Walk your yawning old self into naked, stark morning. Too good to be true—that’s the lungs’ swell verdict on this instant intoxicant air, the atmosphere light, as a dark crow feather bookmarking some yet-to-be-read typographically concrete page. (Is it the breeze that reads as it breathes through overhead wires, through the spiral arterial branch-lines of the trees?) Pants dance the flap on a deserted clothes-hoist ⸺ they kick up their cuffs at the world’s heavy duty ⸺ while a shower of berries like pellet ball-bearings scatters hard noise across quiet’s tin roof, putting all calm’s composure quite sorely to the test.
No one ever takes no for an answer, but there is another world ⸺
The Hong Kong writer 鄧小樺 Tang Siu-wa (Dahng6 Siu2 Waah6) is the author of the poetry collections Unmoved Bottle and The Opposite of Sound, as well as several collections of essays. She also founded the literary magazine Fleurs de Lettres, and was instrumental in the establishment of the House of Hong Kong Literature.
During the anti-extradition treaty protests in 2019, she was arrested and charged with violence, an experience that took her ⸺ mentally, emotionally and spiritually ⸺ right to the heart of the current crisis in Hong Kong.
Earlier this year, she was interviewed by a reporter from Vision Times [看中國]. In the interview, she shares her views on the plight of Hong Kong and presents both an impassioned and a carefully reasonable response. I hope to transcribe and translate the full 22-minute interview on Chinaman Creek some time in the new future, but for now, here is a brief key excerpt in which Tang specifically addresses the role of the international community.
Next time you hear someone say that Hong Kong is an “internal matter” for the People’s Republic of China, please call to mind Tang’s very relevant words: 「一國兩制」係一個國際嘅承諾，嗄 = “One Country, Two Systems” is an international promise.
● 失信 sat1 seun3 = to break one’s promise; to go back on one’s word ● 支援 ji1 wuhn4 = to support ● 制裁 jai3 choih4 = to sanction; to punish
I hope that the international community will be able to make the Chinese people, to make China as a whole, regain some respect for what it means to make a promise. “One Country, Two Systems” is an international promise. Supposedly, it is a solemn promise. If in my view (?) a promise is being ripped to shreds, this can’t happen without any consequences, there ought to be consequences. Then all of us, [working] together, should make the people who broke their promise face up to the consequences. That’s how it ought to be. And then, next, it is my hope that the international community will support those individuals who need to leave Hong Kong. Some of my friends, actually, are in very serious danger. I hope that the international community will show some concern for their future, for people such as Joshua Wong, for Nathan Law and Agnes Chow. I think they are in grave danger, I do. And then finally I hope that the international community, where there are grounds, including humanitarian grounds, I hope that in the case of instances in which human rights [人道] have been violated, I hope that the international community will consider imposing sanctions [應該制裁], in the hope that the international community will see that the destiny of Hong Kong is in the hands of everyone. So I hope that our friends in the international community will show concern for the destiny of Hong Kong and stand on the side of the protesters of Hong Kong.
Here is a lesson not only in Cantonese but in courage. It comes from an article published here on the HK01 site on 22 July 2020 dealing with an interview between Figo Chan (pictured) and Emily Lau Wai-hing.
The former chairperson of the Democratic Party Emily Lau Wai-hing in an interview with Figo Chan, vice-convenor of The Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF), [aired] on the on-line program Council Ins & Outs [《議會內外》] discussed how the young people of Hong Kong would face up to the social situation in Hong Kong [in the wake of] the National Security Law.
+ 非法集結 fei1 faat3 jaahp6 git3 = unlawful assembly + 發聲 faat3 sing1 = usu. “make a sound” but perhaps “to speak out” + 寄語 gei3 yuh5 = 1. to send word; to convey a message 2. a message + 展示 jin2 sih6 = to display; to reveal; to show + 篡改 saan3 goi2 = to falsify; to tamper with; to doctor
Chan said that he was currently accused of seven offences related to unlawful assembly. However, he was not terrified of the future and would continue to speak out peacefully for the people of Hong Kong. He also told [寄語] the Hong Kong people to conquer terror, to continue to speak out and to reveal the truth to the rest of the world to prevent those in power from falsifying history.
