Learning Cantonese: Giving Paradise back to the Butterflies

November 30, 2020December 1, 2020Chinaman Creek Leave a comment

鳳園 Fung Yuen is a butterfly oasis only a short bus journey from Tai Po, in the New Territories in Hong Kong. Despite the new buildings that have, incredibly, been allowed to go up there in recent years, the place remains an ecological miracle.

This 5-minute video is largely scripted, and so the language is fairly formal. There are, however, two more colloquial sections featuring the founder of the Reserve, 邱榮光 Dr Yau Wing Kwong and the government minister 邱騰華 Edward Yau Tang-wah, then head of the 環保局 Environmental Protection Bureau, and now by some terrible irony of politics, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development.

Needless to say, you’ll find plenty of useful vocabulary here on ecology-related areas such as 生態多樣性 sāang1 taai3 dō1 yeuhng6 sing3 = biodiversity; 品種 bán2 júng2 = a species; and 繁殖 fàahn4 jihk6 = to breed; to reproduce. You’ll also get to hear 親身嘅參與 chān1 sān1 ge3 chāam3 yuh6 = “hands-on experience” and the related idiomatic expression 落手落腳 lohk6 sáu2 lohk6 geuk3 = to get one’s hands dirty.

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.

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Caption：鳳園蝴蝶保育區 | Fung Yuen Butterfly Reserve

位於大埔嘅鳳園蝴蝶保育區 | 鄰近大埔工業邨 | 離大埔虛巴士站及小巴站 | 大約十五分鐘車程

● 鄰近 lèuhn4 gahn6 = (?) to be in the vicinity of | ● 車程 chē1 chìhng4 = transport journey

The Fung Yuen Butterfly Reserve located in Tai Po is adjacent to [鄰近] the Tai Po Industrial Estate, roughly a 15-minute journey from the bus and minibus station at Tai Po Market.

鳳園村溪流充足 | 濕度較高，有利耕種 | 原居民種植嘅植物入便 | 有唔少都適合蝴蝶生長

● 溪流 kāi1 làuh4 = brook; stream | ● 充足 chūng1 jūk1 = adequate; enough; sufficient | ● 有利 yáuh5 leih6 = advantageous; favourable | ● 耕種 gāang1 jung3 = to plough and sow; to cultivate; to farm | ● 原居民 yùhn4 gēui1 màhn4 = 1. aborigine cf. 原住民 2. Indigenous inhabitants: residents in the New Territories of Hong Kong | ● 種植 jung3 jihk6 = to plant; to grow

Fung Yuen Village has many streams, making it a fairly moist [place], favourable to cultivation. Among the plants planted by the original inhabitants, not a few are suited to the growth [生長] of butterflies.

● 公頃 gūng1 kíng2 = hectare | ● 列爲 liht6 wàih4 = to be classified as | ● 簡稱 gáan2 chīng1 = abbreviation; for short| ● 大埔環保會 Daaih6 Bou3 Wàahn4 Bóu2 Wúi6*2= Tai Po Environmental Association | ● 鳳園蝴蝶保育區 Fuhng6 Yùhn4 Wùh4 Dihp6/Díp6*2 Bóu2 Yuhk6 Kēui1= Fung Yuen Butterfly Reserve | ● 生態多樣性 sāang1 taai3 dō1 yeuhng6 sing3 = biodiversity

In 1980, the government classified approximately 42 hectares of mountain valley north of Fung Yuen Village as the “Fung Yuen Valley Site of Special Scientific Interest [價值]” or “SSSI” for short. In 2005, the Tai Po Environmental Association founded the Fung Yuen Butterfly Reserve to protect and promote the biodiversity of the Fung Yuen Valley, as well as the special cultural characteristics of the walled village.

● 邱榮光 = Yāu1 Wìhng4 Gwōng1 = Yau Wing Kwong | ● 創立 chong3 laahp6 = to establish; to found; to set up | ● 非牟利慈善團體 fēi1 màuh4 leih6 chìh4 sihn6 tyùhn4 tái2 = a non-profit charitable organization | ● 自 . . . 以嚟 jih6 . . . yíh5 làih4 = ever since; from . . . up to the present | ● 致力 ji3 lihk6 = to devote oneself to; to work for | ● 提倡 tàih4 chēung1 = to advocate; to promote | ● 認知 yihng6 jī1 = (?) to be cognisant of; to be aware of | ● 嘉年華 gāa1 nìhn4 wàah4 = carnival | ● 展覽攤位 jín2 láahm5 tāan1 wái6*2 = (?) an exhibition stand/stall/space

The Tai Po Environmental Association was set up by Dr Yau Wing Kwong in 1997. It is a non-profit charitable organization. Since its inception, it has been active in running various kinds of environmental protection activities and has devoted itself to the popularization and promotion of both environmental protection education and awareness [認知]. At regular intervals [定期] it runs carnivals and exhibition sites to encourage ordinary citizens to become concerned about environmental issues.

● 景觀 gíng2 gūn1 = a landscape | + 獨特區域 duhk6 dahk6 kēui1 wihk6 = a special region | + 地貌 daih6 maauh6 = the general configuration of the earth’s surface; landforms | + 岩石 ngàahm4 sehk6 = rock | + 觀賞 gūn1 séung2 = to view & admire; to enjoy the sight of | + 資訊 jī1 seun3 = information | + 肩負 gīn1 fuh6 = to take on; to undertake; to shoulder

Note: Often in Cantonese, a fuller verb form is required when the 將 jēung1 structure is used, perhaps to maintain a balanced sentence rhythm with the removal of the direct object to its pre-verbal position, hence: 能夠將保育地貌同埋岩石嘅信息推廣開去. As you can see, a directional complement such as 開去 hōi1 heui3 can be used for this purpose. Other kinds of complements such as those expressing location are also used.

In addition, the Tai Po Environmental Association established the Tai Po Geoheritage Centre at Sam Mun Tsai. It is a special district that brings together appreciation of both natural and human-cultural landscapes [景觀], [something] that can popularize both the conservation of landforms and information about rocks. And apart from providing enjoyment of the geology and information about environmental protection, the Geoheritage Centre also shoulders the responsibility of education and popularization.

● 親身嘅參與 chān1 sān1 ge3 chāam3 yuh6 = lit. “hands-on experience”; perhaps “direct participation” here | ● 發覺 faat3 gok3 = to find; to detect; to discover| ● 落手落腳 lohk6 sáu2 lohk6 geuk3 = to get one’s hands dirty; to put one’s hands and feet to work; to take action | ● 享用 = héung2 yuhng6 = to enjoy the use of | ● 笪 daat3 = a patch; a plot (a measure word or classifier)

Yau Wing Kwong speaks: Hello everyone. From 1997, when the Tai Po Environmental Association established up till now, what we have mainly hoped for is to obtain protection for the environment and environmental activities (?) by means of education and direct participation. Fung Yuen has over 200 species of butterfly, and having discovered such a fine place, we ought to introduce it so that more Hong Kong people get to know about it. And so for this reason, here we do education, we do some direct participation, letting volunteers get their hands dirty with planting, remaking a paradise for the butterflies to enjoy the use of and for us to get to know this natural world [呢個大自然] together as well as to appreciate such beautiful butterflies. Perhaps also because of the hard work of so many volunteers, and because so many people have come to enjoy the sight of our butterflies, the [local] villagers have also, as a matter of fact, been moved to come together to support / / work. Also, the support of the people of Hong Kong has given us the strength to continue striving in this work. So, for this reason, we also hope that after you have admired our butterflies today, you might consider staying with us [留低] and joining [成爲] our volunteers, to protect with us [一齊嚟到] this beautiful piece of nature and such a fine place.

The survival of butterflies depends both on host plants and nectar sources. Host plants are the plants that butterfly caterpillars eat, while nectar sources are the plants that the adult butterflies feed on. The plants at Fung Yuen [show] a [great] variety. From common species that are host plants to rare and protected plants ⸺ they can all be found at Fung Yuen. Because larva all have their designated [固定] host plants, a butterfly’s habitat-environment [棲息環境] cannot be too far away from [such] host plants.

