes 揀下d士多啤梨有冇爛 揀人我真係唔識揀 I could tell, if the strawberries go bad; but men? I really have no clue T:士多啤梨啤梨 蘋果橙 Strawberry Pear, Apple Orange T:是否比起失戀 還淒慘 Is it more miserable than breaking up T:士多啤梨啤梨蘋果橙 Strawberry Pear Apple Orange T:幸福比起初戀還簡單 Blessing is more simple than first love G:我只 我只須減 I only, only need to go on a diet T:水果當正餐 想得你盛讚 一點不好玩 Fruits as regular meal, just for your praise, it’s not fun at all T:加或減之間 我跟生果你將會怎麼揀 Between plus and minus, how would you choose between me and fruits 假若肯清減 但願你讚 If I do go on a diet, I’d hope for your praise Summary: This song, sang by Charlene Choi and Gillian Chung (abbreviated as C and G above, respectively), describes how they struggle to choose between food and maintaining their body shapes, because their relationship with boyfriend would also be compromised if they don’t stay fit, as seen in many Asian cultures.
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愛不疚 (Love Without “Regret” – also same pronunciation as “Love Not Enough” )
主唱:林峯 (Raymond Lam) 填詞:張美賢 編曲:鄧智偉 收藏在眼眸 常徘徊左右 Collected in the eyes; always lingering left and right (I am always lingering around and you never leave my sight) 愛 猜到沒有 Love, guessed it yet? (Have you realized my love for you yet?) 愉快玩笑後 能全然退後 After jokes and fun; I back off completely (We joke around and have fun, then I back off completely) 你 開心就夠 You, being happy is enough (Because just seeing you smile is enough) 這種感覺太親厚 講一千句也不夠 This feeling is too intimate; saying a thousand sentences would not be enough (A thousand words cannot describe my feeling for you) 假使講了 你聽到後或會走 Even if I say it; after you listen, you may leave (If I had told you how I’ve really felt, you probably would have disappeared from my sight) 這種戀愛太罕有 不需真正擁有 This kind of romance is too rare; no need to possess it (This romance is too rare – more of a reason not to possess and possibly change it) 成全 衷心祝福然後就放手 Make whole; heartfelt blessing and let go (You have my best wishes and I will let go to make you complete) 放手 放開所有 彼此更自由 Let go; let go of everything and we both can be free (I will let go of everything so we both can be free) 放手 其實我絕非愛得不夠 Let go; but it’s not that I did not love enough (But I did not let go because I did not love you enough) 放手 豁出所有 還有這個好友 Let go; disregard everything and there is this good friend (I let go of everything but at least I can keep this friendship) 已經 已經足夠 Already; already enough (It’s enough) 遙遠是宇宙 靜靜在背後 去看守就夠 As distant as the universe; silently watching and guarding is enough (No matter how distant we are, I will quietly watch over you from afar) 這種感覺太親厚 講一千句也不夠 This feeling is too intimate; saying a thousand words would not be enough (A thousand words cannot describe my feeling for you) 即使一剎有過衝動挽你手 Even though there was this moment I had an urge to hold your hands (Even though I had really thought about just reaching for your hand) 這種戀愛太罕有 不需真正擁有 This kind of romance is too rare; no need to possess it (This romance is too rare – more of a reason not to possess and possibly change it) 成全 多捨不得仍然是放手 Make whole; no matter how reluctant, I have to let go (I have to let you go, no matter how reluctant I am, to make you complete) 放手 放開所有 彼此更自由 Let go; let go of everything and we both can be free (I will let go of everything so we both can be free) 放手 其實我絕非愛得不夠 Let go; but it’s not that I did not love enough (But I did not let go because I did not love you enough) 放手 豁出所有 還有這個好友 Let go; disregard everything and there is this good friend (I let go of everything but at least I can keep this friendship) 已經 已經足夠 Already; already enough (It’s enough) 放手 我的牽掛 找不到盡頭 Let go; there is no end to my care (I will let go, but I will always care for you) 放手 期望你幸福什麼都有 Let go; wishing you blessings and everything (I will let go, and wish you all the very best) 也許 愛很深厚 而我早看得透 Maybe, love is profound and I’ve seen through it (Maybe, I’ve always known that the most profound love is not about possession) 放手 至可擁有 Let go; only then to have it (I will let go, only then I can be free to accept) Summary: This song describes the emotional state of someone who is reluctant but finally ready to let go of a one-sided loving relationship. 終身美麗 Beautiful Life (電影“瘦身男女”主題曲, Theme song of "Love on a Diet" 2001)
Music: 陳輝陽 Chan Fai Young Lyrics: 林夕 Albert Leung Singer: 鄭秀文 Sammi Cheng 塔尖仍舊記得 這擁抱極美好 The tip of the tower still remembers, this hug was absolutely wonderful 愛有千斤重 重過無涯的鐵路 Love weighs a ton, heavier than endless railroads 你那手指再笨拙再粗 肌膚也被你修補 No matter how clumsy and thick your fingers may be, my skin is fixed by you 從前那一位 永未能做到 The one before was never able to do so 是你去喚醒我 努力才能被愛慕 It was you who enlightened me, that I have to work hard in order to be admired 但回頭目睹你 為我好自己不好 But when I looked back at you, you were always thinking for me, not yourself 我這幸運兒合著眼睛 只得你沉重身影 I am such a lucky person, with my eyes closed I can only see your heavy silhouette 如果這記憶非愛情 連天都不會太高興 If this memory wasn't love, even God wouldn't be too happy 莫非可終生美麗 才值得勾勾手指發誓 Is it that only by maintaining this lifelong beauty, that it's worth a pinky promise? 對你不止感激敬禮 當你知己才是虛偽 Towards you I feel more than gratitude and respect, to think that you're merely a close-friend is like lying to myself 莫非多一分秀麗 才值得分享我的一切 Is it that if I am just a bit prettier, that it's worth sharing my everything? 給我自信 給我地位 這叫幸福 不怕流逝 You gave me confidence, you gave me status, this is a blessing, which would never elapse 任他們多漂亮 未及你矜貴 No matter how beautiful, they are not as precious as you 記憶無論再輕 輕不過脈搏聲 No matter how light the memories are, they're not lighter than the sound of pulse 靠你的手臂 抱我人潮中暢泳 I'm holding onto your arms to lead me through the crowd 我這幸運兒幸運到一轉身找得到你 來為我打氣 I am such a lucky person that once I turn around, I found you right there cheering for me 如果可抱起這愛情 連天都會替我高興 If I can embrace this love, even God will be happy for me 莫非可終生美麗 才值得勾勾手指發誓 Is it that only by maintaining this lifelong beauty, that it's worth a pinky promise? 對你不止感激敬禮 當你知己才是虛偽 Towards you I feel more than gratitude and respect, to think that you're merely a close-friend is like lying to myself 莫非多一分秀麗 才值得分享我的一切 Is it that if I am just a bit prettier, that it's worth sharing my everything? 給我自信 給我地位 這叫幸福 不怕流逝 You gave me confidence, you gave me status, this is a blessing, which would never elapse 任他們多漂亮 未及你矜貴 No matter how beautiful, they are not as precious as you 因有自信 所以美麗 Because of confidence, I found beauty 使我自卑都放低 I can finally let go of my inferiority 在半空之中親你 不管身世 Leave everything behind, our backgrounds our stories, and kiss you in the midair 今宵多珍重 (Cherish Tonight)
