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Pulp Chinese Pidgin

Page history last edited by Michael 6 years, 3 months ago

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This includes some Mandarin and Cantonese words encountered frequently.

 

  • Au-sai:  outside.

  • Bad heart: used to express all forms of evil-mindedness. "You belongey too muchee bad heart."

  • Banjee:  musical group.  

  • Barbly, babble: noise. "Too muchee barbly", too much noise.  

  • Before-time: formerly; once; previous; previously.  

  • Belongey, blongy, blong:  indicates 'pertaining to' in a very wide sense. Also applied to quality. "You belongey too muchee saucy, galaw.":  You are being too sassy. "My belongy Consoo boy": I am the Consul's servant. "You belong clever inside": You are intelligent. "You belongy foolo?":  are you full? 

  • Bizui!:  shut up!

  • Bobbery:  (pron. bobbely), robbery, but extended to signify every kind of noise, disorder, quarrel, disagreement, fuss, and trouble. "T'his my flin, he wantchee makee one littee piecee pidgin long-side you. S'posey you cheatum, my makee big bobbery wit' you." 

  • Boilum:  to boil. "My boilum tea". 

  • Bottom-side, below: down ; under ; low. 

  • Bund: quay; embankment. 

  • Bunder: a report; canard; a story which has obtained currency on the quay or bund.  

  • By'm'by: by-and-by, or any future time or occasion; after; after wards; again.   

  • Cab-tun: captain.  

  • Callee: curry.   

  • Can do:  yes, and many forms of ability or possibility. E.g., Can you? Is it possible? It is possible. A mandarin seeing a small English sailor thrash a large one, exclaimed, "Hai yah! littee man can do." "My no can do that " may mean "I will not do it."

  • Cango: a kind of couch or litter, carried under a pole by two men.

  • Cangue: a frame used to confine prisoners; a kind of movable stocks, through which the head is passed.  

  • Cash: the only current coin in China, value one-tenth of a penny. In Chinese, Li. One one-thousandth part of an ounce or tael of pure silver; a brass coin with a square hole.

  • 'Casion, occasion:  reason; cause. "You no 'casion makee so-fashion." 

  • Catchee: to get; have; own; possess; hold. "My look-see one piecee man catchee chow-chow": I saw a man eating. "My catchee waifo": I am or am to be married. "My no catchee one frin inside allo that housee": I have not one friend in all that family.  

  • Catty Chinese weight equal to about 1⅓ pounds avoirdupois, or about 605 grams. Mandarin jin

  • Chair: a sedan-chair.  

  • Cliee: long. Probably an abbreviation of muchee. 

  • Chee, or Jee: the common termination for words ending in 't' or 'd', e.g., want = wantchee 

  • Chessy:  chest; box.  

  • Ch'hoy: a meaningless, but common and very expressive, interjection.  

  • Chilo: child.  

  • Chin-chin: to worship (by bowing and striking the chin); to reverence; adore; implore; to deprecate anger; to wish one something; invite; ask. A corruption of the Chinese salutation "Ch'ing ch'ing", signifying to pay respects, farewell, etc.

  • Chinee, Chinese:  Chinaman.  

  • Chit:  a letter, note, IOU, or any informal communication. 

  • Chop:  inscription; label; stamp; device; motto; ticket; characteristic. "Numpa one first-chop": best. A trade-mark, mark or brand. To "chop" means to affix one's seal stamp on the thing chopped.

  • Chop-chop: quick; quickly; fast.  

  • Chow: food; to eat, to have a meal. In Mandarin, chihfahn. 

  • Chu-shung (correctly, Sheon-chu-shang): " you little beast," or animal. 

  • Colo: cold.  

  • Come-this-side: arrived here. "Just now hab 'got two piecee joss-house-man come-this-side": Two missionaries have arrived.  

  • Compradore: steward. In Mandarin, mi-palm. The Chinese agent in a foreign firm, though whom the foreign firm transacts much of its business with Chinese and who often guarantees the credit of the firm's Chinese customers.

  • Consoo: consul.  

  • Coolie: common man; laborer. The appelation for the unskilled laborer of China.

  • Cot-houso: court-house 

  • Cow-oil, or cow-grease:  butter. Obsolete, but literally translated from the Chinese word for butter.  

  • Curio:  curiosity; queer; odd; strange; peculiar. 