● 委托 wái2 tok3 = to entrust; to trust | ● 推斷出 tēui1 dyun3 chēut1 = to infer; to deduce | ● 繁殖 fàahn4 jihk6 = to breed; to reproduce | ● 普查 póu2 chàah4 = general investigation/survey | ● 監察 gāam1 chaat3 = to supervise; to control | ● 香港觀鳥會 Hēung1 Góng2 Gūn1 Níuh5 Wúi6*2 = the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society | ● 每季一次 múih5 gwai3 yāt1 chi3 = every season; Summer, Autumn, Winter & Spring | ● 雀鳥 jeuk3 níuh5 = birds | ● 數目 sou3 muhk6 = number; amount

The Tai Po Environmental Association has given CUHK the task [委托咗] of supervising the host plants in the butterfly reserve at regular intervals [定期] [in terms of their] kind, number and location and, from this, deducing which kinds of butterflies can reproduce within the reserve. Apart from general surveys of plants, the Fung Yuen Butterfly Reserve also carries out a monthly general survey of butterflies, recording butterfly numbers and species in order to supervise the ecological quality of the reserve. The Hong Kong Bird Watching Society carries out a general survey of birds in each of the four seasons [每季一次], keeping a record of bird species and numbers within Fung Yuen’s range.

● 生態導賞團 sāang1 taai3 douh6 séung2 tyùhn4 = a guided eco-tour; an ecological guided tour

Note: The expression 令 . . . 可以 is often used as an equivalent of the English “to enable (sb. or sth.) to do sth.”

Fung Yuen Butterfly Reserve regularly [定期] conducts promotional activities to remind the Hong Kong people about protecting the environment. [Such] activities include guided ecological tours, as well as all kinds of lectures and exhibitions, enabling participants to better understand the culture of Fung Yuen and the ecological situation [there].

邱騰華（環保局局長）speaks: | Edward Yau Tang-wah (Yāu1 Tàhng4 Wàah4), Secretary for the Bureau of Environmental Protection

● 出資 chēut1 jī1 = (?) to put up the money; to provide the funds

This butterfly reserve in Fung Yuen is actually a rather special place in Hong Kong. It was made possible by cooperation between three different parties [方面]. One party was the government, who provided the funding to the Tai Po Environmental Association to form an environmental entity to protect this place. At the same time, the local residents have also joined in. Only thus has it been possible to obtain a site [一笪地方] in order to preserve the existing culture of the people [here], the village[s] and, at the same time, to be able to protect [UNCLEAR] the breeding of the butterflies [UNCLEAR] it is also, in ecological terms, a fine district under protection.

● 保持到 bàu2 chìh4 dou3 = to keep; to maintain; to preserve

I have visited Fung Yuen many times myself. I think this place is very special. On the one hand, the existing village has been conserved. On the other, if you have a liking for butterflies or for the natural environment [生態環境], or if you would like to come and join in the work of the reserve as a volunteer, I think Fung Yuen is an exceptionally worthwhile place.

有興趣人士可以上 www.fungyuen.org 瀏覽

● 瀏覽 làuh4 láahm5 = to glance over; to skim through; to surf (the internet)

Anyone interested can visit our website at www.fungyuen.org

Learning Cantonese: Dignified, Lucid, Restrained, Modest & Compassionate

November 25, 2020November 26, 2020Chinaman Creek Leave a comment

You could do worse than model your spoken Cantonese on that of 黃之鋒Joshua Wong, 周庭 Agnes Chow and 林朗彥 Ivan Lam featured in this 2-minute video from HK01. Dignified, lucid, restrained, modest and compassionate, such eloquence inspires us with hope even as these speakers face long months in prison . . .

Given the context, much of the difficult vocabulary is legal. Nevertheless, there are some real gems here too: Joshua Wong’s 低谷 dāi1 gūk1 = a low valley; rock bottom; Agnes Chow’s 手足 sáu2 jūk1 = usually “brothers” (but here something like “sisters and brothers coming together for a common cause); and Ivan Lam’s 必要之舉 bīt1 yiu3 jī1 géui2 = (?) a necessary/essential act.

As for grammar points, there is little in what follows that ought to bamboozle you. Watch out for another use of the aspect marker 住 jyuh6 to indicate a persistent after-effect with the verb 意味 yi3 meih6 = “to mean”; one example of the conditional concessive 即使 jīk1 sí2 = “even if”; and, right at the end, the appearance of the directional complement 落去 lohk6 heui3, used with the verb 堅持 gīn1 chìh4 with the more abstract meaning of “to continue doing”.

The captions featured during the video outline the criminal charges faced by the trio. For Wong and Chow, these involve the incitement of others in Admiralty to take part in an illegal assembly and to organize an illegal assembly outside police headquarters. Lam was only charged with the first of these items.

You can view the video 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.

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● 承認 sìhng4 yihng6 = to admit; to acknowledge; to recognize | ● 跳過 tiu3 gwo3 = to skip over; to make omissions | ● 審訊 sám2 seun3 = a trial; a courtroom hearing | ● 結案陳詞git3 [ng]on3 chàhn4 chìh4 = closing statement | ● 即時 jīk1 sìh4 = immediately; forthwith | ● 還押 wàahn4 aat3 = to remand (in custody) | ● 監禁刑期 gāam1 gam3 yìhng4 kèih4 = prison term/sentence | ● 低潮 dāi1 chìuh4 = a low tide; an anti-climax; a low point; perhaps also “at a low ebb” | ● 低谷 dāi1 gūk1 = a low valley; rock bottom; perhaps also “trough” (as in “peaks & troughs”)

Joshua Wong: In the case [concerning] the demonstration outside police headquarters, Agnes Chow, Ivan Lam and myself, Joshua Wong, have chosen to plead guilty to all charges. The case today could skip the hearing stage and [move] directly to the closing statement. We could even be sentenced. What this also means is, actually, that for the three of us, there is a chance that we will be immediately remanded in custody. Confronted with the repression of the “National Security Law” and the arrival [來臨] of White Terror, even if we are to face a prison sentence or have the chance of being taken into custody on remand, we will not give up. In this very difficult time, we nevertheless very much wish to appeal to the people of Hong Kong at this low point or “rock bottom” in the democracy movement [to remind them that our] mutual support for one another is especially [更加] precious.

● 不久嘅將來 bāt1 gáu2 ge3 jēung1 lòih4 = the not too distant future | ● 手足 sáu2 jūk1 = usually “brothers” | ● 處境 chú2 gíng2 = unfavourable situation; plight | ● 聲援 sīng1 wùhn4 = to express support for; to support

Agnes Chow: [In my case] things are a bit different from my two friends here [佢哋兩位]. I chose to plead guilty at an earlier stage, and today or in the not too distant future I may possibly be facing my first ever stint in prison. Of course, there are many kinds of uneasiness for me, faced with a very uncertain future [好多未知嘅未來] including the coming legal sentence, but I hope that everyone will remember that there are many other sisters, brothers and friends who may have made many more sacrifices than us and who may be faced with an even more difficult plight at this moment. Apart from the three of us, there are various other sisters and brothers who one must continue to express support and to show concern for.

● 入獄 yaph6 yuhk6 = to be put in prison; to be sent to jail | ● 伸張正義 sān1 jēung1 jing3 yih6 = to uphold/promote justice | ● 必要之舉 bīt1 yiu3 jī1 géui2 = (?) a necessary/essential act | ● 無悔 mòuh4 fui3 = to be without regrets (for sth.)

Ivan Lam: Me, well I’ve already prepared myself for being taken into custody today and even going into prison forthwith. Was encircling [包圍] police headquarters a crime, when all is said and done [底係], or was it actually [a case of] us upholding justice, a necessary act in the fight for democracy? I believe that the people of Hong Kong have the answer to this question in their hearts already. We have no regrets for any of our acts we have carried out as part of our stand and will continue to persevere.

