Questions tagged [hong-kong]

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Meaning of 特异人士

In the song 皇后大道东 there is a verse which says: 冷暖气候同样影响这都市 但是换季可能靠特异人士 What are the 特异人士 here on whom the changing of the seasons depends? Google translates this as "special people" but I ...
河南宝宝's user avatar
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How to understand 无法可修饰的一对手

The song 真的爱你 begins with this line: 无法可修饰的一对手 which means literally "A pair of hands that can't be decorated". It's his mother's hands so they might be aged a bit but I feel there must be ...
河南宝宝's user avatar
1 vote
3 answers
146 views

Uncrowned bodies, and altruistic ideology

Beyond released a song called 长城, The Great Wall. It seems to reflect mixed feelings and a sense of the human cost that went into building the Wall. https://youtu.be/IOXoAvF6r_A?si=bOuI6TCa67321S2I In ...
河南宝宝's user avatar
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1 answer
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What does this chant mean, in this context?

罗大佑's song 皇后大道东 (Queen's Road East) is about the transition from British to Chinese rule in 1997. It seems to be full of double meanings. In particular, there is a part which is difficult to ...
河南宝宝's user avatar
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2 answers
256 views

Historical Background in the Written Language (書面語) in Hong Kong

This is not quite a question about Mandarin, but what is the historical reason why the written language (書面語) in Hong Kong is almost the same as Mandarin, provided that the simplified/traditional ...
ryohassay's user avatar
2 votes
5 answers
270 views

Slogan “澀得起,就係我”

This is the slogan of a popular lemon tea drink in Hong Kong. I wanted to ask what 澀 is. I searched it and it meant “astringent” and a bunch of other negative adjectives. I think calling your lemon ...
cgo's user avatar
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What is 貼地 and 離地

This is perhaps a colloquialism that i have seen many times in Hong kong youtubers eating and tasting food. My guess is that 貼地 means local? As in 地道? what, then, is 離地? May i also know the “etymology”...
cgo's user avatar
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What does 泉 mean in 道具泉, in the context of a handbill?

At 33:41, the Chinese Univ. HK Philosophy student below asks Dr Samson Kwok Pak-nin (in Cantonese) to hand him Dr Kwok's placard. He calls it 道具泉. I know 道具 means prop, but how does 泉 - Wiktionary ...
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Why does Cantonese sound vaguely British?

Speaking as a native speaker of American English, I notice from my perspective that Cantonese speakers tend to sound more "British" than Mandarin speakers. I'm not just referring to Hong Kong, but ...
K Man's user avatar
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Differences in reading difficulty between Taiwan and Hong Kong newspapers?

I have read both 星岛日报 (published in Hong Kong) and 世界日报 (published in the US, but with an apparent focus on Taiwan) in print and online. Both papers are written in Traditional Chinese, but I notice ...
K Man's user avatar
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Is there a politically neutral Chinese term for Greater China that is acceptable to all Chinese speakers?

By "China," I am referring to the Mainland, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan collectively, without regard to geopolitics. Is there a word that refers to this entire region that would not offend any ...
K Man's user avatar
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2 answers
431 views

"Please hold the handrail during the whole journey" in Chinese/Cantonese? (As heard in Hong Kong airport trains)

I have rode this automated people mover inside Hong Kong airport and the voice always says "Please hold the handrail during the whole journey" everytime when the train starts to move and after ...
John Dowell's user avatar
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1 answer
273 views

Commonalities in Hong Kong place names

I've been in Hong Kong long enough to notice some patterns appearing in the names of Hong Kong's places. Most of the places had 角 or 灣 in them. For example: 角: 旺角, 大角嘴, 北角, 沙頭角 灣: 灣仔, 西灣河, 銅鑼灣, 荃灣 ...
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Can anyone translate this Seal Script into english for me?

I played this game called Sleeping Dogs that I really loved! It took place in Hong Kong and the main character Wei Shen has this tattoo on his arm that I thought would be cool to have. After doing ...
Miguel Bailon's user avatar
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1 answer
256 views

How to interpret the oracle poem (諸葛武侯乩文)?

Again, referring to another thread, I made this question, and provided info as an answer. Have fun destruct character (拆字), or extrasensory perception (觸機) 😸 Here's a version of the oracle poem in ...
水巷孑蠻's user avatar
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Alternative name for Hong Kong 香港

Just as Mainland China can be referred to as 中国, 大陆 or 内地, I was wondering whether Hong Kong has any alternative names (official or just as slang). In English, we refer to Hong Kong in slang as '...
udidosa's user avatar
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2 word (Mainland) versus 3 word (Hong Kong) Chinese names

I simply want to know why Chinese names from Mainland China are only two words (they can be 2 or 3 syllables) when written in their romanised or pinyin form). Meanwhile almost all Hong Kong names I ...
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What's the etymology and significance of yuenyeung (鴛鴦)?