  • Curio-shop: curiosity-shop.  

  • Cumshaw: a present. A gratuity or tip.

  • Custom:  custom, applied to law and habits, etc. "T'hat blongey olo custom."

  • Devilo, Debilo:  devil. 

  • Die-lo, die: died. 

  • Dlinkee:  to drink. 

  • Dollar:  money or wealth is generally expressed by dollar. "He no hab catchee dollar": He made no money. 

  • Dong ma?:  do you understand?

  • Ee:  a common termination put at will after almost any noun or verb. Walkee, talkee, fishee, dog-gee. 

  • Ee-sheung:  clothes.

  • E-ta-lee-kwoh: Italian. E-ta-lee-kwok-kung-kwan, the Italian Consulate.

  • Facee, face:  character; self-possession. "Loosee facey", to loose character; to be put to shame; to be disconcerted. 

  • Fai, Fy: a fire.  

  • Fai-tee:  quickly! be quick!

  • Fa-ke, American i.e., flower-flag. Fa-ke-ling-se-koon, the United States Consulate. 

  • Fa-ke-kwok, flower-flag-nation, the United States 

  • Fa-lan-sai: French. Also flan-sai, fran-sai. 

  • Fan-kwel: foreign devil i.e., a foreigner.  

  • Fan-yun: foreign man; foreigner.  

  • Fasson:  fashionable.  

  • Fa ts'al!  get rich ! A common courteous greeting. 

  • Fei-chaw-shang:  the green-tea country.

  • Feng-shuey: the geomantic influences of the earth, influencing lucky or unlucky places; luck or fate; elemental and occult influences. 

  • Finishee: the common word for completed, done, finished, or  accomplished. 

  • First-chop: best ; first. 

  • Fi-sze:  fishee, fish.

  • Flin: friend.  

  • Flower-flag-man: American. 

  • Flower-heart:  i.e., many hearts; fickle; wavering; generally said of lovers. 

  • Fo: four.

  • Foo-lin, flin: friend.

  • Foolo, fool: full. 

  • Foong-shun: "The Sailors' Home."

  • For-what?:  what for? why? 

  • Fowl: fowl. 

  • Fung: male.

  • Fung-hwang: the phoenix; a fabulous bird, the token of prosperity and happy omen; majesty; grace.

  • Galanti, grand: great. 

  • Galaw, galow, gala, gola, g'low: a word without meaning, used as an interjection.  

  • Girley: girl.  

  • Glound (i.e., ground or earth) chit: a telegram.  

  • Go: used to indicate the future tense. "You go make that ting?": Do you mean to do that?  

  • Go-down: warehouse; small house, etc. This word is always used in China in place of the word "warehouse".

  • Golo: gold; golo-man, jeweller.  

  • Good-talkee, velly good-talkee:  an excellent opinion or expression; eloquence.  

  • Good wind! Good water!:  a farewell to a friend starting on a journey.  

  • Got: there is.

  • Griffin:  one newly arrived; a greenhorn (Anglo-Indian). A newcomer to China, equivalent to a freshman at college.

  • Hab:  have.  

  • Hab-got:  is; there is; has.  

  • Hak-cha: black tea.

  • Ha-loy: come down. 

  • Handsome talkee: fine, agreeable, or ornate language. 

  • Ha-sze-man:  i.e., has-a-man, husband.

  • Have got wata top-side: mad; insane; foolish. 

  • Haw: to drink.  

  • He:  used for he, she, it, or they; often includes is. 

  • He-foo:  rise-fire i.e., a rocket.

  • Hing-ki-chi, Han-ker-choo: handkerchief. 

  • Ho: river. 

  • Hoan-lam: the Pencil Forest i.e., the highest degree of literary graduates.

  • Ho-lan-kwoh (kwok): Dutch. 

  • Hong, haling: a warehouse; applied specially to the great firms which formerly regulated all Chinese commerce. A mercantile house.

  • Hoong: red.

  • Hop: half, halve, have.

  • Hop pi-tsin: i.e., hab pidgin, have business. 

  • Hop-tai:  i.e., hab die, dead.

  • Hop-time:  leisure. 

  • Houso:  house. 

  • How:  good.

  • How-fashion:  what for? why? what is the meaning? "How fashion you stop out so late?" 