主唱: 陳百強 Danny Chan 原唱: 崔萍 填詞: 鄭國江 編曲: 鮑比達 愁看殘紅亂舞 憶花底初度逢 Looking at these withering petals dance; it reminds me of the first time we met 難禁垂頭淚湧 此際幸月朦朧 Can’t help but to lower my head and let the tears fall; it at least is a misty moon 愁悴如何自控 悲哀都一樣同 How do I get a hold of this melancholy, when sadness and sorrow become one 情意如能互通 相分不必相送 If love is mutual, no words would be needed when we part ways 放下愁緒 今宵請你多珍重 Let’s just put down these emotions, and hope you would just cherish tonight 那日重見 只恐相見亦匆匆 As even if we meet again one day, I’m afraid it would be no more than a quick greeting 懷裡情人在怨 相愛偏不能容 Lover in my arms bitterly complains, if love is mutual why can't we be together? 情人無言地哭 心怎不隱隱痛 Seeing you weep without a word now; how can I stop my heart from aching 愁看殘紅亂舞 憶花底初度逢 Looking at these withering petals dance; it reminds me of the first time we met 難禁垂頭淚湧 此際幸月朦朧 Can’t help but to lower my head and let tears fall; it at least is a misty moon 愁悴如何自控 悲哀都一樣同 How do I get a hold of this melancholy, when sadness and sorrow become one 情意如能互通 相分不必相送 If love is mutual, no words would be needed when we part ways 放下愁緒 今宵請你多珍重 Let’s just put down these emotions; and hope you would just cherish tonight 抱入懷裡 深深一吻莫匆匆 Hold me tight for one last time, and we can take our time kissing in our dream 懷裡情人在怨 相愛偏不能容 Lover in my arms bitterly complains, if love is mutual why can't we be together? 情人無言地哭 心怎不隱隱痛 Seeing you weep without a word now; how can I stop my heart from aching 放下愁緒 今宵請你多珍重 Let’s just put down these emotions; and hope you would just cherish tonight 哪日重見 只恐相見亦匆匆 As even if we meet again one day, I’m afraid it would be no more than a quick greeting 放下愁緒 今宵請你多珍重 Let’s just put down these emotions; and hope you would just cherish tonight 抱入懷裡 深深一吻莫匆匆 Hold me tight for one last time, and we can take our sweet time kissing in our dream Summary: Two lovers love each other but cannot stay together due to circumstances (not mentioned in lyrics). The song describes their feelings right before they have to part ways. A while ago I posted on our Instagram Story asking for song translation requests, we got a few and so here we are!! I'm gonna slowly do one song after another. May not all by in video form though haha, it takes too much time. But here's to the first song, which has the most requests, 紅日 by Hacken Lee. It took me so long to edit this, it's harder to translate than expected. We try to do it word-by-word in the video so you can understand each element in the sentence, it may not make the most sense grammatically, but a more complete English translation is below. Apologies for the error from 4:55-5:12, the Canto transcript didn't change from one line to another.
Found a really nice translation online: http://hacken-lyrics.blogspot.com/2007/02/red-day.html I changed some wordings here and there to better match with what we got in the video, but it was already very well translated so I didn’t have to do too much work. :p 紅日 Red Day Music:立川俊之 Tachikawa Toshiyuki Lyrics: 李克勤 Hacken Lee Arranged: 方樹樑 Kenneth Fong 命運就算顛沛流離 Even if fate seems broken and doomed 命運就算曲折離奇 And the road is twisted and winding 命運就算恐嚇著你做人沒趣味 Even if life terrifies you and you no longer feel like living 別流淚 心酸 更不應捨棄 Please don't cry, or feel disheartened, don't give up 我願能 一生永遠陪伴你 I hope to be by your side forever 一生之中兜兜轉轉 那會看清楚 With the twists and turns of life, how can one see clearly? 徬徨時我也試過獨坐一角像是沒協助 When I was in times of doubt I sat by myself in the corner helplessly 在某年 那幼小的我 In those years, when I was young 跌倒過幾多幾多落淚在雨夜滂沱 I fell so many times, with the tears keeping me company through the rainy nights 一生之中彎彎曲曲我也要走過 The path of life so twisted and winding, I have walked through it 從何時有你有你伴我給我熱烈地拍和 When did you start to accompany me on this path, cheering for me? 像紅日之火 燃點真的我 As if the red sun’s fire, you light up the real me 結伴行 千山也定能踏過 Walking together, we can climb a thousand mountains 讓晚風 輕輕吹過 Let the evening breeze gently blow past 伴送著清幽花香像是在祝福你我 Bringing along the fragrant scent of flowers, as if bestowing its wishes on us 讓晚星 輕輕閃過 Let the evening stars lightly sparkle through 閃出你每個希冀如浪花 快要沾濕我 Revealing your every wish like waves about to fall on me Stay tuned for the next songs! Lunguage 007
This time we'll be taking a look at common loan words that have remained in its original form, English, mixing in with Cantonese (this phenomenon is called 中英夾雜 johng1 ying1 gaap4 dzaap1). Some of these terms are so widely used that even HK locals wouldn't remember what the Cantonese equivalent is. These words, often randomly popping out in the midst of a Cantonese conversation, can appear in the form of a complete English word, an abbreviated version, or in an evolved form, i.e. Chinglish, which would not be used the same way in English, but has integrated in Cantonese so much that it adopted the meaning that is understood by Canto speakers. Last time we explored the historical background that shaped this unique language culture, this time we will dive deeper in the linguistic aspect and see how language mixing works practically. Below is the script of Episode 007, which we will explain in detail. You can see how some English words are used to replace the Cantonese equivalent; while their original meanings remain the same, they perform within the rules of Cantonese grammar, as if they were Cantonese words (hence no indication of tenses in the English word itself). Some words, however, have been "modified" to an abbreviated form. Some of these words have their transliterated version as well (read more here: Lunguage 006), and depending on the speakers' accent, the English words may sound more like transliterated loan words than actual English. One thing to note is that omission of subject / pronoun is very common in Chinese, or Japanese for example. For learning purposes we will include the Cantonese phonetic transcription, the English translation as well as the word-for-word literal translation and remarks. A:喂?wai2? Hello? Literally: hello/hey *喂 is the way to answer phone calls B:喂,阿媽,搵我牙? wai2, ah3 mah1, wun2 ngaw5 ah4? Hey mom, what's up? Literally: hey, mom, looking for me 牙 [modal particle, questioning, confirming]? A:做咩咁晏先call我呀?dzo6 meh1 gum3 aan3 seen1 "call" ngaw5 ah3? Why are you calling me so late? Literally: why so late 先 [auxiliary: just, only; in this case meaning: why would you only call me now that it's so late] call me 呀 [modal particle, question]? *"call"'s Cantonese equivalent would be "打電話俾" or simply "打俾"/"打". They are often used interchangeably. The word "打", which originally means "hit/beat up" in Chinese, is a transliterated term from the English word "dial". B:Sorry sorry,頭先開會。"