Lau Wai-hing asked him whether he felt terrified before the National Security Law came into effect. Chan replied that naturally he was afraid for a while, but realized that it was necessary to conquer [such] terror, otherwise nothing at all could be done. Laughing, he said “If you worried you’d be hit by a falling aeroplane if you stayed at home, and that you’d fall into water if you went outside, there’d by nowhere for you to go at all, would there?” He went on to say that there were more people at the 1 July protest than expected, believing that at least 100,000 people [had taken part], but on the whole things were peaceful, with only some scattered incidents of destruction. He also said: “The water-cannon trucks used by the police were far from peaceful ⸺wherever they went they sprayed”.
+ 區域法院 keui1 wihk6 faat3 yun6*2 = the District Court
Figo Chan mentioned that of the seven charges he was facing, two cases were in the process of being heard at the District Court [in Wan Chai]. He said that he could not feel fear because, since the protest movements that began last year, people of different ages, generations, nationalities and ethnicities have come together [一起] to offer support. Their power is significant and there are many people who support [him]. “Knives and spears kill no ideals”, [he said].
道出真相 防止當權者篡改歷史 Tell the truth,prevent those in power from falsifying history
+ 展現 jin2 yihn6 = to unfold; to present; to display + 主宰 jyu2 joi2 = to dominate; to rule
Figo Chan also said that, in the past twelve months, the people of Hong Kong had been through a lot and, at present, you could be accused of breaking the National Security Law if you held up a sign and thrown heavily to the ground by police if you set up a roadside display (a reference to the arrest of LegCo councillor Andrew Wan Siu-kin on the day of the 1 July protests). Things were deteriorating by the day. Nevertheless, he still believed that anything that was attempted, even if it seemed “useless”, was actually a way of laying the facts before the media and the international community and could enable more people to know what was actually going on [事實真相]. He added, if one did not persist in telling the truth, the “truth” would be controlled by those in power and their blind followers.
By way of an example, the violent attack on civilians carried out in Yuen Long on 21 July 2019 was being distorted by the deeply conservative camp, who blamed Lam Cheuk-ting for stirring the whole thing up, while in a report made by the Independent Police Complaints Council it was referred to as “a gang fight between men dressed in white and people dressed in black”. Neither of these descriptions is correct, and so the people of Hong Kong must continue to speak out, making evidence available to the [broader] public and enabling ever more people to know the actual truth, otherwise, history would be falsified. Also for this reason, he did not agree with [the view of] some young people who claimed that the older generation of democrats “had failed to achieve anything”, because ⸺ regardless of whether one acted “before the curtain or behind the curtain” [幕後幕前], things that were done did not yield an immediate result but took time.
Here is a second short clip in the “Postman’s Gaze” series from the Journey of the Isle website about Cheung Chau. In this one, 李達成 Léih5 Daaht6 Sìhng4 talks about a photograph of a bicycle he took when lit up by the first, early rays of the dawn. The image is certainly a memorable one, and made all the more poignant, especially in light of the current situation in Hong Kong, by the fact that the bike was parked outside a cemetery.
Grammar points:
A. The use of 咪 maih6 has been puzzling me for ages, especially when there is no accompanying 囉 lō1 at the end of the clause! My informant for this text added the following helpful notes:
Actually, 咪 has several meanings in Cantonese. Below I mentioned a few I could think of, but there might be more possibilities. Firstly, it means “don’t” e.g. 咪笑我啦 = Don’t laugh at me, 咪走呀! = Don’t/ Stop running away! [Note: This 咪 is pronounced in the low-rising tone, máih5] Secondly, in this transcription, you are right about the use of 咪 being similar to that of 就, but using 咪 helps you to emphasize more on the fact you are going to say. In 啫係有架單車咪插咗啲花, 咪 is used to emphasize or to state that there are flowers stuck on a bicycle. The situation is similar for 噉佢咪隨意咁樣泊架單車喺路中間囉. 咪 is used to link the subject and his action: 佢(subject) +咪+ 隨意咁樣泊架單車喺路中間囉 (action/fact). [Note: Because the final particle 囉 is added in this case, the use fits the explanation of “obvious conclusion” suggested by Yip and Matthews in Intermediate Cantonese, Unit 23。] Lastly, it means “is” e.g. 佢咪我隻貓 = She is my cat.