  • How-tak-tsei:  very good.

  • Hwan: fire.

  • Hwan-na-kou: foreign dog.   

  • Im-koy: thank you. 

  • Ing-ki:   ink.  

  • Ink-e-li:  English. In Mandarin, ying kwo. 

  • Inside, in-sy:  within; in; interior; heart; mind; soul; in the country. "You belongy smart inside": You are intelligent. A Chinese, on being shown the picture of a locomotive, at once remarked, "Hab got too much plenty all-same inside": i.e., "We have many such in the interior of China." 

  • Inside he heart: same as "inside he mouth."

  • Inside he mouth: secretly in his mind ; to himself ; reserved. 

  • Iron-face:  stern; obdurate; cruel; severe.

  • Jah: to fry.

  • Jih-zee-pah-nee-ah:  Spain. 

  • Jin-rick-sha: rickshaw.

  • Jin-rick-sha-man: a man who draws the jin-rick-sha.

  • Joss, josh:  god ; idol, etc. (From the Portuguese dios). A Chinese idol; also used as synonymous with luck, as "good or bad joss."

  • Joss-house: temple; church. 

  • Joss-house-man:  clergyman. 

  • Joss-pidgin:  religion. 

  • Joss-pidgin-man:  a bonze; priest; clergyman. 

  • Junk:  a Chinese sailing vessel, particularly the sea and large river-going varieties.

  • Ka-lin:  to call.

  • Kana-man: gunner; artillerist.

  • Kilin, kleen:  green.  

  • Kittysol:  the Chinese umbrella made of bamboo.

  • Ko-hom:  return

  • Ko-lock: clock. 

  • Kong:  a water-vat.

  • Kow-tow:  to incline before; bow.  The ceremony of bowing or prostration in paying obeisance. It is also used in the expression of ceremonious thanks.

  • Kuk-man: a cook

  • Kung-kwan: consulate.

  • Kwei: a devil; devils. 

  • Lahnt'o: lazy. 

  • Lain:  rain.

  • La-li-loong:  a thief; thieves.

  • Lan-tun: London. 

  • Largee, largey, largo ('g' soft): much; great; magnanimous; loud. "My largo man, my have catchee peace, my have catchee war."

  • Lau-tai: a ladder.

  • Lay:  thunder.

  • Li: a Chinese mile (pron. lee).

  • Lira: eleven.

  • Littee: little.   

  • Long-side:  with; by; near; accompanying.  

  • Look-see: look; behold; appear like; see; appreciate; understand. 

  • Loosee: to lose. "Loosee facee" i.e., face, to be dishonoured or shamed; to lose reputation. 

  • Love-pidgin:  love; courtship; wooing; tenderness. 

  • Love-love-pidgin:  sensuality; voluptuousness. Applied to erotica in books or art. 

  • Lowdah: captain of a junk, or servant in charge of a house-boat. 

  • Ma-chin: merchant.

  • Mafoo, horse-boy: groom. "Talkee mafoo to come chop-chop!" A Chinese butler or groom. 

  • Mai-pan: compradore.

  • Makee:  to make; do; effect; cause e.g., "Suppose you makee buy." It is almost generally prefixed to verbs to make them active. 

  • Mandarin:  a high state official or grandee. From the Portuguese.

  • Maskee:  all right; correct; never mind; notwithstanding; nevertheless; however; but; anyhow. This word is used in a very irregular manner.

  • Massa:  the common word for master. 

  • Ma'ta: mother.

  • Melican: American.  

  • Missee:  miss, young lady. 

  • Mississee: mistress. 

  • Molo-man:  a negro (i.e., a Moor). 

  • Moon-pidgin:  monthly.  

  • More-betta:  superior, better. "My more-betta go 'way".

  • Muchee:   very; intensified as muchee-muchee.  

  • My:  my; I; me; mine. Sometimes we, our, or ours. 

  • Nai-foo:  knife.

  • Nee hao:  hello.

  • Nep-fa-lan:  Netherlands. 

  • Nightey:  night. 

  • No-belong leason (i.e., reason):  it is not reasonable. 

  • No-can:  it is not good; I cannot; it will not do; impossible.  

  • No can do:  cannot. "No can do?": can you not?  

  • No fear!: in very common use in Pidgin-English. 

  • No-hab:  without

  • Nother:  another; other.  

