going to Singapore

 This Singaporean Teochew man has recited a ballad and he has made some changes to the original one. However, there are errors in the characters used in the video which I have amended accordingly. He also said wife incorrectly and it should be said as lao6pua5 and not as lao6bo5.

soi1 gho5 ga6 dua6 gho5 細鵝咬大鵝 small goose bites a big goose

a1di6 u6 bhou2 a1hiaⁿ1 bho5  阿弟有𡚸阿兄無 – younger brother has a wife, elder brother does not 

a1di6 sêⁿ1giaⁿ2 gio3 dua7bêh4  阿弟生囝叫大伯 – younger brother has a child, calls elder uncle

dua7bêh4 siao2li2 bho5nai6ho5 大伯小理無奈何 – uncle is ashamed but without choice

siu1sib8 bao1go2 收拾包裹 – to pack up one’s things

lai2 ke3 Sig8lag8bo1 來去石叻坡 – go to Singapore

bhua5 sêⁿ1 bhua5 si2 kag4kou2 zo3 磨生磨死刻苦做 – work as hard as he could

ziaⁿ3 ho2 deng2lai6 cua7 lao6pua5 正好轉內𡥘老婆 – only can return home to marry a wife

 

I have not heard of bhua5 sêⁿ1 bhua5 si2 as to work hard.  In Teochew, bhua5 means tired, exhausted, worn out and others. 

We say to work hard as:

lag8loh8 力落

biaⁿ3pah4 拚拍

and we have a Mandarin Teochew word for work hard which is no3lag8 努力