Bear this in mind as you listen to Lee’s voiceover. There are some expressions in English such as “well, if it isn’t (noun)?” that use a kind of negative expression to achieve a sense of emphasis and/or surprise, and perhaps 咪 maih6 works in a similar way.
B. There is a type of verb in Chinese called a “verb-object compound”, made up of a verb and a noun. These verbs often behave in unusual ways. For example, the perfect aspect marker 咗 jó2 is routinely inserted between the verb and the object rather than at the end of the verb as is usual (at the end of the explanation, Lee says 影咗依張相 = photographed this; took this photo). Another kind of modification is found involving the VO compound斷氣 tyuhn5 hei3 = to be short of breath (or, more colloquially, “to run out of puff”). In this case, the object is put before the verb with dōu1 to indicate extreme degree: 氣都斷 = completely out of breath. I believe the rule of thumb is that any verb in which the second element is a noun can be classed in this category.
C. Cantonese uses a number of double final particles with a specific meaning such as 嚟㗎 for explanations (係墳場掃地嘅叔叔嚟㗎 = he’s the old man who goes and sweeps the cemetery grounds) and 吖嘛 for obviousness (this is used by Lee in 冇人㗎嘛, where 㗎嘛 is a contraction of 嘅吖嘛). A less common one is 咁滯 gam3 jaih6, which has the meaning of “almost; nearly”. So, 一路爬坡咁踩到氣都斷咁滯呀 means something like “ I kept on going up the slope until I was almost out of breath”. Sheik Cantonese also lists 飯熟晒咁滯。 = “The rice is almost done” and 佢啲錢差唔多輸晒咁滯。 = “He has almost lost all his money”. It can also be written 咁濟.
D. 零鐘 lèhng4 jūng1 is a colloquial term which usually comes after and modifies a certain time. It means “around” or “-ish” e.g. 8 點零鐘 = around 8 o’clock or eightish.
Vocabulary:
相冊 sēung1 chaak3 = photo album 朝頭早 jīu1 tàuh4 jóu2 = morning 爬坡 pàah4 bō1 = to climb a slope; to go up a hill 斷氣 tyúhn5 hei3 = ① to stop breathing; to breathe one’s last; to die ② to cut off the gas supply 唔係呀話 is used to express your emotion when you are surprised, often but not always, in a negative way. It can be translated as “What! / What’s going on?” or anything that suits the emotion. 主人 jyú2 yàhn4 = the owner (of a bicycle) 墳場 fàhn4 chèuhng4 = cemetery; graveyard 叔叔 sūk1 sūk1 = respectful term to address an older male 開工 hōi1 gūng1 = to start work 食正 sihk6 jeng3 = the bicycle was right under a ray of dawn light. 曙光 chyúh5 gwōng1 = the light of dawn (Measure word: 道 douh6) 依 yī1 is a common variant of 呢 nī1 = this 干擾 gōn1 yíu2 = to disturb; to interfere; to obstruct; to jam 畫面 wáa6*2 mín6*2 = usually “display; screen (of a monitor/TV)”; here perhaps “the composition” | Note that both characters change their tone in this compound.
You can watch the video here. If you’d like to read the Cantonese transcription together with an English translation, please keep scrolling down.
Michael Lee: In my own, ah, photo album, there aren’t many images of scenery. But there is, it seems [好似], one picture, of a bicycle with flowers stuck on it, one in which a ray of light just happens to be falling [across] [打落嚟] it. That photo . . . I was out riding my bike in training [練習] one morning. I was climbing up a slope, all the way up a slope, until I was almost out of breath. Well at that moment, I [thought to myself]: “Ah, oh no [唔係呀話]. Why is there a bike in the middle of the road up ahead?”. When I looked a bit more closely, [I thought]: “Huh? I know the man who owns that bicycle!”. Now he, he’s, he’s the old man [叔叔] who goes and sweeps the cemetery grounds. He had started work. You know, it was only around 7 in the morning and there was no one [around]. He had casually parked his bike in the middle of the road. Just by chance, it just happened to be under a ray of dawn light. So, I got off my bike and took this photograph. As it happened, he was nowhere near his bicycle at the time, so didn’t spoil [干擾] the image.
