The title of this video from Kongstories means something like “that little kid isn’t slow”, and refers to the treasures hidden inside every human being, even those dealing with some form of serious disability. As 馮惠芳 Nancy Fung puts it towards the end of the presentation: 總有一日可以追尋自己嘅夢想，踏上屬於自己嘅舞台, or “One day you will be able to go chasing after your own dreams, and step out onto a stage that belongs to you and you alone”.
You can take a lot of heart from this video, and the English subtitles make it very accessible, even if you’re not interested in the Cantonese. Michelle Li’s comment — 每日嘅生活就係强壯内心嘅過程 = every day is a process of strengthening one’s noi sam, one’s innermost being — is something than lingers in the mind for a long time . . .
For those of you who are language learners, however, there is nothing too challenging about the grammar in this video, but there are some very nice turns of phrase that are well worth trying to make your own, such as 過目不忘 to have a great memory (and its opposite, 過目即忘); 喐嚟喐去 = to move back and forward; to be unable to sit still (using the specifically Cantonese verb 喐 yūk1); 局限自己 = to limit oneself; 擴闊自己嘅世界 = to broaden one’s world; to expand one’s horizons; 接納 = to accept (a person as they are, without conditions); 渡過難關 = to go through a difficult period in one’s life; and 總有一日 = one day (in the future); the time will come that.
Please scroll down for my transcription and notes. You can view the video here(you are offered subtitles in both English and Standard Written Chinese). Since it is a YouTube video, you can slow down the playback speed if you wish: at 0.75 and 0.5, the sound quality is still good. And remember, if you want the standard jyutping romanization or to check any of the Chinese in the text, please consult the Sheik Cantonese on-line dictionary.
You might also like to make use the Ekho Text to Speech Converter if you have trouble matching any part of the transcribed Chinese text to the spoken version. Just make sure you select “Cantonese” under the language menu before you paste cut and text into the relevant box.
● 過目不忘 gwo3 muhk6 bāt1 mòhng4 = to have a great memory; to not forget stuff that has passed by one’s eyes | ● 喐 yūk1 = to move | ● 拍子 paak3 jí2 = (musical) beat; time | ● 順理成章 seuhn6 léih5 sìhng4 jēung1 = ① follow as a logical course ② follow as a matter of course | ● 嘥 sāai = ① waste; squander; ruin ② wasteful; extravagant ③ miss; let go; lose (a chance) | ● 心機 sām1 gēi1 = ① mood; frame of mind; feeling ② energy; effort; patience | ● 難倒 nàahn4 dóu2 = to daunt; perhaps also “to be put off doing (sth. difficult)
● 震驚 jan3 gīng1 = to shock; to amaze; to astonish | ● 唐氏綜合症 Tòhng4 sih6 jūng1 hahp6 jing3 = Downs syndrome | ● 恩典 yān1 dín2 = favour; grace | ● 失敗 sāt1 baih6 = ① to be defeated ② to fail | ● 企唔返身 kéih5 mh5 fāan1 sān1 = (?) to get back on one’s feet | ● 抹煞 mut3 saat3 = to remove from evidence; to expunge; to suppress; to wipe out, to obliterate (also written 抹殺)
● 阻礙 jó2 ngoih6 = to hinder; to block; to impede | ● 放風箏 fong3 fūng1 jāng1 = to fly a kite | ● 放手 fong3 sáu2 = to let go; to let go one’s hold | ● 接納 jip3 naahp6/laahp6 = 1. to admit (into an organization) 2. to accept | ● 轉變 jyún2 bin3 = to change; to transform | ● 渡過難關 douh6 gwo3 nàahn4 gwāan1 = tide over a difficulty; pull through | ● 回頭一看 wùih4 tàuh4 yāt1 hon3 = turn around and look | ● 精彩 jīng1 chói2 = brilliant; splendid; wonderful
In a recent post about the Hong Kong Charter, I used a photo of a small temple taken outside of Tuen Mun in a place called 紫田村 Tsz Tin Tsuen, literally “Purple Fields Village”. On the lintel, there is a stone plaque engraved with the characters 神人共樂, or “Spirits and People Enjoying Themselves Together”. This very unexpected notion is echoed in the arcane study of fung shui, a central concept of which is summed up in the expression 天人感應, which means something like “the mutual responding of the natural/spiritual and the human realms”. I have a feeling that ideas such as this may offer us some hope in finding a more satisfying relationship with the Earth. Perhaps a century ago, you could still see whole villages organized according to fung shui principles in Hong Kong’s New Territories, and it must have been an exquisitely beautiful sight, and one now virtually unimaginable after around half a century of cynical “development”.
In this video, we meet Thierry Chow (in Cantonese, 周亦彤 Jāu1 Yihk6 Tùhng4) who works as both a fung shui master and an interior designer. As a microcosm of the universe, our living spaces can also be affected by the way vital energy or 氣 hei3 (or 正面嘅能量 jing3 mihn6 ge3 nàhng4 leuhng6 = positive energy) moves through it, and Chow’s job is to maximize the beneficial flows for the sake of health, wellbeing and good luck: in work, study or romance!
For those of you who are Cantonese learners, the highlight of this video is the use of a rare word in the opening sentence, 直頭 jihk6 tàuh4 = “directly, simply, completely, truly; straight head”. People often use it to emphasize the point they are making. Another example provided by a friend is 佢直頭係我個杯茶!, meaning “She’s exactly my type!” There’s also an interesting use of the aspect marker 返 fāan1 with the verb 平衡, “to balance” — 其實最緊要都係去平衡返自己嗰個心靈呀, neatly expressing the idea of restoring or regaining one’s balance. In the same segment, there is also a good example of express the notion of using something for a particular purpose. The phrase 用紅酒一啲木箱去做嘅架 uses yuhng6, the verb “to use” to introduce the thing that is employed, and then 嚟 or 去 to express the purpose: “to take red-wine crates and make them into shelving”. It’s a very common and useful structure. Oh, and the character 彤 tùhng4 used in Thierry Chow’s Chinese name means “red; vermilion” and there is a noun 彤雲 tùhng4 wàhn4 which means “red clouds” or “dark clouds”.
On the subject of fung shui (sometimes spelt “feng shui” in line with Mandarin romanization), there is a wonderful textbook written by Lee Siu Lun called A Feng Shui Master: Learning Cantonesethrough Stories. You can see more about the book at the Greenwood Press website here. In it you’ll find the following astonishing comment:
佢希望呢個風水地可以令佢嘅生意一日好過一日，令佢嘅子孫興旺，世世代代都可以大富大貴。 He hopes that this fung shui tomb can make his business prosper, and make his descendants prosper and become rich too. (p.19)
This idea of connecting extended prosperity to the correct siting of an ancestor’s grave was traditionally one of the most important aspects of fung shui practice.
Please scroll down for my transcription and notes. You can view the video here(you are offered subtitles in both English and Standard Written Chinese). Since it is a YouTube video, you can slow down the playback speed if you wish: at 0.75 and 0.5, the sound quality is still good. And remember, if you want the standard jyutping romanization or to check any of the Chinese in the text, please consult the Sheik Cantonese on-line dictionary.