sorry" "sorry", tau4 seen1 hoi1 wooi2. Sorry sorry, I was in a meeting. Literally: sorry sorry, just now meeting *"sorry" is very commonly used in place of the Cantonese equivalent "對唔住" or "唔好意思", as it sounds a bit more casual and less formal and serious. A:唔係話cancel咗架咩?mm4 hai6 wah6 "cancel" dzaw2 gah3 meh1? Didn't you say it was cancelled? Literally: not say cancel 咗[auxiliary, indicator of past action] 架咩[modal particle, meaning the situation is not what the speaker thought to be, therefore asking confirmation]? *note that the word "cancel" did not take on its past participle form in English, because it is already indicated in the auxiliary character "咗". B:冇,又有個新project要傾丫嘛。mo5, yau6 yau5 gaw3 sun1 "project" yiu3 king1 ah1 mah3. Oh yea, had to talk about a new project. Literally: no, again there is a new project need discussing 丫嘛 [modal particle, explaining the situation that A wasn't aware of] *"冇" literally means "have not", in this case it might seem out of place, but it is a common starter phrase for Canto speaker to clarify something. Closest English translation could be "oh yea", "oh it's nothing", "oh it's just". A:唉,鬼死咁多嘢做,lunch都冇時間食!點得架!hai5, gwai2 sei2 gum3 daw1 yeh5 dzo6, "lunch" do1 mo5 see4 gaan3 sik6, deem2 duck1 gah3! My goodness! Always so much work to do. Don't even have time for lunch, how could that be (how is that ok)!? Literally: sigh! ghost die this much stuff do, "lunch" even no time eat, how ok 架 [modal particle, disapproving rhetorical question] *"lunch" here is pronounced more as a two syllable word by the speaker, "lun1 tsue2", it is a type of "Chinglish", in this case it remains an English word with a heavy Canto accent, but it does not have a transliteration in Chinese characters as far as I know. B:唉,做嘢,無計啦!喂,今晚係咪去食buffet呀? hai5, dzo6 yeh5, mo5 gai2 lah1! wai3, gum1 maan1 hai6 mai6 heui3 sik6 "buffet" ah3? It's work, nothing I can do about it. Oh right, are we going to a buffet tonight? Literally: sigh, do stuff [i.e. work], no ways 啦 [modal particle, exclamation]. hey, tonight whether or not go eat buffet 呀 [modal particle, question]? *we see more of an omission here: [there is] no way [this can be changed]. "係咪" is an abbreviated version of "係唔係", which basically means whether or not. The Cantonese equivalent of "Buffet" is "自助餐", they are both used by locals. A:係呀,叫你老竇book定位佢又話唔識,你得唔得閒book呀?hai6 ah3, giu3 nei5 lo5 dau6 "book" ding6 wai2 keui5 yau6 wah6 mm4 sik1, nei5 duck1 mm4 duck1 haan4 "book" ah3? Yes yes, told your dad to book a table but he said he doesn't know how to, do you have time to book it? Literally: yes 呀 [modal particle, affirmation], ask your old man (i.e. dad) to "book" in advance the seat he again said don't know, you free not free to book 呀 [modal particle, question]? *"book" also has a transliterated form, "卜" book1, which coincidentally sounds pretty much the same as the English. B:我邊有時間呀,我send個電話number俾你,你陣間自己打啦。ngaw5 been1 yau4 see4 gaan3 ah3, ngaw5 "send" gaw3 deen6 wah2 "number" bei2 nei5, nei5 dzun6 gaan1 dzee6 gei2 dah2 lah3. I don't have time. I'll send you the phone number, you can call them yourself. Literally: I where have time 呀 [modal particle, informing], I "send" the phone "number" to you, you in a bit yourself call 啦 [modal particle, instruction/suggestion] *"邊有" is a rhetorical question suggesting that a deal is too good to be true, more accurately would be "where would I find the luxury/time/chance to...". "send" is used quite often, as well as "number", which also has a transliteration "冧巴". A:吓?我打牙?我陣間要去做facial喎。ha2? ngaw5 dah2 ah4? ngaw5 dzun6 gaan1 yiu3 dzo6 "facial" waw3. What? I call? But I have a facial appointment later. Literally: huh? I call 牙 [modal particle, questioning, confirming]? I in a bit need to go do facial 喎 [modal particle, but, though] *"facial" very commonly replaces the Cantonese equivalent "美容", especially when talking about appointments. B:唉吔,打個電話要幾耐啫?記得mark低時間呀,唔係一陣間老竇又唔記得。hai5 yah5, dah2 gaw3 deen6 wah2 yiu3 gei2 noi6 jek1? gei3 duck1 "mark" dai1 see4 gaan3 ah3, mm4 hai6 yut1 dzun6 gaan1 lo5 dau6 yau6 mm4 gei3 duck1. Come on, how long does it take to make a phone call? Remember to mark down the time, or dad will forget again. Literally: sigh, dial a phone-call take how long 啫 [modal particle, disagreeing rhetorical]? remember to mark down time 呀 [modal particle, instruction/suggestion], or else in case old man again don't remember. *"mark" fits right into this Cantonese sentence. A:哎吔... 得啦得啦得啦。係喎,你唔係同個經理好friend架咩?叫佢俾個discount都好吖。ai5 yah5, duck1 lah1 duck1 lah1 duck1 lah1. hai6 waw3, nei5 mm4 hai6 tohng4 gaw3 ging1 lei5 ho2 "friend" gah3 meh1? giu3 keui5 bei2 gaw3 "discount" do1 ho2 ah1. Aiya, ok fine fine fine. Oh yea, aren't you good friends with the manager? Can he give us a discount? That'd be nice. Literally: aiya ok ok ok. oh yes, you aren't with the manager very friend 架咩 [modal particle, asking confirmation]? ask him give a discount is good 吖 [modal particle, suggestion]. *the word "friend" has evolved to also being an adjective in Cantonese, aside from its original meaning as a noun. The Cantonese equivalent of "discount" would be "折扣" or simply "折", both English and Cantonese are used commonly. B:唔好咁cheap啦,人哋事必要俾你架咩。mm4 ho2 gum3 "cheap" lah1, yun4 dei6 see6 beet1 yiu3 bei2 nei5 gah3 meh1. Don't act so cheap (frugal), he doesn't have to do that for us. Literally: don't be so cheap, the others obligated to give you 架咩 [modal particle, disagreeing rhetorical]? *"cheap" in a Cantonese context isn't as degrading as it might be in English, it means more like "frugal", or "keen on gaining petty advantages". In Cantonese/Chinese or some other Asian language, you will see us referring to others as "人哋" yun4 dei6 (a generic term of people/others, could be singular or plural), instead of using the specific pronoun. A:虛!問下會死架咩。呀,喂喂喂喂,你有冇睇Facebook你阿表姐結婚啲相呀,嘩個頭set得幾靚呀可。heui1! mun6 hah5 wooi5 sei2 gah3 meh1. ah3, wai3 wai3 wai3 wai3, nei5 yau5 mo5 tai2 "facebook" nei5 ah3 biu2 dzeh2 geet3 fun1 dee1 seung2 ah3, wah3 gaw3 tau4 "set" duck1 gei2 leng3 ah3 haw2. Psh. Wouldn't die to just ask. Oh hey, did you see your cousin's wedding photos on Facebook? Wow her hair was set so nicely, don't you think? Literally: psh, ask ask will die 架咩 [modal particle, disagreeing rhetorical]? ah, hey hey hey hey, you have or haven't seen facebook your female cousin wedding photos, wah, the hair was set so pretty 呀可 [modal particle, exclamation, looking for recognition of opinion] *"set" in Cantonese in this context usually is seen with the word "頭" tau4, which means head, but refers to the hair specifically. B:人哋個頭靚又關你事?yun4 dei6 gaw3 tau4 leng3 yau6 gwaan1 nei5 see6? What does her hair being pretty have to do with you / Lol you so nosy mom. Literally: the others' head pretty also relate to your business? *"人哋" yun4 dei6 is used here again, as opposed to "佢" keui5 (he/she/him/her), to refer to the female cousin that was mentioned. "頭" tau4 here also refers to the hair specifically. "又關你事" yau6 gwaan1 nei5 see6, more accurately can be translated as "how is that your business too?" A:車,佢po我咪like囉。你細表妹做花女呀,cute到死,真係想搣吓佢塊面珠墩。