When I was living in the village of Cheung Shue Tan back in the late 1990s, I would often walk up to 大埔滘 Tai Po Kau just to unwind a bit. If you sit down beside one of the mountain streams up towards the picnic area and watch the crystal-clear water patiently, eventually you will catch a glimpse of the schools of small fish strong enough to hold their own against the current. Once or twice, to my surprise, I also saw small creatures with legs like lizards moving through the water in slow-motion like space-walking astronauts. What I saw, perhaps, was the Hong Kong newt.
This newt (or 香港瘰螈 Hēung1 Góng2 ló2 yùhn4 in Cantonese) was once thought to be unique to Hong Kong and so for a time served as an animal-totem or mascot of the Region. In her book Hong Kong (1988), Jan Morris includes it in her list of “esoteric wildlife” to be found in the Colony: “there were also crab-eating mongooses, an unusual variety of newt, 200 kinds of butterfly and thirty-two kinds of snake” (18).
Although specimens of Paramesotriton hongkongensis have been since discovered in coastal areas in Guangdong province, concerned individuals such as 陳文灝 Henry Chàhn4 Màhn4-houh6 and the self-effacing Ah Sam continue to make efforts on behalf of this threatened animal in Hong Kong. In this short video, made in 2016, the problem of catchwaters is outlined, as well as the impact these have on the newts, which prefer the waters of mountain streams in which there are large rocks to soften the force of the flow.
There is plenty of useful vocabulary here for eager students of Cantonese, including 陷阱 haahm6 jehng6 = trap; 生猛 sāang1 máahng5 = full of life; lively; 栖息 chāi1 sīk1 = to inhabit; and 耗費 hou3 fai3 = to expend (energy). As for grammar, there are some noteworthy uses of classifiers or measure words, 條 tìuh4 being the measure word for “newt”. In addition, we are treated to a couple of instances of 嗮 saai, a “particle of quantification” (see Intermediate Cantonese by Yip and Matthews) ; several uses of 啫 jē1 (“merely; only”), that very handy downplaying final particle; and one example of 冇得, a verbal structure that seems to indicate a general inability to do something.
You can watch the video here, but if you would like to see the Cantonese transcription with a rather patchy (my apologies!) English translation, then please read on.
To check anything you’re not sure about, please refer to the Sheik Cantonese on-line dictionary for further help.
Finally, there’s a very moving and heart-lifting video about 陳文灝 Henry Chan Man-hou in Cantonese here. Unfortunately, it has no English subtitles, but the man’s passion for animal protection comes through pretty clearly, nonetheless!
Photograph:香港大埔滘：香港瘰螈 Hong Kong Newt, Tai Po Kau, Hong Kong (Thomas Brown on Flickr, 2011)
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Headline: 引水道變奪命深淵：近危動物死路一條
● 引水道 yáhn5 séui2 douh6 = a catchwater ● 奪命 dyuht6 mihng6 = a life plucked away; a life taken away by force ● 深淵 sām1 yūn1 = abyss ● 近危動物 káhn5 ngàih4 duhng6 maht6 = (?) endangered animal
Catchwaters Become Deadly Abysses: A Death Road for an Endangered Animal
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
一年前我哋報道過
A year ago, we ran a report
郊區引水道壁
(About how) the walls of catchwaters in non-urban areas
● Note: The noun 郊區 gāau1 kēui1 is a bit of an interesting problem. Dictionaries such as Sheik Cantonese give the meaning as “suburban district; suburbs; outskirts”, but since country parks in Hong Kong are known as 郊野公園, the meaning in this context virtually equates with “non-urban areas”, that is, areas where wildlife is still able to flourish.
近年因爲改善工程拉直嗮
In recent years, “improvement works” [改善工程] have made (the walls of all the catchwaters nearly) perpendicular
● 拉直 lāai1 jihk6 = to make straight; to straighten
變咗受保護動物的人工陷阱呀
Turning them into human-made traps for protected animals
● 陷阱 haahm6 jehng6 = trap
當日政府話會攪攪嘅
At the time, the government said that they would deal with (the issue)
● I think I hear 攪攪 gáau2 gáau2 here, but I’m not entirely sure. This gáau2, which can also be written 搞, usually means “to make; to do; to organize”. It crops up in the next sentence as well.
一年後，攪到啲咩呢？
A year later, what has been done to remedy things?