You might also like to make use the Ekho Text to Speech Converter if you have trouble matching any part of the transcribed Chinese text to the spoken version. Just make sure you select “Cantonese” under the language menu before you paste cut and text into the relevant box.
● 木箱 muhk6 sēung1 = wooden box; wooden crate | ● 朝頭早 = morning | ● 冥想 mìhng4 séung2 = this really means “deep thought”, but is often used with the sense of “(spiritual) meditation” | ● 閣樓 gok3 láu4*2 = attic; loft; garret; mezzanine floor
I squirm in my seat, convinced I know exactly what to expect: the show starts with a man blowing folk-tunes on a leaf. In her pink, sequinned costume she could have lost heart in this troupe forced on tourists. Not so. I’m forced to sit up in my seat at once by the awareness she projects to the ends of her human body. Not a cell seems to sleep, and when she orbits away from my gaze I still feel the concentration of her face staring at me in her hands, in her feet, in the effortless torsion of her spine:
Watch me if you can thoroughly, she dares. Match me this aliveness with your own!
Even the dismal clapping of the crowd cannot drown her dancing from my nerves.
Recently, I’ve been enjoying Elizabeth Gilbert’s book Big Magic, an inspiring book for anyone who finds most of their happiness in living comes from trying every day just to make something a little bit beautiful. Her emphasis on discipline and the importance of making art for love rather than money are two aspects that certainly struck a true chord with me . . .
She ends the book with a section entitled “Divinity”, comprising a single anecdote about the sacred temple dances of Bali. The following paragraphs helped me make sense of the incident described in Dancer at Sanya”, in which profane and sacred collide disconcertingly:
They decided that they would make up some new dances that were not sacred, and they would perform only these certified “divinity-free” dances for the tourists at the resorts. The sacred dances would be returned to the temples and would be reserved for religious ceremonies only.
And that is exactly what they did. They did it easily, too, with no drama and no trauma. Adapting gestures and steps from the old sacred dances, they devised what were essentially gibberish dances, and commenced performing these nonsense gyrations at the tourist resorts for money . . .
The thing is, over the next few years, those silly new meaningless dances became increasingly refined. The young boys and girls grew into them, and, working with a new sense of freedom and innovation, they gradually transformed the performances into something quite magnificent. In fact, the dances were becoming rather transcendent. In another example of an inadvertent séance, it appeared that those Balinese dancers — despite all their best efforts to be unspiritual — were unwittingly calling down Big Magic from the heavens, anyhow. Right there by the swimming pool.
There’s actually quite a good deal of material on-line about Balinese dancing. If you’re curious, you can take a look here. And here’s some Gilbert on Big Magic.
A group of young philosophers associated with the group 好青年荼毒室 or (approximately) “Studio for the Corruption of the Very Young” has been very active in recent times on YouTube, and one of its more eloquent members, a man by the name of 豬文 Jyū1 Màhn4 (yes, 豬 means “pig”) looks set to become a kind of Socrates of Hong Kong, opening everything up to question at a time when more and more options are being very firmly screwed down.
In this 10-minute, he tries to get to the bottom of why philosophy has such a low standing in contemporary society, but in the end comes out passionately in favour of his chosen discipline, closing with the idiom: 你哋走寳 — “you’re missing out on a real treasure!”
So, here’s your chance to enjoy an extended intelligent discourse on ideas in Cantonese, with the added bonus of Cantonese subtitles as well! The grammar is fairly straightforward, the only novelty being the expression 唔似得 mh4 chíh5 dāk1, which seems to be the negative version of the very common 好似 hou2 chíh5 = “to be like; to be similar”. Another interesting feature is the shortening of certain compound words, which both clips one element and removes most of the emphasis. Listen out for the following examples: 咁樣 (*gam’eung); 究竟 (*gau’ing, geung); 可以 (*ho’i); 佢哋 (*keui’ei); 好似好 (*houchou); 就會 (*jeui); and 只係 (*jei) — occasionally too the word for philosophy itself, 哲學 jit3 hohk6, sounds more like the abbreviated *ji’ok . . .
Last but not least, you’ll notice that 豬文 pronounces 鞏固 gúng2 gu3 = “to consolidate” as *gwóng gu. In another piece I’ve been working on about fung shui and interior design, the speaker pronounces 魚缸 yùh4 gōng1 = “fish tank” as yùh4 *gwōng1. I was under the impression that the usual tendency was to remove the “w” — common words such as 廣 gwóng2 and 國 gwok3 are often pronounced as góng2 and gok3, making life (all that more vastly) difficult for the learner listener. This opposing tendency is something I can’t recall ever reading about. No doubt it’s there just to keep us on our toes . . .
Please scroll down if you want the transcription, notes and English translation. Otherwise, you can view the video here. Since it is a YouTube video, you can slow down the playback speed if you wish: at 0.75 and 0.5, the sound quality is still good. And remember, if you want the standard jyutping romanization or to check any of the Chinese in the text, please consult the Sheik Cantonese on-line dictionary.
You might also like to make use the Ekho Text to Speech Converter if you have trouble matching any part of the transcribed Chinese text to the spoken version. Just make sure you select “Cantonese” under the language menu before you paste cut and text into the relevant box.
● 團體 tyùhn4 tái2 = organization; group; team | ● 好青年荼毒室 hóu2 chīng1 nìhn4? tòuh4 duhk6 sāt1 = approx. “Studio for the Corruption of the Very Young” cf. 荼毒 = to afflict with great suffering; to torment | ● 鄙視 péi2 sih6 = to despise; to disdain; to look down upon | ● 學科 hohk6 fō1 = branch of learning; course; subject; discipline | ● 如此 yùh4 chí2 = so; such; in this way; like that | ● 下場 haah6 chèuhng4 = end; fate; perhaps even “where someone/something winds up” | ● 抵死 dái2 séi2 = ① serve one right; deserve the punishment; have it coming ② funny and sarcastic; naughty and witty | ● 樹洞 syuh6 duhng6 = a hole (or hollow) in a tree | ● 隨意 chèuih4 yi3 = at will; as one pleases | ● 困惑 kwan3 waahk6 = perplexed; puzzled
Have you ever tried to ask random strangers [人哋] on the street: “Do you like to read?” Or, have you ever tried telling people: “My favourite reading is philosophy”? Have you ever tried to tell your friends that your favourite organization is the Studio for the Corruption of the Very Young? And what I wonder [唔知] was the response you got when you talked to your friends like that? If you are watching this video [?], you are watching it because you ought to be someone with some interest in philosophy; however, for the most part [雖然通常], in actual fact, the majority of people in society despise this discipline of philosophy intensely [非常非常]. Today, I hope to discuss with you why it is that philosophy has come to such a pass [落得如此嘅下場] and whether it serves philosophy right. [Caption: Corrupt the Youth] A long time ago, just after the Studio for Corruption had been established, there was a plan for what was called “The Philosophy Hollow Tree” [哲學樹洞], to give members of the group to set down [?] as they wished any philosophical questions that had been troubling them for a long time. Now, a question was received from a young member of the group . . .