記者 Reporters：
林樂兒 Làhm4 Lohk6 Yìh4，鄧家琪 Dahng6 Gāa1 Kèih4 | 琪 kèih4 = a piece of jade; a jade-like precious stone

攝影 Camera：
楊凱力 Yèuhng4 Hói2 Lihk6

剪接 Film editing：
張偉江 Jēung1 Wáih5 Gōng1

Learning Cantonese: The Story of Gun Yam

November 24, 2020Chinaman Creek Leave a comment

In this “Story of Gun Yam”, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy, we are told of the fate of Princess Miu Sin who, in order to cure her father of some terrible disease, offered up her own eyes and hands as necessary ingredients of the only medicine that would make him better. It is an extraordinary story, but one constantly being re-enacted daily in our own times by ordinary men and women, many of them persecuted and unheralded.

This is a scripted video, so the Cantonese is fairly formal and, of course, much of the vocabulary is of a religious nature, but at the same time very usual in terms of heightened cultural understanding. As for the grammar, there is one use of 使到 sí2 dou3 to express causation [使到眾生得到解脫], perhaps in place of the usual colloquial 令到 lihng6 dou3, as well as the refreshingly idiomatic 無論邊個化身, meaning “regardless of which incarnation it happens to be”!

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.

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● 經典 gīng1 dín2 = 1. classics 2. scriptures | ● 苦難 fú2 naahn6 = suffering; misery; distress | ● 默唸 mahk6 nihm6 = to read (or say) silently | ● 尊名 jyūn1 mìhng4 = (?) venerable name | ● 菩薩 pòuh4 saat3 = Bodhisattva | ● 眾生 jung3 sāng1 = all living creatures | ● 解脫 gáai2 tyut3 = to free/extricate oneself

Note: The character 其 kèih4 is frequently used in formal written Chinese as a possessive pronoun meaning “her, his, its”, etc. Observe too that 觀 gūn1 means “to hear” in this context rather than “to see”, although sight is strongly suggested by the presence of 見 gin3 in the written form.

In the scriptures, it is mentioned that if any person finds themselves in distress, all they have to do is to say silently to themselves the venerable name of the Gun Sai Yam Bodhisattva [觀世音菩薩] and Gun Yam will hear that person’s [其] voice and enable any living creature [眾生] to gain liberation.

● 信仰 seun3 yéuhng5 = faith; belief; conviction | ● 植根於 jihk6 gān1 yū1 = (?) to establish its roots in| ● 尊稱 jyūn1 chīng1 = a respectful form of address; an honorific title | ● 慈航大士 chìh4 hòhng4 daaih6 sí6*2 = (?) Master of the Barge of Mercy| ● 修行 sāu1 hàhng4 = to practise Buddhism or Taoism | ● 證道成仙 jing3 douh6 sìhng4 sīn1 = (?) to witness the Tao and become an enlightened being | ● 仙真 sīn1 jān1 = an immortal; a Taoist god

Over hundreds and thousands of years [千百年嚟], faith in Gun Yam has sent its roots deep into [the lives of] ordinary Chinese people. Taoism uses the respectful term of address “Master of the Barge of Mercy” to refer to Gun Yam, an immortal [仙真] who, through religious practice [修行], witnessed the Tao and became an enlightened being able to save people from distress.

● 北闕國 Bāk1 Kyut3 Gwok3 = the name of some ancient country | ● 修道 sāu1 douh6 = to cultivate oneself according to a religious doctrine | ● 入藥 yahp6 yeuhk6 = to be used as medicine | ● 醫病 yī1 behng6 = to give medical treatment | 傷痛 sēung1 tung3 = to mourn; grief; pain | ● 衷心發願 chūng1 sam1 = heartfelt; wholehearted; cordial + 發願 faat3 yuhn6 = to vow to achieve an objective | ● 聖靈 sing3 lìhng4 = usually “the Holy Spirit”; the saintly spirits (of the dead) (Soothill) | ● 重生 chùhng4 sāang1 = a rebirth; to be reborn | ● 顯現 hín2 yihn6 = to manifest/reveal oneself; to appear; to show | ● 大悲daih6 bēi1 = (Buddhism) the great deliverance of Buddha from sufferings & afflictions; the great mercy | ● 法相 faat3 sēung1 = usually “(Buddhism) the aspects or characteristics of things”; in this context, perhaps “dharma appearance”

In the minds of ordinary people [民間人士] living in the Song dynasty, Gun Yam was the third daughter of King Miu Jong of the ancient kingdom [called] Bak Kyut, Princess Miu Sin. She had once spent time at Incense Mountain (or Gandhamādana), cultivating herself spiritually. She later achieved realization [證道成仙] and became Gun Yam. She gave her own two eyes and her hands to be used as medicine for the cure of the illness of her father, the king. When her father found out, he was deeply grieved and made a heartfelt wish, hoping that the saintly spirits could enable his daughter’s eyes and hands to be restored [重生]. Suddenly, Miu Sin vanished and there in the sky appeared the dharma appearance [法相] of the Bodhisattva of Great Mercy with a thousand arms and a thousand eyes.

● 記載 gei3 joi3 = 1. to put down in writing 2. a record; an account | ● 化身 faa3 sān1 = an incarnation; an embodiment | ● 聞聲 màhn4 sīng1 = (?) to hear [the call of] a voice | ● 形象 yìhng4 jeuhng6 = an image; a form; a figure | ● 善信 sihn6 seun3 = (?) the faithful; true believers| ● 禮拜 láih5 baai3 = to attend a religious service; perhaps also “to worship” | ● 祈求 kèih4 kàuh4 = to earnestly hope; to pray for | ● 心願 sām1 yuhn6 = a cherished desire; an aspiration; a wish | ● 慈悲心 chìh4 bēi1 sām1 = compassion | ● 行善業 hàhng4 sihn6 yihp6 = to perform good deeds | ● 庇佑 bei3 yauh6 = to bless; to prosper

According to written accounts, Gun Yam has various different incarnations, but whichever the incarnation, the image of her responding to calls for help has penetrated deeply into the life of the people, and not a few of the faithful turn to Gun Yam, both to worship her and to beseech her to grant them their wishes. However, while worshipping Gun Yam, we must try to learn the compassion she has for all living creatures, and to perform good deeds in our daily lives. Only then can we be blessed by Gun Yam.

Albert Wan, the Temperate Bookseller at Bleak House Books

November 18, 2020December 3, 2020Chinaman Creek Leave a comment

溫敬豪 Wān1 Ging3 Hòuh4 or Albert Wan is the founder of Bleak House Books. He truly is a Mr John Jarndyce of the book-world, housing not only a collection of second-hand books, many of them out of print, but providing a shelter for anyone curious in what old print might have to offer them. He says some heart-stirring things about his profession: “I started Bleak House Books,” he declares, “not to sell books but to serve the community” [我開清明堂其實唔係爲咗賣書 | 反而希望係 serve the community]. Such spirit in this world of money-driven entrepreneurs is a rare as it is refreshing.

You can enjoy this video even if you’re not interested in Cantonese: it has good English subtitles. However, if you are a committed learner, then items of vocabulary to make you own in this video include 殘舊 chàahn4 gauh6 = tattered; 斷版 tyuhn6 báan2 = (?) to be out of print; 抽到時間 chāu1 dou3 sìh4 gaan3 = to manage to find the time (to do sth.); 自我成長 jih6 ngóh5 sìhng4 jéung2 = personal growth; self-development; 深信 sām1 seun3 = to be deeply convinced; and 永恆價值 wíhng5 hàhng4 gaa3 jihk6 = (?) permanent/lasting value. And remember too that Albert’s surname 溫 Wān1 also means “1. warm; lukeward 2. to warm up 3. to review; to revise . . .”

As for grammar, please take note of 喺 . . . 當中 as a structure used for more abstract kinds of in-ness, as well as another interesting use of the aspect marker住 jyuh6, post-modifying expressions such as 呢個地方 (often used with proper nouns) and one instance of 即使 jīk1 sí2, a rather formal structural word meaning “even if”.

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. There are also many other videos of this quality produced by Kong Stories, so feel free to explore further. 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 cut and paste text into the relevant box.

