Monday, 1 August 2022

What did Lim Gang call money?

In this video you can hear Lim Gang 林江 telling a story and at the end of the story 15:12 he said:

dang6nguang6 ui1sêng1 tang3 bho5 lui1, nang5nang5 hi2dioh4, ui1in7 bho5 bên7nang5, gib8za2 do2dion3

但願醫生賺無鐳人人喜著醫院無病人及早倒賬。|但愿医生赚无镭人人喜着医院无病人及早倒账。

If only it is possible for doctors not to earn money, everybody will be happy, hospitals will have no patients (and) very soon go bankrupt.

但願醫生賺不到錢人人歡喜醫院沒病人得及早關門。|但愿医生赚不到钱人人欢喜医院没病人得及早关门。

The point of typing out what Lim Gang has said is because he uses the word “lui1” for money.  Lim Gang is a very seasoned storyteller and he lives in our homeland.

I have read that lui1 came from the Malay word duit for money.  The origin of the word duit was from the Dutch copper coin.

I have also heard in Teochew ancient dramas the word lui1 been used to describe ancient Chinese copper coins with holes.

I write this post for those Teochew people living in South East Asia who still call money lui1. 

It is amazing what one hears when one watches Teochew videos from our homeland. 



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