● 淪 lèuhn4 = to fall; to be reduced to | ● 眼中 ngáahn5 jūng1 = (?) in the eyes of; in the minds of | ● 低等 dāi1 dáng2 = low-grade | ● 如此 yùh4 chí2 = so; such; in this way; like this | ● 落得下場 lohk6 dāk1 haah6 chèuhng4 = come to a particular end; meet with a particular fate | ● 理由 léih5 yàuh4 = reason; ground; argument | ● 乞食科 hāt1 sīhk6 fō1 = literally 乞食 = “to beg for food” + 科 = “area of study”, so “an area of study that does not lead to highly-paid employment” | ● 自嘲 jih6 jāau1 = (?) to ridicule oneself; to send oneself up | ● 黑人憎 cf. 乞人憎 hāt1 yàhn4 jāng1 = despicable; detestable; contemptible; annoying | ● 人文學科 yàhn4 màhn4 hohk6 fō1 = the humanities
. . . by the name of K. K. asked: “Why is it that philosophy has, in the eyes of many people, become a low-grade knowledge?” When I heard this question, it reminded me of the philosopher Bernard Williams. [He] once write an essay entitled “On Hating and Despising Philosophy” to discuss this topic. In this video, I would like to say a few words about the views of Williams and myself in answer to why philosophy has come to such a pass. I think the simplest reason why the discipline of philosophy is hated by people in Hong Kong society is because it doesn’t pay the bills [揾唔到食] and is a hat sik fo, an area of study that does not lead to highly-paid employment. We here at the Studio for Corruption are forever laughing at ourselves about not being able to find a job. I guess another reason why people hate philosophy so much because it doesn’t earn much money. However, I wonder whether this reason fully explains why philosophy is so detestable. I don’t think it does, because in actual fact there are many people who do not detest other hat sik fo. So, possibly there are other [subjects in] the humanities or pure science subjects . . .
● 憎 jāng1 = to hate; to detest; to abhor | ● 純碎sèuhn4 seui3 = pure; unadulterated | ● 缺乏 kyuht3 faht6 = to be short of; to lack; to be wanting in | ● 金錢至上 gām1 chín4*2 ji3 seuhng6 = money above all else | ● 功利 gūng1 leih6 = utility; material gain | ● 離地 lèih4 deih6 = to lose touch; to be out of step | ● 本貌 bún2 maauh6 = lit. “original appearance, that is “what something really looks like” | ● 因果關係 yān1 gwó2 gwāan1 haih6 = causality | ● 獨立於 duhk6 laahp6 yū1 = independent of | ● 摸不著頭腦 mó2 bāt1 jeuhk6 tàuh4 nóuh5 = cannot make head or tail of sth; be totally at a loss; be bewildered | ● 困惑 kwan3 waahk6 = perplexed; puzzled
In actual fact [MEANING UNCLEAR] there is not necessarily a corresponding profession to which a person can apply to. Actually, it is not easy to find a job in any of these subject areas. The reality is, those people who really hate philosophy do not necessarily hate these other disciplines. If you use finding a way to earn money pure and simple as the explanation of this phenomenon, I don’t think it is sufficient. For this reason, my feeling is that the second reason for opposing the study of philosophy is that the person may be lacking in curiosity about the world. It may be that these people don’t necessarily [rate] money above all else or are utilitarian enough to think that the only good subject areas are those which must [help you] earn money. However, such a person thinks that the questions discussed in philosophy are really exceedingly bizarre and out of touch [with reality]. For instance, we could talk about what the true appearance of the world actually is. Or whether causality exists in this world. Or whether the soul exists independently of matter. It may be that when many people here these questions, they are bewildered: “What on earth are you talking about?” Perhaps they have never felt the least perplexity or curiosity about such questions in their lives. If such a person [佢] does not have the slightest interest in such questions . . .
● 熱誠 yiht6 sìhng4 = warm & sincere; cordial | ● 無聊 mòuh4 lìuh4 = ① boring; bored ② nonsense; rubbish | ● 冷漠 láahng5 mohk6 = cold & detached; unconcerned | ● 拗 is a variant of variant of 詏 aau3 = to argue; to dispute; to contradict | ● 蘇格拉底 Sōu1 Gaak3 Lāai1 Dái2 = Socrates | ● 公義 gūng1 yih6 = righteousness; justice | ● 到而家呢一刻 dao3 yìh4 gāa1 nī1 yāt1 hāak1 = (?) right up to this present moment | ● 醜聞 cháu2 màhn4 = scandal | ● 笛卡兒 Dehk6 Kāa1 Yìh4 = René Descartes; also written 笛卡爾 Dehk6 Kāa1 Yíh5 | ● 懷疑論 wàaih4 yìh4 leuhn6 = skepticism | ● 客觀哋 haak3 gūn1 déi6*2 = objectively; 客觀嘅 = “objective” is used in the next segment
. . . then naturally he or she will not have any warm feelings towards philosophy. But this explanation is still inadequate. Why? Because again we can ask: Why is it that those people have no interest in philosophy and think that these questions are boring or out of touch [with reality]? Is it really purely [純碎] because they lack curiosity about the world? Could there be a deeper reason that explains their indifference [冷漠]? An explanation for this might be that the reason these people show no concern for these philosophical questions is that they are liable to say: “Hah! Just take a look at the history of philosophy. In the past few thousand years, there has been no progress! [Philosophers] have argued back and forth, caused trouble here and there, but have basically reached no conclusions. Over the past few thousand years, the justice [公義], beauty and truth discussed by Socrates are the same issues still being investigated today in the world of philosophy. And even worse, there is that great scandal of philosophy that we have no yet responded to those doubts raised by René Descartes’ skepticism about whether the world actually has an objective existence. Do we have knowledge about the world?
● 進展 jeun3 jín2 = to make progress; to make headway | ● 做對比 jouh6 deui3 béi2 = to contrast | ● 傷害 sēung1 hoih6 = to injure; to harm; to hurt | ● 帶領 daai3 líhng5 = to lead; to guide | ● 懷孕 wàaih4 yahn6 = to be pregnant
Is it possible to obtain an objective understanding of this world? It would seem that philosophers have discussed [such questions] for a long time — [over] so many years, so many intelligent human beings, so many great souls have thought about these questions but have never been able to give us any answers. Now quite possibly this impression provides us with a reason for believing one thing: philosophical questions have been argued back and forth for thousands of years without any headway being made or any answers [being found], so what’s the point of going on talking about them? Even more bothersome is [that fact] that, if we contrast philosophy with other disciplines, the harm [to philosophy] emerges at once. Think of how much the natural sciences have advanced, leading us to a knowledge [認識] of the world that is so much greater [than it was before]. Think for a moment how once we probably would have thought of pregnancy [and] giving birth as a very mysterious business, and would have only been able to comprehend how such a thing could be by means of the non-natural explanations of religion. But think how we modern people no longer feel that there is anything the least bit mysterious about getting pregnant and giving birth, the reason being that the natural sciences have led us . . .