鴛鴦 is a mix of tea and coffee commonly had in Hong Kong (amongst other south-asian countries). I was wondering about how this drink came into being? Where does the title come from (especially the ...
udidosa's user avatar
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153 views

Radical repetition in MTR station names

Why do several mtr stations' chinese names (traditional chinese) contain characters with repeated radicals? These characters do not really form an english word but individually have a meaning, so I ...
udidosa's user avatar
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2 votes
4 answers
212 views

Is this Udemy course in Mandarin, are Mandarin and Chinese very related, and would Mandarin have any use in Hong Kong?

Before moving to Hong Kong in 2 months, I want to learn Chinese and when considering Udemy, I came across a course Chinese Made Easy L1: Understand 65% of Chinese in 10 hours. However the description ...
Huzo's user avatar
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3 answers
1k views

"Disgusting" as the Chinese would say it

How to say "Disgusting." in Chinese (the Taiwanese way, and Hong Kong way) about the defilement of a nation's culture & traditions? I need the harshest word for 'disgusting' possible.
Hyakka's user avatar
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3 answers
863 views

Spoken Cantonese | using '緊', and difference between continuous and progressive aspects

I'm told that 緊 serves the general purpose of '-ing' (according to HK native speaker, who also uses '梗' to represent this idea in text). This is supported by what I've found online, except with a ...
Oiohwah's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
714 views

Job requirements for typing Chinese

Many government positions in Taiwan have typing speed requirements. In Taipei city job announcements I've found which mention this requirement, the minimum runs from 40-60 characters a minute. This ...
wpt's user avatar
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4 votes
5 answers
37k views

What are the most popular new year greetings in Cantonese?

Lots of sites highlight the most popular new year greetings in Mandarin. What are the most popular ones for Cantonese, ideally categorized by usage (e.g., family, business, health, kids, parents, ...
Crashalot's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
1k views

腦力 the way to say "mental strength" in Cantonese?

Someone offered two options for saying "mental strength" in Cantonese, but neither seems quite right. Here were the two options suggested: 1) 腦力 2) 精神腦 What's the right way to say "mental strength"?...
Crashalot's user avatar
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2 votes
3 answers
2k views

How to say "Don't count on me" in Cantonese?

The context: A: Want to get lunch on Saturday? B: Don't count on me. My game may last until 1 PM. Several suggestions were offered for how to say, "Don't count on me" in Cantonese, but none seemed ...
Crashalot's user avatar
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1 vote
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314 views

(Cantonese) How to say there are always two sides to a story?

I'm talking to a friend about something, and she's only presenting one side. So I want to ask about the other side and say, "there are always two sides to every story." What's the best way to say this ...
Crashalot's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
271 views

How would you say, "Don't let price interfere with your happiness" in Cantonese?

How would you say, "Don't let price interfere with your happiness" in Cantonese? After asking a few Cantonese speakers, there were still no conclusive answers but a few suggestions: 1)冇俾價錢影響你快樂 2)...
Crashalot's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
218 views

How do you say "snap judgment" in Cantonese?

There isn't a translation in the Cantonese dictionary. Is there a way to say "snap judgment" or the equivalent?
Crashalot's user avatar
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3 votes
4 answers
2k views

Most common words in Cantonese?

There are many resources documenting the most common words for Mandarin, but none for Cantonese. Is there a list of the most common 500/1000/2000 words in Cantonese? Thanks!
Crashalot's user avatar
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3 votes
3 answers
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Are Sinitic languages mutually comprehensible?

According to this map, there are different Chinese "languages" (Sinitic languages) in the Chinese area. Is my understanding correct that the "official" Chinese language is the Mandarin? In other ...
Mr.C64's user avatar
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5 votes
3 answers
2k views

What qualities does Hong Kong Mandarin have?

With Mandarin making more and more in-roads into Cantonese speaking Hong Kong, I'm wondering what characteristics set it apart from Standard Mandarin or other regional Mandarin dialects and/or accents....
hippietrail's user avatar
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10 votes
5 answers
7k views

Which IMEs (input method editors) are actually most used in each of PRC, ROC, and Hong Kong?

Because there are many kinds of input method and many implementations of each kind of input method, it's not really practical to learn many. PRC, mainland China uses simplified Chinese characters, as ...
hippietrail's user avatar
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