''Easier than using chopsticks!" - PETER BOCZAR, leo Burnett ltd.
includes CD with pronunciation aid and full-length conversations
No Swea-t Caf'\-tOf'\ese ArYl~ Leur'\~
Asia 2000 Limited Hang Kong
© 2003 Amy Leung All Rights Reserved
ISBN :962-8783-29-7
Published by Asia 2000 Ltd lB'h Floor, Hollywood Centre, 77-91 Queen' s Road West, Hong Kong
http:/ /www. asia2000.com .hk
Typeset in Futuro by Julia Ng Illustrated by Sunshine Wong Printed in Hong Kong by You Yee Printing & Binding Co. (H .K.)
First Printing 2003 Second Printing 2005 Third Printing 2007
The rights of Amy Leung to be identified as the author of this work have been asserted in
accordance with sed ion 77and 78 of the United Kingdom 's Copyright Designs and Patents Ad 1988.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold hired out or otherwise circulated without the publi sher' s prior written consent in ony form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
Contents Preface How to Use the Book
vii ix
Basics Chapter 1 Chapter 2
3 15
Topics Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5
What is Cantonese? Numbers and Things
Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15
Greetings Physical Appearance Transportation : Going to Work and Going Out Around the Home Finding your Way Bargaining: At the Market and Shopping Time, Dote and Day of the Week Going on a Business Trip First Visit to Hong Kong Interests and Hobbies Weather In the Kitchen Chinese Dim Sum and local Cafes
Appendices Appendix I Appendix II Appendix Ill Appendix IV
Geographical Terms Idioms and Slang Expressions Glossary A Chinese Recipe
Acknowledgements About the Author
29
47 55
67 75 83 95 105 115
129 135 145 153
168
175 182
203 205 207
Preface 1\.1 o
S w e a -t: C a 1'\ -t: o 1'\ e s e is designed to help nonCantonese speakers from all walks of life to learn to speak the language while having fun . While it is written primarily for expatriate residents and frequent visitors to Hong Kong, it can be used by anyone interested in the language. Cantonese is spoken by over 70 million people worldwide; aside from in Hong Kong, Cantonese is spoken in many parts of China's Guangdong and Guangxi provinces, as well as the Special Administrative Region of Macau . It can be heard in "Chinatowns" in cities across the world, and it is the language of Hong Kong's cinema, which enjoys global popularity, particularly those featuring such stars as Jackie Chan, Maggie Cheung, Chow Yun-fat, and Alan Tam, just to name a few. After July 1 st, 1997, English and Mandarin became Hong Kong's tow official languages. However, Cantonese is still the most widely spoken dialect used in everyday life. So while knowing Cantonese may not be essential for doing business in Hong Kong, you will have a lot more fun living here if you know just a little. Although many Hong Kong people, such as taxi drivers and shopkeepers, can speak at least some English, expatriates will find it valuable to learn some basic Cantonese phrases in order to find their way around . It is especially useful while shopping at the market and for those who live on outlying islands such as Lantau, Lamma and Cheung Chou, where the use of English is more limited . Speaking Cantonese may even help break the ice at parties and among your co-workers in the office, and earn you respect for your efforts. The local people might have a laugh at your expense but they will certainly appreciate your trying to speak their language.
This book has been written to guide you through learning Cantonese in on enjoyable way. The chapters ore arranged by "topics" or situations that arise most frequently in everyday life. Each provides you with a list of useful words and phrases so that you con speak with confidence local people . Guided conversations, which ore accompanied by the CD recording, help place what you hove learned into living context. In addition, there ore explanations of grammar and sentence patterns for your complete understanding of Cantonese. Lost but not least, pop-up boxes containing fun and useful information on the rituals of work, ploy and love guide you towards fully immersing yourself in local culture. So let's start learning Cantonese in a fun new way!
Amy Leung Hong Kong
How to Use This Book Over the years that I spent training non-Chinese students in the Cantonese language. I come to realize that that there was a Strong demand for on up-to-dote textbook focusing on the Practical needs of expatriates. What's more, it needed to be Presented in a manner that mode Cantonese. "that impossible Language!" - easy and enjoyable to learn . This book meets that demand . With its emphasis on vocabulary and practical application, it is suitable for learners at both beginner's and intermediate levels, as well as those more advanced learners who simply wont to brush up on what they already know. The unique integration of "pop-up" cultural boxes with the more conventional elements of the textbook should guide the business traveler, expatriate resident and anyone else keen to learn Cantonese in the practical usage of newly acquired vocabulary and phrases. No Swea-t Car"li:Or"lese consists of a textbook and a CD recording . The four elements to the textbook- Lingo, Chit Chat, One-liners and Grammatical Notes - present Vocabulary, guided conversation, useful expressions and basic Grammar to the student. They should be approached in that Sequence by beginners, who con then follow through the book In its logical order. Whenever you see the ·r ecording icon{) , you should follow the text while listening to the pronunciation of the native speaker on the CD, then repeat several times. You should keep returning to the recordings to check the accuracy of yours pronunciation . The CD begins with a brief introduction and then continues into chapter 1 .Each subsequent chapter has its own separate track on the CD e .g . for chapter 2 ploy track 2.
All of the Cantonese vocabulary is written phonetically. Listening to the CD while studying the text will allow you to become familiar with the method that I have used . On a few occasions, I have used a colloquial pronunciation, rather than the exact pronunciation, when the former is in general use in Hong Kong. For intermediate to advanced learners, the textbook serves as a unique reference work on everyday language and culture, and can be used according to individual needs . The recording can also be used independently of the textbook - for instance, while driving in the car or flying on a plane - as a way to keep you thinking and pronouncing correctly in Cantonese . In addition, the appendices are a useful reference for students at all levels. The city and country names in Appendix I are listed in the alphabetical order of their Cantonese pronunciation, so as to promote listening comprehension. The idioms and slang expressions in Appendix II are arranged according to common theme. Appendix Ill serves as a mini dictionary of all the vocabulary introduces in each chapter. It takes time to learn a language. I suggest that you use the CD and the textbook together at least three times a week for 20 to 30 minutes to get the best results. Time management is also important. To increase the frequency of your exposure to the material, you may wish to regularly listen to the recording on your way to work. Finally, learning requires a fun attitude toward practice. The best way to learn effectively is to practice loudly and unabashedly with friends or with co-workers every chance you get.
13>asics
I
J What is Cantonese? Cantonese is the most widely spoken dialect used in everyday life in Hong Kong . It is a dialect of Chinese, a "tonal " language - the meaning of the word depends on the tone used to pronounce it (see 1 . 1). Chinese dialects are a closely related group of languages which share a similar writing system of " characters" , but which are spoken differently. The precise number of these dialects is the subject of debate - there are essentially seven main languages (including Cantonese) and perhaps two hundred minor ones.
1 .1 What are Tones? Tones are the most troublesome aspect of learning to speak Cantonese for native English speakers. While Chinese grammar is much simpler than that of English , tones provide a more than adequate challenge for the novice . However, after a few weeks or months you will have mastered the tones, and will be able to pronounce Cantonese with confidence , astounding your English-speaking friends in the process. A tone is the relative pitch in the range of one ' s voice . While in English varying the pitch of one ' s voice is used for emphasis or to form a question , pronounci ng a Cantonese word with a high pitched voice is almost certain to give the word a different meaning than saying the same vowels and consonants with a lower pitched voice . While other Asian languages, e.g . Thai and Vietnamese, also make use of tones, modern Cantonese has seven tones, which is more than most other languages, making it difficult for most beginners to learn . In Cantonese, the same vowels and consonants pronounced with different tones can have six or seven different meanings. An example of this is the word "Si :"
3
No Swea-t Can-tonese
Tone
How the Cantonese word is wriHen in the Roman alphabet
Meaning
High Falling High
Si or Si
Poem
High Rising
Si
Feces
Middle
Si
Try
Low Falling
Slh
Time
Low Rising
Sih
City
Low
Sih
Matter
To help you pronounce as you read we will use the following system of writing tones. 1. For the high tones, we put the appropriate tone mark on the top of the first vowel/final. 2. For the middle tone, there is no tone mark at all. 3. For low falling/rising tones, we put "h" after the vowel! final. plus the appropriate tone mark. 4. For the low tone, we put "h" after the vowel/final. 4
Chap-ter/
wha-t is Can-tonese ?
The following graphic illustrates the range of tones in Cantonese :
~.~·;,, --=--------
High or High Falling (Si or Sl)
Q)
Cl
r:::
e
t•
Middle (Si)
• ••
One simplification for the purposes of this book is that we will not distinguish between the High Falling and High tones, as for most speakers there is no audible difference . Therefore, practically speaking, the number of tones is reduced to six. See, it' s easier already!
5
1\/o Swea-t Can-tonese
TONAL TROUBLES
You may have heard from friends who have had some exposure to Cantonese that occasionally, this aspect of the language can lead to some interesting situations - either amusing or embarrassing depending on your perspective .
Here are a few examples :
A
Ordering a Hot Dog - One of my students went Ia a cafe to order a hat dog. Eager to practice Cantonese , he confidently spoke the words that I had taught him the day before. Unfortunately he made a slight mistake in the lone, and asked instead for a "hot male organ". The staff couldn 't help laughing but my student wasn't embarrassed, as he knew that practicing is the only way to learn a language.
The Canadian and The Armpit- Another of my students was looking for his Canadian colleague at work and he used the wards he had just learned to ask his Chinese colleague, "Where is the Canadian guy?" However, he used the wrong tone, and actually said, "Where is Mr. Armpit? " They all had a laugh . "Light up" before you "Hit the plane " - One time , someone asked my student whether he had a lighter. However, my student thought he said, "Hit the plane"- which happens to be slang for " masturbate ." He immediately punched the unsuspecting smoker. The pronunciation is so similar that he mistook it as something rude. It took him a while to clear himself out of that mess!
...
6
~--------~~
Wh;Jt is Cllntonese!
Chllpter 1
1 .2 Pronunciation Drill Now try the following Pronunciation Drill (I promise not to hove too many of these) . Repeat a few times after the recording, then try it on your own :
High
High Rising
Ba
ba
Do
Middle
0
Low
Low
Falling
Rising
Low
ba
bah
bah
bah
do
do
doh
doh
doh
Si
si
si
sih
sih
sih
Po
pa
pa
pah
pah
pah
Gwa
gwa
gwa
gwah
gwah
gwah
Syu
syu
syu
syuh
syuh
syuh
Fan
fan
fan
fohn
fohn
fohn
Congratulations! You've now correctly pronounced all six tones for the first time! Just do that whenever you speak Cantonese, and things will go smoothly.
7
N o Swe
1.3 Initials and Finals In addition to tones , we have 19 Initials and 51 Finals in Cantonese . Initials are the consonants that make up the beginning of the syllable . Finals are the vowels and consonants that make up the end of the syllable. To summarize :
1. Initial = the beginning sound of the syllable. 2 . Final = the ending sound of the syllable.
3. Tone mark = the relative pitch of the syllable. Here are three examples of syllables : tone mark
I
I\ initial
Good
High tone
Good looking
Middle tone
final
Good quality initial
final
I, me initial
8
final
low tone
Ch
Wh
1.3.1 Initials Here is a list of all the Initials you will find in Cantonese. Initial
Cantonese example
Meaning
Chinese
b
be
father
~
p
pa
be afraid of
lie
d
de
dozen
n
ta
he
flt!
g
go
home
~
k
ka
carriage
fa
flower
*«:
h
he
shrimp
n
nah
Ia take
Ia
please
ja
to drive
ch
cha
bad
~
m
me
mother
Ill
ng
ngah
teeth
~
gw
gwa
melon
~
kw
kwa
to climb over
~
sa
sand
)Ul
w
wah
to say
~
y
yah
also
tE
Ji
• om
m
9
0
No Swe
1.3 .2 Finals Here is a list of all the Finals you will find in Cantonese.
Q The single and double
"a "
Final
Cantonese example
Meaning
Chinese
0
fa
flower
it:
ooi
moo i
to buy
oou
beau
bread
oom
sa om
three
a on
do on
bill
oong
haohng
to walk
oak
book
hundred
fj i3
oop
ngoop
duck
!PI
a at
boat
eight
n
au
gau
nine
tl
om
sam
heart
/{j
on
san
new
iii
ong
dang
light
m
ok
dak
OK
~
at
mat
what
oi
soi
small
h fall
op
jap
juice
finals
10
•
Mil
m
>t
Wh
Ch
0
Final
Cantonese example
Meaning
e
che
car
ek
sek
kiss
eng
Ieng
good looking
eu
heu
boot
euk
jeuk
to wear
eung
leuhng
two (a couple)
ei
bei
to give
eui
heui
to go
n
eun
seun
letter
~
eut
cheut
exit
l±l
si
to try
~
The
iu
siu
laugh
~
finals
im
tihm
sweet
m
in
sin
first
ip
dip
plate
~ li}ll
it
yiht
hot
im
ing
bing
ice
}~
ik
sik
can/ able to
6M
Chinese
m
•• •m
The
''e" finals
II: tt
"i"
11
No 5we;;t C;;ntonese
0
Final
Cantonese example
Meaning
Chinese
0
go
song
11!
oi
hoi
open
rm
on
gon
dry
~
ong
mohng
busy
ijt
ot
hot
thirsty
ok
lohk
to get off
ou
h6u
good
lH
u
fu
biller
a
ui
bui
cup
~
un
bon
to move
ut
fut
wide
ung
dung
cold
Ill )m
uk
ok
house
~
The
yu
syo
book
"y" finals
yun
syOn
sour
yut
syut
snow
The ''o"
finals
The "u"
finals
12
Ill >1!
• il It ~
Ch;Jpter 1
Wh<1t is C<1ntonese!
The Finals p, t, and k are "unreleased ." These sounds are pronounced as b, d and g in English . The Initial < ng > can always be omitted . E.g. ng6h can be pronounced as 6h. The Initial
reads as < ts > in English. The Initial may be pronounced as < I> , but not vice versa , e .g . neih ("you") can be pronounced as lei h, but lei , which is "pear" in Engl ish, shouldn 't be pronounced a s nei .
The Finals < aa > and < a >: The vowel length of the Final could affect the pronuncia tion of the syllable. For example, a long vowel has a weak ending and a short vowel has a strong ending . fa an (go) sOan
(mountain)
boon (class)
~
fan
(to divide)
lll
sCm
(new)
ban
(run)
m
fl ~ ~
",. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .F~'~~~.._~ , .... _ Now that you can pronounce Cantonese words without difficulty (or without too much difficulty), you're ready to begin to learn how to make actual words and sentences! Go to the next chapter and speak loudly and clearly!!!
13
2 Numbers and Things For the first 9,999 numbers, the Chinese counting system looks just like the one you are probably familiar with . From 10,000 onwards, things start getting complicated . However, once you've been introduced to the basic concept behind the Chinese counting system, you'll be counting sheep in Cantonese in no time.
2.1 Numbers Here is a list of cardinal numbers (numbers we usually use for counting) in Cantonese:
1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9
10 0
yat yih scam sei ngh luhk chat boot g6u sohp llhng
100 1000 10000 10002 100,000 1,000,000 10,000,000 100,000,000
20 30
40
1m 11 i\
t:
{\
1l
+
•
50 60
yih sohp scam sohp sei sohp ngh sohp luhk sohp
250 yih book ngh sohp
=+ =+ lm+
0
11+ i\+
=s11+
(2x100+50)
303 scam book llhng saom
=a•=
(3x100+3)
yot book yo! chln yo! moohn yo! moohn llhng yih (1 0000+2) sohp moohn yo! book moohn yo! chln moohn yat ylk
-·-••= -8
-=f
+M
-sa
-=fii -fl 15
No Sw ei/t Ci!nfonese
Q ~~--~--~------------......... ... When learning Ia count, children in Hong Kong recite their numbers in a "nursery rhyme: "
yot yih scam scam yih yot yot yih scam sei ngh luhk chat
1, 2, 3 3, 2, 1 1, 2 , 3 , 4 , 5, 6, 7
... which is sung to the same tune as " This old man, he played one, he played Knick Knack on my drum."
Counting system comparison : You may have noticed that the Chinese have a word for 10,000, maahn. Maahn acts as a counting unit just like sahp (1 0), back (1 00) and chin (1 ,000) do. To summarize, here is a comparison of the Chinese and Western counting systems: Western
Chinese Sahp
10
Back
100
Chin
1,000
Maahn
10,000
Sahp maahn
100,000
Yet back maahn 1,000,000 Yet Yik
16
100,000,000
+
i3 =f
•-sM +M -m
ten hundred thousand ten thousand hundred thousand 1 million lOOmillion
CJ.,apter2
N UMBers and 17-.int;,s
Build ing numbers :
Sahp yet
10 + 1
Yih sahp scam
2x10+3
+-+= -
Yet back llhng chat
1
-s~Jt::
Yet back chat sahp
1 X 100 + 70
Yet maahn llhng chat
1
X
X
100 + 0 + 7
10,000 + 7
-st::+ -MIJ!t::
"Yih " and " Leuhng " compared : In Cantonese, we have 2 words for the number "2 :" "Yih" (=) is used for numbers such as 2 . e .g My telephone number is 2345-6677 (yih scam sei ngh luhk luhk chat chat) "Leuhng " (~) is used for persons or objects before the classifier(see 2 .2) . e.g Leuhng gihn Sci do si. (Two French toast please.) Remember: "leuhng " is not used for specifying pairs of things such os o pair of trousers, o pair of glosses, etc. because you can't split them aport. The word for "pair" is the classifier "deui" (see 2 .2) .
17
No 5we;Jt Ciinfonese
-·~~~~~:~=====~-----~------- LUCKY NUMBERS
Despite their worldliness, Hong Kong people con be qu ite superstitious. like in many other cultures, they believe in lucky numbers . But unlike other cultures , these au spicious (or inauspicious) numbers are chosen for their similarities in pronunciation to other words . The most common ore:
Number
Implied meaning
Synonym
8
boot
prosperous
g)
18
sohp boot
certain prosperity
.g}saht foot
28
yih sohp boot
easily prosper
9
g6u
forever
3
sO am
life
4
sei
die/ death
14
sahp sei
certain death
9E sei II9Esaht slii
24
yih sohp sei
easily die
~9Eyih sei
foot
~g}yihfoot
~ ~
g6u sOong
That's why some Hong Kong buildings don't hove the 14th floor, just like some Western buildings lock the 13th. Some people even pay for license plates that have especially auspicious num-
bers on them . I used to work for a company in New Zealand that sold such license plates. Prices ranged between a few hundred to millions of New Zealand dollars!
-'11!. . . . . . ._ _ _ _ _7111111•- . . . . . Practice: Try these on your own, then listen to the answer on the tape . a) b) c) 18
17 68
d)
305
f)
e)
271 9,800 41,622
Cf.,apter2
A.lum5ers and 1J.,ir'o4s
2.2 Classifiers A classifier is a measuring word that helps describe the quantity of a noun . It is used in the following way: cardinal number
+ classifier +
noun
For example: one/a piece of toast yet gihn do sf The word "gihn" is the classifier of toast (do sf) . one/a bowl of rice yet wtJn foehn The word "wun" is the classifier of rice (foehn).
Classifiers usually describe the shape, size or function of the noun. Their assignment to specific nouns is sometimes logical (i .e. you can have either a stick or a block of wood depending on the visible shape of the object), and sometimes idiomatic (i.e. the combination of the classifier and the noun is specific to the language) . Being a particularly idiomatic language, Cantonese tends to have many of the latter. Also, unlike English, every noun denoting an object or a concept must be described by a classifier in Cantonese.
((
19
No 5wei!f Ciinfonese
Here are a few more classifiers :
Bun
for books (syu), magazines (jaahp ji) publications, etc.
Go
for persons, roundish objects, such as oranges, small equipment (clock)
Ji
literally a "bottle", e.g. "Yet ji j
nuh
for objects that are long and slender but flexible such as trousers (fu) , necklace (gE'mglin), dress (kwahn), fish such as salmon (scam mahn yu), etc.
Goon
1m
for buildings and contructians such as a house (uk), companies or department stores (gOngsi)
Go
1JD
Tn
for machinery such as aircraft (fei-gei), radio (sou yam gei), television (dihn sih), etc.
Jek
II
for animals (excluding human beings), ships (syuhn), utensils such as forks (cha) and knives (dou), or songs (go), etc.
Gihn
1!f:
for clothes (scam) and individual garments such as suit (sci jong)
Cheut
for movies (hei)
Fohn
ttl fn
Deui
lj
a pair, e .g . of shoes (yet deui haaih)
20
for newspapers (boji), job (gung)
C J.,apterZ
2.3 Ordinal Numbers When a cardinal number is preceded by "Daih," it becomes an ordinal.
Daih yat
the first
Daih yih
the second .. . and so on.
In order to say the equivalent of "the first one/ piece/ etc." in Cantonese you add the appropriate classifier after the ordinal : e .g. Daih yih tiuh (kwohn) Daih sei jek (syuhn)
The second one (dress) The fourth one (ship)
This means that, in Cantonese, the word "one" in the sentence "the first one" will always be the classifier relevant to the noun you are talking about.
2.
,, ___...................
....
~
~-
21
No Swe
2.4 Specifiers and Money Terms Specifiers :
Specifiers indicate to a particular noun (singular or plural form) that you may be pointing to.
Ni-go Ni-di
this (one) these (ones)
G6-go G6-di
that (one) those (ones)
11Ft11
llftQ¥1
PlmliJ
PI!@
Money terms: The word "go" is also used when talking about money. To begin with : 10 cents 20 cents 30 cents 40 cents dollar half
yet houh *leuhng houh scam houh sei houh man bun
-·=•flY. JJ.j. ~
*
*20 cents is read as "leuhng houh" rather than "yih houh" (i .e . a pair x 10 cents, and not 2 x 10 cents) . Leuhng is also used for telling the time as well. Details will be discussed in a later chapter.
22
Chapter 2
We use "go" to express amounts of money with decimal places:
$7.50 $11.40 $30.20
Chat go bun Sohp yat go sei Saom sohp go llhng yih
How did that go again? The formula: number of dollars + decimal (go) + number of nhouh" 1. Think of "go" as the decimal point. 2 . Build the number by saying the number of dollars + "go" + the number of "houh" (tens of cents) . 3 . Omit the number of dollars (i .e. just say "go" + number of "houh") if the number of whole dollars is one : $1 .20
Goyih
(the number "1" can be omitted)
4. If the number of dollars is a multiple of ten ($1 0, $20, $30 etc .) put lihng (0) after the word "go" : $30 .20
Scam sahp go lihng yih
5. The unit for dollar (man) must be used if the amount of money is in whole dollars : $30
Scam sahp man
23
No Swei/t Ciinfonese
To sum up:
0
$1.50 $2.30 $2.40 $79 $25.40
11$
Go bun
~11= ~111m
Leuhng go scam Leuhng go sei Chat sohp g6u Yih sohp ngh go sei
t::+1l
=+nilll!l
Estimates : When estimating amounts, substitute the word " gei" for the number you ore uncertain about:
$1 ?