● 心機 sām1 gēi1 = energy; effort; patience| ● 徒勞無功 tòuh4 lòuh4 mòuh4 gūng1 = make a futile effort; work to no avail | ● 注定 jyu3 dihng6 = be doomed; be destined | ● 推論 tēui1 leuhn6 = an inference; a deduction | ● 唔值得 mh4 jihk6 dāk1 = not worth | ● 吊詭 diu3 gwái2 = (?) a paradox
. . . to a proper understanding of this phenomenon, how the whole mechanism comes into being [出現]. And so for this reason, many people have the feeling that there are no answers to those philosophical questions. We have been talking about them for thousands of years — What is the meaning of a human life? Wherein lies justice in this world? Does the soul exist? Basically, there is no answer to these questions. Is it not futile to be still putting in so much effort to investigate questions for which there are no answers? And so, doesn’t philosophy deserve to be despised? To have to respond to such doubts about philosophy is of course very tedious, but I get the feeling [估] that there is a very simple and direct way to respond. What is the response? Just now it was said that philosophy has apparently been discussing questions for so many years to which there are no answers, and so for this reason such [questions] are doomed to remain unanswered. Someone, it seems, has made such an inference. But the interesting thing [問題] is, this kind of standpoint is itself precisely a philosophical standpoint, that is, believing that those questions have no answers and are not worth our discussing them. When you have to argue for a standpoint of this kind — paradoxically — you have already entered . . .
● 領域 líhng5 wihk6 = a field; sphere; domain; realm | ● 論證 leuhn6 jing3 = a demonstration; proof| ● 説明 syut3 mìhng4 = ① to explain; to show ② explanation; direction; caption | ● 探討 taam3 tóu2 = to inquire into; to probe into | ● 順住 seuhn6 jyuh6 = along | ● 討厭 tóu2 yim3 = to dislike; to loathe; to be disgusted with | ● 方法論 fōng1 faat3 leuhn6 = methodology | ● 一來 … 二來 … yāt1 lòih4 … yih6 lòih4 = firstly … secondly … | ● 唔似得 mh4 chíh5 dāk1 = (?) unlike; cf. 好似 hou2 chíh5 = to be like; to be similar | ● 牽涉 hīn1 sip3 = to involve; to drag in | ● 吹水 chēui1 seui2 = to talk rubbish/nonsense | ● 嚴謹 yìhm4 gán2 = rigorous; strict | ● 紥實 jaat3 saht6 = ① sturdy; strong ② solid; sound; down-to-earth | ● 質疑 jāt1 yìh4 = to call into question; to query
. . . the realm of philosophy, and are engaging in a philosophical discussion. And so for this reason, if you wish to criticize philosophy on this basis [理由], then in fact you have a theoretical responsibility: actually, you must provide proofs and explanations [to show] why those questions do not in fact have an answer, and are not worth our investigation. This matter requires a philosophical demonstration. This standpoint is in itself precisely a philosophical position. Now following on from [順住] this discussion, we can proceed to the fourth reason for detesting philosophy. The fourth reason for detesting philosophy involves the methodology of philosophy. A lot of people think that when philosophy discusses a question it is [doing] nothing more than talking nonsense. This is firstly because, unlike the natural sciences, it does not involve experience and observation, and secondly, unlike mathematics, it does involve making any rigorous calculations. It seems that there [in philosophy] one makes use of methods such as what are called “thought experiments” and conceptual distinctions to talk about philosophical questions. Some people feel that such things [that is, “thought experiments” and conceptual distinctions] are extremely unsound. My response to such doubts, however, is that — like my [own] doubt from before — it precisely involves the issue of how philosophy is to be done . . .
● 例如 laih6 yùh4 = for instance; for example | ● 思想實驗 sī1 séung2 saht6 yìhm4 = thought experiment | ● 後設 hauh6 chit3 = cf. chit = ② to work out 3. given; suppose; if | ● 鞏固 gúng2 gu3 = to consolidate; to strengthen | ● 逼近③ bīk1 gahn6 = to press on towards; to close in on; to approach; to draw near | ● 嚴謹而言 yìhm4 gán2 yìh4 yìhn4= strictly speaking
. . . as well as the issue of philosophical method, in fact, the domain of what is called “metaphilosophy”, that is, reflecting philosophically on how philosophy should be carried out. Actually, for most of the contemporary age [當代或者一直以嚟], there have been many such philosophical discussions, [in which] philosophers reflect on themselves and whether what they are doing has any use, whether it is effective or not. For instance, modern analytical philosophy is always using thought experiments, and many English and American philosophers often add a discussion at the end of their writings (?) [都會後設一部討論], wondering whether thought experiments are a good way to consolidate [their arguments], enabling us to get closer to the world. For this reason, we come back to that same old phrase again [所以都係嗰句呢]: if you wish to criticize philosophy’s methods as not being rigorous enough, as being out of touch, as being the idle talk of a bunch of people who have no idea what they are doing, then in fact you are in need of some philosophical proofs to support your standpoint. You have already [reached the point] of “Welcome to Philosophy”. The final idea I would like to discuss in this video is very interesting. Those people [who claim to detest philosophy] are not criticizing philosophy [per se] but instead modern academic philosophy. What would they think this? They are liable to feel that // in the past . . .
● 象牙塔 jeuhng6 ngàah4 taap3 = ivory tower | ● 學術遊戲 hohk6 seuht6 yàuh4 hei3 = (?) academic game | ● 不著邊際 bāt1 jeuhk6 bīn1 jai3 = neither here nor there; irrelevant | ● 墮落 doh6 lohk6 = to degenerate; to sink low | ● 淪 lèuhn4 = to fall; to be reduced to | ● 拍拉圖 Paak3 Lāai1 Tòuh4 = Plato
. . . those great philosophers, Socrates perhaps, or Confucius, or Jesus have had a real impact on the lives of many, many people. What is called “philosophical research” these days [means] nothing more than a bunch [堆, lit. “heap”] of scholars in ivory towers playing academic games, playing games with concepts, or talking about issues that have nothing to do with anything [不著邊際]. They basically don’t care what people think beyond the ivory tower, in real society, in the real world. So, to put it simply, this kind of criticism is a criticism of the degeneration of modern philosophy. It has lost the philosophical influence of the classical era, [an era when] that kind of philosophy could make its way into the lives of every single individual, and was that kind a force that could a genuine influence on everyone. Modern philosophy has degenerated into a play with words [一啲文字嘅遊戲]. At the beginning of this video, I mentioned the essay by Bernard Williams, who also talked about this issue. He says that in actual fact Plato was the first person to say that philosophy should play a part in people’s lives [走進生命], but the most ridiculous and paradoxical thing was, in the hands of Plato, philosophy became something extremely remote from ordinary life [非常之離地]. By way of an example, at the academy which he established, Plato . . .
● 據説 geui3 syut3 = it is said; they say; allegedly | ● 幾何學 géi2 hòh4 hohk6 = geometry | ● 專業化 jyūn1 yihp6 faa3 = specialization | ● 親近 chān1 gahn6 = to be close to; to be on intimate terms with | ● 的而且確 dīk1 yìh4 ché2 kok3 = indeed; really | ● 毫無意義 hòuh4 mòuh4 yi3 yih6 = (?) totally meaningless| ● 大環境 daaih6 wàahn4 gíng2 = (?) a bigger/broader context | ● 高等教育界 gōu1 dáng2 gaau3 yuhk6 gaai3 = roughly, “the world of higher education”
. . . it is said, above the door they hung up a sign on which it was written “Those Who Do Not Know Geometry Cannot Enter Here”. And so, what is so ridiculous is that Plato obviously emphasized that philosophy should play a part [走進 = to go into; to enter] in every person’s life and respond to the fundamental questions in our human lives, but on the other hand he caused philosophy to become extremely specialized and highly academic, so that ordinary people could not feel close to it, the reason being that — at the very least — you had to have an understanding of geometry before you could enter the world of philosophy. Faced with this criticism, I myself have two ideas. The first idea is that I think that it is true [的而且確] that the modern academic environment can lead to the production of a large volume of completely meaningless academic dissertations, and there really are a large number [of individuals] who are engaged in playing conceptual or linguistic games. Let me use myself as an example. I’m always going on about how I really don’t like academic pursuits [攪學術] very much, but it is my feeling that this is not a problem particular to philosophy in modern society but one [that involves] a bigger context [大環境]. Systemic problems in the world of higher education or academia . . .