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Preview:

過去一段時間，香港經歷好多風浪，甚至到今日都仲喺風浪當中 | 但係就喺困難當中，我更加認清香港係我屋企

● 風浪 fūng1 lohng6 = stormy waves; a storm| ● 認清 yihng6 chīng1 = (?) to clearly recognize; to clearly see

Note: 喺 . . . 當中 is often used for an abstract kind of in-ness, one that doesn’t really happen in physical space. Albert Wan uses it twice here: “in turmoil” [喺風浪當中] and “in difficulties” [喺困難當中]. Perhaps you could also say “in the midst of difficulty”.

Caption: 香港家書 / Hong Kong Family Letters

Note: I think a play on words is involved in the choice of caption. 家書 gāa1 syū1 means “a letter home”, referring to a letter that is written for family members only. A favourite book of mine, 《傅雷家書》, is a collection of letters written by the famous translator 傅雷 Fu Lei (in Cantonese, Fuh6 Lèuih4) to his son. However, since 書 syū1 is also the word for “book”, there is a sense too here of “a book home” or “personal books”.

● 殘舊 chàahn4 gauh6 = tattered; ragged; worn out | ● 盛載 sìhng4 joi3 = ? cf. 承載 sìhng4 joi3 = to bear the weight of | ● 斷版 tyuhn6 báan2 = (?) to be out of print | ● 急速 gāp1 chūk1 = very fast; at high speed; rapidly | ● 抽到時間 chāu1 dou3 sìh4 gaan3 = to manage to find/make the time (to do sth.)

Note: In an earlier post on Anthony Lau Yin-Kun and the Hong Kong newt, I discussed the aspect marker 住 jyuh6 in terms of a persistent after-effect initiated by a simple action of short duration. 盛載 / 承載means “to bear the weight of”, but the addition of 住 suggests the carrying of this weight over time. This links up with Albert Wan’s view that books carry a permanent or lasting value that needs to be preserved.

● 自我成長 jih6 ngóh5 sìhng4 jéung2 = personal growth (lit. “self-growth”); I have also come across 自我發展 in the sense of “developing according to your own wishes (rather than those of your parents)” | ● 爹哋 dē1 dih6 = daddy | ● 情意結 chìhng4 yi3 git3 = “special feelings” (subtitles) cf. 情結 = (psychological) complex |● 融入 yùhng4 yahp6 = to blend in; to fuse with; to be in harmony with

Note: Post-modifying expressions such as 呢個地方 in the noun-phrase香港呢個地方are very common in Cantonese. I don’t understand this usage very well, but one function may be to add clarification to proper nouns. The second example especially 新蒲崗呢個社區 helps make it quite clear to the listener that 新蒲崗 is a place-name, potentially unfamiliar to some listeners.

有人覺得做二手書店係夕陽行業 | 我深信實體書係有一種永恆價值 | 希望清明堂能夠建立一個 cultural value（文化價值）| 即使你唔鍾意睇書，都可以上嚟逛吓，我哋隨時都歡迎你 | 我叫溫敬豪，七百萬嘅故仔成就一個香 . . . 港故仔

● 夕陽行業 jihk6 yèuhng4 hòhng4 yihp6 = a sunset industry | ● 深信 sām1 seun3 = to be deeply convinced; to firmly believe cf. 相信 sēung1 seun3 = to believe | ● 實體書 saht6 tái2 syū1 = “physical books” (subtitles); in other words, “books as physical objects” | ● 永恆價值 wíhng5 hàhng4 gaa3 jihk6 = (?) permanent/lasting value | ● 逛 kwaang3 = usually “to stroll; to ramble”; here, perhaps “to come & have a look around” | ● 成就 sìhng4 jauh6 = an achievement; to achieve

Note: 即使 jihk6 sí2 is possibly a rather formal word with the meaning of “even if”, equivalent to the more colloquial 就算 jauh6 syun3. Observe how, like 就算, it is followed by 都 dōu1 in the main clause.

Here, Especially, the Unassuming Loner Inches Inches Closer to a Particle of Half-truth

November 17, 2020November 17, 2020Chinaman Creek Leave a comment

In each or any fraction of this work, there is no actual measurable sign of success.

Simply one wishes into the dark for yet another word, and tries to climb by personal pencil possibly higher than the known world’s stockpile of lead.

Eyes stare stars into space . . .

Minutes minute and hours hour almost identically . . .

Flesh and bone become ever so gently enemies of a hardwoodenchair.

Somehow sometimes pitch black ringing in the candle is turned utterly inside out, and wins for the language just a moment of freshness a century, or two, from today.

But is it really always the case that for we human beings “time alone will tell”?

Yes, absolutely ⸺ all our time alone.

Photograph: 香港龍躍頭麻笏圍附近 Somewhere near Ma Wat Wai, Lung Yeuk Tau, Hong Kong

The Good News about Hong Kong Newts

November 13, 2020November 13, 2020Chinaman Creek Leave a comment

Here is another fascinating video on the Hong Kong (warty) newt or 香港瘰螈 Hēung1 Góng2 ló2 yùhn4, put together by RTHK. (Please remember that the correct measure word or classifier for this noun is 條 tìuh4 or 隻 jek3!) In it, 劉彥芹 Anthony Làuh4 Yihn6 Kàhn4, now a professor at Lingnan University, talks about his research into the newts and provides some good news about their current flourishing.

On the whole, Lau is a clear speaker and, despite the occasional 噉 gám2 at the beginning of sentences, there is very little else in the way of fillers or sentence particles.

Of course, much of the vocabulary involves the natural world and environmental protection: listen out for 蠑螈 wìhng4 yùhn4 = salamander; 幼體 yau3 tái2 = larva; 蝌蚪 fō1 dáu2 = tadpole; 遷徙 chīn1 sáai2 = to move; to migrate; 溪澗 kāi1 gaan3 = mountain stream; 無線電嘅追蹤器 mòuh4 sin3 dihn6 ge3 jēui1 jūng1 hei3 = radio tracking device; and 棲息地 chāi1 sīk1 deih6 = habitat. The pièce de résistance for me is the expression 碩果僅存 sehk6 gwo2 gan2 chyuhn4, which means a “rare survival” in the ecological context. The Far East Chinese-English Dictionary offers these following alternative translations: “the only remaining of the great (sic)” or “the only one of its kind to have survived”.

Other must-learn items include 得出結果 dāk1 chēut1 git3 gwó2 = to obtain a result; 匿埋 nēi màaih = to hide; 頑强 wàhn4 kèuhng4 = tenacious; and 九成九 gáu2 sìhng4 gáu2 = 99 percent.

On the grammar front, this video provides a timely opportunity to review the main uses of 啲 dī1. These include:

1. A plural marker for countable nouns: 將啲樹斬嗮

Interestingly, nouns considered to be uncountable or abstract in English can also take 啲 dī1 in Cantonese: 之前就有啲研究就發現咗 = previously, research [which probably implies “various items of research”] had discovered that

2. As a comparative marker with adjectives: 嗰啲生存率、存活率係高啲嘅 = the rates are higher

3. Used to form the common demonstrative adjectives and pronouns these, those, some [一啲] etc.: 嗰啲族群 = those groups; 當地嘅一啲有尾目; 放一啲無線電嘅追蹤器; 嗰啲澗入 = those mountain streams; 嗰啲BB仔 = those baby (newts); 嗰啲樹林 = those forests

As it happens, there is no use of 呢啲 = “these” in this video.

I have included some discussion about the aspect markers 返 fāan1 and 住 jyuh6 with the relevant passages. Another small but important point is the use of the verb “to come” 嚟 làih4/lèih with time expressions. For example, the reporter uses 多年嚟 = for many years. Basically, 嚟 here creates a time expression that is open (on-going up to the time of speaking) and of some duration (that is, not a point in time).