Sohp ge i man
ten odd dollars
$ ?0
Gei sohp man
several tens of dollars
$1??
Book gei man
hundred someth ing dollars
$?00
Gei book man
several hundreds of dollars
$1 ,???
Chin gei man
thousand something dollars
$? ,??0
Gei chin man
24
=f~~ several thousands of dollars ~=f~
man
dollars
-~~
Gei moohn man
several tens of thousands of dollars
~-~
$1 ?,??? Moohn gei $ ??,??0
+~~ ~+~ 8~~ ~8~
ten thousand something
Chap-ter 2. Practice : Try to pronounce these on your own, then listen to the answer on the tape :
a) b) c)
$1.30 $2 .80 $130
d) e) f)
$1.50 $40.20 $600
Congratulations! You 've mastered the basics of Cantonese. See, no sweat! Now you ' re ready to learn to speak Cantonese in a variety of everyday situations. Turn the page and have fun!
25
Topics
No Swe
Chit Chat Nationalities Name or pronoun Ng6h {I)
fl
(11ft~)
kinggai gwok jihk :
Verb "to be"
Nationality
? haih II{* (is, am, are)
JOnggwok yahn (Chinese)
tPmiA
Yinggwok yahn (British)
iQmiA
haih Tim haih Robert
Oi yi laahn yahn {Irish)
fifllill
Meih gwok yahn (American)
~m1A
haih Tara haih Barry
Ganahdaaih yahn (Canadian) haih
Renate
Dak gwok yahn (German)
~m1A
Yaht bun yahn (Japanese)
BztiA
Yon douh yahn {Ind ian)
EOliA
Foal gwok yahn (French)
5fim11A
haih Hayashida haih Ram haih Sophie haih Julian
Lauhsailaahn yahn (New Zealander) haih
Leslie
30
Ou jau yahn (Australian)
fmil§ifliA itfJHHA
Chap-ter 3
t=.ree-tinc,s
0
Languages (~~) yuh yihn : Neih (you)
fffi
sik (can)
g6ng (speck)
iii
61
Gw6ngdung w
111m~ P6utung w
MD~ Yingm
(Cantonese)
(Mandarin)
(English)
145< sik
g6ng Ychtm
8)( Hohngm
(Japanese)
(Korean)
M>< Oakman
(German)
Factm
(French)
fi)(
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31
No 5we
0
Professions (llfi~) jik yihp: Leuht si Gfng cheat Yf sang GOng chihng si Sip yfng si Ging leih Ch6i kau ging leih Wuih gai si
f!Bili
gg: ·~
Lawyer Police Doctor
I~Bili
Engineer Photographer
~~II tl*III~~JI
Manager Purchasing
-~Bili
·~Bili
Manager Accountant
L6uh boon Haahng gaai
~lf~X fjffj
Boss Sales
Sfh cheuhng teui
i'fHJUft Iii
Marketing
~~ ~Bili
Journalist Teacher
gw6ng Gei je L6uh si Fu jung choih Sou jihk jyu joih yuhn Hung je Gei si Gei jeung Chit gai si Gw6ng gou Mouh dahk yih Yin yuhn
32
iiiUfl!ii
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Vice President Chief Representative
~ ~rm
Flight attendant
~~~~ ~~Bifi
Captain Designer
9!~~
rli3
Advertising Model
jiif~
ActorI Actress
IIIBili
Pilot
CJ.,ap-ter 3
C.reetif14s
Conventions for greetings : 1. In the morning, we greet someone with "J6u sahn " or " Neih h6u" and you should reply with the same phrase to be polite. 2 . Nowadays, in the afternoon , instead of saying "ngh on, " which is more formal , we use the colloquial way of greeting, "sihk j6 faahn meih a? " which means " have you eaten?" in English . This especially applies to greeting your colleagues or friends . 3 . In Cantonese, the greeting expression " j6u tau " means "good night" in English and is used before bedtime.
4 . " Do jeh" is used to express your thanks for a gift, money or gratitude for some special favour, compliments and invitations, etc . " Mh goi" is used when tea or some other object e .g cigarettes (a favorite of Ch inese businessmen) is offered . Alternatively, you say " Mh goi" to thank someone for his or her service. For example, after your hair is done at the salon, you should say " Mh goi" to the stylist. However, if they ask you for $300 for the bill, they have to say " Do jeh" and not "Mh goi ." The most common way of answering " Do jeh" or "Mh goi" is "Mh sci," wh ich means " it' s my pleasure" or " not at all. " 5 . " Deui mh jyuh" or "Mh h6u yi si " are expressions for apolo gizing and are both equivalent to the English "sorry." However, "Mh h6u yi si " is only used for minor apologies; for example, when you step lightly on someone's foot or elbow someone in the MTR. " Deui mh jyuh" is used to apologise for more serious offenses, e .g . if you break someone ' s Japanese camera . Then you should say " Deui mh jyuh" because cameras are usually expensive . In response to both of the above expressions, we use "Mh gan yiu," which means " never mind" or " it doesn 't matter."
33
No Swe
6 . The phrase "Neih h6u me? " translates as "how are you ." However, the correct way to respond to the local Chinese is "Youh sam" (you are kind to ask, literally "you have a heart") and not "Do jeh" or "Mh goi ." 7 . The word "Mh goi" can be translated as "please" or "excuse me" and can be put before or after questions or requests to make them more polite. 8 . In Cantonese, we simply use "me," "a" or "go " at the end of a sentence to indicate that it is a question. E.g . "Neih h6u me? " The word "me" is a question word and simply means "?" (see 0 .1). 9 . There is another subtle difference to watch out for : Neih h6u me? Neih dfm a?
means "how are you?" also means "how are you? "
but in an informal way, i.e you already know that person . It is similar to the greeting "How's it going? " in English. 10. The word "ne" means "how about" in English . E.g "How about Patrick? " is translated as "Patrick ne? " 11 . "La " is a particle placed at the end of the sentence that ind icates the development of a new situation . e .g sihk j6 Ia . (from not eaten to eaten) - It's been eaten .
34
Chapter 3
B. Chit Chat 1. A businessman greets a client in the meeting room. B: Businessman (seung yahn) C : Client (hook) B:
J6u sahn . (Good morning .)
C:
J6u sahn . (Good morning .)
B:
Neih h6u ma? (How are you?)
C:
Ng6h h6u, yauh sam, neih ne? (I am fine, thanks, and you?)
B:
Ng6h h6u, yauh sam . (I ' m fine, thank you .)
2 . Self-introduction . A:
Siu je, gwai sing a? (Excuse me, miss/madam . What's your surname?)
B:
Ng6h sing Leuhng . Neih ne? (My surname is Leung . How about you?)
A:
Ng6h sing Schumann . Leuhng siu je neih h6u . (My surname is Schumann . Nice to meet you, Miss Leung .)
B:
Schumann sin saang neih h6u . (Nice to meet you, Mr. Schumann .)
35
No Swe<1f C
In Chinese, businessmen and others who engage in formal con versation address each other by their surnames first , followed by the appropriate title (Ms. Mr., Dr.).
3. Introducing another person . A:
Dang ng6h laih gaai siuh . Ni wei haih Ziemann slnsoang . (Let me introduce. This is Mr. Ziemann .)
B:
Ziemann slnsoang neih h6u . (Nice to meet you , Mr. Ziemann .)
A:
Ziemann slnsoang haih Ylnggwok yahn . Keuih slk gong Ylngman tuhng Gw6ngdung we . (Mr. Ziemann is English . He can speak English and Cantonese .)
4 . Chatting informally with colleagues . Lauren is chatting with Mike in the office. L:
Neih h6u, Mike. Neih sihk j6 foehn meih a? (Hello, Mike, have you eaten?)
M:
Sihk j6 Ia. (I have eaten already.)
L:
Hoi bin douh a? (Whereabouts?)
M:
Hoi Yuhng Gei. (At Yung Kee.)
36
r
CJ.,ap-ter 3
5 . In the elevator. A:
Siu je, ngoh bong neih Ia? (Miss, allow me to help you.)
B:
Mh goi. (Thank you .)
A:
Siu je, neih giu mat yeh menQ a? (Miss, what is your name?)
B:
Ngoh giu Kathie. (My name is Kathie.)
A:
Neih jouh bin hohng go? (What do you do?)
B:
Ngoh haih Leuhtsl. (I am a Lawyer.)
A:
Neih hou. (Nice to meet you .)
B:
Neih hou . (Nice to meet you.)
6. Romance . Anthony is chatting with Debbie, a Eurasian . A:
Siu je, neih slk rhh slk gong Gwongdung w6 a? (Miss, can you speak Cantonese?)
D:
Sik, ngoh slk gong Gwongdung w6 . (Yes, I can speak Cantonese.)
A:
Siu je, neih giu mat yeh meng a? (What is your name, Miss?)
37
N o Sweii f Ciinfonese
D:
Ng6h giu Debbie. Neih ne? (My nome is Debbie. How about you?)
A:
Ng6h giu Anthony. Neih di Gw6ngdung wa h6u h6u wo. Ng6h h6 mh h6 yi cheng neih yam yeh a? (Anthony. You speak Cantonese very well! Con I buy you a drink?)
D:
Gam ... h6u a. (Well ... ok.)
A:
Gam, Debbie . Neih yauh m6uh naohm pahng yauh a? (Well, Debbie. Do you hove a boyfriend?)
D:
Yauh! (Yes, I do!)
'
......_.....---'iA~:.:=---:z .. •
CHINESE ROMANCE Chinese women are generally more passive than western women in starting a relationship. Some are more "mysterious:" in other words, hide their feelings and are less straightforward than western women. And they tend to appreciate a patient and honest man. Therefore, if you try to buy her a drink in a bar or osk for a date and are turned down by her, it doesn't necessarily mean she wants to be rude or discouraging to you . Her behavior may be due to cultural difference instead .
38
Chapter 3
7 . Saying goodbye. A:
Do jeh neih cheng ng6h sihk faahn .
(Thank you for inviting me for dinner.) B:
Mh sai. (It's my pleasure.)
A:
Baai baai . (Goodbye .)
B:
Baai baai . (Goodbye .)
C. One-liners Fill in the blanks with information about yourself. 1. Cheng mahn gwai sing a? (May I ask what your surname is?) 2 . Ng6h sing (surname). (My surname is
.)
3. Neih giu mat yeh meng a? (What is your name?) 4 . Ng6h giu (name). (My name is
.)
5 . Neih jouh bin hohng a? (What do you do?) 6. Ng6h haih (profession). Ng6h jouh (business fielclj . (My profession is
.)
39
No 5we
7. Neih sik gong mot yeh we a? (What languages can you speak?) 8 . Ngoh sik gong (language) . (I can speak .) 9. Ni go haih ngoh koat pin . (This is my name card.) 1O.Neih sik mh sik (Robert) a? (Do you know (Robert)?) ll .Neih haih mh haih (Yinggwok) yahn a? (Are you from (England)?) 12.Neih sik mh sik gong (Gwongdung we) a? (Can you speak (Cantonese)? 13 .Yeuh mouh yahn sik gong Gwongdung we a? (Is there anyone who can speak Cantonese?) 14.Ngoh cheng neih sihk faahn Ia. (Let me take you out for lunch/dinner.)
THE RITUAL OF FIGHTING OVER THE BILL
....
At both informal and formal dinners between business associates, you will often see businessmen get into frightfully loud arguments over who gets to pay. They are not really fighting; this is the Chinese way of giving the other person face by letting him pay for the meal. Or, conversely, of saving face by grabbing the bill out of the other person 's hands. Meanwhile, the waitress will stand smilingly to the side and enjoy the show!
40
••
CJ,ap-ter 3
D. Grammatical Notes 1 . Final particles: Cantonese has a number of particles that are used to express mood . They are placed at the end of a sentence. The use of a different particle at the end of sentence changes the meaning of the sentence, even though all of the other words may be the same. While English speakers use voice inflection to change the connotation of a sentence, Cantonese speakers use individual particles. Here are some of the most common particles: 1.
[l!2f
"a " is used at the end of a yes-or-no question, and can also mean "?" at the end of other sentences. e.g. Neih slk mh slk Eric a? (Do you know Eric?)
2.
Dffl
" Ia" is used when you invite or suggest people to do certain things. e.g . Ng6h deih heui sihk faahn Ia. (Let's go to have dinner.)
3.
11Ft
"ne" means "how about" in English . e.g . Peter ne? (How about Peter?)
4.
Ill
"Ia" implies changing the situation . e.g . Ng6h sihk j6 faahn Ia . (I have eaten .)
41
No Swe:;t C:;ntonese
2 . Yes/No questions and answers : "Mh" is a negating word and is always placed before the noun or adjective to make it negative. e .g . Ngoh sik gong Gwongdung w6. (I know how to speak Cantonese.) Ng6h mh sik gong Footman . (I don 't know how to speak French .) One way to build a yes-or-no question is to use this simple formula : (Addressee) +verb/adjective + mh+verb/adjectiye +a? e .g . Neih sihk mh sihk aan a? (you) (eat) (not) (eat lunch) (Question word)?
= Are you going to eat lunch?
g "Sihk aan " means eat lunch. Remember to only take the first syllable to make up a yes-or-no question, i.e. "sihk mh sihk aan" and NOT "sihk aan mh sihk aan ." e .g . Seung mh seung yet chaih sihk aan a? (wont)
(or not wont) (together)
(eat lunch/ oction)(Question word)?
= Want to eat lunch together? Here are some other examples. Neih sik mh sik wohng siu je a? (Do you know Miss Wong?) Neih haih mh haih Ganahdaaih yahn a? (Are you from Canada?) Neih sik mh sik gong Yahtm6n a? (Can you speak Japanese?) 42
Tip: To form a quest ion, only repeat the first syllable of the verb/ adjective before "Mh", i.e !1Q! sik gong Mh sik gong , but rather sik Mh sik gong .
CAap-ter 3
c=.ree-tinc.s
To change a Cantonese statement involving the verb "to have" (Y6uh) or the phrase "There is/are," use this formula : (Addressee/Pronoun)
+ yauh m6uhg + noun + a?
e .g. Neih y6uh m6uh sinsoang a? (you)
(have) (nat have)(husband)
= Do you
(Question word)?
have a husband?
Y6uh m6uh Gw6ngdOngw6 syu a? (have) (not have)(Cantonese book)
(Question word)?
= Do you have a Cantonese book?
~ "Yciuh" mean~ Y6uh m6uh sip ying si a? (have) (not have)(photographer)(Question word)?
= Are there any photographers?
'' to have" and "M6uh" means " not have; " never say " Mh ~auhl "
Answering a Yes-or-no question In English, we can simply say "yes" or "no" for an answer. In Cantonese, however, our answer to the question depends on the verb/adjective used in the question. e .g. Neih haih rhh haih gei je a? (Are you the journalist?) Yes = Haih (literally: Yes, I am) No = Mh haih (literally: No, I'm not) Neih sik rhh sik g6ng Yingm6n a? (Can you speak English?) Yes = Sik (literally: Yes, I can) No = Mh sik (literally: No, I can't) Neih yauh m6uh neuih pohng y6uh a? (Do you have a girlfriend?) Yes: Y6uh (literally: Yes, I have) No: M6uh (literally: No, I don't have)
43
No Swe
3 . Chinese names : Chinese names are made up of 2, 3 or even 4 syllables and they follow a structure that is different from that of English names. The surname always comes before the given names, which is the opposite of how names are said and written in English . Addressing people by their titles follows the same structure. e.g . Leuhng Wai-wai ' s surname is Leung and her given names are Wai-wai. "Leuhng sin saang" is a gentlemen whose surname is 11
leung ."
" Leuhng sfu je'' is a lady whose surname is "Leung". Some people's surnames have two syllables, e .g . the surname "Si-touh" (Seto/Szeto) .
...~!Jc: .::·:=k!!i•~------••-. . While addressing your own wife, it is common to use "toai t6ai "
or "16uh p6h ." However, you may also come across the word "jyu faahn p6" (literally, "rice-cooking woman"). This used to
mean "housewife" in Cantonese. Nowadays, since women ore
. _....._____
pervasive throughout the business world in Hong Kong, this phrase may no longer be appreciated! When addressing a woman and you are not sure whether she is married or single, it is better to say "siu je'' (Miss) to her. Otherwise you might offend her, for even though she may be over 50 years old she may still be single . ,___~~
5. Cheng : The verb "Cheng" means " please" or "to invite" in different contexts. e .g . Ng6h cheng neih sihk faahn. (I'll invite you to a meal.) Cheng ch6h Ia . (Please take a seat.)
44
CAap-ter 3 5. Personal Pronouns : Cantonese personal pronouns are as follows : Ng6h lorme Neih you Keuih he, him, she, her or it However, when the particle "deih" is added after a personal pronoun, it makes that pronoun plural : Ng6h deih we or us Neih deih you (plural) they or them Keuih deih
6. Gwok: The word "gwok" means "country." e.g. Ylng gwok iQiil England Meih gwok Hohng gwok
~-
filii
U.S.A Korea
However, the names of some countries do not use "gwok" at all. e .g. Toih wean Taiwan Yi daaih leih Italy
The exchange af business cards (Kaat pin) is normal practice for businessmen in Hang Kong . The correct way ta offer and receive a card is with both hands, fallowed by a handshake. Also expect to pass and receive a credit card the same way, but don't
r
._---··---·· expect a handshake far this .
45
4 Physical Appearance A. Lingo Gou Ng6i Feih Sou L6uh Hauh saang Leng (neui/j6i) Gwong tauh Tauh foot Cheuhng tauh foot Dyun tauh foot Lyun Jihk Daai Ng6ahn geng Sou Wuh sou Waahng Ng6ahn Beih T6uh n6ahm Daaih jek Sai lap
iii M II!
• ~
~g:
IHtl/G) ~f.~
Hflfi {§Hflfi ~Hflfi
II fi
m
691ft
••• ,. • 09
lttOi
~MIIJll
tall short fat thin old (age) young pretty/handsome bald hair long hair short hair curly straight wear glasses beard moustache broad shoulders eye nose tummy big build/well built small figure
47
No Swe
B. Chit Chat 1 . Is Stefan tall? A: Stefan gou rhh gou a? (Is Stefan tall?) B:
Gou . (Yes.)
2 . Is Chris fat? A:
Chris feih rhh feih a? (Is Chris fat?)
B:
Mh feih . (No.)
3 . Tall or short? A: John gou dihng ngai a? (Is John tall or short?) B:
Gou/ngai . (Tall/short.)
4 . Fat or thin? A:
Keuih feih dihng sou a? (Is he/she fat or thin?)
B:
Feih/sau . (Fat/thin.)
5 . Does lan wear glasses? A:
ian yauh m6uh daai ngaahn geng a? (Does lan wear glasses?)
B:
Yauh . (Yes.) M6uh . (No.)
48
Physical Appearance
Chap-ter
6 . What does Ray look like? A : Ray dim yeung go? (What does Ray look like?) B:
Keuih gou gou sou sou, y6uh wuh sou . (He is tall and thin and has a beard.)
7. Who is taller? A : Bob gou di dihng Ray~ a? (Who is taller, Bob or Ray?) B:
Bob gou di. (Bob is taller.)
C. One-liners h6u (is very)
gou . (tall)
gei (is quite)
sou. (thin)
mhhaih gei (is not too)
lou h. (old)
2. Niko
h6u (is very)
leng j6i. (handsome)
3 . Sara
h6u (is very)
leng neui . (pretty)
4. Keuih (He/ She)
h6u (is very)
daaih jek. (well built)
5 . Mary
h6u (has a very)
sai lap. (small figure)
1. Craig
49
No 5we;Jt C;Jntonese
6. Keuih (He/she) 7. Barry
mh leng. (not pretty)
(is) h6u (has very)
waahng . (broad shoulders)
(has)
cheuhng tauh foot. (long hair)
(has)
jihk tauh foot. (straight hair)
8. Julia
9. Lisa
10. Andrew
yauh/m6uh (has/ doesn't have)
[wuh] sou . ([a moustache] a beard)
11 . Tim
yauh (has)
daaih t6uh naahm . (a big tummy)
(has)
ngaahn daaih daaih . (big eyes)
(has)
beih gou gou. (a long nose)
(is)
sou di. (skinnier)
12 . Debra
13. Gary
14. Keuih (He I She)
50
C!,apter if
Physical Appearance
D. Grammatical Notes 1. "Name Adverb - Noun" statements: One way to describe a person is to use this simple formula: Nome or pronoun +adverb + noun/adjective e.g . Sara h6u lengneui. (Sara is very pretty) 2 . "Pronoun-verb-noun Rhrgse" statement : Another way to describe people is to use the verb "have" as follows: Pronoun + verb + noun phrase e.g
Keuih y6uh daai ng6ahngeng . (He/She wears glasses)
3 . Yes-or-no Questions: This simple formula from the previous chapter con also be used to discuss people's appearance : Addressee+ verb/adjective+ mh +verb/adjective+ a? /pronoun e.g . A:
B:
e.g . A :
B:
Keuih leng mh leng a? (Is she pretty?) Leng. (Yes) Mh leng . (No.) Janet ge touhfaat cheuhng mh cheuhng a? (Is Janet's hair )Qng?) Cheuhng . (Yes) Mh cheuhng. (No)
51
No Swe<1f C
4 Dihng (Choice-type questions)· To make a choice, we use "or" in English , which is the same as "Dihng" in Cantonese. e .g. A:
B:
e.g . A:
B:
Anthony gou dihng ngc'Ji a? (Is Anthony tall or short?) Gou/ngai . (Tall/ short) Bob yauh sou dihng wuh sou a? (Does Bob have a beard or a moustache?) Sou/wuh sou . (Beard/moustache.)
5 "Pronoun-verb± verb-noun" questions· Remember, when "yauh m6uh" is used to ask the question, we must answer either "yauh" or "m6uh," not" haih "or "Mh haih ." e .g. A:
B:
Michelle yauh m6uh daai ngaahn geng a? (Does Michelle wear glasses?) Yauh. (Yes) M6uh. (No)
6 Comparatives· "Di" means "more" in English . It is a comparative and is placed after the adjective. For example, "h6u" means "good" in English, "h6u di" means better. e.g . leng (pretty) ngc'Ji (short)
52
leng di (prettier) ngc'Ji di (shorter)
CAapter '-1-
Physical Appecrance
7 . "Go" : "Go" is a final particle that replaces "a " when it is not a simple question . e .g . Susan dim yeung go? {What does Susan look like?)
•
ANIMAL LIKENESS Like English speakers, Cantonese speakers also use idioms to describe people by associating them with certain animals: 1.
2. 3.