tseh1, keui5 "po" ngaw5 mai6 "like" law1. nei5 sai3 biu2 mooi2 dzo6 fah1 neui2 ah3, "cute" do3 sei, dzun1 hai6 seung2 meet1 hah5 keui5 fai3 meen6 dzue1 dun1. Well, she posted it so I liked it, as simple as that. Your little cousin was the flower girl, aw so cute, I just wanna pinch her little cheek. Literally: Psh, she post I then like 囉 [modal particle, explaining oneself]. your little female cousin do flower girl 呀 [modal particle, informing], cute to death, really want to pinch her little face. *"po" is an abbreviated form of "post". "cute" is used in the same way as in English. "面珠墩" or "面豬登" is an intimate way to refer to "cheeks". B:咁你有冇寄card俾人呀?gum2 nei5 yau5 mo5 gei3 "card" bei2 yun4 ah3? Did you send them a card? Literally: alright then so you have or haven't mailed card to them 呀 [modal particle, question]? *the transliterated form of "card" would be "卡" or "咭" kaat1, which also sound pretty similar to the English word itself. A:梗係有啦,你當阿媽傻架咩?我仲特登Skype去恭喜吓佢哋添呀。gung2 hai6 yau5 lah1, nei5 dong3 ah3 mah1 saw4 gah3 meh1? ngaw5 dzohng6 duck6 dung1 "skype" heui3 gohng1 hei2 hah5 keui5 dei6 teem1 ah3. Of course I have, who do you think I am? I even Skyped them to tell them congratulations. Literally: of course have 啦 [modal particle, reaffirming], you consider mom silly 架咩 [modal particle, disagreeing rhetorical]? I even on purpose skyped there to congratulate them 添呀 [modal particle, informing, I even went this far as to...]. *note that the speaker refers to herself as "阿媽" ah3 mah1 (mom), instead of "me". "Skype" here also did not take on the past tense as it would in English. B:吓,同佢講都嘥gas,佢都get唔倒你啲英文嘅。ha2, tohng4 keui5 gong2 do1 saai1 "gas", keui5 do1 "get" mm4 do2 nei5 dee1 ying1 mun2 geh2. Haha It's "wasting gas" (i.e. useless) to talk to them, they don't get your English. Literally: Huh, with her talk totally waste gas, she can't even get your English 嘅 [modal particle, matter of fact]. *"waste gas" is a Chinglish term (嘥氣 saai1 hei3) that perhaps doesn't make a lot of sense in English, but the idea is "useless", "vain". "get" here means "understand", "comprehend", just like in English, it is used pretty commonly in place of Cantonese. A:哈,你講嘢咁鬼衰嘅,你呢個女吖真係,阿媽好hurt呀。呀係呀,我個電話個mon呢有啲怪怪地呀,你今晚幫我睇下吖好唔好呀?hah1, nei5 gong2 yeh5 gum3 gwai2 seui1 geh2, nei5 nei1 gaw3 neui2 ah1, ah3 mah1 ho2 "hurt" ah3. ah3 hai6 ah3, ngaw5 gaw3 deen6 wah2 gaw3 "mon" neh1, yau5 dee1 gwaai3 gwaai2 dei2 ah3, nei5 gum1 maan1 bong1 ngaw5 tai2 hah5 ah1 ho2 mm4 ho2 ah3? Huh! Why you gotta talk like that, such a mean daughter. I am so hurt right now. Oh that's right, my phone monitor (i.e. screen) is acting strange, can you look at it for me tonight? Literally: Ha, you talk so ghost mean 嘅 [modal particle, howcome], you such daughter 吖 [modal particle, exclamation] really, mom very hurt 呀 [modal particle, informing]. oh yes, my phone the monitor a little bit strange 呀 [modal particle, informing], you tonight help me look look 吖 [modal particle, suggestion/asking for help] ok not ok 呀 [modal particle, question]? *"hurt" is used just as it would in English, it is more often used by younger generations. "mon" on the other hand is abbreviated from "monitor", it is more often referred to as "screen" in English (maybe in the US?), but HK Cantonese speakers prefer to use "mon". B:吓,你啱啱先買咋喎。好啦好啦,我今晚幫你睇啦,唔講住喇,我feel倒老細望住呀... hah2, nei5 aam1 aam1 seen1 maai5 dzah3 waw3. ho2 lah1 ho2 lah1, ngaw5 gum1 maan1 bong1 nei5 tai2 lah1. mm4 gong2 dzue6 lah3, ngaw5 "feel" do2 lo5 sai3 mong6 dzue6 ah3... Huh? Didn't you just buy it? Ok ok, I'll look at it tonight, ah I can't talk anymore, I can feel my boss' stare. Literally: huh, you only just bought 咋喎 [modal particle, only just]. ok ok, I tonight help you look 啦 [modal particle, appeasing], no talk for now 喇 [modal particle, informing], I feel boss looking 呀 [modal particle, informing]. *"feel" is used similar to English as well, but it's combined with Cantonese auxiliary word "倒", meaning "can feel". Also more often used by younger generations. BOSS:喂,你,幫我check吓個order落咗未!wai3, nei5, bong1 ngaw5 "check" hah5 gaw3 "order" lok6 dzaw2 mei6! Hey you, go check if the order is placed yet! Literally: Hey, you, help me check check the order done or not! *"check" and "order" are pretty much used the same as they would be in English. These two words are quite commonly used among all in place of the Cantonese equivalent. A:哦,ok ok ok! aw3, "ok ok ok"! Oh ok ok ok! Literally: oh ok ok ok! *"okay" is very common as well, the Cantonese equivalent "好" or "得", are also used interchangeably. B:你做嘢先你做嘢先。nei5 dzo6 yeh5 seen1 nei5 dzo6 yeh5 seen1 Go ahead and do your work first. Literally: you work first you work first. A:好啦好啦 bye-bye。ho2 lah1 ho2 lah1, "bye-bye". alright, buh-bye. Literally: alright alright, bye bye. *"bye-bye" is basically English, and as we mentioned last time, there's also a transliteration for it "掰掰" (baai1 baai3, which sounds similar to the English. Haha, a little bit of a TMI for the notes, but modal particles are quite essential in understanding the tone, so I thought I'd put it down for you as a reference. Below are some more examples loose English words used in Cantonese, feel free to comment below if you think of any more! Project, call, cancel, lunch, term, check, firm (confirm), work, feel, hurt, friend, cute, email, cheap, detail, get, okay, happy, send, discount, mask, facial, set (hair), gas, mon (monitor), post, like, file, missy (miss, as in female teacher), madam, sir, OT(overtime), quali (quality) Examples of loose English words that also has transliterated forms: ball 波 book 卜 buffet 步飛 case 畸士 card 卡 face 飛士 Facebook 飛卜 file 快勞 guts 吉士 mark 嘜 number 冧巴 order 柯打 show 騷 Further reads about the culture of mixing languages in Cantonese: https://kknews.cc/news/zegzr5g.html Lunguage 006
