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
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