4. 5.
sheep (yeuhngl: monkey (m6h lou): wolf (lohng) : e .g sik lohng : pig (jyO): cow (ngauh) :
innocent person
skinny person desperate person. rapist lot person hard working person .
53
5 Transportation: Going fo Work anti Going Ouf A. Lingo Heui Che Dik si Syuhn Basi Deih tit
n
m ~±
M
~±
ttl! II
Gou gong tit louh
11/lllllm
F6 che Siu ba Dihn che Haahng louh Ja che Gei cheuhng faai sin Laahm che Fei gei Choai dean che Yatgojung Yih sahp fan jung Bun go jung Jeui Fongbihn
*ii JJ\~
ill§
film
:mm 1111JM1UI •m ¥11111 ~mm
-Mil =+Bil
=Filii
•
7Jit
to go car/a form of transportation taxi ferry bus Mass Transit Railway (MTR) Kowloon-Canton Railway (KCR) train mini bus tram to walk to drive Airport Express Peak tram plane to ride a bike one hour 20 minutes half an hour the most convenient
55
No Swe<1 t C
IQ
Gei yuhn Miuh gooi Neuih yon gooi Dim Jciu bo Gooi hciu Dong wcii Boon mcih sin
~!I
filii tlAii
IS
~UP:!
iiD
mm
~I ~It
how for Temple Street Lady's market how pub intersection traffic light pedestrian crossing
THE OCTOPUS CARD
...
Hong Kong has an excellent public transport system that is linked by one common method of payment: the Octopus card. A small magnetic card the size of a credit card, it can be "recharged" and is a very versatile product indeed. You only need to pay $50 deposit for it. The multipurpose Octopus card is called "boot dooht tong" in Cantonese, which literally means "all eight arrive in connection. " There's no need to toke it out of your wallet when you get on the bus or go through the turnstiles; the cord con be read by the machine through your wallet or even handbag, thus eliminating the need to fumble for money and tickets, as well as the chances of not having the right change. The Octopus cord con be recharged at any MTR station and at convenience stores such as Circle K and 7 -Eleven . In some places you con even purchase other items with the money stored on the cord : a drink, bogs of groceries, even a cup of coffee at Starbucks.
56
Cf.,ap-ter 5
Transporta-tion
.tt.E
0
Common directions (]JrQJ) fong heung: Jyun j6 Jyun yauh Jihk heui Tihng Ni-douh G6-douh Chihn mihn Gwo j6
lin ~ !Ft§f
PI Of
}lOilj
Yllltc ~
turn left turn right go straight stop here there before/in front of/ just ahead after/passing by
B. Chit Chat 1. A:
Nicola jyuh hoi bin-douh a? Literally, "Nicola lives where?"
(Where does Nicola live?) B:
2 . A:
Keuih jyuh hoi JOngwaahn. (She lives in Central.) Brian gei dim jong faan gOng a? Literally, "Brian what time ga fa work?"
(What time will Brian go to work?) B:
3 . A:
Keuih boat dim faan gOng . (He goes to work at Sam.) Alan daap mat yeh che faangOng a? Literally, Alan fakes which car fo go fo work?
(What transport does Alan take to go to work?) B:
Keuih ja che faan gOng. (He drives to work) 57
No 5wei/f Ci!nfonese
4 . A:
B:
Mark daap gei noih syuhn a? Literally, "Mark takes how long boat?" (How long does Mark's ferry take to get here/there?) Sei sahp fan jung . (40 minutes .)
FERRIES There are two main types of ferries in Hong Kong. The first is the cross-harbor ferry, more famously known as the Star Ferry, which takes you from the Tsim Sha Tsui Pier to Central and Wanchai or from Central's Star Ferry Pier to Tsim Sha Tsui East. There is also a ferry line from Wanchai Ferry Pier to Tsim Sha Tsui East. The Star Ferry is one of the best and cheapest ways to appreciate the everchanging Hong Kong skyline from a farm of transport that seems timeless. The second main type of ferry takes you to the Outlying Islands - Cheung Chou, Lamma, Lantau -,which have become popular residential areas for many adventurous expatriates looking for a cheaper place to live. The ferries depart mainly from the Outlying Islands Ferry Pier just a few minutes further out from Exchange Square (the main bus terminus) and Central/Hong Kong Station (MTR) . You can take a trip on one of these boats to see a completely different aspect of life away from the busy city.
58
Chapter 5
••
Traf15porta-tion
TRAMS Trams first started running in Hong Kong in 1904. Tromlines trace the route of Hong Kong's coastl ine from that period . Originally, the routes of the trams ron over several bridges, for instance at Conal Rood . Nowadays, all the canals and rivers hove been reclaimed . Taking a tram ride around Hong Kong is one of the best things to do, as you con experience real local life for a few minutes, or for hours on end if you like, for the neat sum of only HK$2 per ride. The drawback is the summer heat, which you will hove to bear in the lock of air-conditioning . But the scenery and the uniqueness of the experience more than make up for this. We call the tram "ding ding," which is the sound it makes. The best time of day for a tram ride is at night, when the wind con cool you off and the city lights con be enjoyed at a leisurely
5. A:
Leuhng sfu je, neih dim faan gung go? (Ms. Leung , how do you get to work?)
B:
Ng6h jyuh h6i Jim sa jeui . Ng6h h6i Taai Gu Sihng faangung . Daap deihtit h6u fong bihn, bun go jung jauh faan dou gung si. Neih ne? (I live in Tsim Sha Tsui. I work at Taikoo Shing . Tak ing the MTR is very convenient. It only takes me half an hour to get to work. How about you?)
A:
Ng6h daap dihn che faan gung. Yauh Waan J6i ji Jung Waahn ll haih sahp fan jung, che fai h6u pehng go! (I take the tram to work. It only takes me 10 minutes to get from Wanchai to Central, and it's very cheap!)
59
No Sweilf Ciinfonese
"
C. One-liners 1.
Miuh gaai hoi bin douh a? (Where is Temple Street?)
2.
Daap dik sf h6u di. (It's better to take a taxi.)
3.
Yauh Miuh gaai ji Neuih Yen Gaai yiu gei yuhn a? (How far is it from Temple Street to Lady's market?)
4.
Neuih yen gaai fuh gahn yauh m6uh book fo gung si a? (Are there any department stores near Lady' s market?)
5.
Sfu sam pah sou. (Beware of pickpockets.)
6.
Mh goi, gei chin a? (Thank you . How much is it?)
7.
Mh sci jaau. (Keep the change.)
8.
Ng6h deih heui bin douh a? (Where shall we go?)
9.
Heui jau ba Ia . (Lets go to the pub.)
10. Mh g6i daai Ng6h heui g6 douh Ia. (Take me that way. please.) 11 . Jyun j6 yihn hauh jihk heui. (Turn left and then go straight ahead .) 12.
60
Gwo j6 Miuh gaai tihng . (Stop after Temple Street.)
Transporta-tion
CJ.,ap-ter 5
13. Neuih yon giiai chlhn mihn tlhng . literally, "lady's Market in front of stop."
(Stop in front of Lady's market.) 14. Dang wei chlhn mihn tlhng (Stop before the traffic light.) 15. Gaai hau tlhng . (Stop at the intersection .) 16.
Chlhn mihn yauh lohk . literally, "/ have to get off iust ahead. "
(Stop just ahead .)
MINIBUSES There are twa types af minibuses in Hang Kong . Both are painted yellow and have about 16 seats . You may have to look carefully to spat the English language destination name . The most common type has a re d roof and follows a fixed route, but stops wherever you want to get off. In order Ia let the driver know you need Ia get aff, just yell "(place] + y6uh lohk," e .g . "Gaai hau yauh lohk" (Stop at the intersection) or "Bean mah si n yauh lohk" (Stop at the pede strian crossing) . The driver will indicate he has heard by raising his hand . In order to get on a passing minibus, wave it down like you would a taxi. The second type usually has a green roof. These follow a fixed route but stop only at designated minibus stops, just like a large bus.
61
No Swe
D. Grammatical Notes 1 . "Take": When talking about transportation, the word "take" has two equivalents in Cantonese: a.
"Daap" means "take" in the sense of "using a form of transportation :" e .g. Daap che (take a taxi, take a form of transportation rather than walk)
b.
"Daai" means "take" in the sense of "bringing you to a place." e .g. Daai [ng6h) heui gei chiwhng . (take [me) to the airport.)
2 . Ylhn hauh : a . The phrase "ylhn hauh" links actions or sequences in time : e .g. Heui Mah Sa ylhn hauh heui gei cheuhng . (Go to Marks & Spencer and then go to the airport.) b.
When you want to link objects, use "tuhng" instead : e .g. Ng6h yiu go fe tuhng do si. (I want coffee and toast.)
3. Faan vs . Heui : a. The word "faan" means go in English, but it only applies to go to work (faan gung) , go to school (faan hohk) and go home (faan uk kei) . b.
Otherwise we use the verb "heui," for example, in the phrase heui gei cheuhng (go to the airport). Heui
+ noun
e.g. Alice ja che heui gei cheuhng (Alice is driving (to go) to the airport.)
62
Chap-ter 5
Transporta-tion Heui + verb + noun
e .g. John heui ch6ai doan che . (John is going biking .) Heui +verb
e.g . Lahm t6ai heui Neuih yon goai. (Mrs. Lam is going to Lady's market.) 4 . Question words:
Question words in English, such as "what," "which" and "how" correspond in Cantonese to Mot, Bin and Gei . They can be followed by classifiers to form the other question words, e.g . "who" and "when ," as well as some other ones that only exist in Cantonese. a.
Mot means "what," which is a question word usually followed by "yeh" and a noun . e.g . Neih giu mot yeh meng a? (What is your name?)
b.
Bin can be followed by various words. (i) Bin go means "which person/object," i.e. "who" or "which ." e .g . A: Keu ih haih bin go a? (Who is he/she?) B:
Keuih haih Tom . (He is Tom .)
However, the polite way to say which person is "bin wOi ."
e .g . A:
B:
Bin -w6i haih Chahn sfu je a? (Who is Miss Chan?) Ni w6i haih Chahn sfu je. {This is Miss Chan)
63
No 5we
(ii)
Bin douh means "where." Since "douh" is the pro noun of a place, bin douh literally means "which place." e .g . Neih hoi bin douh a? (Where are you?)
(iii)
Bin + Classifier means "which one," but you need to add the proper classifier for the particular object. As there are so many classifiers for different objects, "go" is recommended as the general classifier for the convenience of non-mother tongue Cantonese speakers . But if you want to speak like a local, just follow these examples: e.g. "goon" is the classifier for buildings Bin goon jau dim? (Which hotel?) e.g
"go" is the classifier for cars Bin go che a ? (Which car?)
The full list of classifiers can be found in Chapter 2.2. c.
64
Gei means "how" and can be used as follows : (i) Gei do means "how much" or "how many." e.g. Gei do wei a? (How many persons?) (ii)
Gei noih means "how long ." e .g. Gei noih dou Heung Gong a? (How long does it take to get to Hong Kong?)
(iii)
Gei sih means "when ." e.g . Neih gei sih dou Heung Gong a? (When will you arrive in Hong Kong?)
Ct,apter 5
Transporta-tion
5 . Hoi : " Hoi" means " at" or "in" and marks location . We usually put it before the noun . e.g. Ng6h ho i Gou Gong tit louh jouh yeh . (pronoun)(at) (place) (action) (I work at KCRC- Kowloon Canton Railway Corporation .) e.g. Ng6h hoi ok kei . (I am at home .)
65
J,
6 Around the home A. Lingo Laahp soap d6i Dihn sih Hook teng Foehn teng Seuih f6ng F6ng Syuf6ng Chung leuhng f6ng Chi s6 Deih louh Che fohng Fa yun Keh lou S6 sih Kap chohn gei Sai yi gei Chohng Furniture
Cil'fWA) ga
Cheung lim Dihn w6 Muhn So fa Chah gei Syo go Deih jin Dang
tn:t~U~
•m
~·
••
rubbish bag
TV
!11111
living room dining room bedroom room study bathroom toilet basement garage garden balcony
>S\:nlll lffi
key vacuum cleaner washing machine bed
ll!IH~ ~
·~ )lll>m~ IIJJifi tt!!JI m~
ltiJ
•Mtlllll tt sB
iiB/11
.65 ~
lmfft ~fl
.M tt!!ft
m
curtain telephone door sofa coffee table bookcase carpet lamp
67
No Swe;Jt C;Jntonese
··~~i~·&T•~,:~====~..~......_.._ RESIDENTIAL AREAS IN HONG KONG
Hong Kong is one of the most expensive places in the world to live as the very limited amount of usable land tends to cause property to be very highly priced . To balance that, food, transport and clothing are relatively cheap if you know where to go. Indeed, a high lox threshold and a low tax rote ore among the most attractive reasons for overseas entrepreneurs to set up
business in Hong Kong . Because of the lock of space, most Hong Kongers live in high-rises, in apartments that range, from a western perspective, between very cramped, to compact, depending on the budget. More affluent people prefer living in duplex or triplex apartments or even in houses with gardens, but that is extremely costly here. Some people prefer to live in villages surrounded by the lush subtropical environment found on the Outlying Islands. Apartments and small houses there ore often on offer at on affordable rote. Popular residential areas for expatriates ore : Green rural environment
Lontou Island (particularly Discovery Boy), Lemmo Island, Soi Kung, Cheung Chou Island. High-rise apartments with well-equipped facilities and at a convenient distance from Central and other commercial districts Happy Volley, Mid-levels, Causeway Boy, Wonchoi Near the beach with luxurv facilities Repulse Boy, Shouson Hill, Stanley, Toi Tom
, 68
C J,apter J,
In th e bathroom Soi tauh seui Hoi mihn Seui luhng tauh Pou pou Soi sou puhn Sou gon Mouh gon Ngah gou Ngah choot Yuhk gong So Fu Deih ho Geng
Around -t:Ae home
0
<)£11);?.8§) Chung leuhng f6 ng
59CBft7J\ miMi! 7J\Iileft >m>m
)9[3!111 3!rn :ern
~·
~HIJ ~ffil
Jmf
• •
ttl!""F
shampoo sponge top foam washbasin handkerchief towel toothpaste toothbrush both comb trousers floor mirror
Class ifiers used arou nd the home: Yot bo Yot boou
je yin
Yot Yot Yot Yot Yot Yot Yot Yot
maht haoih CD syu dong ngohn boau yin fui gong chah wu
deui deui jek bun joan go go go
on umbrella a packet of cigarettes a pair of socks a pair of shoes a CD a book a lamp a purse an ashtray a teapot
69
No Swe
"
B. Chit Chat 1.
2.
3.
4.
70
A:
Neih goon uk youh gei do goon fong a? (How many rooms are there in your house?)
B:
Ng6h goon uk youh sei goon f6ng . (I have four rooms in my house.)
A:
Neih goon uk youh m6uh che fohng a? (Does your house have a garage?)
B:
You h. (Yes.)
A:
Ng6h go geng hoi bin douh a? (Where is my mirror?)
B:
Hoi t6i seuhng mihn . (On the table.)
A:
Ng6h tiuh fu hoi bin douh a? (Where are my trousers?)
B:
Hoi deih ho . (On the floor.)
A:
Ng6h deui maht hoi bin douh a? (Where are my socks?)
B:
Juhng lohng g6n . (They are still drying on the line.)
A:
Ng6h ge baahk sik seut scam ne? (What about my white shirt?)
B:
Hoi sci yi p6u . (It's at the drycleaner's.)
CJ.,apter f,
Around t:Ae Aome
WASHING ON THE STREET Although drying machines are very popular in western countries, Hong Kong people normally put the washing on the line. Most apartments come with a clothes-drying window or corner out of which you can hang clothes on long rods or lines. On a dry day, if you look up from any street, expect to see a multitude of bright clothes colouring the skyline. If it's windy, watch outl For those with a fear of leaning out of the window so· floors above the street, washing and dry cleaning places can be found all over Hong Kong.
5.
A:
Ng6h deui haoih hoi bin douh a? (Where ore my shoes?)
B:
Hoi yuhk gwong gook leih . (Beside the both.)
71
No Swe
"
C. One-liners 1.
Ng6h deih uk kei m6uh dihn. (We have no electricity at home.)
2.
Ng6h deih m6uh yiht seui. (We have no hot water.)
3.
Ng6h deih ge dihn sih waaih j6. (Our TV is out of order.)
4.
Ng6h deih ge lip waaih j6. (Our lift/elevator is out of order.)
5.
F6 juk a! (Fire!)
6.
Bo gfng. (Call the police.)
7.
06 bei waih sou gung yahn. (Call the repairman .)
8.
Deih h6 h6u wu jou . (The floor is dirty.)
9.
Mh goi , bong ng6h d6u laahp soap . (Please throw away the rubbish for me .)
10. Tim, h6 mh h6 yi bong ng6h kap chahn a? (Tim, can you help me vacuum the floor?) 11 . Cheuih pin . (Help yourselves.) 12. Mh s6i hack hei. (Please don't hesitate. Literally: Don't have guest airs.)
72
CAapterb
Around -tJ.,e J.,of'VIe
D. Grammatical Notes 1 . Prepositions of place : In English, we say, "The toothbrush is on the table." In Cantonese, we say, "The toothbrush is table on. " That is, we always put the preposition of place (e.g. "on") after the noun . e.g. Ngoh ch6at h6i bin douh a? (Where is the toothbrush?) Ngoh ch6at h6i chOng leuhng f6ng neuih mihn . (inside) (The toothbrush)(is)(bathroom) The toothbrush is in the bathroom . The formula : Thing (noun)
+ verb
+
place
+ preposition of place
e .g
X
h6i
t6i (table)
seuih f6ng (bedroom) chohng tuhng syu g6 (bed and bookcase)
seuhng mihn (on) hah mihn (under) chihn mihn (in front of) hauh mihn (behind) gaak leih (beside) neuih mihn (inside) jung goon (between/in the middle of)
73
7 Finding your way A. Lingo Dire!:;tions : Gaak leih J6 mihn Yauh mihn Chihn mihn Deui mihn Hauh mihn Jung goan Jyun gok Goai h6u Dong Naahm Sai Bak
HliE O:ifii Eifii
~ifii
f:tifii Uiifii
rpfm
-~ mo m ~
il!i
jt
beside left right in front of across the road behind/in the back middle corner end of the street east south west north
~(lfi) P6u: Mahngeuih p6u Wuhngeuih p6u Tohnggw6 dim Sihjong dim Choihfung dim CD p6u Mihnboaup6u Dihn hei p6u Fact yihng uk Ga fe sat Syu bou toan
5<~11 Jii~lfi
llmli5 ~~li5 ~dli5
CD II
JI'Bllfi
-~·
fim!~ llllliU~~
•••
stationery shop toys hop candy shop boutique tailor shop CO/record shop bakery electrical appliances hair salon coffee shop newsstand
75
0
No Swe
Q ~~ ..~----------------........... GETTING AWAY
There are many opportunities to "get away" in Hong Kong. Here is a couple :
Tai Mo Shan - literally "Big Hat Mountain," it dominates the skyline of the New Territories near Tsuen Won . A hike up to its peak, Hong Kong 's highest ot 957m, con be rounded off with a dip in refreshing waterfall pools. It is well known for its frequent mist and even the occasional frost in winter. The summit itself is inaccessible. Wild animals inhabit the subtropical forests there. Hikers can also picnic on the grassy area, which features a Iorge rock. A great place for a panoramic view of Hong Kong , it is also enjoyable at night, where stargazers con find an open sky and lovers can chat quietly away. Getting there : Take the MTR to Tsuen Won and leave the station by exit A. Tum left and toke the steps up to the bus stop. The 51 leaves only once every 25 minutes, so if you have just missed one, you may wish to toke a taxi for the 20-minute journey up Route Twisk ("Tsuen Wan Into Shek Kong"). Get off at the head of the pass, just after the barbecue site on your left. Toi Long Wan - "Big Wave Boy" is located at the furthest edge of Sci Kung Country Pork and is rightly celebrated for its magnificent scenery and fine beaches . It is remote and quiet. The water by the white sand beaches is clean enough for swimming and surfing, but watch out for the rip tide! This is a good place for a long weekend, for a barbecue, or for a stroll around with your loved one. You can also discover the villages, ruins of old churches and traditional houses nearby. There are several simple cafes where you may stop for a cold drink, and rooms in the villages can be rented for the weekend . Getting there: Take the MTR to Diamond Hill , then take the bus 92 to Soi Kung and catch a green taxi, which will cost you $80-$100 to Soi Wan Road. Then, walk along the coast through Soi Won Village to Tai Long Won .
76
Chapter 7
r::indin4 your way
ShoJ;!S (continued): Yauh guk
i8Fcj
Yeuhk fohng Hei yun
-~ llilfl
Chaan teng Ngahn hohng Kahm hong Touh jyu jaahm Bo si jaahm Book fo gOng si JyO yuhk p6u
••
post office pharmacist cinema restaurant
iefi llfi
bank piano store
e:!±l'IC siliflQl
lottery station bus station department store
m>tnc
~~~-
butcher
In Hong Kong, shops selling one particular product tend to be located along the some street or area : Sheung Won I Des Voeux Rood West 1. Bird's nest, shark's fin, dried seafood, luxury beauty and health products, antiques (at the "Cot Street Bazaar") 2. Mongkok ("authentically Hong Kong • district where you con get the best value for your dollar) COs, records, VCDs, DVDs, electronic goods, casual clothes 3. Flower market at Prince Edward A wide variety of exotic flowers 4. Pacific Place, Landmark Luxury items and big clothing labels 5. Tsim Sho Tsui, Stanley Market, Temple Street , Lady ' s market Souvenirs and cheap casual clothes. 6. Sham Shui Po , Won Choi Computer games and software 7. Happy Volley Designer furniture , custom-made shoes
8.
Queen ' s Rood Eost/Wonchoi
Furniture and curtains
9. Tsim Sho Tsui East Furs from Russia and Central Asia, traditional Indian and Poki-
0
No Swe;Jt C;Jntonese
0
B. Chit Chat 1.
2.
II
3.
4.
5.
A:
Ngoh seung moaih go scam mahn jih . Heui bin douh a? (I want to buy a sandwich . Where should I go?)
B:
Mihn beau pou hoi deui mihn . (A bakery is across the road .)
A:
Bin douh youh jyO yuhk maaih a? (where) (have)(pork) (to seii)(Question word)? (Where can I buy pork?)
B:
Hoi j6 mihn . (On the left.)
A:
Mh goi UA hei yun hoi bin douh a? (Excuse me. Can you please tell me where the UA cinema is?)
B:
UA hei yun hoi yauh guk hauh mihn . (The UA cinema is behind the post office.)
A:
Mh goi Wuih Fung ngahn hohng hoi bin douh a? (Can you please tell me where the HSBC (Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) is)?
B:
Hoi go fe sat tuhng syo bou taan jung goon . (The HSBC is located between the coffee shop and newsstand .)