You will also come across various helpful structures, such as: 除咗 . . . 之外 = in addition to; 除非 = unless; and 嗮 = all; complete, e.g. 以前嗰啲樹林差唔多斬嗮嘅時候呢 = previously, when those forests had all but been chopped down

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.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Series Title: 生態人 / People of the Ecology

Caption: 尋找香港瘰螈的足跡 / In Search of the Footprints of the Hong Kong Newt

劉彥芹：我叫劉彥芹呀 | 噉我喺 ah 浸會大學生物系嘅一個講師呢 | 我本身係一個生態學家 | 主要研究就係 eh 兩棲同埋爬蟲類 | 分別對佢嘅保育同埋生態比較有興趣

● 劉彥芹 Làuh4 Yihn6 Kàhn4 = Anthony Lau Yin-Kun | ● 兩棲 léuhng5 chāi1 = amphibian | ● 爬蟲類 pàah4 chùhng4 leuih6 = reptile

Lau Yin-Kun: My name is [Anthony] Lau Yin-Kun | I am a lecturer in the biology department of Hong Kong Baptist University

● 族群 juhk6 kwàhn4 = (?) group | ● 真菌病 jān1 kwán2 behng6 = (?) fungal infection | ● 引入 yáhn5 yahp6 = to introduce from elsewhere | ● 有尾目 yáuh5 méih5 muhk6 = caudate | ● 野生 yéh5 sāng1 = wild | ● 蠑螈 wìhng4 yùhn4 = salamander | ● 普及 póu2 kahp6 = to spread

Note: Sometimes, the idea of “from” can sometimes be expressed in Cantonese by 喺 hái2 rather than the usual 由 yàuh4, hence the phrase就喺世界其他地方被引入 = were introduced from other parts of the world.

Lau Yin-Kun: An important project is to try to find out a bit more [想研究吓] about that cohort [(?) 族群] of Hong Kong newts, and to see whether [究竟有冇] they have been affected by fungal diseases or not. After fungal diseases were introduced from other parts of the world, they have been very damaging to the caudates of this part of the world. Previously, research had discovered that the cohort of [newts] in Shenzhen had contracted this kind of disease, but did not seem to have been affected by it. So, what we would like to know is how widely spread [究竟有幾普及] this disease is among [Hong Kong] newts born in the wild, and why they have not been affected by it. The results we obtain could be of help to caudates in other places affected by this disease.

Lau Yin-Kun: [We] take a sample back to the laboratory, and then we do a genetic test [基因嘅測試] to see approximately how many Hong Kong newts in each cohort [族群] are carrying this disease or not carrying it. In addition, [we’d] like to find out a bit more about whether weather factors and the temperature of the waters has any effect on the degree to which that disease spreads.

同事: 重量 10.5 gram

Colleague: Weight, 10.5 grams

記者：劉彥芹 Anthony 係香港瘰螈嘅專家 | 除咗呢個關於真菌嘅研究之外 | 佢亦都進行緊另一個香港瘰螈幼體嘅研究

● 幼體 yau3 tái2 = larva; the young cf. 成體 sìhng4 tái2 = adult (newt)

Reporter: Lau Yin-Kun (Anthony, in English) is an expert on the Hong Kong newt. Apart from this research on fungal diseases, he is also doing research on the larvae [幼體] of the Hong Kong newt.

● 蝌蚪 fō1 dáu2 = tadpole | ● 外鰓 ngoih6 sōi1 = external gills |● 匿埋 nēi màaih = to hide| ● 偶然 [ng]auh6 yìhn4 = accidental; fortuitous; chance | ● 同類 tùhng4 leuih6 = one’s own kind; of the same species | ● 進化 jeun3 faa3 = evolution | 中成體 jūng1 sìhng4 tái2 is not listed in my dictionaries, but it does appear on the internet with the sense of an intermediate stage in the life-cycle, midway [中] between larva and adult.

Note: I have noticed that when 佢 is used to refer to non-human subjects, speakers tend to switch between plural 佢哋 and singular 佢 without much regard for consistency.

Lau Yin-Kun: The larvae of the Hong Kong and the adult form [成體] look different. They are like a tadpole, but a tadpole with arms and legs as well as having external gills. Why did I get interested in this in the beginning? The reason is, I spent a lot of time [成日] catching newts [蠑螈] in mountain streams, and I might see a lot of them, but I wouldn’t see many babies. I wondered [我就覺得] whether the babies all hid themselves away. However, previously, I made the chance discovery [偶然發現] that baby newts tended to eat one another when reared in the laboratory. And so, I wanted to find out a bit more about whether they only ate one another because they didn’t have anything [else] to eat or because in fact it was fundamentally an important function in their evolution. That is, without this, the majority of them would not turn into adult [newts].

● 生活習性 sāng1 wuht6 jaahp6 sing3 = (life) habits & characteristics | ● 遷徙 chīn1 sáai2 = to move; to migrate; to change one’s residence | ● 季節性 gwai3 jit3 sing3 = seasonal | ● 廣泛 gwóng2 faahn6 = extensive; wide-ranging; widespread | ● 九成九 gáu2 sìhng4 gáu2 = 99 percent | ● 溪澗 kāi1 gaan3 = mountain stream | ● 頑强 wàhn4 kèuhng4 = indomitable; staunch; tenacious | ● 斬 jáam = to cut (for firewood) | ● 碩果僅存 sehk6 gwo2 gan2 chyuhn4 = rare survival | ● 數量 sou3 leuhng6 = quantity; amount

Note: Firstly, the aspect marker 返 fāan1 is used a few times here in ways that seem a bit tautological. In the first instance, it is added to the verb 返, which already means “to go back”, in the phrase 嗰啲樹林開始返返嚟喇, where it reinforces the idea of the “regeneration” of the forests. 返 is also used in 再上升返 = “are rising again”, where 再 also gives the meaning of “again”. There is also the case of 計返佢嗰個平均距離 = “calculating the average distance for a newt”, which appears in the final paragraph. Literally, this means “to calculate back” and perhaps has the sense of working through the numbers to get back to an average distance. It is a reminder that 返 fāan1 may sometimes have rather idiomatic meanings. Secondly, 特登 dahk6 dāng1 is a common Cantonese colloquialism that means “purposely; on purpose; deliberately; intentionally; specially; especially”.

Lau Yin-Kun: The Hong Kong newt is a creature named after Hong Kong [以香港命名嘅] and it is Hong Kong’s only type of caudate. I think that it is extremely special. Furthermore, its life habits and characteristics are, I feel, quite interesting. Now your average person [一般人] thinks, [when it comes to] animals that move around, of birds, but in fact newts are also animals that move about. They move according to the season [季節性]. This I feel is something extremely special. Their distribution is, in actual fact, extremely extensive, but 99 percent of Hong Kong people have no idea what a Hong Kong newt is [都唔知咩叫香港蠑螈]. One reason for this is that [people] seldom see them unless [they] make a special [特登] trip to look for [one of] their mountain stream[s]. Because it has “Hong Kong” in its name, it is also a very tenacious creature. Previously, when those forests had all but [差唔多] been chopped down, they managed to be [可以] a rare survival. Now these forests are beginning to come back and along with this its numbers are rising again. I think that this is a pretty good example.

記者：Anthony 口中「比較好嘅例子」 | 係指喺香港多年嚟嘅保育工作中 | 香港瘰螈係難得有比較好消息嘅動物

Reporter: What Anthony calls “a pretty good example” refers to [the fact that], in the work done over many years to protect Hong Kong’s environment, the Hong Kong newt is one creature for which there has been that rare thing: quite good news.

● 森林 sām1 làhm4 = forest | ● 恢復度 fūi1 fuhk6 douh6 = (?) degree of recovery/restoration/regeneration | ● 完好 yùhn4 hóu2 = intact; whole; in good condition | ● 生存率 saang1 chyùhn4 léut6*2 = (?) the number of individuals in existence | ● 存活率 chyùhn4 wuht6 léut6*2 = survival rate | ● 緊密 gán2 maht6 = usu. “close together”; perhaps “dense” in this context

Note: I am not sure whether the terms 生存率 and 存活率 refer to different things, or both mean “survival rate”. Observe, too, how “thirty” is expressed by 三 sāam1 alone in the phrase 差唔多高升二十至三嘅 percent; the context is enough to make it clear!

Lau Yin-Kun: Roughly over the course of my seven years, the two cohorts that I have been studying have, roughly, increased by approximately fifty to eighty percent. [This] ought to be connected with the degree of recovery in the forests. We discovered that the numbers and the survival rate of Hong Kong newts is higher in places where the forests are relatively intact or are mature by 20 to 30 percent in comparison to those places where the forests are not dense.