Here, as a stranger, I religiously stick to the map, moving round mountains along dotted path-lines and through the strict blue mesh of the grids till I am cast under the spell of a simplifying picture. But contrast with actual places through the fact of constant contact gets the better of me, eventually — then, with the medicinal thickness of soap, the disinfectant scent of ginger flowers breaks the chain of my ailing thought and, through a gap in the mental sentence I dictate myself, the world jumps in. And I see.
香港屯門屯子圍 Tuen Tsz Wai Village in Tuen Mun, Hong Kong
To watch the video made by HK01, please clickhere.
Benny Tai speaks:
我哋又創造咗令一次嘅奇跡 We have created yet another miracle
喺今次民主派嘅初選嘅公民投票 In this public ballot [for] primary elections [for] the democratic camp + 初選 cho1 syun2 = primary election
按而家系統，電子系統，所統計到嘅投票嘅人次呢 According to the current system, the electronic system, statistics for the number of people voting
係592,211位 Stands at 592,211
另外呢，我哋仲有係大概21,000張呢，係紙嘅選票嘅 In addition, we also have roughly 21,000 paper ballots + 選票 syun2 piu3 = a vote
合理啲呢，去推算呀 Making reasonable calculations on the basis of [these figures]
係有好大機會呢，今次嘅由民間所進行嘅一次嘅投票啦 There is quite a big chance (?), [that] this vote conducted by the people + 由 yauh4 = indicates the subject of the verb進行 jeun3 hahng4 = to carry out | + 民間 mahn4 gaan1 = of the people (as opposed to the government or some official agency)
係超過60萬 In excess of 600,000 [people voted in this ballot]
因爲點票嘅時間會比較長 Because it takes rather a long time to count the votes + 點票 dim2 piu3 = to count votes
因爲都有21,000張嘅紙張票 [And] because there are also [都] 21,000 paper ballots
但我哋估計呢，個個嘅投票嘅結果呢 We estimate, however, that the result of all the votes
最快都要聽日（13日）嘅黃昏時段都先至可以出得到嘅 At the quickest, it will take until dusk tomorrow (13 July) before [the result] comes out
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Reporter speaks:
《香港大學民意研究計劃》嘅總監鍾庭耀話 Robert Chung Ting Yiu, the Director of the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute at Hong Kong University, said + 民意 mahn4 yi3 = public opinion | + 總監 jung2 gaam1 = director
紙張點票即將展開 That the counting of the paper votes was about to get underway + 即將 jik1 jeung1 = about to (indicates a near future occurrence) | + 展開 jin2 hoi1 = to open up; to launch
點票完成之後 [And] when the counting was complete
會連同電子投票結果一同公佈 The result combined with the electronic voting result (?) would be announced
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Benny Tai speaks again:
我相信每一個參選人 I believe that every single candidate
按返喺之前協調嘅時候嘅協議，係會按返個協議遵守承諾 Will keep their promise [in line with] the agreement we had, the agreement made before, when we were co-ordinating [this ballot] + 協調 hip3 tiuh4 = harmonious; to coordinate | + 協議 hip3 yih5 = to negotiate; an agreement
係去作出參與或者唔參與官方選舉嘅決定 And make a decision to take part or not in the official election
我哋係根據嗰兩三日呢，公佈結果之後呢 On the basis of these two, three days, we will announce the results and afterwards
有一啲區呢，一定要進一步進行協調嘅喇 Some districts will have to do a bit more in the way of co-ordination
包括咗香港島同埋九龍西 Including Hong Kong Island and Kowloon West
而有任何參選團隊係唔理呢一個之前嘅協議 [Now] if any groups taking part in the election choose to ignore [唔理] this previous agreement
然後繼續去參選呢 And later go on to contest the election
啊我相信佢係必然係會受到各方責難嘅 It is my belief that they will receive censure from various quarters + 責難 jaak3 naahn4 = blame; censure
噉如果佢自己要去啊面對緊嗰個嘅後果呢 If they want to confront those consequences [of their actions]
即使佢可能保住佢自己所謂嘅基本盤都好呢 Although they may be able to hold on to their own voter bases [基本盤] + 即使 jik1 si2 = although; even though | + 基本盤 gei1 bun2 pun4*2 = base; people who are committed to voting for you
其實呢，就，佢能夠當選嘅機會我相信都係好細嘅 Actually, there is only a slight chance in my view that such people will be elected
呢對眼鏡呢，我諗都碎咗唔知几多次嘅呢，吓 I think these spectacles of mine have been broken a fair number of times already
啫由我喺前幾日講到我哋嘅投票 From what I said in the past few days about our elections
可能只係得170,000 仲驚不夠數嘅時候 Possibly only getting [a turn out] of 170,000, I was still afraid then that the numbers wouldn’t be enough (?)