引水道困死香港瘰螈
Catchwaters trap and kill the Hong Kong newt
● 困 kwan3 = to surround; to encircle; to trap
● 香港瘰螈 Hēung1 Góng2 ló2 yùhn4 = Hong Kong newt (Measure word/Classifier: 條 tìuh4)
水務署仲未知點算？
Doesn’t the Hong Kong Water Supplies Department know what to do yet?
● 水務署 Séui2 Mouh6 Chyúh5 = the Water Supplies Department
● 點算 dím2 syun3 = what to do? how to resolve this?
我哋月初同兩位保護人士
At the beginning of this month, together with two people who work in animal protection [保護人士]
重臨西貢呢條引水道
We paid another visit to this catchwater in Sai Kung
● 重臨 chùhng4 làhm4, a compound made up of 重 = again + 臨 = to be present; to arrive
睇啱啱踏入繁殖期
To see [how the Hong Kong newts (lo yun), formerly known as wing yun]
● 踏入 daahp6 yahp6 = to step into
● 繁殖期 fàahn4 jihk6 kèih4 = breeding season; mating season
舊稱香港蠑螈嘅瘰螈過性點？
[Were getting on, the mating season having just begun]
● Note: It is not possible to translate these lines literally; I’ve had to rearrange the material to make it flow in English. Also, I am really not very sure about 過性點. Perhaps the reporter is saying 過成點 here (?).
● 舊稱 gauh6 chīng1 = former name; formerly known as
● 香港蠑螈 Hēung1 Góng2 wìhng4 yùhn4 = old name for Hong Kong newt
喂，但係好明顯唔多生猛呀
Hey there, you! But obviously [he’s] not feeling very lively just now
● 生猛 sāang1 máahng5 = full of life; lively. Also written 生猛猛
皆因瘰螈本身栖息喺水流慢嘅山澗
It’s all because the original habitat of newts is in mountain streams with slow currents
● 皆 gāai1 = all; every; entire. I’m not 100% sure of the meaning of the compound 皆因; I’ve made a guess on the basis of the literal meaning of the characters and the context.
● 栖息 chāi1 sīk1 = to perch; to rest; to inhabit (a particular kind of habitat cf. 栖息地 = habitat)
● 山澗 sāan1 gaan3 = mountain stream [cf. use in Pak Tai video]
根本唔應該喺度㗎
Basically, [they] shouldn’t be here
● 㗎 gaa3 here represents the fusion of 嘅 + 呀 and suggests strong assertion
…………………………………………………..
Sam speaks （保育人士）:
/ ? / 引水道最大嘅問題呢，就係嗰水流湍急嘅問題
The biggest problem with catchwaters is that the current flows very rapidly
● I cannot find the compound 湍急 in any dictionary, but Sheik has 急湍 gāp1 tēun1 = rapids; a swift current. However, it seems that Sam pronounces 湍 as *chyūn1 rather than tēun1.
噉水流湍急會引致佢哋
And the rapidly flowing water [水流湍] causes them
● 引致 yáhn5 ji3 = arise out of; beget; cause; trigger; engender
啫要耗費更大嘅能量呀，去，啫，揾一個地方固定喇
To have to expend more energy, that is to say [啫 = 即係], to find a place where they can steady/fix themselves [固定]
● 耗費 hou3 fai3 = to expend (energy); to consume; to squander
…………………………………………………..
最大喎， 係加啲引水道壁直 / ? / 又髹嗮油
The biggest issue is, in addition (加), that the walls of the catchwaters are very straight / steep and that they have been painted
● In the Cantonese voice-over, something is added after 直 jihk6, but I can’t hear what it is . . .
● 髹嗮油 yāu1 saai3 yáu4*2 = to be completely painted
想走就冇得走
[The newts] want to get out, but they are unable to
● I’m still learning about the use of 冇得 móuh5 dāk1. It seems to express absolute non-ability. Perhaps, too, there is a sense “there is no way they are able to get out”. 冇得 also seems to cover all possible modes of inability: the newts lack the energy to escape; they lack physical ability; they lack the know-how; they are prevented by the fast-flowing current and by the steep walls of the catchwaters, etc.
阿 Sam 揾過魚護署求助
Sam went to the Agricultural, Fisheries and Conservation Department to ask for help
● Here, the verb 揾 wán2 functions as a kind of co-verb; it links up with the main verb 求助 kauh4 joh6 = to request assistance. Co-verbs often correspond to prepositions in English: to request assistance from. Another interesting feature of Cantonese is that aspect markers like 過 gwo3 (indefinite time in the past) can be attached to the co-verb rather than the main verb.
