Monday 11 April 2022

Teochew phrases

Mr Allan Tan, a Teochew living in Singapore, has a video on YouTube and it was sent to me this morning. There are a couple of items which I need to investigate and when I find these out, I will update this post. 

This video has interesting Teochew phrases and I have made notes to share with you. 

First of all, thank you Mr Tan for all your work to promote our Teochew language. It is much appreciated.

mo2i3se1孬意思

 

to be sorry for inconveniencing somebody; to feel embarrassed, or finding it embarrassing

bu4hao3yi4si5不好意思

dui3m6zu6 對唔住|对唔住

I am sorry, excuse me, pardon me, sorry

dui4bu5qi3 對不起|对不起

Do you know the difference between mo2i3se1 and dui3m6zu6 and when to use these polite expressions?

cio3 gao3 mag8zab4 lao5 笑到目汁流

laugh until teary eyes

笑得流眼淚|笑得流眼泪

The video wrote笑得標眼水 for the Mandarin translation.

cio3 gao3 lao5 mag8zab4

笑到流目汁

laugh until teary eyes

笑得流眼淚|笑得流眼泪

suh4 mag8 zin3 目箭

wink

打眼色

I cannot find or suh4 mag8 zin3 in my Teochew dictionaries.

nih4mag8 𥍉

wink

zha3yan3 眨眼

sioh4 si2 le2 惜死汝

to love deeply [paternal love, love between siblings, love between friends]

很疼惜你

guê3 sioh4 le2怪惜汝

There was a time in China where the word si2 was banned from public broadcasting. I think for this reason, our people in our homeland use the word guê3 which has the same meaning as si2 to mean very.

hoh4 ho2 ziah8 好好食

delicious – very good to eat

很好吃

lag8lag8 力力

 

 

I cannot find an entry for lag8lag8 in my Teochew dictionaries.

lag8loh8 力落

diligent, hardworking

qin2kuai4 勤快

u6 gê3si3有架勢|有架势

to have a good posture

zi1tai4 hao3 姿態好姿态好

du2m6duê3唔綴唔缀

unbearable, unable to endure, cannot stand it anymore

shou4bu4liao3 受不了

tao5mo5 dua7 guê3 de7

頭毛大過头毛大过

 

 

頭痕

dioh4 lao6 mian7著老命着老命

To be angry to the point of wanting a person’s life

激死

In Cantonese 激死 means 氣死 in Mandarin which means to be to be furious or angry and in Mandarin 老命 means the life of a person 生命

bêg4 guê3 huê2

煏過火煏过火

to be angry

火滾

 火滾 in Cantonese means to be angry and in Mandarin is 惱火 . I think they have written the wrong bêg4 character if this is the case and the bêg4 should be and this bêg4means 心裡有氣 to be angry inside

cui3 kuah4 kuah4 嘴闊闊嘴阔阔

to open one’s mouth extremely widely

O

O is a Cantonese word and in Teochew O - O cui3 – and in Mandarin 指口部張開得很大 which means to open one’s mouth extremely widely

mag8gim1gim1 目金金

to stare

眼定定

眼定定 is a Cantonese word and it means 眼光直直地看著to stare

ci1cam2 si2 悽慘|凄

very miserable

很悽慘|很凄惨

mag8siab4 si2 𥍆

very sleepy

很眼睏|很眼困

眼瞓 is a Cantonese word which means sleeping and in Mandarin is 眼睏 and the siab4 character used in the video is not the correct one.

siab4

not willing or happy to do something

bu4tai4 le4yi4不太樂意不太乐意

ngh8

sleep

睡覺|睡觉

瞓覺 used in the subtitles is a Cantonese word and the Mandarin is睡覺

gêng1 sim1 se7 經心事经心事

to express an opinion

chu1dian3zi5 出點子出点子

諗計仔 is again another Cantonese word can means to think of a method of doing something 想辦法 or to give suggestion 出主意 or to offer an opinion 出點子

gêng1 憋住means to express and sim1se7 心事 means what is in one’s mind and I therefore think out of the three Mandarin meaning this出點子 is most fitting

huê1 cui3 bêh8 zih8 花嘴白舌

to tell lies

sa1huang3 撒謊撒谎

講大話 is a Cantonese word and in Mandarin is 撒謊

dan3 bho5 uê7 呾無話呾无话

have nothing to say

wu2hua4ke3shuo1 無話可說无话可说

pah4pog4 拍撲|拍扑

to applaud, to clap

gu3zhang3 鼓掌

zoi7sia3 㩼謝|㩼谢

thanks

xie4xie5 謝謝|谢谢

kiang3 zoh8 強絕|强绝

very clever

很聰明

zoh8 絕|绝

extremely

ji2le5 極了|极了

lêh4

clever, intelligent, capable and has the same meaning as kiang3 and好叻 is a Cantonese word which means很聰明 very clever

ao3 si2

very bad

I have no idea what 渣到死 means!

ho2 li7 好哩

It is alright. Approve!

zhun3

zian3ciu2

right hand

you4shou3 右手

do2ciu2 倒手

left hand

zuo3shou3 左手

mai3dan3

not to speak of others

mo4jiang3 莫講|莫讲

si3suan3dan3 四散

saying or speaking nonsense, talking rubbish

hu2shuo1ba1dao4

胡說八道|胡说八道

bho5biang3 無變无变

Impossible: there is nothing which can be done; one cannot do anything about it

mei2ban4fa3

沒辦法没办法

 


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