記者：香港瘰螈雖然有半年繁殖期 | 不過每條瘰螈大概只會留喺水入便 | 一個至個半月 | 噉其他時間會去咗邊呢？

● 繁殖期 faahn6 jihk6 kèih4 = breeding period/season | ● 一個至個半月 yāt1 go3 ji3 bun3 yuht6 = one to one and a half months

Reporter: Although the Hong Kong newt has a breeding season of six months [半年], each newt only stays in the water for one to one and a half months. Where does it go for the rest of the time [其他時間]?

● 無線電嘅追蹤器 mòuh4 sin3 dihn6 ge3 jēui1 jūng1 hei3 = radio tracking device cf. 追蹤 = to follow the trail of; to track; to trace | ● 物動 maht6 júng2 = a species | ● 棲息地 chāi1 sīk1 deih6 = habitat | ● 人爲因素 yàhn4 wàih4 yān1 sou3 = man-made factors; human factors

Note: 代表住 presents a less obvious use of the aspect marker 住 jyuh6. Its basic meaning seems to be one of insistence or persistence of an effect after an initial act. I remember reading somewhere (unfortunately I don’t remember where) that its basic function can be seen in the case of the verb 掛 gwaa3 = to hang. In a simple act of short duration, a picture is hung on the wall, but as a result of this action, it continues to 掛住 “hang” on the wall. The basic meaning of 代表 doih6 biu2 is “to represent”. Perhaps the sense of it is that, once the chart is drawn up, its meaning persists as an enduring after-effect. Earlier in the video, Lau Yin-Kun uses the aspect marker 住 jyuh6 in the phrase 拎住 sample 返去實驗室嗰度. The verb 拎 ning1/ling1 = carry or hold with a hand; lift up. When 住 jyuh6 is added, the effect of the action is extended: from the initial “seizing”, there comes a “holding” or “carrying”. Maybe for this reason 住 jyuh6 also seems to imply in some situations a taking “hold” or getting a firm “grip” on something.

Here are some other examples I came across recently in a clip about the Pak Tai Temple on Cheung Chau:

● 哦，噉所以佢哋呢，就踩住蛇同龜 | 噉就係代表住「邪不能勝正」| 踩住 = to step or tread on; 代表住 = to represent
● 彩擋係做咩呢？ | 啫，擋住呢污穢嘅嘢啦 | 擋住 = to obstruct or ward off; here again, the initial positioning of the 彩擋 or “coloured screen” in the temple has a persistent after-effect
● 大家 / / 見到一個老人家呢，就揸住水桶 | 揸住水桶 = to hold/carry a bucket of water
● 就將自己身上嘅佩劍呢，/ / 掟咗落海 / / 鎮壓住啲風浪喎 | 鎮壓住 = to suppress (the wind and the waves). In English, the sense of a persistent after-effect is built into the basic meaning of the verb.

Lau Yin-Kun: Previously, [we] placed radio tracking devices in the newts and tracked [UNCLEAR] their movements every day. This chart actually represents what we found [about] the newts’ distance away from water at that time. [We] found that 117 [UNCLEAR] . . . Calculating the average distance for a newt, 95 percent of them were within approximately 120 metres of a mountain stream. So, for example if you wish to protect the habitat of this species, you must [ensure] that there are no effects from human factors [人爲因素影響] or clearing of trees [將啲樹斬嗮] in this zone bordering the mountain stream.

● Another interesting video on this subject from HK Apple Daily can be viewed here with a rough transcription and English translation:
《引水道困死香港瘰螈　水務署仲未知點算？》

“Mother Cat” by 張婉雯 Cheung Yuen Man, translated by Audrey Heijns

November 4, 2020Chinaman Creek Leave a comment

Pregnant cats always remind me of Aunt Ng.

When we were still getting to know each other, I found it hard to know how to talk to her. Her voice is very loud, and if she shouts from one end of the street, you can hear what she says at the other end. When the people she hangs round with start discussing political issues, she is liable to suddenly go off on a tangent and start talking about a cat on Yau Ma Tei Street or dog kennels in the northern New Territories, about cats and dogs that were fortunate and those who were unlucky, about volunteers who were poor and others who were very wealthy, long and short stories, one after another. But issues such as policies, rights, pressure groups, social activities… these she knows next to nothing about.

Yet once in a while she calls me to have a chat—no not a chat: in her case she would talk “official business” when she spoke of her days looking after cats and dogs out on the street day after day, about feeding them and taking them to the vet. Sometimes in a single night she would catch seven or eight cats from the neighbourhood and call a van the driver of which she knew and she would pay for transport herself. She would take them to the SPCA to be neutered and then return them to where they came from. That was Aunt Ng’s main job for many years, but besides that she had another profession—she was a casual cleaner.

Just like all affairs of the world, along the way there are bound to be obstacles. Aunt Ng said to me:

“Last night when I caught a street cat, a couple of Nepalese asked: ‘Why are you catching those cats? Are you doing something against the law?’ I told them I was taking them to the vet to get neutered. They said ‘Oh,’ and walked away. But there were some local people instead who made some sarcastic comments. For crying out loud!”

That is why I say that she and I live in two different worlds. While I sit at home sipping hot tea in front of my computer writing essays criticizing the policies of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, Aunt Ng is outside on the cold street, hoping to bump into a cat. One winter in the middle of the night, some of the night stores on main street were still open. There was one that had a steaming hotpot on the table where guests were playing the drinking game Chai Mui, they were shouting numbers and drinking. In the dim kerosene lamplight at dawn Aunt Ng transformed into a dark figure at the entrance of the lane. With a cigarette in the corner of her mouth, arms crossed, eyes narrowed, line of vision sneaking off far into the deep lightless alley. The dark figure flew past with a swish, then the cage snapped shut with a click. A sad and shrill cry of a cat was heard. The spark in the dark night that flew mid-air was Aunt Ng’s cigarette stub tossed accurately in the bin nearby. Unhurriedly she walked over, crouched down, tapped the top of the cage with her fingers and laughed saying:

“Dear cat, be good now. You’ll be back in two days.”

That scene is based on my imagination after watching too many martial art movies. In the way I imagined it, there is none of the actual fatigue and frustration. That night, between 12 midnight and four, Aunt Ng caught six cats. Whereas I as the writer, who is good at making things up but hopeless when it comes to taking any real action, was already sleeping like a log.

But Aunt Ng isn’t bothered by that. She only wants to have someone to listen to her. Many of her stories she told me either over the phone or in text messages—she has no idea about the internet. As a result she also doesn’t have any web-friends. She only has real life friends, volunteers, people who listen to her troubles, and in turn she listens to theirs. Everyone feels a bit better after that and returns to the street to continue being busy feeding cats, trapping cats, neutering cats and returning them again … after the torment, cats and humans live on and occasionally bump into some luck and kindness after the fatigue and disappointment. There was a man who would walk his dog every night and he would help Aunt Ng throw dry cat food on top of a high eaves, so that the cats could eat their fill straight away. “He is tall and I am short so when he turns up I don’t need to go looking around for help.”

The other day Aunt Ng received another call for help. “There’s an old lady who keeps a dozen cats. Five of them had feline ringworm (a common type of skin disease) and she didn’t have money to cure them. She said she wanted to commit suicide with the cats in her arms. I said, ‘Don’t even think about it. Ringworm is easy to fix,’ so I went to the pharmacy to buy some ointment, I showed her how to apply it and later all the cats got better. I even had to call her every day just so that she could get a few things off her chest.” I said: “So, Aunt Ng, you care for human beings as well as animals.” It seems that she expected that remark for she chuckled, “Sometimes when you care for cats, you also have to care for their owners.”

Later I finally understood why Aunt Ng would make such a statement: one afternoon many years ago, when she was on her way home, she saw a pregnant mother cat on the side of the road. Only her belly was big—the rest was a bag of bones. Her eyes were closed up because of infection. She was curled up in a ball and shivering in the flowers. When Aunt Ng saw her, it reminded her of something that happened to her many years ago: pregnant, single, no one to take care of her, no money. So then she went out and started to feed stray cats.