Lunguage 006.1 Did you know that a lot of Canto words were actually English? No more excuses English speakers, you already know a good amount of Canto words without even realizing. Hong Kong had been a British colony for over 150 years, and this significant period of time had brought a lot of changes politically, socially, and even linguistically. The increase of locals' interaction with Westerners over the years encouraged this unique evolution of Cantonese. When new culture comes in, it often brings along new food, objects, ideologies and terminologies - things that did not exist, or was not as common in Hong Kong, were referred to in their original form as a foreign term, because there simply wasn't a term for it in Cantonese. Over time, the locals have made these foreign terms their own, either because they unintentionally butchered the pronunciation, or decided to find the closest sounding Cantonese characters to represent the idea, it doesn't matter anymore. The once foreign terms, transliterations and loan words are now written in Chinese characters, they have integrated into the language of Cantonese and become inseparable parts of it. Loan words appear in Mandarin Chinese as well, and most likely other branches too (which I cannot testify unfortunately), but because of the difference in phonetic systems, the transliterations of Mandarin and Cantonese often differ. Although loan words is not exclusively a Canto thing, Hong Kong Cantonese has adopted a much larger amount of foreign loan words than other branches of Cantonese, Taiwanese Mandarin and Mainland Mandarin. Most of these loan words are from English, some from French and other European Languages, as well as Japanese. One of the reasons being Hong Kong's status as an Open Society for many years. For the same reason, however, there isn't as strong of a sense of "Standardized Chinese". As time passes Hong Kong Cantonese has become uniquely diversified and flexible - hence the many alternatives of transliteration / translation / phonetic transcription systems / ways of writing the characters / mix of languages. Let's see just how many everyday words were actually English. You'd be surprised. :) (note that the pronunciation of some characters may deviate from normal in loan words transliterations) 衣 CLOTHING Bikini 比堅尼 Bei2 Geen1 Nei4 Bowtai 煲呔 Bo1 Taai1 Cashmere 茄士咩 Keh1 See6 Meh1 Chiffon 雪紡 Suet3 Fong2 Ball Boot 波鉢 Baw1 Boot1 Fashion 花臣 Fah1 Sun2 Fashion Show 花生騷 Fah1 Sung1 So1 Khaki 卡其 Ka1 Kei4 Lace 厘士 Lei1 See2 Laine [French] 冷(衫) Laang1 Saam1 Salon 沙龍 Sah1 Lohng4 Set 恤(髮) Seut1 Faat3 (to cut and set hair) Shirt 恤(衫) Seut1 Saam1 Tai 呔 Taai1 Tuxedo 踢死兔 Tek3 Sei2 To3 食 FOOD Beer 啤(酒) Beh1 Dzau2 Black currants 黑加侖子 Haak1 Gah1 Leun4 Dzee2 Brandy 白蘭地 Baak6 Laan1 Dei2 Cheese 芝士 Dzee1 See2 Cherry 車厘 Tseh1 Lei4 Chocolate 朱古力 Dzue1 Goo1 Lik1 Coffee 咖啡 Gah3 Feh1 Cookie 曲奇 Kook1 Kei4 Cream 忌廉 Gei6 Leem1 Cutlet 吉列 Gut1 Leet6 (specifically fried cutlet) Doughnut 冬甩 Dohng1 Lut1 Horlicks 好立克 Ho2 Lup6 Hak1 Jam 占 Dzeem1 Jelly 啫喱 Dzeh1 Lei2 Kiwi Fruit 奇異果 Kei4 Yee6 Gwaw2 Milk Shake 奶昔 Naai5 Sik1 Mince 免治 Meen5 Dzee6 Omelette 奄列 Um1 Leet6 Ovaltine 柯華田 Aw1 Wah4 Teen4 Pancake 班戟 Baan1 Kik1 Pie 批 Pai1 Plum 布冧 Bo3 Lum1 Pudding 布甸 Bo3 Deen1 Puff 泡芙 Paau3 Foo4 Punch 賓治 Bun1 Dzee6 Salad 沙律 Sah1 Leut2 Salmon 三文 Saam1 Mun4 Sardine 沙甸 Sah1 Deen1 Soda 梳打 Saw1 Dah2 Sirloin 西冷 Sai1 Laang1 Strawberry 士多啤梨 See6 Daw1 Beh1 Lei2 Sundae 新地 Sun1 Dei2 Tart 撻 Taat1 Toast 多士 Daw1 See2 Toffee 拖肥 Taw1 Fei2 Tuna 吞拿 Tun1 Nah4 Vanilla 雲呢拿 Wun6 Nei1 Lah2 Wafer 威化 Wai1 Fah3 Waffle 窩夫 Waw1 Foo1 Food terms from other languages: Mango芒果 Mong1 Gwaw2 Mousse 慕絲 Moo1 See2 Parfait 芭菲 Bah1 Fei1 Satay 沙嗲 Sah3 Deh1 Soufflé 梳乎厘 Saw1 Foo4 Lei5 住 HOUSING Brother 巴打 Bah1 Dah2 Card 卡/咭 Kaat1 Cushion 咕辰 Koo1 Seun2 Keep/Cap 喼 Geep1 (suitcase) Lift "車立" Leep1 Number 冧巴 Lum1 Bah2 Sink 星(盆) Sing1 Poon2 Sister 絲打 See1 Dah2 Sofa 梳化 Saw1 Fah2 Spanner 士巴拿 See6 Bah1 Nah2 Stall/Store 士多 See6 Daw1 Thinner 天拿(水) Teen1 Nah4 Seui2 Wire 威吔 Wai1 Yah2 行 TRANSPORTATION Benz 賓士 Ben1 See2 Brake 迫力 Bik6 Lik1 Bus 巴士 Bah1 See2 Jeep 吉甫 Gut1 Po2 Mini 迷你 Mai4 Nei5 Motor 摩打 Maw1 Dah2 Park 泊(車) Paak3 Tseh1 Porsche 波子 Baw1 Dzee2 Spare 士啤 See6 Beh1 Taxi 的士 Dik1 See2 Tire/Tyre 胎 Taai1 其他 OTHER CATEGORIES Ball 波 Baw1 Bar 吧 Bah1 Beat 咇 Beet1 Boss 波士 Baw1 See2 Bowling 保齡 Bo2 Ling4 Boycott 杯葛 Booi1 Got3 Bungee Jump 笨豬跳 Bun6 Dzue1 Tiu3 Carnival 嘉年華 Gah1 Neen4 Wah4 Case 畸士 Kei1 See2 Cent 仙 Seen1 Certificate 沙(紙) Sah1 Dzee2 Charge 叉電 Tsah1 Deen6 Cigar 雪卡 Suet3 Kah1 Class 卡士 Kah1 See2 Coolie 咕哩 Goo1 Lei1 Court 溝 Kau1 (as in "溝女" Kau1 Neui2 - flirt with girls) Cyanide 山埃 Saan1 Ngaai1 Darling 打令 Dah1 Ling2 Deuce 刁時 Diu1 See4 Disco 的士高 Dik1 See6 Go1 Dozen 打 Dah1 Encore 安哥 On1 Gaw1 Face 飛士 Fei1 See2 Fail 肥佬 Fei4 Lo2 Fans 粉絲 Fun2 See1 Fare 飛 Fei1 Fight 揮 Fai1 (as in "冇得揮" Mo5 Duck1 Fai1 - Can't Fight) File 快佬/快勞 Faai1 Lo2 Film 菲林 Fei1 Lum2 Fluke 符碌 Foo4 Look1 Foul 否 Fau1 Gay 基 Gei1 Giga 激 Gik1 Golf 哥爾夫 Gaw1 Yee5 Foo1 Guitar 結他 Geet3 Tah1 Guts 吉士 Gut1 See2 Hippie 嬉皮士 Hei1 Pei4 See6 Laser 鐳射 Leui4 Seh6 Last 啦士 Lah1 See2 Live 拉闊 Laai1 Foot3 Malade [French] 麻甩 Mah4 Lut1 Margin 孖展 Mah1 Dzeen2 Mark 嘜 Muk1 Mic/Microphone 咪/咪高峰 Mai1 /Mai1 Go1 Fohng1 Money 蚊 Mun1 (dollar) Oral 柯佬 Aw1 Lo2 Order 柯打 Aw1 Dah2 Ounce 安士 Ngawn1 See2 Pair 啤 Peh1 Party 派對 Paai3 Deui3 Phone-in 烽煙 Fohng1 Yeen1 Pop 啪 Paak1 (as in "啪丸" Paak1 Yuen2 - pop a pill) Pose 甫士 Po1 See2 Pound 磅 Bong6 Ransom 參 Sum1 Rob 笠 Lup1 Sauna 桑拿 Song1 Nah4 Saxophone 色士風 Sik1 See6 Fohng1 Sergeant 沙展 Sah1 Dzeen2 Show 騷 So1 Size 嘥士 Saai1 See2 Snooker 士碌架 See6 Look1 Gah2 Stick 士的 See6 Dik1 Tick 剔 Tik1 Tips 貼士 Teep1 See2 Trouble 茶煲 Tsah4 Bo1 Volley 窩利 Waw1 Lei2 Warrant 窩輪 Waw1 Leun2 It is a challenge to trace back the etymology of some words, while they sound pretty similar, there are some debates whether they were actually derived from English. (There might be more...) 來源有待考究 ORIGIN UNCONFIRMED: Argue 拗撬 Aau3 Giu6 Change 唱(錢) Tseung3 Tseen2 Hard Luck 蝦碌 Hah1 Look1 Ketchup 茄汁 Keh2 Dzup1 Scared 蛇gweh Seh4 Gweh1 Transliterations/Translation can look quite different from Cantonese to Mandarin, but they do share some common ones. A clever transliteration does not only give you an idea of how the word is pronounced, but also provides you a hint of the meaning of the word, what it implies, or even the visualization of it. MORE THAN JUST TRANSLITERATION: Humor 幽默 - Yau1 Muck6 - Literally: hidden silence Engine 引擎 - Yun5 King4 - Literally: lead and hold up Neon 霓虹 - Ngai4 Hohng4 - Literally: rainbow rainbow Totem 圖騰 - To4 Tung4 - Literally: picture soar Bandage 繃帶 - Bung1 Daai2 - Literally: stretch tight/binding band Rock'n Roll 樂與怒 - Lok6 Yue5 No6 - Literally: joy and anger Vitamin 維他命 - Wai4 Tah1 Ming6 - Literally: maintain his life Coca Cola 可口可樂 - Haw2 Hau2 Haw2 Lok6 - Literally: tasty and can be happy Pizza Hut 必勝客 - Beet1 Sing3 Haak3 - Literally: bound to win customers Mc Donald's 麥當勞 - Muck6 Dong1 Lo4 - Originally 麥當奴 Muck6 Dong1 No4, a bit more accurate but "奴" means slave in Cantonese so it was replaced by the most similar sounding character "勞" lo4. Actually doesn't have a clever meaning, simply a transliteration. HK locals call it "M記"、"麥記"或"老麥" (The good old Mac) Loan words also exist in English, of course! Here are some examples that you probably have already come across. LOAN WORDS IN ENGLISH: Wok 鑊 ([Cantonese] a versatile round-bottomed cooking pot) Bok Choy 白菜 ([Cantonese] a type of Chinese cabbage) Dim Sum 點心 ([Cantonese] a style of Chinese cuisine) Cheong Sam 長衫 ([Cantonese], AKA Qipao [Mandarin], a type of feminine body-hugging dress with distinctive Chinese features of Manchu origin) Chow Mein 炒麵 ([Taishanese] Chinese stir-fried noodles with vegetables and sometimes meat or tofu) Wonton 雲吞 ([Cantonese] a type of Chinese dumpling commonly found across regional styles of Chinese cuisine) Longan 龍眼 ([Cantonese] a tropical tree species that produces edible fruit, literal meaning in Cantonese: Dragon Eye) Tofu 豆腐 ([Japanese] bean curd. The term "tofu" comes from Japanese tōfu 豆腐. The Japanese word is itself borrowed from the original Chinese equivalent 豆腐 dòufu, literally "bean" + "curdled" or "fermented") Next time we'll take a look at common loan words that have remained in its original form, English, mixing in with Cantonese. Some of these terms are so widely used that even HK locals wouldn't remember what the Cantonese equivalent is. Further reads about transliterations and loan words in Cantonese: 粵語與現代外來詞 https://kknews.cc/education/6k8mz6m.html 廣東人說話夾英語,真不是為了顯擺!https://kknews.cc/news/zegzr5g.html 香港人的外來詞 http://bbs.cantonese.asia/thread-4310-1-1.html 《正識中文》. 