
Yam Side
二打六
二 Two; 打 Hit; 六 Six = Two hit Six. There are a few origin stories of this phrase: 1) 打 could mean "add" in some context. 2 plus 6 is 8. Eight taels is half a catty (16 taels), and the phrase may suggest that someone or something is not significant or does not have enough "weight". 2) 打 has a similar pronunciation to "搭", which means "and" or "together". The phrase "two hit six" may refer to the minimum number of actors needed to form a small-scale Cantonese opera team, consisting of two main actors and six supporting actors. However, such a team would be considered small and insignificant, implying that the phrase can also be used to describe something that is not important or noteworthy.
=
Small fry
二仔底
Kit Hau Jyu 歇後語 (an idiomatic two-part double pun) of 死跟. 二仔 Little Two; 底 Under, beneath; 死跟 Follow at all cost. When playing Showhand (a type of 5 cards stud), 2 is considered as the smallest card. If someone continues to bet and hope that others will bail out, even if one has a weak hand, one is what we called 二仔底—死跟.
=
Bite off more than one can chew
食鹽多過你食米
食 Eat; 鹽 Salf; 多過 More than; 你 You; 食 Eat; 米 Rice= The amount of salt I ate is more than the rice you ate. This phrase implies that the speaker has had more experiences or challenges in life than the person they are speaking to, as salt is used in small quantities while rice is a staple food. This phrase is for someone to brag about their experience in life (or anything)
=
I've been around the block
動L
動 Move. The term "動L" was popularized by Jackie Chan in a shampoo commercial in which he promoted the product in an exaggerated way, including using "動L" to describe hair. The term became popular in 2008 and is often used in a humorous or exaggerated way to describe hair that is full of movement and vitality.
=
Boing
各位觀眾 四條煙
各位 Everyone; 觀眾 Audience; 四 Four; 條 Classifier of things that are long and thin; 煙 Cigarette. It is a famous line from the movie "賭聖 All for the Winner". In the context of the movie, "煙" (cigarette) refers to "Ace" in a game of Five-card stud, where having four aces is one of the highest ranking hands. The phrase is used to express the idea of using one's trump card or secret weapon in a flashy or impressive manner, often to gain an advantage over one's opponents. The phrase has become a popular cultural reference in Chinese-speaking communities, and is often used to describe someone who is showing off or using their strengths in an impressive way.
=
Ladies and gentlemen, 4 aces!
半斤八兩 做到隻積咁嘅樣
半 Half; 斤 Catty; 八 Eight; 兩 Tael; 做 Do; 到 As; 隻 A; 積 Stagnation; 咁嘅樣 Looks like = Half catty and 8 tael, work so hard and looks like stagnation. Lyrics from the song "The Private Eyes 半斤八兩" (1976) by Sam Hui, lyrics by Sam Hui and Peter Lai. This song is a classic Cantopop that reflects the life of the working class who work hard but often receive low pay. The phrase "半斤八兩" represents the idea of being equal in weight, but in reality, the work done and the compensation received are not equal.
=
Work like a slave for a small salary
熱烈地彈琴熱烈地唱
熱烈地 Passionately; 彈琴 Play piano; 唱 Sing. Lyrics from the song "喜氣洋洋" (1979) by Paula Tsui, lyrics by Cheng Kwok Kong. The song was originally meant to celebrate happy occasions, but over time it has come to be used ironically to gloat over someone else's misfortune
=
Congratulations (gloating over)
該煨
The "answer" part of a Kit Hau Jyu 歇後語 (an idiomatic two-part double pun) 番薯跌落灶. 番薯 Yam; 跌落 Fall down, fall into; 灶 Stove; 該 Should 煨 Simmer, roast = A yam fell into a stove, it would be roasted. The yam will be cooked in a manner called 煨 (cooking among a pile of hot coal) as it fell. If a yam fall into a stove, it "deserved" to be roast. The phrase can be used as an exclamation of "how terrible" or "too bad", as well as "serves you right".
=
This is so sad. Alexa, play despacito
盲頭烏蠅
盲 Blind; 頭 Head; 烏蠅 Fly (insect) = A blind fly. Flies are pest. Blind flies are worse as they cannot see where they are going. This phrase is often used as a derogatory term to describe someone who is careless or reckless in their actions, similar to a fly that cannot see where it is going.
=
A bull in a china shop; Barging about
掃街
掃 Sweep; 街 Street = Sweeping Street. It refers to buying food (usually snacks) from various street vendors, trying every type of food along the way. The term 'sweeping street' is used because the person is essentially sweeping up or collecting different types of food as they walk along the street.
=
To try out every roadside food stall; Street-food hopping
雞腸
雞 Chicken; 腸 Intestine. It is often used to describe cursive writing. This is because cursive writing joins the characters together in a flowing manner, resembling a long string of intestines. While the term "chicken intestine" can refer to cursive writing in any latin-based language, it is often used to describe English cursive writing specifically
=
English
今晚打老虎
今晚 Tonight; 打 Hit, hunt; 老虎 Tiger= Let's hunt a tiger tonight. n the movie "God of Gamblers Part III: Back to Shanghai" (1991), the character Ko Chun (played by Chow Yun-fat) famously greets a group of Cantonese-speaking gangsters with the phrase "Comment allez-vous?" in Cantonese transliteration.
=
Comment allez-vous?
朱義盛
朱義盛 was a famous jeweler, who specialized in creating high-quality costume jewelry that was affordable for people of modest means. His skill and craftsmanship were so renowned that his name became synonymous with high-quality costume jewelry. It is now used to refer to fake or counterfeit products, especially those that are made to resemble valuable items such as luxury watches or designer handbags.
=
Costume jewelry; Counterfeit; Bootleg
一葉輕舟去
一 One; 葉 Leaf; 輕舟 Small boat; 去Go = Go away with a small boat. This is from the lyrics of Canton opera "鳳閣恩仇未了情 (Romance of the Phoenix Chamber)". The lyrics refer to the act of leaving on a small boat, suggesting a sense of departure and separation. The next line, "人隔萬重山", means "we are separated by thousands of mountains", further emphasizing the theme of separation and distance. This songs tells the story of separation and is popular among immigrants.
=
Gone with a light boat made of leaf
番薯跌落灶
Kit Hau Jyu 歇後語 (an idiomatic two-part double pun) of 該煨. 番薯 Yam; 跌落 Fall down, fall into; 灶 Stove; 該 Should 煨 Simmer, roast = A yam fell into a stove, it would be roasted. The yam will be cooked in a manner called 煨 (cooking among a pile of hot coal) as it fell. If a yam fall into a stove, it "deserved" to be roast. The phrase can be used as an exclamation of "how terrible" or "too bad", as well as "serves you right".
=
Karma's a b*tch
捩咁棄
捩 Turn, twist; 咁 Like; 棄 Sloppy = Twisting sloppily. It means that a person is being careless and not putting in enough effort to get the job done properly. It could also mean that things are disorganized and causing the person to feel agitated. This phrase is sometimes written as
=
Sloppy / In a spin