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Written by: Lu Ningmin
2021-07-12 12:00
Last update date: 2021-07-12 12:00
"Drinking tea for leisure" does not mean "drinking tea for leisure" or "I can't read it back". There is another meaning behind it. Cantonese is extensive and profound. The literal meaning may not be the real meaning, and there are many changes. No wonder it has become the most difficult to learn. One of the languages.
Wilfred, who graduated with a master's degree in philosophy, is the founder of the Instagram special page "Hong Kong. Dictionary". He interprets commonly used Cantonese mantras or popular phrases in the form of "sip nuclear to death", attracting 169,000 followers.
This year he decided to publish a book with illustrations and words collected over many years, hoping to physically preserve the fleeting buzzwords.
Wilfred, who graduated from philosophy, has always loved to study Cantonese. He founded the IG page "Hong Kong. Dictionary", which contains different life-oriented words to explain popular social phenomena.
(Photo by Lu Ningmin)
Wilfred, who graduated from philosophy, has always loved to study Cantonese. He founded the IG special page "Hong Kong. Dictionary", which contains different life-oriented words to explain popular phenomena in society. The interpretation of "suck nuclear to death" resonated with many people. In just two to three years, it has attracted 169,000 people to follow.
In addition to the laughs of bloggers, Wilfred hopes to preserve such a unique language in a physical way, so he has prepared for the book for about two years.
The term "Lion Rock Spirit" used to represent the spirit of diligence, but today, it may have new meanings. For example, it refers to the common concept of everyone. This change is part of Hong Kong culture.
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Dictionary by Wilfred
The new generation has fewer and fewer people reading books, why does he still insist on publishing?
Wilfred said frankly that there are three reasons for publishing the book. He believes that the language and culture of a region can be very distinctive, but it will also disappear very quickly. "We have undergone a great cultural change after the transfer of power from a British colony. The local culture is disappearing so fast. We use tight words in my family. It doesn't mean that we will see it in the future, so we have the responsibility to keep it low."
With the development of the times, the meaning of some words will also change. "Like the word "Lion Mountain Spirit", it used to represent the spirit of diligence, but today, it may have new meanings, for example, it refers to everyone's common sense. This change is part of Hong Kong’s culture.”
Insist on adding Cantonese pinyin and hope that readers will read the correct characters
Wilfred once saw the famous philosopher Wittgenstein's views on the philosophy of language, and he was very interesting about the concepts he put forward, which inspired him to study popular Cantonese language.
"Wiegenstein said that there are 13 clubs in a deck of cards. For example, if you don’t see clubs with 10 clubs, you can replace it with a blank paper, and the poker game can continue because everyone has a consensus. The function of the white paper is Plum Blossom 10."
He described this as the literal meaning of the language, but it may not be the real meaning. "Cantonese can be used to plug in a lot of ways. If everyone has a consensus, it does not have to be limited to the literal meaning."
Wilfred also specially added Cantonese pinyin under the word, hoping that readers would know the correct pronunciation of the word. For example, he pointed out that the "dian" of "sardine" can be "din1", "din6" and "din6" in Cantonese. "Tin4", but when pronounced "sardine", the pronunciation must be "din1", "As a transcript of historical responsibility, of course, you must record all the pinyin."
Keyman (right) is one of the illustrators who collaborated with Wilfred (left). After a "concussion", the combination of text and pictures became more humorous.
(Photo by Lu Ningmin)
The illustrator's rough lines match the Hong Kong-style Chaozhou style
In order to enrich the content of the book, Wilfred recruited illustrators online, hoping to use text and pictures to explain popular terms, and also to present abstract concepts concretely.
Keyman is one of the illustrators who collaborated. The two hit it off. After a "concussion", the combination of text and pictures became more humorous. "For example, there is a word called "It doesn't matter". It doesn’t matter. I painted 5 lipsticks with very different colors. Most men don’t notice the difference in color when they look at them, but women will think that the 5 lip colors are very different. We use the relationship between boy and girl friends. Explain, in fact, it doesn’t matter if you talk about this sentence, many times it doesn’t matter."
Keyman clearly stated that he drew rough lines specifically, hoping to match the Hong Kong style of Chaozhou.
"You have to drink tea freely." Even if you say it, you can't really be free. Even if you are free, you won't be able to tease you. Even if you are free, you won't be able to drink tea.
"port.
Dictionary by Wilfred
The two are very interesting in the interpretation of many words in the book. For example, "I have to drink tea freely." Wilfred said with a smile, "I can't say anything that is really free. "I can drink tea." As a result, everything is not literal. Keyman drew a teacup on that page. The smoke that emerged was in the shape of "2046". It was a joke that only Hong Kong people could understand.
Another popular term that makes them unforgettable is "I can't read it back." Wilfred described it as a way to "receive soldiers." "This behavior actually represents a relationship or an ambiguous relationship. Sometimes you treat people indifferently. People will first take care of your psychological relationship." He pointed out that many readers lamented this explanation "so sad but true" after reading it.
Are books that only Hong Kong people can read, will they be very small?
Wilfred said that although there are many "inside jokes" in the book, such as "Lee's Force Field" and other tidal language created by netizens, they currently receive online bookings from Taiwan and Macau for "Hong Kong."
"Dictionary" physical book, "I want to see how I can learn Cantonese in this book, so surprised! I don't even know how to learn Cantonese, haha!"
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