● 曾幾何時 chàhng4 géi2 hòh4 sìh4 = before long; not long after | ● 渴求 hot3 kàuh4 = to yearn for | ● 期待 kèih4 doih6 = to expect; to await; to look forward to | ● 開頭 hōi1 tàuh4 = to begin; to start (intransitive verb) | ● 巴閉 bāa1 bai3 = ① arrogant; flashy; showy; fussy; noisy ② impressive; high and mighty| ● 勁 gehng6 = strong; powerful; vigorous; sturdy | ● 當初 dōng1 chō1 = originally; at the outset; in the first place; at that time
. . . In fact, this is not something that the discipline of philosophy [alone] faces. Not long after I became a student [入咗 = entered] in a philosophy department, I was eager and hoping that philosophy would soon provide answers [回應到] to the fundamental questions of my life. For instance, how does death affect our lives as human beings [我哋人生 = our human lives]? What is the meaning of life? I was yearning for answers [to these questions], hoping that philosophers could tell me [話到俾我聽]. When I became a student of philosophy, full of [抱住 = to hold in one’s arms; to cherish] such expectations and yearnings, at first, to tell you the truth, I was in fact very disappointed. My feelings at that time were exactly like those people who are critical of philosophy, that is, “Huh! Why is that that philosophers and scholars like you — [even though] you seem so impressive and so forceful — have not really answered the very real perplexities in my mind and in my life, [despite all] the talking back and forth. Why haven’t you answered me about what the meaning of my life is. However, the more I studied philosophy, I gradually came to realize [發現 = to discover] that it was just that I was too impatient when I began [當初]. Because in fact naturally in the life of every [single] one of us, there are some very real [sources of] perplexity which we hope the philosophers can provide answers to [去回答].
● 難答 nàahn4 daap3 = difficult to answer | ● 期望 kèih4 mohng6 = a hope; an expectation; here, 期望 clearly works as a verb | ● 乍看 jaa3 hon3 = at first glance (cf. 驟眼睇 jaauh6 ngáahn5 tái2) | ● 挖出 waat3 chēut1 = to dig [out]; to excavate | ● 連繫lìhn4 haih6 = (?) connection; link | ● 睇落 tái2 lohk6 = come across as; seem; appear; look like; look as if | ● 在地 joih6 deih6 = (?) on the ground; down-to-earth | ● 真熾 jan1 chi3 = ? (I am not sure if this is what 豬文 Jyu Man says here. The subtitles have 熱熾 yiht6 chi3, which is not in my dictionaries either! But the basic meaning of 熾 is “flaming; ablaze”). | ● 即食 jīk1 sihk6 = fast food | ● 相干 sēung1 gōn1 = have to do with; be concerned with
But the problem [問題] is, these questions are in themselves real too difficult to answer. We can’t expect there to be a very simply-obvious answer. For instance, the question “What is the meaning of life?” seems quite simple at first, but the more you go into it [越問落去 = the more one asks down (into it)], you dig up some very “off the wall” [離地] issues, such as “What really is a human being?” “What is this world?” “Where does the link between people and the world reside?” “How much can human beings actually know?” “How do human languages link up with the world?” Actually, this pile of questions is seemingly very remote from everyday concerns [離地], but when start out from a very down-to-earth [在地] philosophical question about the meaning of human life, inevitably as you go on making inquiries you will end up asking [就會問到] some highly abstract, “off the wall” philosophical questions. For this reason, what I mean is that if you have a burning desire [to understand] such down-to-earth philosophical questions, you can’t expect [唔能夠期望] there to be a fast-food answer for you. You should think things through slowly, with patience, step by step, and you shouldn’t refuse those seemingly remote and metaphysical questions that have no bearing on your life . . .
● 知識論 jī1 sīk1 leuhn6 = epistemology; a theory of knowledge | ● 匿埋 nēi1 màaih4 = to hide | ● 故作高深 gu3 jok3 gōu1 sām1 = pretend to be erudite & profound | ● 慰藉 wai3 jihk6 = to console | ● 書局 syū1 gúk6*2 = bookstore; bookshop | ● 要訣 yiu3 kyut3 = tricks of the trade | ● 識貨 sīk1 fo3 = be able to tell good from bad; know what’s what | ● 走寳 jáu2 bóu2 = miss out on something good
. . . nor those questions to do with epistemology or the philosophy of language. For this reason, to put it simply, I think that philosophy is remote from everyday life [離地] not because it hides itself away in an ivory tower pretending to be erudite and profound but actually because philosophical questions are by nature very complex. [Philosophy] cannot discuss such questions in any other way. Now if you are bent on searching out some kind of consolation for your life, you would probably be better off going to a bookstore to buy a book such as Ten Secrets for a More Fortunate, Happier You, not a book on philosophy. In the final analysis, then, what does this video want to achieve [想做啲咩呢]? To tell you people who despise philosophy that you don’t know what’s what, and that you’re missing out on a real treasure. Good-bye.
“Hongkongers are a unique community with their own distinctive culture, history, experiences and values. We shall maintain our unique identity and continue to create its timely significance to perpetuate these precious characteristics; our identity, history and cultural values shall be respected and safeguarded, in writing and in recording, to be preserved in multiple ways to counter the biased perspectives fabricated and propagated by the authorities” — these are the opening sentences of the next part of the Charter, simply entitled 香港篇 Hēung1 Góng2 Pīn1 or “Hong Kong Section”.
I will tackle the remaining two parts of the Charter (dealing with mainland China and the international community) in another post, but you can view the entire bilingual document here, together with some information on the initiators. For other help with the Chinese, please consult the Sheik Cantonese on-line dictionary.
