Do you remember the word bho5nai6ho5

Nowadays, one does not hear an old fashion Teochew expression said by people living in our homeland, which is bho5nai6ho5.

The Mandarin equivalent is still heard in Mandarin dramas.

bho5nai6ho5

無奈何｜无奈何

have no way out, have no alternative, without a choice, lack of a better option, helpless

Let us look at an example in which bho5nai6ho5 is used in a traditional Teochew saying.

deng6 ca5 bhi2 ， dang2 gho7 si2 ， bho5nai6ho5 ， bhoi7 gu1li7

斷柴米，等餓死，無奈何，賣咕哩｜ 断柴米，等饿死，无奈何，卖咕哩

Do not have firewood and rice, wait to starve to death, have no other alternative but to be a coolie.

Gu1li7 is a translation of the Mandarin ku'li 苦力 which means unskilled work a phrase used during the colonial period.

I thought of bho5nai6ho5 is because today was rather hot and I wanted to say:

Ruah8 gao3 bho5nai6ho5

熱到無奈何｜热到无奈何

Hot until cannot be held.

So what do modern Teochew people in homeland say instead of bho5nai6ho5?

They say du2m6duê3.

Ruah8 gao3 du2m6duê3.

熱到堵唔綴｜热到堵唔缀

Let us look at du2 first. One example of the use of du2 is in:

du2dioh4

堵著｜堵着

to come across by chance

When I was taught Teochew, I was told the difference between ngo6dioh4 and du2dioh4 – my teacher taught me:

Ngo6dioh4 gai5 nang5

遇著個人｜遇着个人

Meet a person

du2dioh4 gai5 se6

堵著個事｜堵着个事

Meet an event

However, the du2 here means to deal with and this is a specific Teochew meaning. M6 唔 has the same meaning as the Mandarin 不 meaning not or no. We know duê3 as to stick.

There is a Teochew nursery rhyme which has the expression bho5nai6ho5 and many of us would have learnt this when we were children.

The line dua7bêh4 siao2li2 bho5nai6ho5 siu1sib8 bao1go2 guê3 Siam5lo5 means the older brother was embarrassed, had no alternative, packed his bags and went to Thailand. 

tin1dêng2 zêg8 ziah4 gho5

天頂一隻鵝｜天顶一只鹅

A1di6 u6 bho2 a1hian1 bhou2

阿弟有𡚸阿兄無｜阿弟有𡚸阿兄无。

A1di6 sên1gian2 gio3 dua7bêh4

阿弟生仔叫大伯

dua7bêh4 siao2li2 bho5nai6ho5

大伯小理無奈何｜大伯小理无奈何

siu1sib8 bao1go2 guê3 Siam5lo5

收拾包裹過暹羅｜收拾包裹过暹罗

lai2ke3 Siam5lo5 kang1 de1go1

來去暹羅牽豬豭｜来去暹罗牵豬豭

tang3 u6 zin5ngeng5 gê1giam2 gia3

賺有錢銀加減寄｜赚有钱银加減寄

gia3 deng2 Deng5suan1 cua7 lao6pua5

寄轉唐山𡥘老婆｜寄转唐山𡥘老婆。