各方多努力啦，吓 So everyone needs to keep making an effort
今次有600,000嘅市民係參與咗呢個初選嘅投票 This time 600,000 [Hong Kong] citizens have participated in these primary elections
去到9月6號嘅時候 When 6 September comes around
應該係比呢一個數字更多更多嘅香港市民 The number of Hong Kong citizens ought to be many, many more than this
係會好聰明哋呢，係去識得點樣去將佢嘅選票運用 And wisely they will understand how to make use of their vote + 運用 wahn6 yuhng6 = to utilize
使到民主派嘅候選人能夠贏取到最多嘅議席 Enabling candidates belonging to the democratic camp to win the greatest number of seats + 候選人 hauh6 syun2 yahn4 = candidate | + 贏取 yehng4 cheui2 = to win | + 議席 yih5 jihk6 = a seat in LegCo
“Alleyway Haircuts” is another short documentary video in Zolima City Mag’s wonderful “Forgotten Icons” series.
After seeing Wong Kar-wai’s film Fallen Angels as part of a film course, Mark Lau abandoned cinema studies and instead took over his father’s barber shop in Wan Chai. This is his story.
For the grammatically-minded, the video contains several exciting moments. Two terms that are often translated as “even” in English get used. The first of these, 甚至乎 sahm6 ji3 fuh4 = “even; go so far as to” is used in the line 甚至乎引申到係一個知己囉 and indicates a sense of surprise on the speaker’s part, or that what one is saying might fall beyond the usual range of the listener’s expectations.
The other “even” is expressed by the structure 連 lìhn4 . . . 都 dōu1 and is also concerned with expectations (in comparisons it has to do with reaching an expected standard). It appears in the phrase 傳統嘅理髮師連乞兒都不如 = a traditional barber is not even as good as a beggar.
The second item of interest is the aspect marker 返 fāan1. 返 fāan1 in its own right means “to return”, and this hints at the fact that it functions somewhat like this re– in English, suggesting return, repetition and perhaps even resumption in the case of an action that has been broken off. In the three examples found in Mark Lau’s presentation, the first means “to take a second look”, the second means “to see again (after a certain interval of time)”, while the third ⸺ “to take on” ⸺ implies a kind of resumption, since Lau had been actively discouraged from taking over his father’s business:
According to Yip and Matthews, 囉 “gives a suggestion that what is said should be obvious”, and can be used with the word 咪 maih6 = “then” to indicate “an obvious conclusion” (Intermediate Cantonese, Unit 23). The Sheik Cantonese on-line dictionary has various definitions, including “[final particle] showing argumentative mood or making emphasis” and “[final particle] expressing a changed condition”. Certainly, in all the examples quoted from this video, the speaker is making claims that might invite disagreement. My working hypothesis here is that it is used “to soften the force” (?) of strongly asserted arguments: look, I really think this is the case, but you may wish to disagree . . . However, I need to do a lot more work on this question.