A:
Mh goi/Cheng mahn , Ch in Seui Waan hoi bin douh a? (Excuse me, where is Repulse Bay?)
B:
Ch i n Seui Wean hoi naahm mihn . (Repulse Bay is on the southern side of the island .)
,, I
il
78
Ct,apter 7
6.
r::indirv:. your way
A:
Daaih Yuh Soan hoi bindouh a? (Where is Lantau Island?)
B:
Daaih Yuh Soan hoi Heung Gong D6u sai mihn . (Lantau Island is located to the west of Hong Kong Island .)
~TIP: A full list of use-.., ful destinations and districts around Hong Kong con be found in Appendix II
""
~
C. One-liners 1.
Ng6h deih heui bin douh a? (Where should we go?)
2.
Syo bou taan hoi ga fe sat hauh mihn . {The newsstand is behind the coffee shop.)
3.
Tauh jyu jaahm hoi j6 mihn . (The lottery station is on the left.)
4.
Yeuhk fohng hoi gaai hou . {The pharmacist is at the end of the street.)
5.
Ba si jaahm hoi chihn mihn. (The bus stop is over there/up ahead.)
6.
Yuhn rhh yuhn a? {Is it far?)
79
No Swe
7.
Mh haih h6u yuhn . {It's not very far.)
8.
Gei yuhn go! {It's pretty far!)
9.
Neih h6 yi haahng heui g6 douh . (You can walk there.)
10. Neih yiu daap ja
(You have to drive
deih tit. yih sahp boat houh ba si. che. take the MTR. take bus number 28 . [a car] .)
D. Grammatical Notes 1. "Yiu" : The verb "yiu" means "have to," "must," or "need to" in English. It is used in the same word order as well. The formula: Noun/pronoun
80
+ "yiu" + verb
e .g .
Neih yiu heui Tuhng Loh Wean (You need to go to Causeway Bay.)
e.g.
Robert tuhng Charlie yiu heui chaai gwun . (Robert and Charlie have to go to the police station .)
CAapter 7
r::indiru::,
your way
2 . Asking about where to shop for something specific : To ask where you can do something like buy cheap clothes or find COs, you have to use a specific sentence structure. The formula :
Question word
e.g .
+ "yauh" + item + verb + "a"?
Bin douh y6uh jyu yuhk maaih a? (where)(have) (pork) (to sell)(final particle)? (Where can I buy pork?)
81
8 Bargaining: At the Market and Shopping A. Lingo
Specifiers:
liFt~ Dim~
Nidi Go di Ni jek Go jek
Fruits
liFt II
01111 (g:,m)
Sih do be lei Soi gwo Pihng gwo Cheong Muhk gwo Maht gwo laih ji Boloh lihng mung Taih ji
these those this kind that kind
saanggw6:
±~Ill~
il§ia
am m mm
•m
~~
Siii
~~~~
t!::f
strawberry watermelon apple orange papaya honeydew melon lychee pineapple lemon grapes
83
No Swe<1f Ciinfonese
Vegetables
clliffM)
Soong choi Yeh choi Chung Sai laahn fa Yeh choi fa Lob baahk Yeuhng chOng Cheng jlu Faan ke Dung gO
so choi & others ·
g:m IIIIBM 1!
il§ill~
ABM~
•• >liE
~ll
iilii ~iii§
lettuce cabbage spring onion broccoli cauliflower carrot onion bell pepper tomato mushroom
Meat and seafood ( ~lli~)ffii¥) yuhk neuih kap ~
Ngauh yuhk Jyo yuhk Yeuhng yuhk Gai yuhk Yu Ha daaijf beau yuh haai hfn luhng ha hoi sam yauh yu mahk yuh yuh chi
84
q:~
~~~ $~
-~ ~ Ji
ffi~
•·~ II
Glli
>m#
ill~
-~ ~~
beef pork lamb chicken fish shrimp scallop abalone crab clam lobster sea cucumber squid cuttlefish shark's fin
CJ.,apter8
/3arc,aini~
and
sf.,oppi~
0
Electronics ( \fl~jl!fia) dibn ji cb6an bo nSou mob seung gei Sou mob sibp lubk gei Sou taib dibn loub dibn l6ub Sou taib dibn w6 Go yabn dibn ji sou jeung Yam beung Kwong yam bei
Cosmetics
Mli!UOMI MlltiB Ill ~HUll IIi IIIII ~fl-~
i§. ~-
MAll~
PDA
•s~
bi-fi system speakers
(ftlfftfia) fa
Seubn gou Ng6abn jit moub yibk Yin ji Goo fan Ngaabn sin bat Sci mibn gou Song fo seui Yeubn mibn seung
digital camera (digital) video camera laptop computer mobile phone
jong ba n-
m•
IISIII~JJI
llilti
~IB
IISIHI
wrm•
:;1(.7..1< jlljjMiil
lipstick mascara blush powder eyeliner face wash toner moisturizer
85
No 5we;Jt C;Jntonese
"
C l othin g
cH!il8)
Seut scam Seuhng scam T-Seut Lehng toai Bun jiht kwahn Kwahn Fu Ngauh j6i fu Dyun fu Hung waih Noih fu Mo yin tung Peih haaih
fuhk jon g:
1ID11~
_t1~
T1Jfil 9Qilt\
=t=tim m
•
!+g.
~!Jillll ~H~l&l ~ti
m;.:Wiil!
shirt blouse T-shirt tie skirt dress trousers jeans shorts bra panties boxer shorts leather shoes high-heels
Gou joang haaih Leuhng haaih
>~ti
slip-ons/summer shoes
To hoai
fffiti
flip-flops
Bohng Do Gihn
ij
pound dozen
f~
a shirt/blouse/Tshirt
Tluh
~
a tie/skirt/dress/
11
trousers/jeans/ shorts/panties a bra
Classifiers:
Go Deui
86
n
~
pair
CAap-ter 8
e.ar4ainirv:. and shoppirv:,
"
Relevant adjectives :
!t
Tihm Dojap H6u sihk Leng San sin Gwai Pehng
sweet
~>t
juicy delicious good quality fresh
t11tl
II
iii¥
• ~
expensive cheap
J,.
,..~·~:.V::t-allllliii-•_._~~~......
•
BEST BARGAINS IN HONG KONG In many snaps, assistants are willing Ia offer discounts if you ask, especially if you are buying several items at once. The exceptions are large chain stores and department stores, where the prices are fixed unless you are the holder of a privilege card . The best bargains (and places to practice bargaining in Cantonese!) can be found at: Temple Street - T-shirts, jeans, jade, COs, clothes, knickknacks or even antiques at a very good price.
Lady's Market - A good range of products for women such as clothes, bags, cosmetics, accessories, all at competitive prices. Imitation goods are sold here. Stanley Market Souvenirs, shirts, arts and crafts, jewelery, paintings, carpets and clothes. Causeway Bay - Side streets are lined with small boutiques selling unique fashions. The "Island Beverley" opposite the SOGO department store houses hundreds of boutiques on its 5 floors. Wanchai 298 Hennessy Road A mega complex of computer retail outlets, this is THE place to get hardware and software deals .
._ _____
If you are purchasing cameras or video equipment, it is recom-
.....
mended that you only go to shops that display the price tags in their windows. ·
,.._.~~
87
No Sweilt Ciintonese
B. Chit Chat 1 . Robby is shopping at the fruit stall R: Robby H: Hawker (seller) R:
Ni di chaang dim maaih a? (What's the price of those oranges?)
H:
Sahp man ngh go. {Ten dollars for five .)
R:
Go di ne? Go di dim maaih a? (How about those? How much are those?)
H:
Go di sohp man saom go, youh tihm youh do jap. (Those ore ten dollars for three. They ore sweet and juicy)
R:
Hoi bin douh laih go? (Where ore they from?)
H:
Go di hoi Meihgwok laih go. {Those ore from America .)
R:
Neih tuhng ngoh goon di leng ge Ia . (Could you pick the good ones for me please?)
H:
Mouh mahn taih . Neih maoih gei do a? (No problem . How many ore you buying?)
R:
Leuhng da , rhh goi. Pehng di dak rhh dak a? {Two dozen, please. Con you make it cheaper?)
H:
Hou Ia , ngoh goi neih chat sohp man Ia . {OK, I' ll make it $70.)
R:
Gam , hou Ia . Ni douh chat sohp man . (Well, OK then, here's $70 .)
88
Cl-.ap-ter8
H:
Do jeh. (Thank you .)
R:
H6u saang yi. (Good business to you .)
2 . Shopping at Sa Sa
l
~
Sa Sa is a famous cosmetic outlet in Hong Kong . There you can get famous labels at reasonable prices . Stores are located
f
t.hrlolulghlolultlthlelr.eg•ilonl.lllllllllllllllllllllllllll~!•
.....
A: Shopping Assistant S: Sara A:
Neih seung m6aih mat yeh a? (What would you like to buy?)
S:
Ng6h seung m6oih fa jong bon . (I want to buy cosmetics .)
A:
F6n dihng seuhn gou a? (Powder or lipstick?)
S:
Seuhn gou mh goi. (lipstick, please.)
A:
Mat yeh sik a? (What colour would you like?)
S:
Huhng sik . Gei chin a? (Red. How much is it?)
A:
Gong baih yet back ngh sahp man . (HK $150 .)
89
No 5we
S:
Cheng mohn chim kaot dak rhh dak a? (May I pay by credit cord?)
A:
Oak. Do jeh, yet book ngh sohp man . (Yes. $150, please.)
S:
H6u , ni jeung hoih ng6h ge seun yuhng kaot. (OK. Here's my credit cord .)
A:
Mh goi hoi ni douh chim meng. Do jeh. (Please sign here. Thank you .)
S:
Mh sai . (Don't mention it.)
3 . Shopping at Stanley Market
.ru . _ _____ .. ._.
Stanley market is one of the places where it is common practice to bargain with the shopkeepers. They may have signs saying "no bargaining", but that is a ploy a imed at the tourists, so try anyway. You can get there by taking the MTR to Central and then the bus No . 6, 6A or 260 from Exchange Square bus terminus .
......
Robert is getting a tie for his cous in. S: Shop Assistant R: Robert S:
Neih seung maoih mat yeh a? (What would you like to buy?)
R:
Yauh m6uhtaoi a? (Do you sell ties?)
90
,.......~
C J.,ap-ter 8
S:
Youh, chimg mohn yiu mot yeh sik a? (Yes, we do, what colour do you like?)
R:
Youh m6uh naohm sik a? (Do you hove a blue one?)
S:
Youh, neih dong dong Ia . (Yes, please wait a moment.)
R:
Nigo gei leng. Gei do chin a? (This is quite pretty. How much is it?)
S:
Yat book man . {$100.)
R:
Youh m6uh jit a? (Do you hove a discount?)
S:
Youh gou jit. Gou sohp man h6u rna? (There's a discount of 10 %. Is $90 OK?)
R:
Tooi gwoi Ia . Boot jit Ia. (That' s still too expensive. Make it 20% off.)
S:
Boot ngh jit. H6u rhh h6u a? (15% off, toke it or leave it.)
R:
H6u . Ni douh yot book man . (OK. Here's $1 00 .)
S:
Do jeh, joou sohp ngh man bei neih . {Thank you . Here' s $15 in change bock.)
R:
Mh goi. {Thank you .)
91
No Sweilf Cilnfonese
0
C. One-liners 1.
Pehng di dak mh dak a? (Con you make it cheaper, please?)
2.
Y6uh m6uh jit a? (Do you hove discount?)
3.
Mh h6u ak ng6h . Ng6h slk gong Gw6ngdung w6. (Don't fool me . I con speak Cantonese .)
4.
Boot jit Ia. (20% off please.)
English . When you say "Boot jit," you mean that you want to pay BO% of the whole price, in other words, get a 20% discount. This is the opposite of what you say in English, so be careful!
...
~-----~-·
5.
Tooi gwoi Ia, pehng dl dak rhh dak a? {That's too expensive, con you make it cheaper?)
6.
Mh h6u ak ng6h . (Don't fool me.)
92
CJ..,apter8
/3ar
BUYING GROCERIES There were many street markets selling raw foodstuffs in Hong Kong years ago. However, the so-called "wet market" was transplanted in recent years to multi-story indoor market complexes for hygienic and commercial reasons. Some of these "dry markets" are located in North Point, Wanchai and Centrai/Sheung Wan . Today, you will still see same street markets where you can buy fresh meat, seafood and vegetables. However, a new alternative to both "wet" and "dry" markets has appeared : the western-style "Superstore," whose opening hours are longer and which remains open in all weather conditions (catering to the needs of office workers) . Shopping for the entire household is convenient, the environment is clean, but the price is higher. In addition, you cannot bargain at a Superstore, whereas the street market will offer you discounts if the stall owner knows you or if you try to haggle with him or her.
93
t
)
..,
~
C.
1
S
1
to
tl
j
9 Time, Date, and Day of the Week A. Lingo ~
(llij!m)
sib gaan·
Dim Fan jung
!ii
Bun Gwat Seuhng jau Hah jau JOngngh Lihng sahn Yeh moahn
$
Bun yeh Yih ga
flil
1::. ~
~· qJ4=
>ill ~~ $~ II~
o'clock minutes half-hour quarter-hour morning afternoon noon midnight evening middle of the night now
How to tell the time · In Cantonese, there are a number of ways in which to say what time it is. General 1 :04 Yet dim lihng sei fan 1. Literally: One o 'clock (zero) four minutes. 2.
Sharp 1 :00 literally: One o 'clock.
Yet dim
3.
Half-past 1 :30 literally: One o 'clock half.
Yet dim bun
95
No 5weilf Cilnfonese
4. To tell the time when the number of minutes post the hour is a multiple of five (i.e. the minute hand points to a number from 1 to 11 ), there is a convenient shortcut:
a)
Leuhng dim yat 2 :05 or Leuhng dim lihng ngh fan Literally: Two o 'clock one (since the minute hand is pointing at " ron the clock face)
b)
Leuhng dim sa om 2 : 15 or Leuhng dim sahp ngh fan Literally: Two o 'clock three (since the minute hand is pointing at "3 " on the clock face)
c)
Scam dim g6u
3 :45
or Scam dim sei sohp ngh fan literally: Three o 'clock nine (since the minute hand is point ing at "9" on the clock face)
*Please note that the number " Leuhng" is used to count " dim" (o'clock), but not for " Fan" (minutes) when reading a clock.
96
CJ..,ap-ter 9
1ime, Da-te and Day ol -the Week
0
Weekdays ( ~ml) sing keih· weekday
sing keih
2 3 4 5 6 7
yat yih sa am sei ngh luhk yaht
English
~ml-
~ml= ~m~= ~mllm ~min ~mit\ ~miB*
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
• Yaht means "sun" in English
Befo re la s t Day
Chihn yaht Kohm yaht
ft!JB Night Chihn
moahn
ft!J. Week
Last
Chihn go sing keih
I fl. month Chihn go
yuht
188 Kahm moahn
••
Chihn nfn
ft!J~
Next
~Baht ligsaht Gam moahn
~-
nng maahn
After Next
Hauh yaht
fiB Hauh moahn·
•• ••
Seuhng go Gam go Hah go sing keih sing keih sing keih
J::M~
ml
;fill jbi11~
Seuhng go Gam go yuht yuht
ft!J11F.I J::11F.I
Year
Thi s
~ fl F.l
Hoh go yuht
""F 11 F.l
Seuhng nin Gam nin Hoh nin
J::~
~~
""F~
Houh nin
-~
97
No Swe
0
months ( F.J ) yu ht: Yet yuht Yih yuht Scam yuht Sei yuht Ngh yuht Luhk yuht Chat yuht Boat yuht Gau yuht Sahp yuht Sahp yet yuht Sahp yih yuht
-F.J =F.J ..=.F.J ll!IF.J
nF.J
7\F.J t::F.J
f\F.J 11F.J
+F.J +-F.J +=F.J
January February March April May June July August September October November December
Dates ( ~) h ouh: sahp houh scam yuht gau houh
+~
..=.F.J11~
the tenth the 9th of March
Yo u wi ll have noticed that in Cantonese, the days of the week are simply call ed "day one" to "day six," with "day seven" being the anoma ly. Likewise, the months are referred to by the numbers one to twelve, but this time the nu mber precedes th e word for month, yuht.
i:f:J
Years ( nin / nihn: The ord er in which we say the year and date together is different from how we say it in English . In British Eng li sh , the sequence is date-month-year e .g. the 2nd of march , 1968 However, in Cantonese , the sequence goes the oth e r way aro und : year-month-date e.g. yat gau luhk baat nihn saam y uht yih houh Literally: 1968, 1harch 2nd
98
Chapter 9
Time, Da-te and Daj ol -the Week
B. Chit Chat 1. A:
What ' s on TV? Gam m6ahn g6u dim bun y6uh mat yeh jit muhk t6i a? (Which programme is on at 9:30 tonight?)
B:
Gam m6ahn g6u dim bun y6uh hei t6i . {There is a movie on tonight at 9 :30 .)
2. A:
Free time Neih ylh go jouh g6n mat yeh a? (What are you doing right now?)
B:
Ng6h ylh go hoi Seuhng Hoi Taan m6aih g6n yeh . {I am shopping at Shanghai Tang at the moment.)
A:
Gam, neih gei slh dak haahn a? (Well, when are you going to have free time?)
B:
Ng6h tlng yaht dak haahn . {Tomorrow I' m free .)
Shanghai Tang is a boutique famous for selling traditiona l Chi nese o utfit s for both riten and worhen. The owner David Tan£ is a we ll-known Hong Kong socia lite and entrepreneur. His staff wi ll measure you for a c ustorit suit or cheon&saril, but ritake sure that your pockets are deep eno ugh . They a lso have a less costly ready to wear se lection and a lso Chinese riteriwrabilia. You wi ll find hi s shops at the Pedder buildin g in Cen tra l and in the departure a rea of Chek Lap Kok Airport.
-----··--..· 99
No 5we
3 . Meetings A: Neih gei sih hoi wui a? (When is your meeting?) B:
Sing keih yih scam dim . (3:00pm on Tuesday.)
A:
Sahp yuht sahp houh, haih mh haih a? (October 10?)
B:
Mh haih a . Haih sahp yat houh . (No, October 11 .)
4 . Too busy to talk . A: Neih hou, White sin saang. Neih dak mh dak haahn king hah a? (Hello Mr. White? Do you have a moment to talk?)
B:
Mh h6u yi si, Yeuhng siu je, ng6h yih go mh dak haahn . Ng6h hoi gan wui. (I am sorry, Ms. Yeung . I am not free at the moment. I am in a meeting.)
A:
Gam, ng6h ting yaht do bei neih Ia . (Then I'll call back tomorrow.)
B:
Dng jiu ng6h wuih heui Gw6ng Jau. (Tomorrow morning I'm going to Guangzhou .)
A:
Neih gei sih faan a? (When will you be back?)
B:
Ng6h wuih hoi chat yuht yih sahp scam houh sing keih luhk yeh maahn chat dim bun faan . (I'll be back on the evening of Saturday, 23 July at 7:30.)
A:
Gam, ng6h deih chih di gong Ia . Baai baai . (Then we' ll talk later. Goodbye.)
100
CJ.,ap-ter 9
Time, Da-te and Day o.t t:J.,e Week
5 . The date A : Neih gei sih leih Heung Gong ga? (When did you come to Hong Kong?) B:
Ng6h yet g6u luhk boat nihn, yih yuht sahp houh leih Heung Gong ge. (I came to HK on the 1Oth of February 1968.)
A:
56 yi neih di Gw6ngdung w6 gong dak gam h6u. (That's why you speak such good Cantonese!)
C. One-liners 1.
Heung Gong yih go gei dim a? (What time is it in Hong Kong at the moment?)
2.
Ou Hook Laahn gei dim a? (What time is it in Auckland?)
3.
Ng6h deih wuih chih bun go jung . (We will be delayed by half an hour.)
4.
Heung Gong yih go haih yeh m6ahn g6u dim . (Hong Kong time is now 9 :00 at night.)
5.
Fei gei gei sih douh Meihgwok a? (When will the flight arrive in the United States?)
6.
Yiu leuhng go jung scam fan jung. (It takes 2 hours and 3 minutes.)
7.
Ou Hook Laahn bei Heung Gong faai sei go jung. (Auckland is four hours ahead of Hong Kong .)
8.
Ng6h sing keih yih scam dim hoi wui. (I have a meeting on Tuesday at 3pm.) 101
No Swe
9.
Chahn sin saang wuih hoi yih lihng lihng scam nihn sahp yih yuht sahp chat houh heui Leuhn Deun . (Mr. Chan will be in London for a meeting on 17th December 2003 .)
D. Grammatical Notes 1. Sentence structures : There are several different sentence structures you will use in order to talk about time. Here are a few simple formulae to follow: a)
Asking the time Yih go gei dim a? (now) (what time)(finol particles) What time is it now?
b)
Planning ahead for time Subject
+
Time
+
Verb
e.g. Ng6h
hoi wui. sing keih yat (Monday) (have a meeting) I have a meeting on Monday. hoi wui . e.g. Ng6h sahp houh (!) (lOth) (have a meeting) I have a meeting on the 1Oth . (I)
b)
Planning ahead for place and time Subject
+
Time ( + preposition
+
place)
+
Verb
e.g. Ng6h deih yat dim hoi Heung Gong gong lohk. (we) (7 o 'clock) (in/ at) (Hong Kong) (to land) We will be landing in Hong Kong at 1 o'clock. 102
Ct,ap-ter 9
c)
Ttme, Da-te and Day o.P -tAe Week
What is happening at x o'clock?
Time of Day + Time + Verb + Question word + Noun + verb + particle e.g . Gam maahn gau dim yauh mat yehjit muhk tai a? (Tonight)(9 o 'clock)(have)(what)(programme)(to watch)(parficle}
Which programs are on TV at nine o'clock tonight? d)
Time difference Place A + bei + Place B + Faai + Time element
e.g. Ou Hook laahn bei Heung Gong faai sei go jung. (Auck/and)(than} (Hong Kong} (faster} (4 hours}
Auckland is ahead of Hong Kong by four hours. e)
Dates and Time Year + Month + Date (+ Time of Day + Time)
e.g. Yet gau gau chat nihn luhk yuht scam sahp houh hah jau yet dim. (1997)(June)(30th} (middle of the night} (lo 'clock}
At 1 p .m . on the 30th June, 1997 .