作者, 梁慧敏. 出版社, 三聯書店(香港)有限公司 https://www.amazon.com/%E6%AD%A3%E8%AD%98%E4%B8%AD%E6%96%87-Traditional-Chinese-%E6%A2%81%E6%85%A7%E6%95%8F-ebook/dp/B07KXXS1B7 P.S. Japanese loan words in Cantonese: 人気 - 人氣 - 人或事物受歡迎的程度 寫真 - 寫真 - 明星藝人等的個人特寫照片集 料理 - 料理 - 菜餚 賣場 - 賣場 - 指比較大的出售商品的場所 物語 - 物語 - 日語指語言類的書籍,專著 新銳 - 新銳 - 在某一領域新出現的有實力的人或物 新人類 - 新人類 - 日語中指新人、新出現的人;漢語中新人類指 1980 年以後出生的年輕人 親子 - 親子 - 父母和孩子 量販 - 量販 - 大量銷售商品 Lunguage 005 (A tribute to my beloved fellow Hong Kongers)
"Be formless, shapeless, like water. ... Water can flow, or it can crash. Be water my friend." - Bruce Lee "Be water" has become the clarion call and strategy of the HK protesters. It is a profound saying and as I thought about it more, the word "water" in Cantonese, "水", is a perfect embodiment of Bruce Lee's philosophy. You place it with another character, and it immediately takes on a new "form" and create new vivid meanings. Remember to turn on the English subtitles for the Cantonese part (not perfect translations but you'll get the point). I know the pace is really fast, so please feel free to pause! But here's the list of "water" terms mentioned in the video: 薪水 sun1 seui2 (n. salary) literally: salary water 縮水 sook1 seui2 (v. shrink) literally: shrink water 補水 bo2 seui2 (v. get paid overtime) literally: compensate water 食水好深 sik6 seui2 ho2 sum1 (adj. profiteering) literally: eat water very deep 掠水 leuk1 seui2 (v. rob/rip-off) literally: rob water 回水 wooi4 seui2 (v. refund/return) literally: return water 撲水 pok3 seui2 (v. find funds/borrow money) literally: bustle water 疊水 daap6 seui2 (adj. rich/loaded) literally: stack water 幾舊水 gei2 gau6 seui2 (n. a couple hundred dollars) literally: few units of water 磅水 bong6 seui2 (v. pay) literally: weigh water 凍過水 dohng3 gwaw3 seui2 (adj. hopeless) literally: colder than water 潛水 tseem4 seui2 (v. go MIA/disappear) literally: dive water/diving 上水 seung5 seui2 (v. show up/reappear) literally: up water/come out from water 吹水 tseui1 seui2 (v. chit-chat/brag) literally: blow water 吐苦水 to3 foo2 seui2 (v. get something off one's chest) literally: spit bitter water 潑冷水 poot6 laang5 seui2 (v. discourage/put a damper on) literally: splash cold water 散水 saan3 seui2 (v. leave after something) literally: disband water 乜水 mut1 seui2 (n. who the heck) literally: what water 浸鹹水 dzum3 haam4 seui (v. study or live abroad) literally: dip salty water 游乾水 yau4 gon1 seui2 (v. play mahjong) literally: swim dry water/dry swimming 水 seui2 (n. money) literally: water 醒水 sing2 seui2 (adj. quick-witted) literally: smart water 笠水 lup1 seui2 (v. retreat out of fear/cower) literally: (not sure about the actual character/origin of this term) 拖落水 taw1 lok6 seui2 (v. drag into something) literally: drag down water 放水 fong3 seui2 (v. leak information/intentionally perform poorly) literally: release water 提水 tai4 seui2 (v. help cheat/give a hint) literally: remind water 半桶水 boon3 tohng3 seui2 (adj. 50% effort or completion) literally: half bucket of water 一頭霧水 yut1 tau4 mo6 seui2 (adj. completely muddle-headed) literally: one head fog water 唔湯唔水 mm4 tong1 mm4 seui2 (adj. unpresentable) literally: not soup not water 威水 wai1 seui2 (adj. glorious/awesome) literally: awe-inspiring water 心水 sum1 seui2 (n. favorite/desired) literally: heart water 整色整水 dzing2 sik1 dzing2 seui2 (adj. put on a show) literally: make color make water 插水 tsaap3 seui2 (v. diving in soccer/worse rapidly) literally: insert water 睇水 tai2 seui2 (v. keep watch) literally: watch water 抽水 tsau1 seui2 (v. snipe at someone/something) literally: draw water Further Reads: “Be Water!”: seven tactics that are winning Hong Kong’s democracy revolution https://www.newstatesman.com/world/2019/08/be-water-seven-tactics-are-winning-hong-kongs-democracy-revolution Be water, my friend: Hong Kong protesters take Bruce Lee’s wise saying to heart and go with the flow https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3015627/be-water-my-friend-protesters-take-bruce-lees-wise-saying Dear friends. I have been meaning to post a quick video explaining my MIA recently, but I was very disorganized trying to articulate my thoughts (and looked miserable too) so, I thought writing may be a better way for me. I just wanted to apologize for the sudden pause of any productions or posts; as you may know my home Hong Kong is in a turmoil, the situation seems to be only getting worse. It has taken a toll on a lot of people's emotional states, myself included, and the feeling of exhaustion, anger, hopelessness and helplessness has been such a torture. I really can't bring myself to continue to create exciting contents in the meantime, even though I have lots and lots of ideas written down, a few videos in the middle of editing, lots of exciting things about Cantonese I want to share, I just feel it is not the time to do so. In fact I am rather conflicted. My heart is extremely weary from the constant happenings and bad news, and don't have the mental capacity to research, film and face the camera with enthusiasm. On the other hand, however, the bigger mission of Lunguage is to preserve Cantonese, the language and culture of Hong Kong people, in the midst of all these political oppression and tyrannical ridiculousness. Language and Culture are very important parts of our identity, and I want to protect them with everything I've got. Yet this battle is daunting. The power holder comes charging in, like the unstoppable waves, one after another, arrogant and intolerant, cruel and heartless. It is disturbing to see how often we merely surrender to the powerful and give up on ourselves. Since when has it become impossible to just be ourselves in a place we call "home"? Since when has our language become inferior in a place we call "home"? Since when has it become wrong to fight for ourselves in a place we call "home"? Why are we the ones who have to leave the place we call "home"? Yet many who had the option, have chosen to leave despite the bitterness... And here I