Tuesday, August 8, 2006

HK 3-Character Sayings

The following are sayings that you would find in Hong Kong television series. These sayings only work in Cantonese because they are slangs.

三字經

有姿勢 - 冇實際 (虛有其表) - Impressive on the outside but lacking on the inside
笑騎騎 - 放毒蛇 (笑裡藏刀) - Very cunning
識少少 - 扮代表 (貪功認叻) - Show-off
有早知 - 冇乞兒 (世事難料) - Cannot predict what is going to happen

晨早知 - 中三T (三T,香港最多獎金的賽馬彩池)
擔凳仔 - 霸頭位 (驚死執輸) - First come, first serve
三缺一 - 慘過乞 (麻雀術語) - Mahjong terminology
嘴藐藐 - 打得少 (口花花,撩是鬥非) - Pick up a fight first
搞搞震 - 冇幫襯 (搞事破壞份子) - A person who comes and destroy things
隨口o翕 - 當祕笈 (語不驚人誓不休) - A person who speaks without responsibility 側側膊 - 唔多覺 (得過且過,求求其其) - A person who does not work much
搏大霧 - 唔使做 (使讀作洗;混水摸魚) - A person who does not work
女人心 - 海底針 (女人善變) - Women are unpredictable
有殺錯 - 冇放過 (寧枉莫縱也) - Give it all you got

有異性 - 無人性 (見色忘義) - Leave your friends for the opposite sex
咖喱啡 - 扮阿姐 (泥「魚孟」充石斑)
唔夠班 - 執二攤 (未夠斤兩) - Not qualified
吹吹水 - 唔抹嘴 (吹水,口沫橫飛,愛吹牛皮) A person who exaggerates
人嚇人 - 好易暈 (人嚇人無藥醫, 意思謂俾人嚇慘過俾鬼嚇)
眼光光 - 等天光 (失眠,滿懷心事) - Insomnia; a person who is filled of concern and cannot sleep

趁佢病 - 攞佢命 (趕盡殺絕) - Take them down when they are weak
頭o岳o岳 - 四圍度 (無聊發悶) - A person who is bored and looking around for things to do
有得振 - 冇得o訓 (大禍臨頭。振,顫抖也) - Trouble about to happen
淡淡定 - 有錢剩 (凡事處變不驚;剩,音「靜」) - Literally translated as 'Stay calm and have money left over'

走得快 - 好世界 (工作快等於好) - Translated as 'The faster you run, the better the world is'
走得摩 - 冇鼻「骨可」 (走得慢者,沒好下場) - Translated as 'If you run slow, you will lose your nose'
冇啦啦 - 整笪疤 (「疤」讀「啦」音)

Personal Note: I remember these slangs being used in HK modern series. They are easy to remember and they rhyme, too. They have became everyday language to some people.

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