103
10 Going on a business trip Port 1: Booking o flight and checking in A.l Lingo Gwok taai hohng
IJ~tft~
hung Seung mouh w6i
Cathay Pacific Airways
im~fll
business class
Dehng
[J
book/reserve
Gei piu
Ill !I
Yuht Houh
F.J
plane ticket month
li!
number
Boon gei
11!111
flight
P6 tung w6i Dim Gam Jeui Faai W6i Dong gei S6ujuhk Geidfm Daaih yeuk Chlh
Simfll !ii
oa
how about well
II *~ m Blll
the most fast
¥.
seat check in procedure what time
~IS 1'\~~
ll
economy class
/
about/approximately delayed
Gei noih
~~
how long (how
Jaahp h6u
r..L'JD
gate
much time) Ding Ging Kok yihng
mffi lil~
Tokyo reconfirm
105
No Swe
Dang gei sou juhk Seung yiu Geipui Wuh jiu Hahng leih Baai Seuhng mihn Kap yi n keui Fei kap yin keui Jau long wei Cheung hou wei Jung goon wei Mh goi saai Saai Jun sih Daaih yeuk Yatgojung Neui touh yuh faai Gei cheuhng seui Dang gei Dang gei muhn Gei sih Juk Dang gei jing Hahng leih paai
106
Bill~· ~mg
Ill!! at~ tj~
•
J::im
Di~IA ~FIJi~~ ~film
imom tPimfn
DB~~ ~ ~~ ~~
-Mil li1H~ 4ft ~>4
llltiim
Bill BIIIM ~~
m
Blllm fi~ ~
check in would like to ticket passport baggage put on smoking area non-smoking area aisle seat window seat middle seat thanks very much very much on time about one hour happy journey airport tax check in boarding gate when wish boarding pass baggage tag
t:=,oin4 on a Business -trip
C Aapte r /0
B. 1 Chit Chat Christina is at the airport counter . S: Customer Service C : Christina 1.
C:
Neih h6u, haih mh haih Gwok Taai hohng hung a? (Hello, is th is Cathay Pacific Airways?)
S:
Haih. Neih di Gw6ngdung wa h6u h6u wo. (Yes. Your Cantonese is very good .)
C:
Do jeh. (Thank you .)
S:
Ng6h yauh mat yeh h6 yi bong neih a ? (How may I help you?)
C:
Ng6h seung dehng gei piu . (I ' d like to book a ticket.)
S:
Cheng dang dang .... Neih seung heui bin douh a? (Please wait a moment .... Where would you like to go?)
C:
Ng6h seung dehng yet jeung gau yuht sahp houh heui Dung Ging ge gei piu . (I ' d like to reserve a~ for Tokyo on September 1Oth.)
S:
Gei dim a? (What time?)
C:
Jiu j6u gau dim bun . (9:30am .)
S:
Cheng dang dang .... (Please wait a moment . ... )
1
107
No Swe
2.
3.
108
C:
Mh goi yeuh m6uh seung mouh wei o? (Do you have Business class?)
S:
Yeuh seung mouh wei . Neih seung ch6h bin douh a? (Business class is available. Where would you like to sit?)
C:
Ng6h seung ch6h cheung heu we i. (I'd like a window seat.)
C:
Neih h6u , ng6h seung dehng gei piu heui Scam Foahn Sih . (Hello. I' d like to book a ticket to San Francisco .)
S:
H6u a. Neih seung gei sih fei a? (OK. When would you like to fly?)
C:
Yeuh m6uh geu yuht geu houh a? (Do you have seats on September 9th?)
S:
Yeuh . (Yes, we do.)
C:
Ng6h seung kok yihng ng6h ge gei wei . (I'd like to reconfirm my flight.)
S:
H6u. Cheng mahn neih ge boon gei houh meh haih gei do houh a? (OK. May I have your flight number please?)
C:
Boon gei haih CX __ . (The flight number is CX __ .)
S:
Neih giu mot yeh meng a? (What is your name?)
C:
Ng6h sing Gillies. Ng6h giu Christina. (My surname is Gillies. My name is Christina .)
Chap-ter 10
4.
5.
6.
C:.oin"" on a f!.usiness -trip
C:
Gwok Taoi Hohng Hong ge "counter" hoi bin douh a? (Where is the Cathay Pacific Airways counter?)
S:
Hoi chihn mihn . (Straight ahead .)
C:
Daaih yeuk chih gei noih a? (How long will it be delayed?)
S:
Daaih yeuk Leuhng go jOng. (Around 2 hours.)
C:
Gei dim dou DOng Ging a? (What time will we arrive in Tokyo?)
S:
Gou dim. (9 o'clock.)
C.l One-liners 1.
Mh goi, ng6h seung yiu neih ge gei piu tuhng wuh jiu . (May I have your ticket and passport please?)
2.
Hoi ni douh . (Here you are .)
I
3.
Mh goi jeung neih di hahng leih boai hoi seuhng mihn . (Please put your baggage .1m here.)
4.
Cheng mahn yiu kap yin keui dihng fei kap yin keui a? (Would you prefer smoking or non-smoking?)
5.
Fei kap yin keui, mh goi. (Non-smoking area, please.)
109
No 5weqt Cqntonese 6.
Cheung hau wei dihng jung goon (Window seat or middle seat?)
7.
Ni go hoih neih ge dong gei jing, gei piu tuhng hahng leih paoi . (Here's the boarding pass, your ticket and your baggage claim togs .)
8.
Fei gei jun sih rna? {Is the flight on time?)
9.
Juk neih neui touh yuh fooi. (Enjoy your journey.)
WOI
a?
= HONG KONG, WORLD CITY The people of Hong Kong hove relatives living all over the world . Huge numbers of Chinese fled the Mainland during the lost century. They continued this migration on from Hong Kong, setting up Iorge enclaves in many of the world 's major cities . Partly because of the family connection and portly because it's fun , Hong Kong people therefore like to travel widely. You may find your Cantonese useful in places as for aport as New York, London and Sydney, so keep on practicing! A note on tickets : The word dehng means "to reserve ." The words for "booking tickets" ore dehng piu, which con be applied to booking train and air tickets. A monthly ticket is the yuht piu. Fei is another word for tickets; it is used for ferry tickets (syuhn fei) and movie tickets (hei fei) .
'-'
••---••••r,..~-.. .-.~
110
C:.oin.:. on a Business -trip
Chapter/0
Part 2: After the Trip and Checking Out at the Hotel A.2 Lingo Gei dim Seung nng jiu Dehng Dik si Che jaahm Syut gwaih Leuih mihn Gun Jyuh M6ahn H6u chi Gai cho sou T6i t6i Nidouh G6 douh F6ng W6n Bun Dik si jaahm Che Gihn Sou teui che
HID
1m
lliJ ~ ~±
mnc ~· ililii
Ill fl
~
tt11eA
MBE ~~
Dftli llflli fj§
m
•m
~±tiD
what time want tomorrow morning reserve taxi station refrigerator inside can (classifier of soft drinks) live night seems like calculate wrongly have a look here there room look for move
f~
taxi stand transportation piece (classifier for
~mm
luggage) baggage carts
111
0
No Swe;;t C;;ntonese
B.2 Chit Chat Ann is checking out of her hotel. A: Ann S: staff 1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
112
w
A:
Mh goi, ngoh seung tlng jlu dik si, dak mh dak a? (I'd like to reserve a taxi for tomorrow morning . Is that OK?)
S:
Dak. (OK.)
A:
Heui gei tit jaahm yiu gei chin a? (How much is the fare to the airport station?)
S:
Daaih yeuk chat sahp man. (Around $70 .)
A:
Ng6h yam j6 syut gwaih leuih mihn yat gun be i.Q.\!, haih mh haih a? (I drank a (can of) beer from the refrigerator, didn 't I?)
S:
Haih a. (Yes.)
A:
H6u chi gai cho sou wo . (There seems to be a mistake in the bill.)
S:
Dang ng6h tai tai . (Let me have a look.)
A:
Ng6h chlm kaat dak mh dak a? (Is it OK if I pay by credit card?)
S:
Dak . (OK.)
C:.oin4 o n a Business -trip
CJ.,ap-ter/0
C. 2 One-l iners 1.
Ng6h y6uh scam gihn hahng leih. {I have 3 pieces of baggage.)
2.
Mh goi bun di hahng leih heui dik si jaahm . (Please take the baggage to the taxi stand .)
3.
Mh goi, ngoh seung wan yahn bun hahng leih. (Excuse me, I' m looking for a person to move my baggage.)
4.
Cheng dang dang . (Please wait a moment.)
5.
Gei tit jaahm hoi bin douh a? (Where is Airport Station?)
•
CHEK LAP KOK Hong Kong International Airport, which opened in July 1998, was named World ' s Best Airport for the year 2002. It is located on Chek Lap Kok, an island off the north coast of Lantau. Little \ is left of the original island, as most of it was bulldozed into the sea; like many other parts of modern Hong Kong, it is built on reclaimed land. Chek Lap Kok Airport is one of the world's busiest international airports, and is an excellent gateway to Hong Kong. It does not, however, offer passengers and bystanders the thrill of the old approach to its predecessor, Kai Tak airport ( 1925-1998). At ground level, shoppers in Sham Shui Po, would hear a roar and look up to see the sky filled by a Boeing 747. From inside the aircraft it would seem to passengers that they were flying between the high rise buildings. Finally the aircraft rilade a sharp turn just before touching down on a narrow strip of land that projected out into the harbour. The Airport Express carries passengers from the Airport to Hong Kong Station (Central) in just 23 minutes. For the journey out of Hong Kong, the in town check-in counter service at Hong Kong Station enables you to drop your luggage off in the center of the city and continue efficiently on to the airport with your hands free .
•• 113
11 First visit to Hong Kong A. LinQ.Q oa~
Mh goi Bong Jung woahn Jim sa jeui J6u dim Heui Bun deih Cheuhng touh Hoi J6 bin Yauh bin Ni bin Go bin Bin douh Jung goon w6i Seuhng mihn Hah mihn Yet chi Deih touh Yauh guk Suhng gwong
•
Oik sf Be sf
~±
I:PJI
~j!Jllfi ~h§
5
ztitt!! 5~
tlf¥
ttil
Ell 11/tll
ll@ljl jl~
r:prmm
...tiii "Fiii
-m
ttl.llll
tfifcj ~~
e:!±
0
Excuse me, please help Central Tsim Sha Tsui hotel go local IDO ot/in left side right side this way that way where middle seat upstairs downstairs one time map post office SOGO (a Japanese Department store) taxi bus
115
No Swe;;t C;;ntonese
I
'0
Maaih Dihn w6
I
Seung yiu B6ai Dang gei jing Man Dang gei Dang gei muhn Ng6u Bo jf Gei cheuhng seui
ll
-~ Jm~
mt
HIIIM
mx
Hill HIIIM
.55 "'llltiim
sell telephone want to have put boarding pass dollar check-in boarding gate vomit newspaper airport tax
WHAT IS SOGO? There ore several Iorge Japanese deportment stores in Hong Kong. Among them, SOGO is the biggest and the most well known . Its entrance is also a meeting point for locals, due to its convenient location just outside the Causeway Boy MTR station. Many Hong Kong people, especially those of the younger generations, like Japanese fashions, movies, music and food. That's one of the reasons why there ore so many Japanese restaurants and stores in Hong Kong. They ore concentrated in Causeway Boy and also Toikoo Shing because many Japanese expatriates live nearby on Broemor Hill, a residential area just above North Point.
""••--..•••~r~~~~~~~- ·~.a
116
C Aapt-er II
t::irs-t visi-t -to -1-10114 ko114
You may find this Cantonese useful in places like hotels in Hong Kong even if the hotel staff can speak English . However, they really appreciate your efforts! I So keep on practicing and build up a friendly relationship with the locals. To name a few, Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong Conrad Hotel Disney's Hollywood Hotel Emperor (Happy Valley) Hotel Excelsior Hotel Peninsula Hotel Grand Hyatt Hotel The Landmark Mandarin Oriental Holiday Inn Golden Mile
Heung Gong Sei Gwai J6u Dim Gong Laih J6u Dim Dihk Sih Neih hou loih wu J6u Dim Ylng Wohng jeun ging J6u Dim Ylh Dung J6u Dim Bun Dou J6u Dim Gwen Yuht Heung Gong J6u Dim Jih Deih Mahn Wah Dung Fong J6u Dim Gam Wihk Go Yaht J6u Dim
117
No Swe;;t C;;ntonese
Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel Hong Kong Gold Coast Hotel Hotel Nikko Hong Kong Island Shangri-La Hong Kong JW Marriott Hotel Langham Hotel Hong Kong Le Meridien Cyberport Marco Polo HK Marco Polo Prince Miramar Hotel New World Renaissance Hotel Panda Hotel Park Lane Hong Kong Regal Airport Hotel YMCA International House
118
Heung Gong Dihk Sih Neih J6u Dim Wohng Gam Hoi Ngohn J6u Dim Yaht Hohng Jau Dim Gong Dou Heung Gaak Leih Laai Maahn Houh J6u Dim Lohng Tihng J6u Dim Sou M6h Gong Ngaaih Meih J6u Dim M6h Ho Buht Loh J6u Dim M6h Ho Buht Loh Taai Jf J6u Dim Meih Laih Wah J6u Dim San Sai Gaai Maahn Leih J6u Dim Yuht Loih J6u Dim Pak Lihng J6u Dim Fu Houh Gei Cheuhng J6u Dim Ching Nihn Wui Gwok Jai Ban Gun
Chapter!/
0rs-t visi-t -to -l-Ion<:. kont:.
Di s ney land & vocab ul ary
HK Disneyland is o adventure foirgound in Hong Kong and is one of the top tourists spots. It is located on North Lontou Island between the Airport and TsingMo Bridge. Before 2005, it was only of interest to civil engineers. Now, it is o " must go" or" must do" foro fam ily lovers out. Let's learn some phrases and hove fun there. But, remember your credit cord limit and don't over spend!! Disneyland The Lion king Adventurelond Broadway Buzz Lightyeor Castle Cinderella Daisy duck Dol motion Disney 's Hollywood Hotel Disneyland Resort Disneyland Resort Paris (France) Disneyland's wedding Pavilion Donald duck Dumbo Fairy tole wedding Fontosylond Fast pass Ferris wheel
Dihk Sih Neih si jf wohng tom hfm soi gooi book l6uh wuih ba si gwong lihn sihng b6u fui gu leuhng doih si boon dfm g6u Dihk Sih Neih hou loih wu j6u dim Dihk Sih Neih Lohk Yuhn Foot Gwok Dihk Sih Neih Lohk Yuhn Dihk Sih Neih ha fan laih gun tohng l6uh ng6op sfu fei jeuhng tuhng w6 fan l6ih woohn seung soi gooi fooi jing mo tin lyuhn 119
No Swe;Jf C
Fireworks display Goofy HK Disneyland Hotel Hong Kong Disneyland Inspiration Lake Recreation Centre Lion king Main street, USA maze Mickey mouse Minnie mouse MTR Disneyland resort train Mulon Parade Parade of Dreams Peter Pan Prince charming (lit: whitehorse-prince) Pumpkin cor Scooby Doo Sleeping beauty Snow white (lit: whitesnow-princess) Space mountain the 7 dwarf the float
120
fong yin fa gou fei Heung Gong Dihk Sih Neih jau dim Heung Gong Dihk Sih Neih Lohk Yuhn dihk yon wuh san ba Meih Gwok sfu jon dooih gaoi maih gung maih keih louh syu maih neih louh syu deih tit Dihk Sih Neih liht che muhk laohn cheuhn yauh muhng ji cheuhn yauh sfu fei hohp boohk mah wohng jf naohm gwa che bouh louhtouh seuih gung jyu boohk syut gung jyu fei yuht tooi hung soon syut gu chat yau fa che
Chapter //
Tokyo Disneyland Resort (Japan) Tomorrowland Walt Disney World Winne the pooh
J:irst: visit: t:o -1-/ontE> konq
Yaht Bun Dung Ging Dihk Sih Neih Lohk Yuhn mihng yaht sai gaai Wah Dahk Dihk Sih Neih sai gaai siu huhng woih neih
121
N o Sw e
B. Chit Chat Maurice is still finding his way around Hong Kong . M : Maurice S: Shop assistant
1.
2.
3.
122
S:
Mh go i, ng6h h6 yi bong neih rna? (Excuse me, may I help you?)
M:
Mh goi youh m6uh bo si heui Jim So Jeui a? (Excuse me, is there a bus going to Tsim Sha Tsui?)
S:
Youh, ho i chihn mihn . (Yes there is. It's over there.)
M:
Hoi bin douh youh Heung Gong deih touh maaih a? (Where can I buy a map of Hong Kong?)
S:
Hoi "WH Smith" syu dim . (At the WH Smith Bookshop.)
M:
Hoi gei cheuhng youh m6uh yauh guk go? (Is there a post office at the airport?)
S:
Youh . (Yes.)
CAapter /1
t::irs-t visi-t -to -Hon,;. kon,;.
Jay is in Hong Kong visiting Ann . A : Ann J: Jay
4.
5.
6.
7.
J:
Heung Gong yauh mot yeh tai a? (What's there to see in Hong Kong?)
A:
Heui Son Deng Ia. Fung ging hou leng. (Go to the Peak. The scenery is very beautiful.)
J:
Heui bin douh moaih yeh jeui hou a? (Where's the best shopping?)
A:
Jim So Jeui jeui hou . (Tsim Sha Tsui is the best.)
J:
Bin douh youh hoi toan a? (Where is the beach?)
A:
Naahm Aa Dou tuhng Yuh Ging Wean . (Lemma Island and Discovery Bay.)
J:
Cheng mahn Laahn Gwa i Fong hoi bin douh a? (May I ask where Lon Kwai Fong is?)
A:
Laahn Gwai Fong hoi Jung Waahn . (Lon Kwai Fong is in Central.) 123
No Swe
WHAT IS THERE TO DO IN HO Ng KONg?
....
There are many things to do during a visit to the territory. Some of these include: I . Stan ley markeJ: a great place with beaches, pubs, restaurants and shops , which niake it one of the favo rite spots to live and go sightseeing. Take a 6,6A or 260 bus from Exchange Square. The journey of about 40 minutes takes in many good views of Hong Kong Island. 2. Temple StreeJ: a street market with different sta ll s sel lin g clothes, antiques and odds and ends. You can have you r fortune told by one of the many fortune-tellers lin ed up on one end of the street. Nea rb y are many open cafes se rving local dishes like clay pot rice and snake soup. Temple Street is 5 minutes walk from Jordan mTR station. It comes a li ve in the evenings when you rftay even see Chinese opera. 3. ~: spectacu lar views of Hong Kong, by day and night. A one hou r walk around the Peak, on Harlech and Lugard roads on a nice evening at sunset is an experience one shou ld not miss. Take the unbelievably steep and old (circa 1880) Peak tram as this is the most exciting and enjoyable way to the top. At the upper terminus a new mall comb in es a wide variety of shopping and dining options for visitors. Al so located there is madame Tussaud's, which di splays over one hundred hand-sculpted wax statues of celebrities and political leaders in Hong Kong and mainland China, such as michelle Yeow, Andy Lau and Jiang Zemin. There ' s even a scaled-down ve rsion of " Ripley's Believe it or Not" at the Peak Tower. Bu ses run from both the Central Star Ferry ru1d Admiralty mTR to the base of the Peak Tram. 4 . Lan Kwai Fong and Wanchai: are the places for a night out on the town. There is a wide spectrum of restaurants, bars and ni ghtc lubs with music a nd jazz bands to choose fron1. 5. Ocean Park: adventure fairground with excell ent aquariums and shows for a family day out. The park is now home to Hong Kong 's resident panda . 6. Cheung Chau: has a host of seafood restaurants, a fishing fleet and severa l old temples. There are holiday home s for rent. The beaches are also popular for windsurfing and swirilrhing. 7. Happy Valley: if you are over 18, a horseracing tour at Hong Kong Jockey Club both in ShaTin and Happy Valley, (Happy
124
••
t:irst visi-t -to -Hont;, kont;,
CAapter/1
Valley is more historic and accessible) is highly recommended. Races are held Wednesday evenings (Happy Valley) or Saturday afternoons (Shatin) between September and mid-June. Racing is one of the ritost popular fornis of sport entertain ment in Hong Kong and one of the few legal forms of gambling. 8. Lantau Island: is home to the giant Buddha, a hu ge bronze statue sitting up the hill from the Po Lin monastery. Plans are in place to bui ld an aer ia l tramway from Tung Chun g. 9. Lariuila Island: enjoy a boat rid e from the Pier in Ce ntra l to Lamma Island and round off with dinner at one of the seafood restaurants by the seaside. You can pick what you want to eat direct ly from the fish tank s s tanding outside the restaurants .
I 0. Disney Theme Park: on Lantau Island between the Airport and the Tsing rna bridge. Until it opens in 2005/6 it will only be of interest to civil engineers. After that it wi ll become a "must do" item for the kids. You have been warned! Official re so urces for visitors
The Hong Kong Touri st Board provides official quality services for tourist s and the genera l public. Flyers, brochures and city maps can be found in their offices by the Star Ferry Piers in Central and Tsim Sha Tsui and, of course, at the airport. As yo u walk aro und Hong Kong, you'll see its emblem (the red junk wi th white background) in so me s hops' windows. This means that the shops have been approved by the Tourist Board and their quality is assured.
125
No Swe
C. One-liners Doop dlk sf heui Jung Waohn yiu gei chin a? (How much is the taxi fore to Central?) 2.
Dfm heui Suhng Gwong a? (How con I get to SOGO deportment store?)
3.
Hoi bin douh do bun deih/cheuhng touh dihn wo a? (Where con I make a locoi/IDD call?)
4.
Gei cheuhng seui gei chin a? (How much is the airport tax?)
5.
Mh goi youh m6uh Ylngmahn bo jf a? (Do you hove any English newspapers?
English newspapers available in Hong Kong There are a number of English language publications in Hong Kong: 1. South China Morning Post: a very long-standing English language newspaper from Hong Kong . Includes local and foreign news with entertainment and features. 2 . The Asian Wall Street Journal: English newspaper mainly about finance and economy, popular with bankers and financiers . 3 . The Standard : English newspaper about local and overseas affairs with features . In addition, several free magazines circulate around bars, restaurants and other venues : 1 . HK Magazine - information and entertainment about HK. 2 . BC Mqggzine - about catering, bars and restaurants in Hong Kong 3 . Rugby Talk - Rugby in Hong Kong Other newspapers, journals and magazines from the rest of Asia and around the w orld are available at large newsagents and often at the Star Ferry Piers.
~--------....__-~~
126
CJ.,apter/1
r::trs-t visi-t -to -Horv:. korv:.
D. Grammatical Notes 1. Asking for items or for help: "Mh goi" or "Cheng mahn" are common phrases used when asking for an object or for help.
Mh goi + verb + noun + "a" + ?
a)
e .g. Mh go1, y6uh m6uh dang gei jing a? (Piease)(have)(have naf}(baarding pass)(Quesfion word)?