This video lasts for 2:45 minutes. Scroll down for the Cantonese transcription and notes. To watch the video (with English and Standard Chinese subtitles), click here
噉呢個理髮店就係我父親佢喺1962年嗰陣時創立愛群理髮 ● One striking habit of the speaker is to use phrases such as 我父親佢 = lit. “my father he” in which the pronoun seems redundant. It might help to think of it as a form of apposition, roughly equivalent to the English “he, the man who is my father”. Watch out for the other examples in this video, including阿王導演佢 and 香港人佢. ● 創立 chong3 laahp6 = to establish; to found; to set up | I guess in this situation we could also say “he opened the Oi Kwan barbershop in 1962”.
噉由62年到而家其實都係灣仔春園街呢一個位置
嗰陣時我見到我爸爸剪頭髮好有型呀 ● 有型 yáuh5 yìhng4 = handsome | You can also hear this expression in the podcast “A Postman’s Gaze (1)”: 主持人：你都係好有型呀！
可以左手揸個烟，右手揸個電剪 ● 電剪 dihn6 jín2 = electric clippers 就咁同客人剪頭髮 ● Note that 同 tùhng4 in this context does not mean “with”. The meaning here is “for; on behalf of”.
可以變咗個朋友咁嘅互動可以係 ● The syntax of this sentence is clearly unusual. The main part appears to be 可以變咗個朋友咁嘅 = “can become friends, like”, to which is added the afterthought “interacting, [they] can be”. By the looks of it, this afterthought also employs dislocation. For details on this, see “Afterthoughts and dislocations” in Unit 24 of Intermediate Cantonese by Yip and Matthews.
傳統嘅 barbershop 嚟講就有一個「家」嘅感覺 ● Here, the structure 對[於] . . . 嚟講 = “with regard to; as far as . . . is concerned”, but the 對[於] has been dropped.
甚至乎引申到係一個知己囉 ● 甚至乎 sahm6 ji3 fuh4 = even; go so far as to. This is a very useful expression in Cantonese, frequently used to add further information to a topic that might be considered unexpected. Here, for instance, Mark Lau suggests that customers become like family members, perhaps friends, and then finally even “bosom buddies”. Often, the乎 fuh4 at the end of this term is dropped. ● 引申 yáhn5 sān1 = to extend (the meaning of a word) ● 知己 jī1 géi2 = an intimate friend | The literal meaning suggests someone who knows [知] you nearly as well as you know yourself [己].
大家有啲咩心事呀都會講吓 ● 心事 sām1 sih6 = sth. weighing on one’s mind; a load on one’s mind; worry ● The expression 有啲咩is often heard in questions. In a statement, it creates a general expression: “Whatever people have on their minds, they will talk about”.
當初讀呢個電影、攝影嗰陣時 ● 當初 dōng1 chō1 = at first, originally | Here, perhaps “back [in the days] when I was studying . . . ”
當初我見到咁熟口面嘅「理髮」兩隻字 ● 熟口面 suhk6 háu2 mihn6 = a familiar face; a familiar person. Also expressed by the phrase 熟口熟面.
跟住再細查之下，見返，啊，原來就係自己屋企嘅地方 ● 細查 sai3 chàah4 = (?) to examine closely/carefully 嗰個衝擊係好震撼㗎 ● 衝擊 chūng1 gīk1 = charge; assault; attack | Here, perhaps “impact” is what an English speaker would use here. ● 震撼 jan3 hahm6 = to shake; to vibrate; to shock; to rock | Or something more colloquial like “blew me away” or “left me reeling with the shock”.
阿王導演佢喺當時揀呢個場景嘅背後意義 ● 場景 chèuhng4 gíng2 = scenario; scene ● 背後意義 bui3 hauh6 yi3 yih6 = (?) the meaning behind sth.; the hidden meaning
從而引發到我 ● 從而 chùhng4 yìh4 = thus; thereby. I would have thought that this expression is something characteristic of written rather than spoken Cantonese, but here it is! ● 引發 yáhn5 faat3 = initiation | In this context, it must be the verb (?) “to initiate”.