但對方話懷疑移走啲瘰螈會破壞生態呀
But the person there [對方] said that they suspected that taking away the newts would damage the ecology
● 移走 yìh4 jáu2 = to take away; to remove (from a site)
● 生態 sā[a]ng1 taai3 = ecology (?) ecosystem
呀，掉返轉 / ? / 講 / ? /
Ah, how can things be twisted around like that (?). . .
● I can’t make out the Cantonese here, which is probably idiomatic. The subtitles have 怎麽會掉轉來說 . . ., which literally means “how can (one) speak in a way that) turns back”. From the context, the gist is something like “how can one twist words like this, so that saving the newts is a bad thing for the environment”.
噉所以佢哋呢日見到幾多救幾多喇
And so today, the number of newts they saved was the number of newts they saw
…………………………………………………..
陳文灝 Henry Chan Man-hou (香港兩栖及爬蟲協會助理保護主任) speaks:
今日總共救咗嘅香港瘰螈嘅數目
Today the number of Hong Kong newts we rescued in total
就六十六條喇
Was 66
…………………………………………………..
吓？上次嚟都係四十九條啫喎
Huh? It was only 49 last time!
● I think I hear 啫 jē1 here, meaning “merely; only” that’s all”. The 喎 wō1 basically serves to mark a strong exclamation.
其實，水務署舊年已經話會做改善工程
Actually, the Water Supplies Department have said that they would improve the works
減少動物被困
Reducing the [number of] animals being trapped
但今年再問佢哋就仲喺話
But this year when we asked them again they were still saying
● Progressive aspect can be formed in a variety of ways in Cantonese. Adding 喺 hái2 before the verb is one of them.
請咗顧問公司做緊研究 / 啫 /
That they had invited a consulting company to carry out research
● Again, I think I hear 啫 jē1 here, meaning “merely; only” that’s all”, but I’m even less certain this time!
話早日俾嗮啲嘢啦 (?)
● I am not sure what is being said here. The Standard Written Chinese subtitle is 早已給你意見 = opinions (from the consultant) were given to you long before.
…………………………………………………..
陳文灝 Henry Chan Man-hou（香港兩栖及爬蟲協會助理保護主任）speaks:
有 / ? / 生態學家都 / ? / 做過 / ? /
Ecologists have already carried out
啲小小嘅實驗喇
Some small experiments
都發現，其實，如果喺個引水道嘅邊呢
They discovered that if on [the edges of] the catchwaters
起咗啲網喇
Nets (or mesh?) were put up
佢 . . . 呢啲跌咗落去嚟嘅動物爬返上嚟機會
They . . . these animals which had fallen down [into the catchwaters had a big chance]
係會 . . . 大啲喇
[Of climbing up and out]
呢啲嘅 . . . 呢啲嘅設施呢，唔會影響佢 . . . 集水嘅功能之餘呢
Not only do [之餘] these . . . these nets [設施] have no affect on the collection of water
● 之餘 ji1 yùh4 can mean “after”, but the sense here is more like “apart from; in addition to”, that is, the nets do not prevent the collection of water, additionally, they can reduce the adverse impact of catchwaters.
其實，對呢啲 . . . 都可以減低佢生態嘅影響呀
Actually, with regard to these [對呢啲] . . . they can reduce the ecological influence of (catchwaters) [佢]
…………………………………………………..
而魚護署就話，根據佢哋嘅生態普查
Now the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said that, according to the general ecological survey they conducted
● 魚護署 = Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department
● 普查 póu2 chàah4 = general survey; to conduct a general survey
近年香港瘰螈數目穩定
In recent years, the numbers of Hong Kong newts have been stable
如果接獲野生動物被困報告都會救
If they receive a report about a trapped wild animal, they will rescue it
● The subtitles have接獲 jip3 wohk6, but it sounds as if the speaker is saying *jiu wok (?).
14（一四）年至今都幫咗12（十二）隻動物離開
Since 2014 they have helped to free [幫 . . . 離開] 12 animals
● It’s worth noting how the numbers are handled here to distinguish between, on the one hand, the year 2014 and, on the other, a simple quantity.
Ah . . . 12隻，效率真係 . . .
Ah . . . 12 (animals), the rate of efficiency really . . .
● 效率 haauh6 léut6*2 = efficiency
喂，你哋 / 一日 / 救到幾多話？
Hey, how many did you say you had saved in a day?
● The part of this line meaning “in a day” is unclear to me. The subtitle has 喂，你們一日救了多少, which means “Hey, how many did you save in a day?”
救66條喇
66 (newts)
Chinaman Creek 