● 共同體 guhng6 tùhng4 tái2 = community | ● 身份認同 sān1 fán6*2 yihng6 tùhng4 = (?) identity cf. 身份 = status; identity + 認同 = to identify | ● 傳承 chyùhn4 sìhng4 = to impart & to inherit | ● 抗擊 kong3 gīk1 = to resist; to beat back | ● 諱言捏造wáih5 yìhn4 nihp6 jouh6 = ? cf. 諱言 = dare not or would not speak up + 捏造 = to fabricate; to concoct; to trump up | ● 事務 sih6 mouh6 = affairs | ● 世界人權宣言 sai3 gaai3 yàhn4 kyùhn4 syūn1 yìhn4 = the Universal Declaration of Human Rights | ● 公民權利及政治權利公約 gūng1 màhn4 kyùhn4 leih6 kahp6 jing3 jih6 kyùhn4 leih6 gūng1 yeuk3 = the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights | ● 三權分立 sāam1 kyùhn4 fān1 lahp6 = separation of powers (i.e. the legislative, executive and judicial powers) | ● 統屬 tung2 suhk6 = ① subordination ② to be subordinate | ● 公權力 gūng1 kyùhn4 leih6 = (?) public rights | ● 彰顯公義 jēung1 hín2 gūng1 yih6 = cf. 彰顯 = to bring out conspicuously + 公義 = justice | ● 解釋權 gáai2 sihk6 kyùhn4 = right to interpret | ● 理應 léih5 yīng1 = ought to; should | ● 以言入罪 yíh5 yìhn4 yahp6 jeuih6 = roughly, “to regard speaking out as a criminal offence” | ● 結社 git3 séh5 = to form an association | ● 撤銷 chit3 sīu1 = to cancel; to rescind; to revoke | ● 檢控 gím2 hung3 = to prosecute | ● 臣服於 sàhn4 fuhk6 yū1 = to submit oneself to the rule of; to acknowledge allegiance to | ● 捍衛 hóhn5 waih6 = to defend; to guard; to protect | ● 底線 dái2 sin3 = the base line; the bottom line | ● 同流合污 tùhng4 làuh4 hahp6 wū1 = wallow in the mire with sb.; to associate with an evil person | ● 上意 seuhng6 yi3 = (?) the wishes/will of those higher up | ● 授權 sauh6 kyùhn4 = to empower; to authorize | ● 治安自理 jih6 [ng]ōn1 jih6 léih5 = ? cf. 治安 = law & order
7. Hongkongers are a unique community with their own distinctive culture, history, experiences and values. We shall maintain our unique identity and continue to create its timely significance to perpetuate these precious characteristics; our identity, history and cultural values shall be respected and safeguarded, in writing and in recording, to be preserved in multiple ways to counter the biased perspectives fabricated and propagated by the authorities.
8. Hongkongers shall have the right to determine the future and affairs of Hong Kong, including any social, institutional and constitutional reforms. Hongkongers shall enjoy a democratic, autonomous and free system. Democracy entails a government and legislature directly elected by the people. By autonomy, it means local affairs are free from the Chinese Communist Party’s interference. Freedom entails the provision of social and economic rights for the people as stipulated by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
9. The Hong Kong government shall implement separation of powers. The judiciary, the executive and the legislature shall not be subordinate to one another. The legal system shall have restricting public power and manifesting justice as the supreme principles. The judges shall adjudicate in accordance with human rights and the rule of law. The highest court shall enjoy the power of interpretation of the constitution.
10. The Hong Kong National Security Law is a draconian law that violates Hongkongers’ freedom of speech, freedom of the person and political freedom, and shall be repudiated immediately. The government shall stop criminalizing speeches, release all political prisoners and guarantee Hongkongers freedom of demonstration, protest, association, publication and speech. The government shall drop all charges against the political exiles.
11. The Chinese Communist Party has been arbitrarily encroaching on Hong Kong’s civil society, destroying the values, principles and moralities of each professional sector, and forcing conscientious Hongkongers to submit to its despotic governance. We urge citizens to hold their bottom line, resist association with the Chinese Communist Party and its evil deeds.
12. Under the Chinese Communist Party’s direct orders and the blind submission of Hong Kong officials, the police force has become an arsenal used by the totalitarian regime to oppress people’s aspirations and rights. The police system must be reformed. A democratic policing system, which truly serves the people, has to be established under the people’s supervision and with the people’s mandate.
Perhaps it’s just that the human mind is incapable of imagining anything that doesn’t begin.
— Diana Athill, “Whistling in the Dark”
He says, “Latch the old door well before we both catch cold, son. . . .” Seated in a square of light spitting image of the frost we watch together through a warped timber window-frame Moon muse in a museum of stars and dark artefacts:
Something beginning with . . .
Somewhere foxes do their rounds regardless, marking with telltale brown turds highlights of the chill territory and hares lope nose down over scent-trails, doubling back where the smell ties itself in knots — no, a hare is never tangled by such tricks. After the moon has gone, the house cracks loudly of its own accord — it doesn’t split our connection with concentration, but it’s hard not to get lost in imaginary after-shocks courtesy of the head’s echo-chamber. I hear him ask me in a hoarse whisper, as he nudges me with a boot, “Hey, you still all there?” The way I say nothing through the air gives him just as good as the answer he expects:
Recently, mainland China unilaterally terminated its “One Country, Two Systems” arrangement with Hong Kong. This, its failure to abide by the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which states that the “basic policies of the People’s Republic of China regarding Hong Kong . . . will remain unchanged for 50 years”, and its refusal to fulfil the terms of the Hong Kong Basic Law, especially Instrument 23, which envisages that “the selection of the Chief Executive and the election of all members of the Legislative Council by universal suffrage will be realized in accordance with the Hong Kong Basic Law and this Decision” has caused great dismay and concern in the Special Administrative Region. In response, a group of Hongkongers now living in exile have formulated the 2021 香港約 章Hong Kong Charter 2021 in the hope of finding a way to ensure the honouring of promises made to the people of Hong Kong.
Below, you can read the first part of the Charter in Chinese and English, together with some notes on vocabulary and grammar. The English reads more like a separate version rather than a translation, and you can learn a lot about how written Chinese works by pondering the differences in the two texts.
I will tackle the remaining two parts of the Charter in another post, but you can view the entire bilingual document here, together with some information on the initiators. For other help with the Chinese, please consult the Sheik Cantonese on-line dictionary.
● 以期 yíh5 kèih4 = roughly, “in the hope of”; cf. 期望 kèih4 mohng6 = hope; expectation | ● 立法機關 lahp6 faat3 gēi1 gwāan1 = legislative body | ● 惟 wàih4 = but | ● 專政本質 cf. 專政 jyūn1 jing3 = dictatorship + 本質 bún2 jāt1 = essence; nature; innate character; intrinsic quality| ● 阻撓 jó2 nàauh4 = to obstruct; to thwart; to stand in the way of | ● 主權移交 jyú2 kyùhn4 yìh4 gāau1 = transfer of sovereignty | ● 屢次 léuih5 chi3 = time & again; repeatedly | ● 兌現 deui3 yihn6 = to honour (a commitment, etc.); to fulfil; to make good | ● 暴政 bouh6 jing3 = tyranny; despotic rule | ● 赤色恐怖 chik3/chek3 sīk1 húng2 bou3 = (?) red terror | ● 數以萬計 sou3 yíh5 maahn6 gai3 = by the tens of thousands; numbering tens of thousands; cf. 計 gai3 = to number | ● 盡失jeuhn6 sāt1 = cf. 盡 = to the utmost; to the limit + 失= to lose | ● 動輒 duhng6 jip3 = easily; frequently; at every turn | ● 囚 chàuh4 = ① to imprison ② prisoner; convict | ● 逼害者 bīk1 hoih6 jé2 = cf. 迫害 bīk1 hoih6 = to persecute | ● 強加 kèuhng4 gāa1 = to impose; to force | ● 摧毀 chēui1 wái2 = to destroy; to smash; to wreck | ● 僅餘gán2 yùh4 = roughly, “(those) few remaining” | ● 名存實亡 mìhng4 chyùhn4 saht6 mòhng4 = cease to exist except in name; exist in name only
1. Ever since the Sino-British negotiations in the 1980s, the people of Hong Kong have been striving for a democratic political system, the right to elect truly representative legislators and Chief Executive. Notwithstanding, despite barring Hongkongers to determine their future, the Chinese Communist Party, with its unchanging one-party dictatorship, has been also tightening its totalitarian grip on Hong Kong. Sino-British Joint Declaration and Basic Law have been repeatedly breached by the Chinese Communist Party after the handover in 1997, and their promises of democracy and autonomy – have never been fulfilled. Hongkongers gathered in resistance to the Anti-Extradition Bill Movement in 2019. Facing more atrocious oppression than ever, tens of thousands were arrested. After the imposition of the National Security Law, Hong Kong’s freedom of speech and assembly has been exsanguinated. Numerous Hongkongers have no choice but to leave in exile, while those remaining in their city are living with the constant fear of being politically persecuted on any day. The 2021 electoral reform imposed by the Chinese Communist Party further annihilated the democratic elements in our elections, putting the last nail in the coffin for “One Country, Two Systems”.