May I have your boarding pass, please? e.g . Mh goi, bong ng6h jiht dik sf a? (Please) (help me) (catch) (taxi) (final particle)
Could you please help me catch a taxi? b)
The word "Mh goi" also means "excuse me" and can be placed at the beginning or the end of the sentences as follows : (i) (ii)
c)
Mh goi, y6uh m6uh go fe a? Y6uh m6uh go fe, mh goi. (Excuse me, do you have coffee?)
Cheng mahn + verb + noun + final particle + ? "Cheng mahn" means " May I ask" in English and is used when asking for an object or for help. It is similar to "Mh goi" when it is placed at the beginning of the sentence. However, "Cheng mahn" is more formal than "Mh goi."
e.g. Cheng mahn gei cheuhng seui gei chin a? (May I ask)(airport fax) (how much money) (final particle)
May I ask how much the airport tax costs?
127
12 Interests and Hobbies A. Lingo
Types of Sports
dii1J)
Wahnduhng:
Verb ~ Do Bo playing ball games n~ Do M6hng kauh VM!!~ playing tennis playing squash Do Bik kauh n~~ Do playing table tennis Bing bam bo .J:iq~ Do Go yi fu kauh fliffil~~ playing golf playing football Tek Jok kauh ~le~ swimming Yauh Seui nH7..1< diving Chihm Seui water-skiing Waaht Seui Lauh Bing )i)J.k ice-skating Haahng Soan hiking Po au Bouh jogging lffi!~ Soan Bouh strolling ft~
lJ
1'17..1< i!7..1<
fiW
Others : Toi Toi Toi Teng Teng
Dihn sih Hei Syo Yom ngohk Sou yam gei
DilU~
Oi/fi Di.
lift~ lll&~lll
watching TV watching movies reading books listening to music listening to the radio
129
No Swe4t C4nfonese
Verb
Object
~11! ~K 5ii!~
Cheung Go Cheung "K" Taahn Kahm Heui Leuih hahng Haahng Gaai Teng Lauh hahng kok Teng Yiuh gwun ngohk
nffifj fjfti II >lit fj !HI
II MUll~
singing singing karaoke playing the piano go travelling window-shopping listening to pop music listening to rock music
Adverbs : Yet chaih Bat yuh
together let's
·-~==·=:~~~----------··· .. SPORTS AND RECREATION
In Hong Kong, there are many places that offer well-equipped sports facilities for a low fee: 1. SCAA: South China Athletic Association. Located in Happy Valley, this club looks a little old but is endowed with every facility possible; including a huge bowling hall . 2 . LCSD: Leisure and Cultural Services Department. This government agency runs Games Halls that provide facilities for swimming, squash, badminton , tennis, running track, etc. for a minimal fee.
Halls are found throughout the region . A large, modern Squash Hall is located on the edge of Hong Kong Park next to Central.
--~-------·
130
C J...apter /2.
In-terests and -Hot!>l!>ies
B. Chit Chat 1.
2.
3.
A:
Neih jung mh jung yi t6i hei a? (Do you like to watch movies?)
B:
Ng6h h6u jung yi tai hei . (I like watching movies very much.)
A:
Neih jung mh jung yi cheung goa? (Do you like to sing?)
B:
Ng6h h6u jung yi cheung go. (I like singing very much .)
A:
Neih dok hoahn jung yi jouh mot yeh a? (What do you like to do in your spare time?)
B:
Ng6h jung yi youh seui tuhng tai syu . Neih ne? (I like swimming and reading . And you?)
A:
Ng6h jung yi heui leuih hohng tuhng haahng soan . Neih gaau ng6h youh seui dok mh dok a? (I like travelling and hiking . Can you teach me how to swim?)
B:
Oak, ng6h ting yaht dok hoahn. (OK! I am free tomorrow.)
A:
H6u a. (Great.)
131
No Swe
4.
A:
Neih jung mh jung yi cheung go a? (Do you like singing?)
B:
Ng6h mh jung yi cheung go, ng6h jung yi do bik kouh. {I don 't like singing, but I like playing squash .)
A:
Ng6h dou haih. Neih gei sih dak hoahn a? Bat yuh ng6h deih yat choih woan Ia? (Me too. When do you have time? Let's play together .)
B:
H6u. Sing keih sei h6u mh h6u a? (Great, how about Thursday?)
A:
H6u a. (Great.)
C. One-liners Ng6h youh h6u do si hou . {I have many hobbies.) 2.
Ng6h jung yi do bik kouh tuhng teng yam ngohk . {I like playing squash and listening to music .)
3.
Ng6h ting yoht dak hoahn . {I am free tomorrow.)
4.
Ng6h h6u jung yi cheung go. {I like singing very much .)
5.
Ng6h gaau neih youh seui. {I'll teach you how to swim .)
6.
Ng6h mh jung yi teng yiuh gwun ngohk. {I don't like listening to rock music.)
132
C Aapte r /2
In-teres-ts and -HoBBies
D. Grammatical Notes 1. Likes and dislikes : When talking about your hobbies in Cantonese, you will need to use the same sentence structure that you use in English : Pronoun+ Adverb + Auxiliary verb+ Verb-Object a) Ng6h (I) b) Ng6h (I) c) Ng6h (I)
gei (quite) h6u (very much) rhh (don't)
jung yi (like) 1ung yi (like) jung yi (like)
cheung go . (singing) cheung go . (singing) cheung go . (singing)
2 . " Let's .. . " / Bat yuh .. . Ia : To put forward a friendly suggestion , use " Bat yuh ... Ia" in the following formula : Bot yuh +
subject (pronoun/noun) + verb + Ia
e.g . Bat yuh ng6h deih (Let)
(us)
heui cheung go Ia? (go)
e'
(singing) (final particle)
(Let's go singing .) " La " ind icates the invitation or suggestion for doin;~ a certain thing.
•-":-a
I FILmS
Hong Kong 's large c inemas are divided into bi lingual (UA) and Ch inese . The bilingual cinemas show Hollywood films, the top films from other countries, and larger local productions with Eng lis h subtit les. Hong Kong is the movie-making centre of Asia. There are two fi lrh studios that concentrate o n nia rt ial a rts a nd Jove stories. Jack ie Chan is the owner of one of them. For the ln d ie fil m fan , Hong Ko ng has th ree ci ne mas to offer: the Broadway Cinematheq ue in Yau rna Tei , the Hong Ko ng Fil ni Archive in Sai Wan Ho, and the Cine-Art in Wan Cha i Nort h. For two weeks in Apr il Hong Kong hosts a large Inte rn atio na l Fi lm Festival.
............_____,.._
...
-~
133
;)
13 Weather A. Lingo
Hei wan
ml>A
temperature
Douh
If!
degree
Sap douh
)Iff!
humidity
Baak fohn ji
i31BiZ
percent
~It
weather
(+number) nn hei Yiht H6u tin Yam tin
1m
ttf~ II!~
hot good weather overcast warm
Leuhng
Ill )fit
Dung
)JR
cold
Gon
~ jft
wet
Nyuhn
Sap Yuh Syut Mouh Yeuhng gwong Neuih bouh Bouh yuh Jaauh yuh Fung Toih fung H6 lohng
mii
~
cool dry rain snow
II
fog
~Rmii l!mii
thunderstorm showers
1m! llllml
typhoon
61!~
ijJfi~
sunshine rainstorm wind probably
135
No 5we;;t C;;ntonese
Dim Ji Sim dihn Seui joi Ging gou Bo gou
!0 ~
0011
7J<~
.€5 il€5
how to, till lightning flood warning report
Adverbs: H6u h6u Gei Mah rna dei
•
l . Terllperature· In Hong Kong we use
ttfttf ~
MiliittH
very quite so so
oc ond not °F.
Yih sahp do uh
=+li
20 °
c
2. Humidit y: Hutftidity is rileasured in percentage.
Sa p dou h
~/:i
humidit y
Baak fahn jB chat sahp
BfiliZ.t:+
70%
Baak fahn j8 is the de nori1inato r, and literally mean s "o ut of I 00 parts." No te that we actua ll y say the numerator afte r the
denorilinator when talking about fractions. Baak fahn jB ga u sahp yi h Sei fahn jB sliam
136
=
Bfili2.11 +
ll!lfi};Z.:=
92%
weather
CAapter/3
B. Chit Chat A: Airport staff
1.
2.
3.
5
P: Passenger
P:
Gam yaht Ou hook laohn hei wan gei do douh a? (What's the temperature today in Auckland?)
A:
26 douh . (26 degrees.)
P:
Heung Gong tin hei dim a? (How' s the weather in Hong Kong?)
A:
Hou tin . (The weather is good .)
Amy is reading the newspaper with Peter. P: Peter A : Amy P:
Amy, Heung Gong gam yoht hei wan gei do douh a? (Amy, what's the temperature in Hong Kong today?)
A:
Heung Gong gam yoht hei wan hoih 18 douh . (Todoy's temperature in Hong Kong is 18° C.)
P:
Dung Ging (Tokyo) ne? (How about Tokyo?)
A:
Dung Ging hoih 19 ji 25 douh . (Tokyo is 19-25 oq
P:
nng yoht Heung Gong ge tin hei wuih dim a? (What will the weather in Hong Kong be like tomorrow?)
A:
Ho lahng wuih hou tin, y6uh sih y6uh joouh yuh. (It will probably be sunny with occasional showers.)
137
N o 5we
4 . During a rainstorm
... RAINSTORM WARNINGS Because of the danger of landslides during and after heavy rain, the government has a warning system to inform the public about the seriousness of a storm and to advise appropriate action .
There ore three stages: wohng slk bouh yuh (Amber) : Kindergartens will be closed , and parents requested to pick up their children. huhng slk bouh yuh (Red) : Some roads may be flooded and landslides are imminent. hook slk bouh yuh (Block) : Danger is foreseeable . Most commercial buildings and government offices will be closed, and everyone apart from daily- or hourly rated workers may enjoy the day off. The Hang Kong Observatory broadcasts the warnings on both TV (look for the icon on the top of the screen!) and radio .
-------11!.•
A mother tells her son that, due to the rainstorm , school is cancelled today.
Yih go youh wohng slk (amber) bouh yuh . Neih gam yaht mh sci faan hohk Ia . (The Amber Rainstorm warning has just been hoisted. You don 't have to go to school today.)
B:
138
Hou a . Ngoh gam yaht ho yi hoi ok kei tai dihn sih Ia . (Great! I can watch TV at home today.)
CAap-ter 13
5. During a typhoon
I TYPHOON WARNINGS Typhoons are tropical storms that can be devastating . They originate in the South China Sea and move north towards the Phillippines, Hong Kong, Guangdong and Taiwan at slightly different times of the year. For Hong Kong, the period between May and November is typhoon season. As with the rainstorm warning system , radio and television will broadcast the typhoon warnings to the public : When the Yat houh fong kauh (Typhoon no. 1) is hoisted, the typhoon is centered within 800 kilometers of Hong Kong. You should take the possibility of o typhoon into consideration when planning your days ahead . When the Saam houh fong kauh (Typhoon no. 3) is hoisted, the wind is blowing at 41-62 km/ h. You should secure all loose objects and temporary structures such as scaffolding . All kindergartens will be closed . When the Boat houh fong kauh (Typhoon no. 8) is hoisted, the strong winds have officially been classified as a gale or storm. All schools and commercial offices will be closed . You should put masking tape on windows in order to prevent flying glass. With the hoisting of the Gau houh fong kauh (Typhoon no. 9) or Sahp houh fong kauh (Typhoon no . 1 0), the storm has become a hurricane . You should stay indoors away from doors or windows to avoid flying debris. When there's a typhoon, you will see supermarkets like Park' N' Shop and Wellcome packed with people buying groceries in a frenzy. Weather conditions above a "Saam hauh fong kauh" (Typhoon Signal 3) can rapidly deteriorate and be potentially destructive.
..
~--~~----,...-- ~
John is telling Lauren to go home . J: Lauren, yih go do Boat houh fung kouh Ia, neih faai di faan ok kei Ia. {lauren, the typhoon no.8 has been hoisted . You'd better go home~. ) L:
Hou a . Neih yih go hoi bin douh a? (OK. Where are you now?)
J:
Ng6h hoi gOng si. Ngoh yih go faan uk kei Ia. {I am at the office. I am going home now.)
139
No 5we;;f C;;nfonese
C. One-liners nng yaht Foot gwok wuih lohk syut. (There will be snow in France tomorrow.) 2.
Gam yaht h6u nyuhn . (It is warm today.)
3.
nng yaht Heung Gong wuih do fung . (There will be a typhoon in Hong Kong tomorrow.)
4.
nng yaht Maahn Guk h6u riht. (It will be hot in Bangkok tomorrow.)
5.
Gam yaht Sing Go Bo mh h6u tin. (Singapore's weather is not good today.)
140
CJ.,ap-ter/3
D. Grammatical notes 1. There are four ways to describe weather:
(i)
Time element
+
adverb
e.g . Gam yaht h6u (Today} (very} It's very warm/wet today . (ii)
Time element
+
+
adj
nyuhn/sap . (worm/ wet}
Verb-Object construction•
e.g . Kahm yaht sfm dihn. (yesterday} (lightning} There was lightning yesterday . • A verb-object construction is a combination of a verb and an object that can be used as both a single verb and a noun (similar to the use of the" -ing" construction as a noun, e.g. "the traveling "). Some other examples are: Noun Leuih bouh (thunder) Toih fung (typhoon) Syut (snow)
(iii)
Verb-object construction haahng leuih (thundering) d6 fung (having a typhoon) lohk syut (snowing)
Time element
+
y6uh/m6uh
+
Object
e.g . Ting yaht y6uh syut. (Tomorrow} (has} (snow} There will be snow tomorrow. yeuhng gwong . e.g. Sing keih yaht m6uh (Sunday} (has no} (sunshine} There will be no sunshine on Sunday .
141
No Swe
(iv) Time element + probability + youh/m6uh + Object e .g. Tlng yaht h6 lahng yauh (Tomorrow) (probably) (have)
Boat houh fung kauh. (Typhoon signal no. 8)
There will probably be a Typhoon signal no . 8 tomorrow.
2. Talking about the future with and without "Wuih" : a) "Wuih" means "will [probably]" and expresses future probability. When talking about the weather, it is common to use "wuih" because weather reports are never 100% reliable! The structure is: Time element + wuih + adjective e .g. Hah go sing keih wuih (next week)
(will)
h6u dung . (very cold)
It will [probably] be very cold next week. It can also be used before a verb to express future intention . Subject + wuih + verb + object wuih
m6aih
luhk chah .
will/intend
to buy
green tea.)
e.g. Ng6h (I
142
Chap-ter/3 b) When the word "wuih" is omitted, the sentence expresses the definite future . This is especially the case when the time element is mentioned.
Time element e.g .
+ verb + object
Ting yaht
y6uh
~
(Tomorrow)
(has)
(~now)
There will [definitely] be snow tomorrow .
Time element + Subject + verb + object e.g . Yeuhng sin saang ting yaht aan jau hoi wui. (Yeung)
(Mr.) (tomorrow offernoon)(hove meeting)
Mr. Yeung will [definitely] be in a meeting tomorrow afternoon.
143
14 In the Kitchen A. lingo Chyuh sl Choih liu Yip liu Faatgwok choi Junggwok choi Yahtbun choi Yandouh choi Tauh pun Jyu choi Leang pun nhm ban Hoi waih choi
mmi Jmit:l llit:l
~m
chef ingredients marinade French-style dish Chinese-style dish Japanese-style dish Indian-style dish entree main dish
f!Jl!JJM
cold dish dessert appetizer
>nlllm q:JIIIM sznm ED ~JiM
fill
~m~
"
S!H!SQnings: Ylhm Tohng Jeung yauh nuh meih liu Chou Ga lei fan Wuh jlu fan Syun Choi yauh M6ih j6u Yuhk gwai Gai fan Geung
g
•
ll)fb iJJDmit:l M
lllllllim DH&Iim
-M)fb iiiiii
rn>l!i
~IIi jljffl
•
salt sugar soya sauce spices vinegar curry powder pepper garlic cooking oil rice wine coriander chicken stock ginger
145
No Swe
0
Cooking · F6 Moh Chit seui Chit lap Mok peih G6au Sai Gw61euih Yuhng Guhk Haau Jyu Ch6au Jing Maahn f6 jyu Bo gwan
146
* tDti$ 1ft
tDim
!i!J 11{ M BRi
,.m
mli ~ ~ ~
1A
•*~
~)a
fire grate mince dice peel beat sift puree melt bake roast boil fry steam simmer bring to the boil
In -tk ki-tcJ.,en
CJ.,apter I+
0
Kitcbeo uteosils · Pun Chaan geuih Boon Bou Gang Dang Faai ji Mouh gan ah chim Wun
13
tray
ffi
cutlery (cutting) board cloth
·~ II&
• f~
lfR~
~rn
~fii!
spoon chair chopsticks towel toothpick bowl
Hok Bui Cha
~9 ~ ~
cup fork
Dou Dip Chaan gan
liJll
knife plate
Biii jin Syut gwaih Guhk louh Gw6 jap gei Cheuhng beng wohk Pihng d6i wohk Bo B6 sin ji
7J
•rn
~IB
~m• m>tJm
ladle
napkin coaster refrigerator oven mixer
~~·
saucepan
~!§II
pan pot/container plastic wrap
j2 f~i¥00
147
N o Swe;J t C;Jn tonese
0
B. Chit Chat 1.
2.
148
A:
Di Di, mh goi hoi louh . (Di Di, please turn on the oven .)
D:
H6u a. Gei do douh a? (OK . To which temperature?)
A:
Yet book boat sahp douh . (180 degrees.)
A:
Sin, ga yauh, yihn hauh d6u di tiuh meih liu lohk heui. (First, add oil, then pour in the seasonings.)
D:
H6u a . Yihn hauh le? (OK. And then?)
CAapter/4 3.
In -tf.,e ki-td,en
A:
Neih jung yi jyu Jung-gwok choi dihng Faatgwok choia? (Do you prefer to cook Chinese or French dishes?)
D:
Ng6h jung yi jyu Junggwok choi dQ.di. (I prefer to cook Chinese dishes rru:u:e.)
A:
Dim g6ai a? (Why?)
D:
Yon waih ng6h mh sik jyu Faatgwok choi . (Because I can't cook French dishes.)
A:
Mh g6n yiu . Ng6h Q.O.O.U neih jyu Ia. (That's no problem . Let me~ you how to cook.)
D:
H6u a. Gei sih a? (OK. When?)
A:
nng m6ahn Ia. (Tomorrow night.)
C . One-liners 1.
Mh goi hoi louh. (Please turn on the oven .)
2.
Mh goi soan louh. (Please turn off the oven .)
3.
Ng6h mh sik yuhng faai jf. (I can't use chopsticks .)
4.
Mh goi yuhng dung seui/yiht seui. (Please use cold water/ hot water.)
149
No 5we
5.
Mh goi d6u di tiuh meih lohk heui . (Please pour in the seasonings.)
6.
Mh goi go yauh . (Please add oil.)
7.
Mh h6u yuhng laaih leuih. (Don 't use dairy products.)
8.
Mh h6u yuhng dean . (Don ~ t use eggs.)
9.
Cheng seung choi. (Please serve the food.)
10. Ng6h deui _ _ _ mahn gam . (I'm allergic to _ _ _ . )
D . Grammatical Notes 1 . Final part icle " le " : The final particle "le" means "how about" in English . e.g. Yi hn hauh le? (And then ?)
150
CJ.,apter I+
••
In -t:J.,e ki-tcJ.,en
A CHINESE RECIPE This is one of my favorite local recipes. Try to figure out how to make ill The English translation is in Appendix IV. Drunken Chicken (Jeui goi) In my humble opinion, "Jeui gai" is the most unique and delicious dish in Chinese gourmet. Found in many famous restaurants in both Hong Kong and overseas, it uses a simple recipe that can be followed easily by amateur cooks. Use this dish to impress your Chinese guests! You' ll probably have as much fun with it as I did when I tried to make muffins and sushi . Ingredients (Choih liu) : 2 1/2 bohng Gai 1 gang Ylhm 2/ 3 gang Gai fan 1 1/ 3 boi Maih jau leuhng gang Choi yciuh gei pin (a few pieces of) Geung 2 1/ 2 gang Tohng 1 go chit seui Syun tciuh siu siu Yuhk gwai 1/4 gang Wuh jiu fan Steps: 1. Sin sci (wash) jek giii, ~ baai hai .bQ leuih mihn. 2. Go 2/ 3 gang giiijQn, 1/3 boi ~ tuhng Wlj. Seui yiu k2i..gy,-Q (cover) jek gai, ylhn hauh hoi daaih f6 b6 gwan. 3. Maahn f6 jyu 20 fan jung. 4 . Baai gai hai dip seuhng mihn. 5. Ylhn hauh d6u di lluh meih liu lohk heui gai seuhng mihn: I2hng, 1 boi ~. rlbm, wuh iiu f6n tuhng choi y6uh 6 . Yuhng b6 sin ji beau jek gai, ribn..IJIDih baai hai syut gwaih yip yet maahn. 7. Daih yih yoht (next day), jeung jek gai dJii.Wn, ylhn hauh dung sihk. So how well did you do? If you ' re not sure , the English translation is in Appendix IV .
.............r,.._-..,,..
--~
151
15 Chinese Dim Sum and Local Cafes Pari 1: Dim Sum A. l Lingo A Se l ect i on of Dim Sum Ha gaau Siu maai Cha slu sou Cheun gyun Cha slu beau Lihn yuhng beau
Cffiile) Dim
li~
Qi
Sam:
shrimp dumpling
m• ~-~~
Cantonese spring roll
~tlftJ
steamed BBQ pork bun
eft
IlifftJ
steam pork ball BBQ pork puff pastry
lotus seed paste with egg -yolk bun
Fuhng jaau Gai jaat
lllffi
Jill
chicken feet chicken bundle
m~
vegetable dumpling
Jaai cheung
;:wg
vegetarian rice roll
Ha cheung
fiftl
shrimp rice roll
>mm
vegetable
Choigaau Cheung fan
Ngouh yuhk Youh choi
OIIB !t~
rice roll
beef ball
Wuh g6k
~tQ
fried taro dumpling
Gun tong g6au
)I).G~
steamed dumpling stuffed with mince pork and chicken soup
Ma laai gou Hoh yihp faahn
~mf!i frii~ti
steamed sponge cake steamed fried rice in lotus leaf wrapping
153
No Swe
Dim Sum is the English spelling of Dim Sam. However, the pronunciation "Sum" has been used so much that it has become the common way to say ond write it. Ofm Sam literally means "a little bit of heart" and it refers to food that comes in small portions in a variety of shapes, colors and combinations of tastes. The Cantonese are proud of this unique cuisine, and dim sum to the Cantonese is as important as wine is to the French. Dim sum, especially the steamed varieties, are normally served in the "bamboo steamer" - called a "luhng" (cage) in Cantonese- and the rest are served on plates, or "dihp." The dim sum lunch, "yam chah," is a popular activity, particularly on Sundays, as that is the traditional day on which the family eats out. "Yam chah" literally means "tea break," and refers to the simultaneous activities of eating dim sum and drinking gallons of tea during the event. In older restaurants the dim sum is wheeled out in stacks to each table by the "trolley girl," or "a je" in Cantonese. "A je'' actually means 11 COmpetent woman /' and is considered a term
of respect. It can also be slang for tea lady at the office. To order a portion of dim sum that is passing by on a trolley, just wave to the trolley girl and say, "a je, mh goi" and the dish you wantl
154
···~-·
Cl-.ap-ter/5
C hin ese Desser ts Huhng douh sa Doohn toot Jo wahn tan
CMnese Dim Sum and Local Cales
mnt
~Re
Ji mah gyun
:ZMi~
Douh fuh fa Mong gw6 bou din Hohng yahn chah Hoohptouh louh Soong gw6 pun
EiHt cJIHfi 'iiil ~1=~
3$1UI g:mm~
Q
ba n: sweet red bean paste soup custard tort deep tried dumpling with sweet & sour sauce sweet block sesame roll tofu sweet dessert mongo pudding cream of almond cream of walnut fresh fruit plotter
Types of Chinese tea < tPiiil~) Junggwok chah: Heung pfn P6u lei Wu lung Tit gun yam Leuhng chah
jasmine tea pu ' er oolong tea iron buddha Chin ese herbal tea
155
No Swe
B.l Chit Chat Mandy is taking James out for lunch . M : Mandy J: James 1.