That day I arranged to see Aunt Ng, having bought some extra cat medicine and food for her. When I saw her cross the street, she was limping with her left foot, so I asked about her health, and she said that she suffered from joint strain, as a result of all those years lugging the vacuum cleaner back and forth. And staying up late to roam the streets at night to catch cats. I handed over the goods, and she thanked me. Then she told me that she had got three fines from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department—each of them for $1,000. I know it’s not the first time and it won’t be the last. Nor is she the only volunteer who gets them. Later I saw her limping into a vet clinic. I know the clinic is kind. It gives 30% discount on the treatment of stray cats. I saw Aunt Ng pull out of her pocket a wad of $500 bills held together with a rubber band.

Officials once proclaimed: “The Trap-Neuter-Return Plan is not ideal.” I wonder what their interpretation of “ideal” is. But I think the view of those honourable senior officials must be very different from that of Aunt Ng’s. Sometimes I run across a mother cat in the street. While next to her a few kids get carried away playing a game, the mother cat looks around carefully and makes sure she protects her kittens. Her demands are voiceless. Yet her dignity is innate. Yes, I see Aunt Ng in every mother cat.

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● 母貓 / 張婉雯

大肚貓總是讓我想起吳姑娘。

初相識的時候，我不太懂得與吳姑娘相處。她說話嗓門很大，街頭喊一句，街尾也聽見；大伙兒在談論政策問題，她會忽然岔開，由油麻地街貓說到新界北狗場，一頭又一頭幸或不幸的貓狗，一個又一個貧或富裕的義工，一個又一個短或長篇的故事。政策、權益、壓力團體、社會運動……這些玩意兒她不懂。

然而，吳姑娘間中還是會打電話來跟我閒聊——我也說錯了，對吳姑娘來說，她都是在談「正事」，也就是指她日復一日地照顧街上的貓們狗們，餵食，看病，一個晚上捉七、八隻貓街坊，然後召相熟的客貨車，自付車資，送到愛護動物協會做絕育手術，然後又把送回原居地。這是吳姑娘多年來的日常工作，她在正職以外的專業——吳姑娘的正職是鐘點女傭。

如同所有世事一樣，過程總有阻礙。這一天，吳姑娘對我說：

「昨天晚上捉街貓，有幾個尼泊爾人過來問我：『你捉貓作什麼？是不是作非法用途？』我跟他們說是捉貓去絕育，他們『哦』了一聲，就走開了。反而是幾個本地人，對我冷言冷語，哼。」

所以我說，我和吳姑娘是兩個世界的人。當我坐在家中，喝著熱茶，對著電腦寫文章批評漁護署政策時，吳姑娘正在寒冷的街上守株待貓。冬天半夜，大街上尚有幾檔夜店，桌面上冒著火鍋的煙，交織著猜枚聲與么喝聲。昏黃的大光燈後，吳姑娘，化身成巷口的一個黑影中，嘴角叼著一支煙，雙手交叉胸前，眯著眼睛，視線遠遠地溜向無光的深巷。一個黑影『啾』聲飛過，『卡嚓』一聲，籠門關上，傳來貓的淒厲叫聲。一點火星在黑夜的半空中拋出半圓的弧度，是吳姑娘把煙頭準確地丟進不遠處垃圾桶中。她慢條斯理地走過去，蹲下來，手指叩一叩籠頂，笑著說：

「貓呀貓，乖一點哦，過兩天便可以回來了。」

以上只是出於看武俠片太多的想像。想像中沒有現實的疲累與挫折。那個晚上，半夜十二時到凌晨四時，吳姑娘捉到六隻貓們。而我，一個善於想像而拙於行動的寫作人，早已沉睡夢中去了。

可是吳姑娘不計較這些。她只想找一個能聽她說話的人。許許多多的故事，都是吳姑娘在電話中，或是用短訊告訴我的——她不懂上網。吳姑娘自然也沒有「網友」，她只有現實世界中的朋友、義工，聽她吐苦水的，吐苦水給她聽，然後大家吸一口氣，又繼續往街上跑，餵貓、捉貓、放貓……苦惱過後，貓和人都得繼續活下去的，在疲乏與失望之後偶爾碰上幸運和善意。有一個男人，每晚遛狗的時候，會替吳姑娘把貓餅拋上某處高高的簷篷，讓那兒的貓早點得溫飽。「他長得高，我長得矮，他來了，我就不用四處求人。」

這天，吳姑娘又接到個案：「有一個婆婆，養了十多隻貓，其中有五隻患了金錢癬（一種很普遍的皮膚病），沒錢醫，說想抱著貓兒一同尋死，我說千萬不要呀，金錢癬容易辦呢，於是便往藥房買藥膏，教婆婆如何照料貓，後來貓就痊癒了。我還得天天打電話去，聽婆婆哭訴呢。」我說：「吳姑娘，原來你待動物好，對人也不差。」吳姑娘像是料到我會有此一說，「嘿嘿」地笑了兩聲：「有時關心動物，也得關心牠們的主人呀。」

後來，我終於知道吳姑娘何出此言：很多年前的一個下午，她在回家的路上，看見街邊一頭懷孕的母貓。除了肚子大，母貓整個身體都是一副骨頭，眼睛因為染病而瞇著，瑟縮在花團中。吳姑娘看見牠，就想起多年前的往事：大著肚子，單親，沒人照應，沒錢。於是，吳姑娘開始跑到街上餵貓。

這天，我約了吳姑娘碰面，幫補她一點貓用藥物與食物。我看著她從對面馬路過來，左腳一拐一拐，便問候她的近況，她說是關節勞損——長年累月拖著吸塵機走來走去，晚上還得捱夜捉貓。我把東西交給她，她謝過了，又告訴我最近收到漁護署的傳票——三張，每張一千元。我知道那不是第一次也不會是最後一次，而她也不是唯一有此遭遇的義工。之後，我看著她蹣跚地走進一間獸醫診所。我知道那間診所很好，七折服務流浪動物。而我看見吳姑娘從口袋裏拿出來的，是用橡筋圈捆成一疊的五百元紙幣。

官員曾說過：「流浪動物絕育放回計劃未如理想。」我不太清楚他們口中的「理想」是甚麼。但我想，尊貴的高官，和吳姑娘心目中的「理想」，應該大不同了。有時，我在街上碰見母貓。三兩個孩子在她身旁忘形地嬉戲，母貓卻環視四方，留意周圍的一切，盡她的所有能力去保護幼兒。她的要求是無聲的。她的尊嚴是天賦的。是的，在母貓身上，我看見一個又一個的吳姑娘。

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● Cheung Yuen Man likes writing and is concerned with animals. She won the 25th United Daily News Award for fiction debut (short story) in 2011. Her publications include You Are Here 《你在》 (2020), Those were the Cats 《那些貓們》 (2019), Daily of Dust《微塵記》 (2017), Sweeties 《甜蜜蜜》 (2004), and The Pole《極點》 (with Mok Wing Hung). In 2019, Cheung won the Recommendation Award in the Hong Kong Biennial Awards for Chinese Literature, the Hong Kong Bookprize and the Hong Kong Publishing Biennial Award for Daily of Dust.

● Audrey Heijns, based in Hong Kong, is working at Shenzhen University. Her translations of Chinese literature have been published in literary magazines, including Het Trage Vuur, Twee Ronde, KortVerhaal, Terras, Renditions, Exchanges and Poetry International.

We Look the Other Way

October 26, 2020Chinaman Creek Leave a comment

Things admitted to weather beauty without glare.
The red rust of old house-roofs
rests sorely animate eyes.
Posts unpainted by the elements
refine texture in the same way as driftwood —
sight is nothing but soothed
by childhood’s grain-patterning in timber.
Lichen is the flower born to no notice:
its muted green coral
maps bare stone oceans of rock.
What is inconspicuous
invites us indefinitely to look the other way —
less in easy love with glamour,

(introvertly).