● 倡議工作 = advocacy cf. 倡議 cheung3 yíh5 = to propose | ● 如雨後春荀 yùh4 yúh5 hauh6 chēun1 séun2 = spring up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain | ● 離散族群 lèih4 sáan2 juhk6 kwàhn4 cf. 離散 = (?) to leave & become scattered + 族群 = ethnic group | ● 盟友 màhng4 yáuh5 = ally | ● 護港抗共 wuh6 góng2 kong3 guhng6 = roughly “to protect Hong Kong and to resist the communists | ● 凝聚 yihng4 jeuih6 = ① to condense ② to crystallize | ● 社群 séh5 kwàhn4 = community; social grouping | ● 光復 gwōng1 fuhk6 = to recover (lost territory) | ● 籌謀 chàuh4 màuh4 = to devise strategies | ● 矢志 sāt1 ji3 = to pledge one’s devotion | ● 霸權 baa3 kyùhn4 = hegemony; supremacy | ● 壓逼 [ng]aat3 bīk1 = to oppress; to repress | ● 自主意志 jih6 jyú2 yi3 ji3 = cf. 自主 = act on one’s own; decide for oneself + 意志 = will | ● 威權 wāi1 kyùhn4 = authority; power | ● 擴張 kong3 jēung1 = to expand; to enlarge; to extend | ● 守護 sáu2 wuh6 = to guard; to defend
2. With unwavering courage and altruistic sacrifices, Hongkongers have placed the Hong Kong democratic movements under the international spotlight, and Hongkongers have increasingly engaged in international political advocacy. Diasporic Hongkongers will always be garnering support from global allies, to further our cause for freedom and democracy in Hong Kong and to resist the Chinese Communist Party. With the 2021 Hong Kong Charter, we shall unite the diasporic communities, to come together at the international front, for the eventual Liberation of Hong Kong. We vow to stand against the oppression from the Chinese Communist Party, to strive for freedom and democracy in Hong Kong, to continue safeguard our determination for Hong Kong’s autonomy both locally and overseas, to advocate for international collaboration in countering the Chinese Communist Party’s global aggression, and to safeguard the universal values of freedom and democracy.
● 福祉 fūk1 jí2 = blessings | ● 善用 sihn6 yuhng6 = be good at using something | ● 發聲 faat3 sīng1/sēng1 = usu. to make a sound | ● 言論 yìhn4 leuhn6 = opinions on public affairs; expression of one’s political views | ● 團結 tyùhn4 git3 = to unite; to rally | ● 派系之爭 paai3 haih6 jī1 jāng1/jāang1 cf. = 派系 faction + 爭 = to contend | ● 泡沫化 póuh5 muht6 faa3 = (?) to turn into foam cf. 泡沫 = foam; froth | ● 角力 gok3 lihk6 = to have a trial of strength; to wrestle | ● 發揮 faat3 fāi1 = to bring into play; to give play to; to give free rein to | ● 被逼離港者 beih6 bīk1 lèih4 góng2 jé2= those who have been forced to leave Hong Kong | ● 在地 joih6 deih6 = (?) local (lit. “on the ground”) | ● 匡扶 hōng1 fùh4 = to assist | ● 同儕 tùhng4 chàaih4 = usu. “a peer” | ● 身心體魄 sān1 sām1 tái2 paak3 = ? | ● 旨在 jí2 joih6 = for the purpose of | ● 轉型 jyún2 yìhng4 = to be in transition | ● 珍重 jān1 juhng6 = to highly value; to treasure; to set great store by
Notes: The text uses some written expressions involving the co-verbs 為waih6 and 以 yíh5. Firstly, 為 . . . 着想 means “to consider (the interests of sb. or sth.)”, with the somebody or something coming after the 為: 為香港人整體福祉着想 = “to consider all that is good for the people of Hong Kong”. Secondly, 為 . . . 出發 is roughly equivalent to “to start from/proceed from”: 為香港人共同利益出發 = “to proceed from the common good of the people of Hong Kong” or even “to proceed with the common good of the Hong Kong people as our starting point”. Finally, 以 . . . 為依歸 is a similar kind of expression, and means “taking sth. as both the starting point and destination”, perhaps with the suggestion of dependence (依歸 yī1 gwāi1 can mean “to depend on”): 以港人利益為依歸 = “take the interests of the people of Hong Kong as the starting and the end point (for one’s work)”. Expressions of this kind play a big part in more formal, written Chinese and probably have their origins in Classical Chinese.
3. The diasporic communities shall put Hongkongers at the core and work for our wellbeing, for our common interests and values. Diasporic Hongkongers shall speak what cannot be spoken in Hong Kong now, utilizing the precious freedom we have, to voice out for those silenced by the rule of terror in Hong Kong.
4. The Hong Kong resistance shall be making allies and not enemies. Diasporic Hongkongers shall stand united and not fall into the trap of internal conflicts.
5. Diasporic Hongkongers shall lend our helping hands to one another, facilitating the integration of other Hong Kong exiles. Having one another’s back, with the strongest will and the greatest strength, we shall perpetuate the spirits of Hong Kong resistance, until the day we see the Liberation of Hong Kong.
6. Hongkongers’ wellbeing and values shall be the core of our political advocacy work. We strive for Hong Kong’s democratic transformation, to realize the freedom, autonomy and democracy that were promised to Hong Kong.
Beyond the Dream is a novel by the Hong Kong writer 蔣曉薇 Jéung2 Híu2 Mèih4. The thing that first got me interested in it was the setting: there aren’t too many books in any language set in the new town of 屯門 Tuen Mun! To me the place evokes a discordant mix: the concrete river channel that splits the town geometrically in two, the massive architecture of the MTR stations, both at Siu Hong and the terminus, the incessant traffic streaming down the vast Tuen Mun road, the shuttling, metal clatter of the light-rail trains, and towering over it all in the distance, the jagged green ridge of the Tsing Shan Mountain (Castle Peak).