M:
James, neih seung yam mat yeh chah a? (James, what kind of tea do you like to drink?)
J:
Heung pfn, h6u rhh h6u a? {Is jasmine tea fine?)
M:
H6u . Neih seung sihk mot yeh a? (Good . What do you like to eat?)
J:
Ng6h seung yiu ho gaau, gai jaat tuhng jaai dim sam . {I would like to have shrimp dumplings, chicken bundle and vegetarian dim sum .)
2 . Ordering food from the trolley. J: James A : A je (Trolley girl) J:
A je, rhh goi leuhng go mong gw6 bou din . (Miss, two mango puddings, please .)
A:
H6u a. Neih di Gw6ngdung wa h6u h6u a.) (OK. Your Cantonese is very good .)
J:
Do jeh saa i. {Thank you very much.)
3 . At the end of the lunch ...
156
M:
James, yiu rhh yiu tlhm ban a? (James, do you want desert?)
J:
Do jeh Ia, ng6h beau Ia. {Thank you very much . I am full already.)
Ct,ap-ter 15
CMnese Dim SUM and Local Cales
M:
Gam , ng6h deih mooih doon Ia. (Well, let's pay the bill.)
J:
Do jeh sooi . Di yeh h6u h6u sihk a. (Thank you very much . The food was very delicious.)
M:
Mhsai. (You ore welcome.)
t.
4 ~
~~~·;
. . . . . . . .0. . . . . .
TIPS FOR DINING Chinese table etiquette may be different from what you ore used to. Taking note of the following tips will be useful to getting along with friends and business associates alike: 1. Guests wait for the host to start before helping themselves. In the family environment, we normally wait for our parents to start before we proceed . 2. Do not toke the lost piece of food from the dish . Otherwise, the host may think he or she has nat been hospitable enough by cooking enough to fill your stomach . 3. We normally sit at a round table that allows the diners to eat facing each other without differentiation of status. 4. If you wont to refill the teapot at a Dim Sum restaurant, just leave the lid balanced on the rim of the teapot. The waitress will fill it up with hot water again. If someone at your table pours you tea, you should lightly 5. top the table with one or more fingers to show your appreciation . 6. If someone invites you out to dinner, it normally means he or she would like to pay for the dinner. Don 't insi st on shoring the bill. 7. It is customary for the Chinese to leave tips in cosh in Chinese restaurants.
8.
In Chinese culture, dishes are delivered to the middle of the table and they ore not supposed to be passed around . We simply pick the food we wont with our chopsticks . When your chopsticks touch a piece of food , you should eat it to be polite. Use both hands . The left hand holds the bowl while the right hand holds the chopsticks.
_________,..___... 9.
10 .
157
No Swe<1f Ciin f onese
Part 2: In a Local Cafe ~~~· A.2 Lingo
0
Alcoho l ( )@) Jau:
IJ!j@
Bejou Go sih book Sang lihk Baahkjou Heung ban Huhng jou
a±te g:1J S)@ m~r
fi)@
beer Carlsberg San Miguel white wine champagne red wine
Non-Alcoholic drinks ( ~~)@lb F# i jau neuih Tea ( ~) Chith: Junggwok chah Huhng chah Luhk chah Ning chah Noaih chah Heung pin Yahtbun chah Yandouh chah
Juice
Bolohjap Choang jap Faan ke jap Faan sehk lou jap Pihng gw6 jap
158
t+Iml~ n~ ~~ ~~ ttB~
Chinese tea black tea
Bzti~ ED~~
Japanese tea Indian tea
mf1
green tea lemon tea milk tea jasmine tea
ilip:
jifijt IKf)t Moo>t fi6Mi)t •m>t
pineapple juice orange juice tomato juice guava juice apple juice
Charter /5
Chinese DiM SUM and Local Ca.tes
STREET FOOD Outdoo r cafes, "daai h paai h dong" ( ~f.t~IJtib and st ree t sta ll s can be found everywhere in Hong Kong, from the back a lleys of mongkok to Central. Often they are the on ly places you ' ll find serving genuine local food at extrerile ly cheap prices, so it's usefu l to have a few phrases handy for the nex t time you fancy having a bowl of beef brisket noodles on the street. Other local cafes, the " chah chaan t#ng" ( ~··) are also popu lar in Hong Kong. These cafes are norma ll y packed with office workers and students during lunchtirite . They serve loca l food at a low price . Some are also known to open all night, and after a long night of partying many local youngsters can be seen chatting away over a steaming plate of fried rice, at 4 or 5 in the morning.
Ot h ers:
Seui Yiht seui Dung seui Ga fe H6 lohk Back si h Chat hei Syut bik N6aih
7.1\
~7.1\
)17.1\ IVIIIU~
ill~
s• t::~ ~m
ttl3
water hot water cold water coffee Coca-cola Pepsi 7-up Sprite milk
159
No Swe<1t C
0
Snac k s
c/J\m) Si u sih k:
Gai yihk Scam mahn jih Dean jih Tan nah yu jih Gong sl scam mahn jih Teui dean jih Sai do sf Ngauh yuhk mihn Ngauh leahm mihn Wahn tan mihn Jyu pe foohn Hoi naahm gai foehn Gon cheou ngauh h6 Go lei gai foohn Sing jau cheou mei
160
••
-~·A
.=.
)c
m·A )c
eGit>g fi~=~
chicken wings sandwich egg sandwich tuna sandwich club sandwich
•A
)c
lllm>g il§~±
~~-
~··
~a•
Rt/\ni
>m~mn& iZ~~jijJ
IUD Dian& mHH~m
egg and ham sandwich French toast beef noodles beef brisket noodles wanton noodles pork chop rice Hainan chicken rice dry-fried rice noodles with beef curry chicken rice Singaporean fried rice noodles
CJ.,ap-ter/5
CMnese Dim SUM and Local Ca.Pes
B.2 Chit Chat Jay is trying to practice Cantonese at the local cafe . A : Waitress J: Jay 1.
2.
A:
Neih h6u , cheng mahn yiu mot yeh a? (Hello, what would you like to order?)
J:
Yauh mot yeh be jau a? (What kind of beer do you have?)
A:
Ng6h deih yauh Go sih back tuhng Ching d6u. (We have Carlsberg and Tsing Tao.)
J:
Mh goi, ng6h seung yiu Ching d6u. (I would like to have Tsing Tao please.)
A:
Cheng mahn sihk mot yeh a? (What would you like to eat?)
J:
Mh goi, yet gihn sci do si. (One French toast please.)
A:
Cheng mahn yam mot yeh a? (What would you like to drink?)
J:
Mh goi, yet bui dung nfng chah . (One cold lemon tea please.)
After the meal ... J:
Maaih dean, mh goi. (Bill, please.)
A:
Do jeh scam sahp men . (It's $30.)
161
No Swe
·0
C. One-liners 1.
Ng6h seung dehng t6i. (I would like to make a reservation .)
2.
Leuhng wai, mh goi. (Two persons, please .)
3.
Ng6h seung yiu cheung hau wai . (I would like to hove a table by the window.)
4.
Ng6h seung yiu ka wai . (I would like to hove a booth seat.)
5.
Chaon paoi, mh goi. (Menu, please.)
6.
Ng6h seung sihk tlhm ban . (I would like to eat some dessert.)
7.
Ng6h seung sihk gai joot. (I would like to eat chicken bundle .)
8.
DT yeh h6u sihk. (The food is delicious.)
9.
Mh goi mooih dean. (Check please.)
10. Cheng dang dang. (Please wait a moment.) 11.
Ng6h sihk jaoi ge. (I om a vegetarian .)
12 . Ng6h seung dehng jaoi dim sam. (I wont to reserve a vegetarian dim sum.) 162
CJ.,ap-ter 15
CJ.,inese Dim SL.Wl and Local Ca.tes
13. Ng6h jung yi dim sam. (I like dim sum .) 14. Mh goi bei yot bui seui ngoh. (Would you please give me a gloss of water?) 15. Mh sai jaou. (Keep the change.)
D. Grammatical 1. "Tuhng" : "Tuhng" means "and" and is also placed between two nouns. e .g. Ngoh deih yauh ho gaou tuhng siu maoi. We hove shrimp dumpling and steamed pork. e .g Wu lung choh tuhng seui . Oolong teo and water.
r TIP : "Yihn houh " also means "and ," but links a sequence of events or actions (see Chapter 5 .0 .2).
e.g. Heui yam choh yihn houh heui gei cheuhng . Go to hove dim sum and then go to the airport. 163
No 5weilf Ciinfonese
2. Yiu ... dihng .. . ? : "Yiu" means "want" and "Oihng " means "or," but they are only used in the form of a question .
Subject+"yiu"+object 1 +"dihng"+object 2+"a"+? e .g . Ne ih (you)
ri.l.l. chah
dihng
seu1
(.wantl(tea)
(!2£)
(wafer)(final particle)
a?
Would you prefer tea or water?
3 . " Oehng " : "Oehng" means "reserve." e .g . Neih y6uh m6uh dehng t6i a? (Have you reserved a table?)
4 . "Jung yi": "Jung yi" means "to like." The structure is exactly the same as in English : Pronoun e .g . Ng6h (I
+ jOng yi + noun jung yi
cha slu sou .
like
BBQ pork puff pastry.)
5 . "01 ": " 01" is a measuring word marking the plural form or noncountable things .
e .g . Mh goi bei dl yiht seui ng6h deih. (Please give us some hot water.)
164
Chap-ter 15
CAinese Dim SU/'Vl and Local Ca.tes
6 . "Seung": "Seung" means "want to." The sentence structure is exactly the same as in English . For a positive statement: Ng6h seung sihk gai yihk . (I want to eat chicken wings.) For a negative statement: Ng6h rhh seung sihk gai yihk. (I don't want to eat chicken wings.)
And in the question form: Neih seung rhh seung sihk gai yihk a? (Do you want to eat chicken wings?)
165
Appe"dices
N o 5we
Appendix 1: Geographical Terms H on g K on g pl ace names Heung gong dou 9)1~ Hong K on g I sl and : Seuhng waahn Mahn mouh mfu Hoh leih wuht douh Malo goai
1::1§
Bun soan keui Soan deng Gauh soan deng douh JOng waahn Laahn gwai fong Gam jOng Heung gong gOng yun Taai gu gwong cheuhng Woan jai Tuhng loh woan Paau mah dei nn hauh mfu Jok yuh chong Daa ih lohng woan Sehk ou Daaih taahm
$Lll!A
168
5{~·
fq'j~52Hl
lfildlfij
LUM l!LUM;J cpl§ illilfiil.i
Sheung Wan Man Mo Temple Hollywood Road Cat Street Bazaar (Lascar Road) Mid-levels The Peak Old Peak Road
~m>~flll
Central Lon Kwai Fong Admiralty Hong Kong Park
:t'\o/1111
Pacific Place
111B
Wanchai Causeway Bay Happy Valley Tin Hau Temple Quarry Bay Tai Long Wan Shek 0 Tai Tam
••• ifi!~t:ID ~FolD 1~$.~
7'\5&111
o>lfl 7'\)1
Appendi>< I
Chek chyuh Chin seui wean Hoi yeuhng gung yun Heung gong jai Leih dou Daaih yuh soan Gei cheuhng Daaih faht Bolihn jf Cheuhng jau Jeung bo jai duhng Naahm aa dou Gau luhng Jim sa jeui Hoi gong sihng Jim dung Chuhng hfhng daaih hah Leih duen douh Go lihn wei louh douh Miuh gaai Neuih yan gaai Gam yuh gaai Heung gong mahn fa jung sam
qecx:,rapJ,ical Ter711?s
nnn
jfaj$fllll
Stanley Repulse Bay Ocean Park
m>~G
Aberdeen
>17.k)11
...
~•w
Outlying Islands
~'(.@
Lantau Island Airport Big Buddha Polin Monastery Cheung Chou Cheung Po Tsai Cave Lamma Island
fUJI
Kowloon
~j!Jlrul
Tsim Sha Tsui Harbour City Tsim Sha Tsui East Chungking Mansions Nathan Road Granville Road
11111 ~ffi
••a
§HH
~fJfiG)I6J
jfB)ftfli ~m
··~·
-~ll
1JD illtt'i ~
ll
llfti ttAfti ~ti.fti
gj)ft)(ft
¢11~
Temple Street Lady's Market Goldfish Market Hong Kong Cultural Center
169
No 5we
Lihk si bok moht gun
If!~-~ IS
History Museum
Taai hung gun G6u luhng gOng yun
t'\~18 11~fllll
Space Museum Kowloon Pork
G6u luhng sihng jooih gOng yun Leih yuh muhn San gooi
11~tli-
Kowloon Walled City Pork Lei Vue Mun
Dooih bo Chyuhn wean Fan lehng Sa tihn Che gOng miu Sai gung Hong wuh youh tehng wui Ching seui wean
170
fill -~f!E3 ifW 1'\tm
~IB~ >~EB
@fliiO
New Territories Toi Po Tsuen Won Fonling Shotin
~>mimi!
Che Kung Temple Sci Kung Morino Cove
)Ji7..l
Clear Water Boy
il9a
•
Appendix I
C:.ecx.rapt,ical Ter1'Yls
a: When foreign words enter the Chinese language, they ore assigned characters that ore phonetically similar to their originals. The most obvious example of this is found in the names of cities and countries. Here's a selection plus some Chinese and Japanese place names, arranged alphabetically according to their Cantonese pronunciation.
•• 6h fuh hohn 6h m6uh sl dahk dean 6h laai baaklyuhn hahp yauh jeung gwok aai kahp ba gei sl t6an ba lahm ba laih ba leih dou ba sci bak glng ban sihng bo laahn bo sih deun bou leih sl bun daaih boon dean mahk dak gwok do leuhn do
HID11H
Afghanistan Amsterdam
HIDmfe•
United Arab Em irates
~~
Egypt Pakistan Bahrain Paris Bali Brazil Beijing Penang Poland Boston Brisbane Osaka Denmark germany Toronto
HIDIIIHMft~ f!}
~~slill
E!!l!Mftt§ E!!Jml E!!~ ~m&
f:!!il§
jtffi fltlii
~ill ~±iii
mmwrzn ~8&
f!lW
~Iii
~1ft~
A
B
D
171
N o Sw ei/ t Ciinton ese
F
G
H
J
L
douh baai dong ging fact gwok faat laahn hack fok faht loh leih daaht jau fan laahn fei leuht ban fok gong go jau g6an poh jaaih go nah daaih gat luhng bo go leuhn bei ah go leuhn bou gong jau hei lihp heung gong hoh loan hoh noih hoi yon si hon sihng jaat fong ji go go ji leih leih maht po leih pok yfh leuhn deun loh mah loh wai
172
ttn >ne
>nilliR:~
Dubai Tokyo France Frankfurt
fftllmii
F lorid a
~iii
Finland Phil ippines Fukuoka Californ ia Cambodia Canada Kuala Lumpur Colombia Colombo guangz h ou greece Hong Kong Holland Hanoi Cairns Seoul Sapporo Chicago Chile Liverpool Nepal London Rome Norway
mffi
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Appendix I
lohk chaam gei maahn chit si dahk maahn guk maahng m6aih maaih 6h meih mah loih sai a mah neih laai m6h yih doih fu mahk sai go mahk yih bun meih gwok mihng gu uk mouh leih kauh si muhng dahk leih yih muhng gu naahm fei naahm hohn n6u yeuk n6uh sci laahn oih yih laahn ou deih leih ou hook laahn oujau ou mun pack si pouh touh ah scam foehn sih sci on sam jan seuih din
C:.ecx.rapf.,ical Tef""MS
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M
mongolia South Africa South Korea New York New Zealand Ireland Austria Auckland Australia macau Perth Portugal San Francisco Xi 'an Shenzhen Sweden
N
0
p
s
173
N o 5we
seuih sih sheuhng hoi si leih laohn ka sing go bo
Sri Lank a S in ga p o re
T h ai la nd
toih waon
~m11 iS )II
t6u yfh keih
±:EUt
Turkey
wai leih si
~fEfttj
Ve n ice
wai yfh si
~·fttj Ml~~
Wa les
OHiEB~ffi
Ho C h i minh C ity
ED~
In dia
syut leih tooi gwok
waih yah loohp wan go wah wuh ji mihng sfh
y
Sh a n g hai
-~ttt
suk mouh
w
WHeii~ ~1JD:tiX
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Z uri c h
sou laih soi
T
JMI± J::>fa
yoht bun yon douh yon neih yeh go dooht yeuhk hohn noih si b6u yi dooih leih
m• ~IE
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Ce bu Sydn ey Ta ip e i
Vien n a Vanco u ver Japan In dones ia J akarta J o h a nn es bu rg
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iijjjj
yi si t6on b6u
f1ifttj:t§~
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yuht naohm
ifl1~
V ietnam
174
U. K.
Appendix II: Idioms and Slang Expressions A . ldioms I.
a!Mftil;if'ODtjM.!!I!~ . Duhk maahn gyun syu, bat yuh haang maahn leih louh. Trave l is the best education. Literally: Rather than study ten thousand books, why not travel ten thousand miles instead.
ifiHI
2. Ill~~ Saan gou wohng da ih yuhn. Whi le the cat is away, th e mt ce will p lay. Literally: The mountain is tall and the Emperor is far away.
3. 07..1<~!&!~ H6u seui do gwo chah . He / she t a l k s too mu c h . Literally: He/she has m ore sali va than tea. 4.
rB~rffi Lohk ga u si. It 's rainin g cats a nd do gs. Literally: Falling dog poo.
5. ~g~rh o uh chyiin mouh laahn . Eve ryt h in g is O.K . Literally: Th ere 's no hole, nothing is broken.
175
No Swe
6. MI5.JIP1A~ Goi tuhng ngaap gong . Co mmunic a ti o n b a rri e r. Literally: L 1ke a chicken is talking with a duck
7. n~~ug~io~ 06 yuhn jooi mh yiu woh seung . To t a k e so m eo n e fo r g r an te d. Literally: To expel the monk after the chanting is over.
-lltll!m iiii tim
8°
Yot geuk doohp leuhng syuhn. A p erso n w ho i s unfa it h f ul , d a ti ng two p eo pl e at a t i me. Literally: One foot stepping on two boats.
9. -'r'J~fl-timA Vat jti k go u da yat sy uhn ya hn. Pa in t eve r ybo d y w ith th e same b ru s h . L iterally: To kill all with a sing le blow.
I O .~B~~ Ng6ai j6i do g6i. (thi s is untranslatabl e!) Literally: A short !fu y has a resouceful mind. II. ~~ffH<~ Yih gwo je f6 . Easy job, a p iece of cake. Literally: Easier than lighting a fire.
~~~ug~
12.
Y auh laa ht ya uh § h laaht. T here are bot h pros a n d co n s. Literally: There 's both spicy and non-spicy.
176
Appendi>< II
13.
Idioms and S lane, e>
•oo7it maa ih mihn gwo ng . A hypo c rit e . Literally: B uy ing face shine.
14.
fijftig:1ft{i!jfX Yauh yeh saang m6uh Ia gaau. To h ave p a r e nt s but t o lac k goo d p a r e nt a l g uid an ce. Literally: Th ere 's a father to sire th e child but no m other to teach it.
1s.
~lffiiHiDaJ!l Jan j y u do u m6 uh ga m j a n. Thi s is ge nuin e. L iterally: Not even a p eMl is more genuine than that.
16.
1:32~1:32. Jih gei ji jih gei sih . On e kn ow's w h at o n e's d o in g .
17. ~=j3E3~ T ip c ho muh n sa hn . Peo pl e can 't get a lo n g , f ig h t in g l ike cats and dogs. Literally: The Door-god 's wrongly pasted on the door.