Photograph: Evette Kwok (2020)

Learning Cantonese: Ah Long’s Passionfruit-flavoured Beer

October 12, 2020October 13, 2020Chinaman Creek Leave a comment

I think it’s great when young people find something to get really passionate about and are given the opportunity to develop their skills. In this video put together by HK01 reporters 黃詠榆 Wòhng4 Wihng6 Yùh4 and 曾藹豪 Jāng1 Ói2 Hòuh4, recent school-leaver 阿朗 Aa3 Lóhng5 is given the chance to do a few months’ work experience at the local craft-beer brewery Hong Kong Whistle at the end which he gets to brew his own product, a passionfruit-flavoured India Pale Ale.

Apart from quite a bit of elementary beer-brewing vocabulary, this clip also introduces a few colourful idioms such as 由零開始 yàuh4 lìhng4 hōi1 chí2 = start from scratch, and includes a few instances of 浄係 jihng6 haih6 = only; merely.

Incidentally, on the Hong Kong Whistle website, the following explanation is given for the brewery name:

「吹啤啤」表達一種港式幽默，有好飲到「一飲而盡」，又有需要飲返枝啤酒爽一爽的意思。如果你向外國人翻譯「吹啤啤」，你會發現並不容易。廣東話的精鍊，就好像手工啤。只能體驗，難以言傳。

Roughly, this translates as follows: “What the term cheui pe pe expresses is a kind of Hong Kong-style humour: it can mean that something is so good to drink that you drink it all down in one go, but at the same time it also has the sense of needing to drink a bottle of beer to give yourself a lift. If you translate cheui pe pe for a foreigner, you’ll discover it’s not so easy to do. The refinement of Cantonese is like craft beer. While you can experience it, it is almost to convey in words.”

You can view the video 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.

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阿朗：噉呃你見到我身後邊呢一個呢就係糖，一個糖化爐啦 | 噉糖化係乜嘢呢？ | 就係一個，呃，用嚟釀，一個釀酒呃第一步嘅過程啦

● 糖化爐 tòhng4 faa3 lòuh4 = (?) saccharification oven | ● 釀酒 yeuhng6 jáu2 = to make wine; to brew beer

Ah Long: Do you see [the thing] behind me? It is a sugar . . . a saccharification oven. What is saccharification? It is the first step in the process of brewing beer.

● 釀造 yeuhng6 jouh6 = to make (wine, vinegar, etc.); to brew (beer, etc.) | ● 有研究 yáuh5 yìhn4 gau3 = The noun 研究 is usually “research”, but perhaps this expression means something more like “to be knowledgeable about” or “to have done one’s homework” | ● 產業 cháan2 yihp6 = industry

Note: The expression 之餘 is added at the end of noun phrases to give the meaning of “after; beyond”, although often it seems to me that the sense is pretty close to the English “apart from” or “in addition to”.

Reporter: The reason why Ah Long is so knowledgeable about brewing beer is that he took part in a work-experience program for the promotion of local industries [一個推廣本土產業嘅實習計劃]. After completing his Diploma of Secondary Education, he came to this brewery for Hong Kong craft beer to get some hands-on work experience [做實習]. Apart from learning [about brewing beer], he also had the opportunity to brew a craft beer with a flavour all of its own [屬於自己味道嘅].

● 由零開始 yàuh4 lìhng4 hōi1 chí2 = start from scratch; begin from the very beginning | ● 枝 jī1 = a bottle cf. 樽 jēun1, used below | ● 行程 hàhng4 chìhng4 = schedule | ● 緊凑 gán2 chau3 = compact; terse; well-knit; busy (as in “a busy/tight work schedule”) | ● 熱帶 yiht6 daai3 = the tropics; tropical | ● 夾 gaap3 = a perfect match; well-matched; compatible | ● 襯返 chan3 fāan1 = (?) to match; to suit | ● 改良 gói2 lèuhng4 = to improve; to ameliorate | ● 入樽 yahp6 jēun1 = to be bottled (lit. “enter bottle”)

Note: Firstly, IPA = India Pale Ale, “a hoppy beer style within the broader category of pale ale”. Secondly, 襯返 uses the aspect marker 返 fāan1 to suggest a matching back onto something and shows the versatility of this marker in Cantonese. Thirdly, observe the two uses of 浄係 jihng6 haih6 to delimit the scope of something: 我嗰隻啤酒唔係浄係，呃， IPA 咁簡單喎 = That bottle of beer of mine is not merely a simple India Pale Ale; 我淨係釀咗一次啤酒啫 = I only had one go at brewing. The second example also adds the final particle 啫 jē1, which also conveys the meaning of “merely, only, that’s all”. Fourthly, I am not sure why Ah Long says 前上個禮拜, starting with 前. 上個禮拜 means “last week”, and as far as I know 兩個禮拜前 is generally used for “the week before last; two weeks ago”.

Ah Long: Me, I didn’t know anything about it, [beer brewing]. I wanted to start from scratch, go directly to the brewery and learn how to make a bottle of beer step by step. I brewed this bottle of beer in my last week in the work-experience period. Ah David [阿 David] let me do it because, ordinarily, the work schedule is very tight and there was no time for me [to do any brewing]. That bottle of beer of mine is not merely a simple India Pale Ale. Tropical fruits are a perfect match with India Pale Ale. And so I tried to use this fruit to match an India Pale Ale. I only had one go at brewing. I brewed [this beer] for 14 days. In the days to come [嚟緊], I will continue to improve this beer. It was only bottled last week. So for this reason I haven’t had time to take a bottle of it home, but I will certainly do so, to let my friends and family try it.

● 期待 kèih4 doih6 = to expect; to wait; to look forward to | ● 酒廠 jáu2 chóng2 = brewery; winery; distillery | ● 尋找 chàhm4 jáau2 = to seek; to look for; here, the meaning seems figurative, like the English “to find a way”

David Leung (the founder of Hong Kong Whistle): As a matter of fact, in the end I wanted to give him [a chance] to brew his own effort [作品], because I thought that even though it was a Summer’s work experience, two months or three months, I still hoped that the things he had learnt and the things he had done would become something of his own [係屬於佢自己嘅], something completely his. It wasn’t [just a matter of]: I’m just here to help other people do their work. I’m only part-time. I hoped [he] wouldn’t think of it like that. Previously, there have been other work-mates who have come up with products [做過一啲產品]. Yes, and then later I’ve promoted them on the market, too. And so what I wish for is that Ah Long will make further attempts and that I will promote his products on the market. There are more than 20 breweries in Hong Kong and of course I encourage more industries in Hong Kong to make [things], yes I do as a matter of fact. It doesn’t have to be brewing beer: if it is food made in Hong Kong, or other [kinds of] cakes, or mooncakes, then my feeling is that Hongkongers should continue to look for a way.

Reporters: 黃詠榆 Wòhng4 Wihng6 Yùh4 | 榆 = elm tree，曾藹豪 Jāng1 Ói2 Hòuh4 | 藹 = 1. friendly; affable; amiable 2. exuberant; lush; luxuriant
Camerawork: 洪業銘 Hùhng4 Yihp6 Míhng5 (or Mìhng4)
Editing: 曾雁翔 Jāng1 Ngaahn6 Chèuhng4

● You can watch another 3-minute video about David Leung and Hong Kong Whistle here with subtitles in Standard Written Chinese.

Get Real, Sister

October 9, 2020Chinaman Creek Leave a comment

― Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her. (Hosea, Chapter 2)

I call it THE DESERT where everything, everything flowers
but me. Sand
in that landscape largely absents itself,
not a dune to be seen: I am the sand
crawling expressly against the grain
like a strong, many-crippled river
of dust. Rain
showers down complacently from the sky
to ensure all humanly
physical thirsts are more than admirably quenched,
while existence crackles
its tightly-scrolled parchment in me.
Almost always,
the hot sun forgets to beat down;
little of the treachery of shape-shifting mirages
buckles the bare-faced horizon;
and no bird
cawless between finger-fringed wingtips
watches through the hours for the next candidate corpse to drop dead
on its beat. Yet
still my impossible personal desert
continues to encroach, infinitely
arid and stern,
and I am ordered out of the world’s flat portrait
to hear for myself
spoken out of nowhere how the patterns I learned ―
and I lived ― by heart
are now invalid features
right here in such fundamental country.