In this 4-minute video put together by 文化者 The Culturist and 網上閲讀平台 the SHKP Reading Club, Jeung gives us some insight into the themes of the book, its two main characters, the young woman 葉嵐 Yihp6 Làahm4 (嵐 means “haze; vapour; mist”) and 阿樂 Aa3 Lohk6, and its subsequent transformation into a very successful film. The Chinese title 《幻愛》 is much more interesting than the English version: to me it suggests a kind of hallucinated love, the word echoing 幻想 “fantasy” (literally, “an unreal thinking”) and 幻聽 “hearing voices” (“an unreal hearing”). You can see how it might have defeated even the most determined translator . . .
The Cantonese highlight in this video is an example of the verb 㧬 [ng]úng2 = “push forward with both hands or body” — you don’t hear it that often, so every encounter is a treat! My trusty 《香港粵語大詞典》 gives two examples of its use, 㧬開度門 = to push open the door, and 㧬嚟㧬去 = (roughly) to push and shove one another. Other treats include the word 鎅 gaai3, used both as a verb meaning “to cut” and in the compound noun 鎅刀, a kind of small knife, somewhat like a Stanley knife (at least, in some contexts); 抌 dám2, a verb with a number of meanings including “to throw away (rubbish)”; and the very Cantonese 第時 daih6 sìh4 = “in the future, another day”. Jeung also reads a passage from her novel at the 2-minute mark. Learning to understand Standard Written Chinese read aloud in Cantonese is a real challenge, and any opportunity to work on this (uneasily mastered) skill is worth taking.
You can watch the video here (Chinese subtitles only). If you want to take a look at the (rough in places) transcription, notes and English translation, please scroll down.
And if you would like to take a look at the trailer for the film with English subtitles, you can view that here.
And remember, if you want the standard jyutping romanization or to check any of the Chinese in the text, please consult the Sheik Cantonese on-line dictionary. You might also like to make use the Ekho Text to Speech Converter if you have trouble matching any part of the transcribed Chinese text to the spoken version. Just make sure you select “Cantonese” under the language menu before you paste cut and text into the relevant box.
● 視點 sih6 dím2 = perspective | ● 發揮嘅空間 faat3 fāi1 ge3 hūng1 gāan1 = (?) room to give free play to | ● 代入 doih6 yahp6 = (?) to put oneself into the shoes of another person | ● 連繫lìhn4 haih6 = (?) connection; link | ● 心思 sām1 sī1 = ① thought; idea ② state of mind; mood | ● 構思 kau3 sī1 = (of a writer) work out the plot of a literary work
It is my feeling that the film is in fact mainly [from] the perspective of Ah Lok. To me, as the creator [去到我自己作爲創作嘅時候呢], I think that in the role of Yip Lam there is still plenty of room in the film for development [發揮嘅空間]. Perhaps because I am a woman too, it is very easy for me to insert myself when I write into a female role and perspective. I spent a lot of time thinking about and plotting Yip Lam’s inner world — what her past was like when she was growing up, and what kind of destiny linked her and her mother together.
● 一幕 yāt1 mohk6 = an act (in a play); perhaps here “a scene (in a film)” | ● 屋企樓下 [ng]ūk1 kéi5*2 làuh4 haah6 = lit. “downstairs of one’s home”, but in the case of a housing estate probably “outside the building one lives in” | ● 撞到 johng6 dóu3*2 = to bump into; to encounter | ● 觸發 jūk1 faat3 = to spark; to trigger | ● 不濟 bāt1 jai3 = useless | ● 不堪 bāt1 hām1 = cannot bear; unbearably; cannot stand; “have had it up to here” | ● 好唔配得阿樂嘅愛 hóu2 mh4 pui3 dāk1 Aa3 Lohk6 ge3 [ng]oi3 = not at all worthy of Ah Lok’s love | ● 㧬 úng2 = push forward with both hands or body | ● 扎醒 jaat3 séng2 = wake up suddenly; wake up with a start; startle from sleep | ● 紅繩 hùhng4 síng4*2= a red cord/string | ● 鎅刀 gaai3 dōu1 = a knife blade, a razor blade; a paper cutter | ● 抌 dám2 = ① beat (with fist); bang; pound ② smash; shatter; stamp (a chop) ③ throw; discard; abandon | ● 賦予 fu3 yúh5 = to bestow on; to endow with; to vest with
I remember that there is a scene in the film in which Yip Lam and Ah Lok bump into Uncle Wong outside the building she lives in [屋企樓下], which sets off conflict between the pair. Yip Lam feels that she is quite . . . // in the past she was both useless and fed up [過去好不濟好不堪]. She felt that she was quite unworthy of Ah Lok’s love for her. After that, she pushes Ah Lok out of her house. After that, she suddenly wakes up at midnight and, seeing the red cord on her wrist, picks up a knife, cuts the cord and throws it in the rubbish bin. This scene may be quite brief, lasting around 8 to 10 seconds, but in it I invest her with [a certain] psychological state. Why it is that she wakes up and does this is something I wrote about in the book.
● 任憑 yahm6 pàhng4 = at one’s convenience; at one’s discretion | ● 任由 yahm6 yauh4 = to allow sb. free reign; jumping over; ignoring | ● 摑 gwaak3 = to slap; to smack | ● 暴戾 bouh6 leuih6 = ruthless & tyrannical; cruel & fierce | ● 嫉妒 jaht6 dou3 = to be jealous; to envy | ● 第時 daih6 sìh4 = in the future, another day
“What she found most difficult to forgive was that her mother let her boy-friends come and go as they pleased, and put up with their touching her whenever they felt like it, never appearing in time to protect her. When her mother found out about her and Uncle Wong, she thought she would be saved, but instead her mother slapped her hard. Weeping, Yip Lam kept repeating, no, no, it’s not what you think, but her mother had no time for her explanations, cursing her ancestors, her genes, cursing that fact that she gave birth [to a child] who was destined to become cheap goods. She knelt down on the ground and looked into her mother’s eyes, but all she saw there was cruelty and jealousy. There was no more care, sincerity or love.” She thinks back over her past, and also thinks that she cannot forgive her mother. And so, she takes the knife and cuts the cord on her wrist. Her mother accepts Yip Lam’s (?) promise to pray for her, and for a future in which they can live together happily (I am not sure if I have understood this sentence correctly).
● 影迷 yíng2 màih4 = film fan | ● 緣故 yùhn4 gu3 = cause; reason | ● 著急 jeuhk6 gāp1 = to worry; to feel anxious | ● 導演 douh6 yín2 = ① to direct (a film, a [play, etc.] ② a director | ● 團隊 tyùhn4 déui6*2 = a team; perhaps in this film context, “a crew” | ● 思考 sī1 háau2 = to think deeply; to ponder over; to reflect on | ● 對讀對比deui3 duhk6 deui3 béi2 = (?) to compare and contrast the book with the film
Many film buffs are very fond of the movie Beyond the Dream. Owing to the Covid-19 situation, cinemas are not open. No one can get into a picture theatre to show their support. I know that everyone is very disappointed about this, or worried, and hopes that the cinemas reopen soon so that they can continue to be able to support the director, and support the whole crew of Beyond the Dream. Apart from the film [side of things], I think that the crew for Beyond the Dream also includes the creation of the novel, [so] everyone can spend some time reading the book. My sense is that this reading is also a kind of deep thinking about things. When you’ve finished the novel, you can make a comparison with the film version — another interesting experience.