去到接手返屋企嘅事業 ● 接手 jip3 sáu2 = to take over (duties, etc.)
其實呢個都好感恩啦，呢個 ● 感恩 gám2 yān1 = feel grateful; be thankful
某程度嚟講，係一個動力嚟㗎 ● 嚟㗎 leih4 gaa3 is added to create an “explanatory tone”:
噉而家係香港兩栖及爬蟲協會現時唯一嘅員工嚟㗎 = At present, I am the only employee of the Hong Kong Society of Herpetology (Henry Chan Man-hou) 噉所以呢，就後來我好鐘意我個名，因爲我覺得，即係，係一個好嘅開始呢，都係一件好嘅事嚟㗎。(Hong Kong Foothpath, Chan Siu-chi)
● 動力 duhng6 lihk6 = motive; motivation | Perhaps in this context “impetus” might be possible
當時就係老師傅，包括我爸爸 ● 師傅 sī1 fú6*2 = master worker; | Here, the addition of 老 lóuh5 suggests a highly experienced “veteran” of the barbering industry 佢唔願意教
佢覺得做一個傳統嘅理髮師連乞兒都不如 ● 乞兒 hāt1 yī4*1 = beggar ● The structure 連 lìhn4 . . . 都 dōu1 is a useful one and expresses the idea of “even” in English ⸺ here, “not even as good as a beggar”. Also note that 不如 bāt1 yùh4 here, used at the end of the sentence, means “not as good as”; compare the 不如 used at the start of a clause to make a suggestion.
噉仲有啲朋友介紹，去咗其他 barbershop 呀，salon 嗰度去到實習 ● The second character 仲 juhng6 commonly means “still”, but in this situation, it means “furthermore”. 仲 juhng6 can also be written 重 juhng6. ● I first encountered 實習 saht6 jaahp in the sense of “work experience”. It can also refer to doing field work. Here, however, “to practise” or “to get more practice” is what is meant.
唔好講話「師傅」啦 ● The literal meaning is “Don’t say the word “master”, but the implication is something like “Don’t even mention the word ‘master’” or “Never mind thinking about becoming a ‘master’”. | Note the routine use of 啦 lāa1 to soften the force of the imperative.
不斷去追求好囉 ● Here, 追求好 jēui1 kàuh4 hóu2 seems to imply “the pursuit of excellence” or “to pursue excellence”.
而唔係話去到嗰個位就stop咗，停咗喺度囉 ● This is a curious example of code switching, since Mark Lau gives the Chinese version straight after the English “stop”!
因為咁好似係遺忘咗上一代留落嚟嘅嘢咁樣樣囉 ● 遺忘 wàih4 mohng6 = to forget | I don’t hear this very often. My feeling is that 唔記得 mh4 gei3 dāk1 is the usual expression for “to forget”. ● 留落嚟 is made up of 留 làuh4 = to leave and a directional complement 落嚟 lohk6 làih4, which suggests downward movement, but approximates the English “to leave behind” or even “to pass on (to posterity)”. I once read an explanation of the Chinese sense of time which likened it to a climb down a sheer mountain with one’s back to where one was going. In other words, one “falls” into the future facing the past! Time expressions such as 上星期; 下星期; 前天；後天 provide some support for this interpretation.
就咁行過但係一直都唔知原來就喺隔籬街 ● 隔籬街 gaak3 leih4 gaai1 = the next street | Note that 隔籬 is pronounced in exactly the same way as the 隔離heard a lot at the moment because it means “isolation; quarantine”.
● 屬於 suhk6 yū1 = “belong to; be part of”. I get the impression that this is used a lot in Cantonese, so is definitely worth adding it to your repertoire of grammatical structures. ● The syntax is curious in this sentence, and may be an example of an odd kind of dislocation! In 呢一點係咪屬於自己嘅文化呢個就, the last three characters 呢個就 = “this is [then]” may restate the earlier 呢一點係咪 = “is this [point]?”. Translated literally, we have “whether this [point] is a part of one’s own culture or not, this [then]”. However, it may just be a fairly vague afterthought, similar to 其實呢個都好感恩啦，呢個.
Chinaman Creek 