am, helplessly sitting half-way across the world, only able to scroll, click and grieve. The decision to stay in the US haunts me often. To leave home behind for whatever reason and start all over in a new place is never a light and easy decision, there is much to give up on and more to learn and adapt to. The sense of loneliness and uneasiness that come along, and the guilt of departure that will probably forever linger. What makes us stay and what calls us to leave? Until what point do we give up on a place we call "home"? Can we leave a place we truly love? What does staying take? Does leaving make us traitors? Or are we granted another mission? ... Home is different for everyone perhaps, but to me, home is a place full of flaws I could complain about all day, where I couldn't wait to leave, but it is also the very place full of memories and delightful little things I could brag about all day, where I can't wait to go back to; it may never be perfect, but it is irreplaceable. Home is subjective, home is personal, home is not bound to space and time; home, is a funny thing. Heaven knows what the future holds for Hong Kong. I guess at this point there's no doubting or looking back or regretting about my being here. Might as well take advantage of the fact that I am here, and do the things that can be done here... things that perhaps will no longer be possible in the future Hong Kong. It takes immense effort to fight against all odds. I cannot do it by myself, and I need all the help I can get. I am not sure what it looks like tangibly for Lunguage just yet but, I truly appreciate your support, and any contribution with the content ideas, research and productions. If you have a heart for Hong Kong and Cantonese, and/or are interested in helping with research and productions, please please please feel free to message, email, call, poke, shout, wave, raise your hand, just come and bug me. Thank you all. Taken on Tai Mo Shan (highest mountain in Hong Kong), HK, 2014
Yes, it is time to tackle the topic of tones!! Here is a supplementary blog post to the Lunguage 003 video, for those who are interested in learning a bit more, and where my resources came from, etc. Overview of tonal languages Many Asian and African languages, such as Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Punjabi, Yorùbá, Igbo, Ewe and Zulu, are tonal languages. While most Indo-European languages such as English, German, French, Russian and Greek, are non-tonal languages. Some languages lie in the middle, they emphasize on the pitch accent instead of tones, such as Japanese, Hebrew, and Swedish. Tonal Language is a language in which different "tones" can not only give hints of emotional information, but more importantly change the meaning of a word, even if the pronunciation of the word is otherwise the same. So it is essential to identify the different tones to understand and make yourself understood in a tonal language. Cantonese is known for its complicated tonal system. In fact, tones are one of, if not the most challenging aspect especially for English (or any non-tonal language) speakers. You'd be surprised, even the locals, despite being able to speak Cantonese fluently, are not so familiar with their own tonal system. Don't be discouraged, though, we believe there are ways to make it easier to understand for learners from different language backgrounds. And mastering the tones opens the door to many more fun experience Cantonese has to offer. The Cantonese tones, 9 or 6? Just how many tones are there in Cantonese? Traditionally speaking there are "THE NINE" (A.K.A. the 9 tones of hell), which consists of what they call the "9 sounds 6 tones". No no, that does not mean there are 15, but that there are 9 different "sounds", and within the 9, there are 6 different "tones" (or pitch). Huh? Way to confuse people already. So more recently (or actually I can't even trace back to when) it has been simplified to the 6 main tones to make it less confusing than it already is. There are debates about that, too, of course, as always in the field of linguistics. So here we are going to explore how the original 9 came about, and why some scholars think it is more appropriate to lump the last 3 into the main 6, while some might beg to differ. To put it simply, if "tone" merely refers the use of "pitch" (the degree of highness or lowness of a tone) in language to distinguish lexical or grammatical meaning, there would be 6 tones/contrasting variation of pitch in Cantonese. But if we are defining the actual Chinese word "聲調" (the closest but not exact translation to "tone"), it would include also the Entering/Checked Tones, which are not tones in the phonetic (pitch) sense but rather a syllable that ends in a stop consonant or a glottal stop (-t, -k, -p). Entering-Toned words have an abrupt and unique sound that makes them stand out from those that end with a vowel or nasal consonant, that is why they have traditionally been treated separately; despite sharing the same pitch, the sound of 7th is not exactly like 1st; 8th not exactly 3rd; and 9th not exactly 6th. Since the word "tone" is understood by English speakers quite differently, it is probably best to stick with the definition of "the differentiation of pitch" to avoid confusions. As the existence of "tones" is already a daunting enough thought for non-tonal language speakers, having 9 or more tones definitely would not be very encouraging. Sometimes compromising in translations between languages and cultures would mean the loss of some important things. So it is necessary to still introduce the Entering Tones, (tone 7-9) to Cantonese speakers and learners, even if the 6-Toned System would eventually replace the other. We dare not to omit the traditional 9 Toned-System just to make it easier, as it was classified as such for historical and linguistic reasons. Besides, it is always helpful to be aware of the possible gaps between two drastically different languages, and not assume all other languages must work the same way as our own. The value and history of tones Anyway, be it 9 or 6, tones are an indispensable part of not only Cantonese, but also Classical Chinese literature, as characters in poetry and prose were chosen according to tones and rhymes for their euphony. The use of language helps to reconstruct the pronunciation of Old Chinese and Middle Chinese (as the Chinese writing system is logographic rather than phonetic). Interestingly one would find that Cantonese resembles and preserves more characteristics of Middle Chinese more so than some other Chinese variations, for instance, Mandarin. Entering tone is one of these characteristics. Entering tones are legacy of Middle Chinese. Among the main Chinese variation groups, Cantonese, Wu, Hakka and Min are ones that have preserved this characteristic, while in most of the Mandarin and other dialects it has been lost. Understanding and explaining the relationship between modern Cantonese (or other variations) with Old/Middle Chinese concerning its Entering Tones would probably take a life time of studying and investigation, but if you have interest in the history, origin, and the appearance of Entering Tones in different Chinese Variations, please feel free to check out the links below: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checked_tone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Chinese As mentioned above, in contrast with the words ending with stop consonant, -t, -k, -p (A.K.A Entering Tones), it is the words that end with a vowel, or nasal consonant (-n, -ng, -m). There are only 6 possible consonant endings in Cantonese. You can transform a non-entering-toned word to an entering-toned word by changing its consonant ending accordingly: -n → -t e.g. 