~?~ • •
177
No Swe
B. Slang Expressions
Every:day: Life: cheuih pin
6)1@
help yourselves
chemg yuhng ying
~~~iQ}t
please say that in
man gong
5I
chOng leuhng chOng seui daap t6i
)!ll)ffi )!ll7.k
mta
English take a shower pour water to share a table ie, especially in the Chinese restaurant
ding ding
JJ
faai di
~~1(19
hurry up
go fe moi
DlllMHtm
parking warden
tram - because of the sound
(literally: coffee lady) goon dihp gai peih hook oih h6u sihk h6u yeh j6u bing
lm~
undercover
-~ lli§fi
dumbfounded
lttf!i ltt®t
yummy good stuff
~)~
goosebumps
no ice (e.g. when ordering a soft drink)
j6u b6
j6u cheng
~~-
miss out on a good deal, let go of a good thing no spring onions, e.g. on the top of the congee
178
Appendix II
jou gai
jou youh
Idioms and S!anr,. expressiof15
~-
greatly valued
~jfb
thing/a good deal no oil (when
miss out on o
ordering vegetables in a Chinese restaurant) jiu gou moahn ngh
m1l~:n
jyu pohng gou youh maahn moan
RHHifiJ~
bad mates lead
ill ill
you astray take your time
moh foahn
Mi~
troublesome/
IIBR~ml
dodgy don't mention it
working 9 :00am to 5:00pm
rhh soi haahk hei ngaai gaau neih sin soan ji sap sap seui sou seng yahp ng6h sou youh m6uh goau cho
OX;(
at loggerheads
fffi~
B:f
after you small change
~>II~
frivol things/
L&ll
meagre money shut up
filHIH
my treat what a ridiculous
J\flE
thing
179
No Swe
Entertainment : sou yuh chaai jih duhng dok siu gong siu luhk hoohp ch6i yauh g6n seui
~~-~ Ifill~ ~~ 7\8~
neii7.k
c ha r a d es sta nd-up come dy j ok in g lottery "dry swi mming" i.e. Play ing mahj o ng beca use th e gestures are li ke those of swimmi ng
Ever)<'dOJ<' J2eOJ2Ie : bei pei sfu yahn chou h6u chou wuh che peih tfu cheun jyo fa pihng foot haouh fong pei go hohn haahm sap loan hoi
~liiWtA ~D ~Mil\
~JJ:~· IIR ~mi ~tt~ ~Itt
iM* -~ Mfm
m6h lou
ij§ll
mouh lahng oih biu si mahn, loih leuih "open"
9~fiM
180
1M BE
)(.1'9. OPEN
creep smelly breath smelly armpit pimp stupid like a pig fake , superficial a flirt fort stingy horny/sleazy Go away! (lit. : crawl away!) naughty kid (lit.: monkey) impotent decent looking but actually promiscuous
Appendix II
IdioMs and Slane, e'J(f'ressions
paaih gwat
t:lHU.
seui peih sik lohng soh gwa
7..1<~ §~~
11/a
skinny person (lit.: spore-ribs) sloppy rapist silly in on odorable way (lit.: silly melon)
Romance:
Ill OM
chlhng fu gai dou leng douh bei
••
mihn huhng
im~I
soot sihk
~m
seuhn sing muhk neui sing gam tlhm tuhng geui waih yat yahn yfu
IU¥Ufil
~
IU3tt lltml
m
15.Jfei
IllAttn
mistress brothel absolute ly gorgeous, stunning to blush (literally: a person ' s face becomes red) attractive looki ng persons (male or fema le) pure smart lady sexy sweet living together but not married unique transvestite
181
No Swe:;t C:;ntonese
Appendix Ill: Glossary
A
English 20 minutes 7-up a beard abalone accountant afternoon at/in aisle seat Airport express airport tax
B
apple juice apple appetizer about/approxi mately after/passing by aisle seat aisle/middle seat bus bus station beer bra
182
Cantonese Chinese yih sahp fan jung chat hei wuh sou baau yuh lilflt wuih gai si hah jau hoi jou long WO ~film Gei cheuhng faai MtJU1aJ sin gei cheuhng Mt;im seui plhng gwo jap iWHt~)t plhng gwo hoi waih choi ~m~m daaih yeuk 1'\~~
=+Bil t::R
••
Chagter 5 15
4 8
aB-tBili
~· 111
gwo jo jou long WO jung goon woi basi basi jaahm bejou hung waih
10 11 10 5 10,11
•m
15 8 14 10
~~ ~film
5 10 10, 11 5, 11 7 15 15
I:Pimm
!!!± !!!±no Ill >I§
!JijiJ
Appendix Ill
bed chohng bell pepper cheng jiu bring to a boil bo gw6n big build/well built daaih jek bald gwong tauh business class gung mouh w6i baggage hahng leih baggage tag hahng leih p6ai behind/ at the hauh mihn back black tea huhng chah broad shoulders waahng butcher jyu yuhk p6u balcony keh 16u basement deihlouh boxer shorts ma yin tung bath yuhk gong bake guhk BBQ pork Puff cha siu sou Pastry syu g6 bookcase blush yin ji before/In front of/ chlhn mihn just ahead bakery shop mihn baau p6u bathroom chung leuhng bank ngahn hohng beat g6au bedroom seuihf6ng beef brisket ngauh l6ahm
qfossary
lffi
Jill ji
6 8 14
~~fin
4 4
fi~1ll
10
fi~ fi~~~ ~00
10 10 7
,.nM
4
R~lli
15
:SZ*IB
7 6 6 8 6 14 15
-~ Ill iii i!iim
6 8 5,7
161111
~~ H~l&l ~Iii
rl
.'81. j{J])ffi/J§
iHfi tl 1115§
~-·
7 6 7 14 6 15 183
No Swe;Jt C;Jntonese
beef, beef ball (dim sum) beef noodles boutique behind/ at the back baggage carts blouse broccoli beside book/ reserve board boarding gate boarding pass bowl boyfriend butcher chopsticks
c
ngouh yuhk
tt=~
8,15
ngouh yuhk mihn sih jong dim hauhmihn
tt=~•
15
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7 7
~mm 1::1~
10 8 8
sou teui che seuhng scam sci laahn fa gaakloih dehng ban dang gei muhn dang gei jing wun noahm pohng yauh jyuyyhk p6u faai ji
cold water dung seui cold dung cup boi coaster boi jin cloth bou cutlery chaan geuih CD/ record shop CD p6u coffee table choh gei car/transport che Cantonese spring cheun gyun
184
imillft: 6iiM ~
Jr«
IIlii~
IIlii IDE fiJi!
~HH~
7
10 14 10,11 10,11 14 3
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7
)jftJ.J< )jft
15 13 14 14 14 14
~ ~~
ffl
-~ COM
14
7
~fl
6
fit!
5,10 15
m
Appendix: Ill
q fossary
captain cooking oil
gei jeung choi youh
~s
3
M)fb
check in check in
dang gei dang gei s6u
BM BM3=JI
14 10 10
procedure check-in counter central chemist
juhk dang gei t6i
BM~
11 11 7
jOng woahn yeuhkfohng
chinese-style dish jOng-gwok chah chef chyuh si computer dihn 16uh Cathay Pacific Gwok taai hohng
QJJI
-~ Q:lliiiM mrm 11111
14 14 8
lill~liJil~
10
81NUI
15 15
If
8
hOng cream of walnut haahptouh louh cream of almond hahng yohn choh crab h6ai chicken feet
fuhng j6au
convenient curtain
fong bihn cheung lim
coffee
ga fe ga fe sat
coffee shop curry powder classifier for luggage (piece)
ga lei f6n gihn
curry chicken rice ga lei gai faahn Carlsberg Go sih book Chinese tea jung gwok choh corner jyun gok cinema club sandwich
heiyun gung si soam mohn jih
~CM
111m 7]1!
15 5
iarJI
6
IWIIU~ IWIIU~~
7
IWIIIIIB f~
14 10
IWIIIIJ!IM
15 15 14,15
-~ ltilfl
7 7
ll±fe Q:lliiiM fl~=
15
15
)t"A >c
185
No Swe.:;t C.:;ntonese
D
cold dish Ioong pun cool leuhng curly lyOn Chinese herbal leuhng chah champagne heung ban comb so carrot loh baahk curly lyOn chicken stock gai fan chicken bundle gai jaat chicken wings gai yihk chicken gaiyuhk calculate wrongly gai cho sou can (classifier of gun soft drinks) carpet deih jin cheap pehng custard tart daahn toot clam hin Coca-cola h61ohk candy shop tohng gw6 dim cabbage yeh choi cauliflower yeh choi fa coriander yuhk gwai colleague tuhng sih degree douh department store book fo gOng si digital camera sou m6h seung gei door muhn downstairs hah mihn 186
~Ill
)~
•mm ••• •• -~ • mM • )~~
1m
J!IIB J!l!l
14 13 4 15 15 6 8
4 14 15 15 7
~~~-
10 10
mft !¥
6 8
15 8
ijJ~
15
iMmft5
7 8 8
•m
•m~
fc].
.3S:Jfi
1ft
si!iiflQI
Mlllm
14 3 13 7 8
Ill ~
"Filii
6 11
Appendix Ill
C.!ossary
dining room
faahn teng
dining table
chah gei chit lap h6u sihk
dice delicious delayed dry
chih gon
•• ~n
tJUO
doctor dessert dress
da yi sang tihm ban kwahn sihjong dim
ttffl ll iZ
1R7.J<
12 11 15
.g:
n
!tr§a
m
~&liS It!~
dress shop dull sky
yam tin
eye east entree
ng6ahn dung tauh pun
OS
engineer
gungchihngs dihnheip6u
I~IW
electrical appliance store expensive
gwai
end of the street gaai h6u eyeliner ng6ahn sin beat egg and ham teui daan jih Excuse me, please mh goi economy class p6 tOng w6i
14 8
dry-fried rice gon ch6au ngauh fZ~~jijJ noodles with beef h6 diving chihm seui dollar man ~ deep fried ja wahn tan ~~~a dumpling dozen
6 6
m
10 13 14
8
3 14 8 7
13 4 7
HRIB
14 3
-~-
7
•DSfl¥ tfJD
8 7 8
DI«<>B
15
simm
10
118~
E
11
187
N o Swe4 t C
F
egg sandwich
d6an jih
If£.\ )c
fat fork
feih cha
He!
French style dish Faatgwok choi flip-flops to hoai fog mouh foam pou pou friend face wash
pahng y6uh s6i mihn gou fresh fruit platter saang gw6 puhn fish yu fire flight flight attendant fried taro floor flood
lffiti
8
rei rei ~~& )~ilii·
6 8
~mma
15
M
8
*
14 10 3 15
5Z
•
boon gei hungje
Jfilll
wuh g6k
¥fij
deih h6 seui joi syuhn
~tm
13 3
mr:-
6
M
7..1<~
sci do si
il§~±
13 5 15
fresh fast fry
san sin faai
iffll
8
*;4
go straight
jihk heui joi gin
ttf~ Mo~>t
10 14 5 3 3 3 13 15
•
14 3
ferry French toast
G
f6
>n~M
15 4 14 14
goodbye good morning good night good sky guava juice ginger good afternoon
188
ch6au
j6u sahn j6u tau h6u tin faan sehk lou jap geung ngh on
~
m=a
fiH1! !11!~
!11!!4
q:a
Appendix: Ill
garage glasses grate girlfriend go go travelling garlic grapes good quality garden gate good weather green tea how far how long (how much time) honeymelon hiking Hainan chicken half how hotel here hair salon have a look hair hot high-heels here
c=.tossary
che fohng ngaahn gimg moh neuih pohng yauh heui heui leuih hohng syun taih ji Ieng fa yun jaahp hau h6u tin luhk choh geiyuhn gei noih maht gwa hoahng scan hoi noahm ga bun dim j6u dim ni-douh foot yihng uk tai tai touh foot yiht gou joang hoaih ni douh
m5§
OHM
6 8
R
ttHH~
14 3
n nmfi
5,11 12
~ til~
II ?till IJJD
14 8 8 6
ll~
~" ~i!Ol
10 13 15 5 10
mm
8
tttn
fjW
>m~JIM
12 15
$
9
IS
5,1 0,1
)i!jfE§
11
ott fa
5,10
~m!~
liM OM
7
10
HI~
4
iili~ti
8
1m
ott fa
H
13 5,10 189
No Swe
hi-fi system humidity handkerchief hot water half an hour hello how are you honeydew melon happy journey
K
intersection, the end of the road IDO inside iron buddha in front of ingredients ice-skating jogging Japanese tea Japanese style dish juicy jeans juice jasmine tea journalist kids knife Kowloon Canton key
190
yam heung sap douh sou gaan yiht seui bun go jung neih h6u neih h6u ma mahtgwa neui touh yuh faai gaai hau cheuhng touh leuih mihn tit gun yam chihnmihn choih liu lauh bing paau bouh Yaht bun chah Yaht bun choi dojap ngauh jai fu gw6 jap heung pfn gei je sfu pahng yauh dou Gau Gong tit so sih
till
8
3=rtJ im7..K
6
~fft
=Filii
fffittf fffittflll
mm
13 15 5 3 3 8
1itH~HI*;4
10
mo
5,7
Bml ~im
11 10 15
fiDim
7
1111Hi Jm~
)i)h; ifi!~ BZli~
BZliM
~>t
t+GM
m>t
mf1
~~ IJ\~~~
7J 1111111 Pfilt
14 12 12 15 14 8 8
15 15 3 3 14 5 6
Appendix Ill
lawyer left side lemon tea left lottery station Indian tea Indian style dish listening to pop music listening to the radio lady's market living room long hair look for laptop last night ladle let's leather shoes lychee last night lipstick lightning lettuce lamb lemon lotus seed paste listening to rock lamp
t:E,tossary
leuhtsi j6 bin ning chah j6 mihn tauh jyu jaahm Yon douh chah Yon douh choi temg lauh hahng kok t€mg sou yam gei neuih yon goai hook teng cheuhng tauh wan sau taih dihn l6uh kahm maahn hok bat yuh peih haaih laih ji syuhn gou sim dihn soang choi yeuhng yuhk lihng mung lihn yuhng teng yiuh gwun dang
f!Bili
liil liM liim
11
li)liffi!HI
15 7 7 15 14 12
Ill& tiM
12
tlAtti
5
m>tno
EDiflM EDifllit
~· sHftfi
6 4
¥!111111
8
m
-~ ~9
~no ~ti ~~
m• 0011
,..
10
14 12 8 8 8
13
~m $~
8 8 8
11fili!
15 12
llilft)D~
m
L
3
6
191
No Swe
M
local
bun deih
lobster
luhng ha
mince
chit seui
map managing
deih touh
znm
11
Iiiii
8
tD~
m111
14 11
ging leih
~~~
3
sfhcheuhng-
ilHJUI/11
3
=Fii
9
mm
10,11 5
~m~~~
8
1::1!1
director marketing
teuigw6ng midnight
bun yeh
middle seat
jung gaan wai
MTR
deihtit
mirror
geng
mobile phone
sau toih dihn wa
lfllmtn
•
6
morning
seuhng jau
Mr., husband
sin saang
~~
Mrs ., wife
taai taai
"Jf\"Jf\
Miss, lady
sfu je
JJ\tm
9 3 3 3
minibus
sfu ba
/J\~
move
bun
mixer
gw6 jap gei
I!! m>tMl c:mffiiij]
5 10 14 15
mango pudding
m6ng gw6 bou din
mascara
ngaahn jit
091J!~)Ji
8
melt
yuhng
Iii
marinade
yip lfu
14 14
moisturizer
yeuhn mihn
-~ )fiHfiiill
8
seung month
yuht
minutes
fan jung
mushroom
dung gu
192
F.J
10
~iii
9 8
flil
Appendix Ill
~/ossary
milk
n6aih
middle
jung goan
main dish
jyu choi n6aih chah
milk tea moustache
sou
non-smoking
fei kap yin
area noon
keui
now no problem now out of
100
north newsagent
7
1113~
14 15
±m
•
4
10
jOngngh
q:tq:
yfn go
ifij~
9 9
m6uh mahn taih
ftfm&
i3Bi2.
3 13
bak
jt
syo bou toan
.fill
7 7
baakfahnji(no .)
bo jf
number night
houh
beih m6ahn
nevermind
rhh g6n yiu
napkin o'clock
choan gon
octopus onion
15
tPfm
~~~~ra
newspaper nose
opposite/across on time
1113
dfm deui mihn jun sih mahk yuh
on, upstairs
yeuhng chOng seuhng mihn
old (age)
16uh
orange
chaang
orange juice 1 aolong tea
chaang jop wO lung
overcast
yam tin
onetime
yet chi
il~
•
~ ~ 118B~
llrt:J !ii
~ilii ~~
11 4
10 10 3 14
10 8 8
~
4 8
MISt
15 15 13 11
m
~,.
~~
-m
0
9 7
!Wit )$il J::ilii
N
10,11
193
No Swe
p
one hour on, upstairs oven overthere pan photographer police purchasing manager pilot puree put percent Pepsi pot/container pedestrian crosspineapple procedure pineapple juice plastic wrap pound pharmacist post office passport pepper PDA powder piece (classifier playing squash playing table
194
yet go jOng seuhng mihn guhklouh chihn mihn pihng dai wohk sip ying sf ging chaat ch6i kau ging leih gei si gw61euih baai book fohn ji book sih bo boon mah sin boloh sou juhk bolohjap b6 sin ji bohng yeuhkfohng yauh guk wuh jiu wuh jiu fan go yahn dihn jf sou jeung gon fan gihn do bik kauh do bing bam
-··
J::ilii IIHI i!rilii
!Flail -~Bili
••
tm•~JI
IIIBili liU~
•
i3ffliZ
811
~
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yauh seui
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scam mahn jih soan bouh sci suhng gwong syut syut bik sang lihk seut scam sih do be lei siu m6ai siu sihk gwo j6 ng6i naahm tihm tihng jihk che ting maahn choihfung dim 16uh si hei wan jeui jyun j6 toih fung gei piu ji dung ging dihn sih dojeh
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Appendix Ill
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tin hei
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202
Appendix IV: A Chinese Recipe This is the English translation of the recipe featured at the end of Chapter 14 {pg. 147). Drunken Chicken Ingredients:
2 1/2 lbs fresh chicken 1 teaspoon salt 2/3 tablespoon chicken stock 1 1/3 cups rice wine 2 tablespoons olive oil a few slices of ginger 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1 clove minced garlic a bit of coriander 1I 4 teaspoons pepper Steps:
1. Wash the chicken and place it in a deep container (e.g. a pot) . 2. Cover the chicken with 2/3 tablepoon chicken stock, 1/3 cup of rice wine and water to bring out the taste . Use enough water to ensure that the liquid covers the chicken . Bring to a boil. 3. Reduce the heat and tightly cover and simmer for 20 minutes. 4. Drain the chicken and place on a plate. 5. Pour the marinating ingredients -sugar, 1 cup wine, salt, pepper and olive oil - over the chicken . 6. Cover the chicken with plastic wrap and marinate in the fridge overnight. 7. Next day, slice the chicken and serve cold . 203
Acknowledgements
This book could not have been written without the support of my past and present students, including those who work for Pepsi Co, Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, Santa Fe, The MIGroup, Bank of America, Fuji Xerox Jardine Schindler, South China Morning Post, 97Group, Reuters, Watson Wayatt, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (Trowbridge Consulting), Sumitomo Bank, New World First Bus, China Star Entertainment and many others. My heartfelt thanks for their enthusiasm and eagerness to learn my language. Special thanks to Peter Boczar for coming up with the title of my first book "No Sweat Cantonese" which is not just a terrific name, but also a great platform for launching a whole series of books . I wish to express my deep appreciation to my beloved and supportive friends (Graham & Pat Baragwanath, Julian Russell, Mark Weir, David Hendry, Piers Alexander, Brian Smith, Bettina Dumler, Lisa Chu, Renate Beil, Peter Siddall, Karen Chan, Karen Cheung, Irene Chiu, Ada Kwan and many others) for their friendship and support. Finally, I would like to thank Mr. Mike Morrow, Managing Director of Asia 2000 Ltd . for his initial suggestion to me to publish this book, my editor, Julia Ng for her efforts, Sunshine for art work, Metternich Wong Studio and Nik Fung for voice over.
Amy Leung Man Wai Hong Kong 2007
About the Author
Amy Leung has on extensive background in teaching groups of people from many different countries. She was brought up in Hong Kong and completed her education in Australasia before graduating from the University of Auckland, New Zealand in 1994. She mode her first foray into the world of education when she started teaching Mandarin to local children (in Woiheke Island) in Auckland in 1993. In the years since her return to Hong Kong, she has been teaching Cantonese to a brood range of students, from senior personnel of multinational organizations to individuals wonting to gain on insight, into the local culture. Amy is the author of No Sweat Canto-Love. Amy also writes for IMPRINT2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, Rugby Sevens World Cup program 2005, does voice-overs and modeling on a port-time basis. Amy is a member of the Women in publishing in Hong Kong and gave lectures to expatriate groups on areas of Chinese culture. Her enthusiasm for her subject has been reflected in recent articles in the English-language newspapers in Hong Kong & TVB Pearl Report. Cantonese is the first language of the vast majority of the people of Hong Kong, Iorge ports of southern Chino and is used in many Chinese communities worldwide, Amy believes that it is still a valuable tool even after the Hondover of Hong Kong bock to Chino in 1997. Her mission is to help people to learn Cantonese in on effective and enjoyable way. Amy con be contacted via : Website www.omyleunglonguoge.com Email
omy@omyleunglanguoge com
Commentary
No Sweat Cantonese is a fun and easy way to learning how to speak what is truly a diffcult langiage to learn. However, it is not just a book for learning the Cantonese language but also a way to learning the Hong Kong Cantonese culture. For instance, the book provides the reader with useful places to go for shopping, sightseeing, the beaches etc ... This book provides learning the language, culture, idiomatic and slang expressions. And therefore a comprehensive book. It is unique in the sense that it is very entertaining with cartoon drawing and pop-up culture boxes with information about Hong Kong . I found it very amusing that Amy has incorporated some very useful yet humorous and practical slang expressions. Which not only bring smile to your lips, but also; ensure that you can "get about" easily in Hong Kong and get your job done! It will work for you whether you need to use it in the office or with business colleagues . Or whether you just intend to roam the markets, streets, villages and shopping malls in Hong Kong or for that matter any place, where people speak the language. So stay motivated and don't give up to the challenge. Your attempt are sure to cause you laughter and fun filled education . You will get it right- No Sweat At All! Ramagopal Roo Managing Director Fuji Xerox, Hong Kong Office
"If you want to learn to speak Cantonese like a native, this is the book for you ." -ROB AGNEW, Finance and Administration Manager, Greater Chino , Reuters
No Swea-t Caf'\i:Of'\ese A FUN GUIDE TO SPEAKING CORRECTLY
What her students say: • ... a no nonsense system for putting practical , useful stuff within your grasp quickly .. . It gives you the need-to-know bits and pieces essential to understanding and being understood .• - Peter Boczor, Advertisting
Director, leo Burnett ltd . •Hong Kong Cantonese is a lively spoken language , and this book gives the beginner a sense of this while also addressing the fundamentals of tone and grammar.• - John R. Fadely, American & International lawyer, Debevoise & Plimpton an invaluable and practical guide . It includes many of the idioms and expressions that Hong Kongers use everyday. They will be amazed and amused when you use them , too! • - Richard Joggord, Senior Executive, Bonk of America , N .A.
"It will not only bring a smile to your lips , but also ensure you con get about easily in Hong Kong and get your job done!" - Ramagopol Roo , Managing Director, Fuji Xerox (Hong Kong) Limited
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9 789628 783298
The long-awaited textbook from one of the most popular and successful teachers of Cantonese! Amy Leung teaches Cantonese to managers of multinational corporations in Hong Kong in a fun new way. Na Sweat Cantonese distils her approach , fu l fill i ng the demand for an up -to - date textbook focusing on the pract ica l needs of expatriates in .. Hong Kong and elsewhere i n the Cantonese - speaking world . Like never before , Cantonese - "that impossible language! " - is now easy and enjoyable to le<;~rn . Each chapter provides: *Lingo and One-Liners: a list of useful words and phrases that center on a topic or si tuation frequently arising in everyday life *Chit Chat: guided conversations that help place what you have learned into a living context *Grammatical notes: succ i nct explanations of grammar and sentence patterns •Pop-up boxes: fun and useful information on the rituals of work, love and play, inviting you to fully immerse yourself in local culture
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