新 (new) sun1 → 失 (lose) sut1/7 -ng → -k e.g. 撐 (prop up) tsaang3 → 拆 (dismantle) tsaak3/8 -m → -p e.g. 甚 (very, what) sum6 → 十 (ten) sup6/9 The 2 secret additional entering tones Well, maybe no one ever told you before, but there are actually 2 addition tones, if you count Entering Tones as a separate thing. They are used in rarer and informal occasions and do not really have official names. Most don't even consider them tones, but a special case. But if they actually had names, they would be: 10. 上入 Mid Rising Entering (shares the same pitch as 2nd) 11. 下陽入 Low Falling Entering (shares the same pitch as 4th) Tone 10 occurs in a common Cantonese phenomenon (Taishanese too apparently) called Changed Tones (小稱變調), where a word takes on the Mid-Rising tone (Tone 2) due to a certain context or meaning. Modified tones are usually used in the second character of compounds and reduplications. For instance, 牙刷 (tooth brush) should be pronounced as "ngaah4 tsaat8" formally, but it is widely referred to as "ngaah4 tsaat10" instead by locals; 捉賊 (to catch a thief) "dzook7 tsaak9" becomes "dzook7 "tsaak10". This phenomenon also exists outside of entering tones, but that would not add an extra tone to the system. For example: 妹妹 (little sister) "mui6 mui6" becomes "mui4 mui2"; 擒擒青 (in a hurry) "kum4 kum4 tseng1" becomes "kum4 kum2 tseng1". (Other examples, 人日, 扇葉...) Tone 11 is rarer, it is when an Entering Tone takes on the Low Flat/Falling tone (Tone 4). It almost always appears with the use of Tone 10 in a reduplication. Example: 𠽌𠽌聲 (slurping sound) "suet7 suet7 seng1" becomes "suet11 suet10 seng1". This is also one of the points Chaaak raised in his article "粵語聲調 6 個 定係 9 個?" arguing why Cantonese should just have 6 tones, since the exceptional cases above would inevitably bring two more tones to the already confusing system. So to make things easier, all the Entering Tones are lumped together with their counterparts that share the same pitch. The Six Main/Basic/whatever you call it Tones: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 The Entering Tones and Their Counterparts: 7=1, 8=3, 9=6, 10=2, 11=4 So... yea. We'll just go with 6. But just know that it was not really 6. Haha. (The world is full of lies!!!! *runs away*) A musical way to learn tones As Cantonese is a tonal language that's all about pitch, music is actually a helpful way to learn tones. No worries, it does not require a whole lot of musical knowledge, as long as you can sing or know about Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So, that is all it takes. Each of the tone/pitch is like a solfège (or sol-fa), so it is not strictly a musical note like a G, or a C, but rather it is moveable and relative from one key to another; the "Do" in the key of C is a different pitch from the "Do" in the key of A, for instance. Imagine the "key" as the range of your own voice, you get to set the tone of how low the lowest (Tone 4) - your "Do" - goes down to, and how high the highest (Tone 1) - your "So" - goes up to. Your range could vary, of course, depending on the context, emotions, or how your throat feels that particular day. But once you have an anchor point, all the other tones are relative to that. By the same token, you would understand other people perfectly fine even if their range is different from yours and their Tone 4 is much much lower. There are some mnemonic devices to help memorize the different tones. The Cantonese numbers 1-10 conveniently embodies the 6 tones (all 9 actually), when read in this particular order, "3 9 4 0 5 2 7 8 6" (saam1, gau2, sei3, ling4, ng5, yee6, tsut7, baat8, look9), it will give the nine tones in order. Another common one is "三碗半牛腩麵一百碟" (saam1 woon2 boon3 ngau4 naam5 meen6 yut7 baak8 deep9), which literally just means "3.5 bowls of beef brisket noodle soup a hundred plates". As you can imagine, writing lyrics for Cantonese songs can be nerve-racking, to fill melodies with words that fit the particular pitch running up and down... Luckily its relativity makes the lyrics intelligible still in the context, but sometimes it could really miss the mark. Traditional Christian hymns translated directly from English (or Mandarin) to Cantonese in the earlier days have some pretty horrible examples unfortunately. A Life of Numbers by George Lam (intro and outro of Lunguage 003) is a famous and memorable song with lyrics of Cantonese numbers, written to fit their respective pitch. Well written Cantonese lyrics are not only easy to pick up and memorize with the melody, but also retains the beauty and implicit charm in rhyme or sound of the Cantonese language. Lastly, here is the original song for you guys. Don't miss out on the crazy middle part! Enjoy. :) Further Reads:
粵語聲調 6 個 定係 9 個?- 阿擇 (Chaaak) https://medium.com/@chaaak/%E7%B2%B5%E8%AA%9E%E8%81%B2%E8%AA%BF-6-%E5%80%8B-%E5%AE%9A%E4%BF%82-9-%E5%80%8B-4bacef5e029e Tone Language https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tone_language Cantonese Phonology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantonese_phonology Checked Tone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checked_tone How to read Nine "Tones" of Cantonese? (粵語九聲調)- Hong Kongese Speak Cantonese https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdxT1OEAbvg The World’s Most Musical Languages - John McWhorter https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/11/tonal-languages-linguistics-mandarin/415701/ Why Tonal Languages Aren’t as Hard as You Think - Jeremy Ginsburg https://www.fluentin3months.com/tonal-languages/ The Most Musical Languages in the World - What is a Tonal Language? https://asianabsolute.co.uk/blog/2018/07/30/the-most-musical-languages-in-the-world-what-is-a-tonal-language/ |
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