  • Nother-time: again.  

  • Not ought:  should not. "You not ought makee so fashion."  

  • Numpa one:  number one; first-class; very. "Dat tea belongey numpa one" i.e., best. A Chinese servant being asked if a certain person lived in the house, replied, "Hab got top-side t'hat numpa one ugly Englishee lawyer, all-same so-fashion," accompanying the description with a significant grimace.  

  • Olo:  old. 

  • One piecee:  one piece; one; a; an. "You catchee one piecee wifey?" Are you to be married, or, Have you a wife?

  • One-time:  once; only. 

  • Osso! or ossoty!:  be quick! make haste! 

  • Outside: foreign.

  • Outside old river:  the Yang-tse-kiang.

  • Owmoon:   Macao.  

  • Pay:  to give; bring; deliver; transfer; as well as pay. "My pay fie," I gave him. 

  • Pecul:  In commerce, an Indian measure, equal to 100 catties [vide catty], or 132 Ibs. avoirdupois."

  • Pidgin:   business; affair; occupation; a word of very general application e.g., joss-pidgin, religion; chow-chow-pidgin, eating or cookery.

  • Play-pidgin:  sham; humbug. 

  • Plenty:   much; very; very much. "He makee walkee plenty high."

  • Plopa:  proper; commonly used for good, right, correct, well, or nice, in the most extended forms. "Dat allo pfopa pidgin": That is all right. 

  • Poo-poo:  purple.  

  • Pukkha:  true; real; genuine; best quality; the real thing. 

  • Punkah:  a machine for fanning. 

  • Rikshaw:  a two-weeled vehicle pulled by a rickshaw-coolie. There are 20,000 in use on the streets of Peking, and probably more on the streets of Shanghai.

  • Room-inside: within. Pronounced loom-inside, 

  • Russki:  Russian.

  • Same:  generally used with all, all-same, which see.  

  • Sam-pan:  a Chinese boat. A small flat-bottomed boat generally propelled by man power and used for passenger-carrying purposes.

  • Sam-shoo:  rice spirits.  

  • Sassee:  Sassy, saucy; proud. "You belongey too-muchee sassee, galaw."  

  • Sa-van: servant.  

  • Savvy:  know ; understand. "No savvy?": do you not know? Used in the widest sense.  

  • Sailiman: sailor.

  • Selum:  sell. 

  • Se-wei-tun: Sweden.  

  • Sha-man: servant. 

  • Shleep: sleep.

  • Shmallo:  small; mean; small-minded. 

  • Sojerman:  soldier. 

  • Shpeakee:  to speak. 

  • Sick:  out of order ; out of repair.  

  • Side:  place; country; situation. "What side you blongey?" Where is your home? "He hlongey China-side now" He is in China. Side qualifies prepositions and adverbs e.g., top-side, above, or high ; bottom-side, far-side, beyond; this-side, here.

  • Sikkan-mit: second mate. 

  • Sixee: six.

  • Sing-song: any dramatic or musical entertainment; a song; ballad; poem.  

  • Sing-song-houso: a theatre.  

  • Smellum-water:  eau-de-Cologne ; perfume. "Pay my that smellum-water!"  

  • Spoilum:  injure; to injure; rotten; decayed; broken. Very extensive in its applications.  

  • Squeeze: a fine or imposition.  

  • Supposey:  suppose; if; admit. A word of very general application.  

  • Sycee:  silver; boat-shaped silver ingots bearing merchants' stamps.  

  • Tael: a Chinese silver coin 

  • Tai-pai: a large ticket; a great chop. 

  • Tai-pan: a head man; a "boss." Literally "great manager"; the head or manager of a foreign mercantile establishment. 

  • Tai-yun: great man ; excellency. 

  • Tak-ta: doctor.

  • Talkee: tell; say or talk; inform; ask. "He talkee my no can do":  He told me it was impossible. Talkee-lesson i.e., talk reason, moral or literary discourse; wise maxims or extracts.  

  • Ta-mei-kwoh-tsung-ling-sze-yamun:  the United States (American) Consulate General.  

  • Tanka:  egg-house i.e., a boat in which people live. 

  • Tan-kwoh:  Danish. 

  • Tau-shan:   thousand.

  • Tau-ti: civil governor.  

  • Ta-ying-ling-shi-shu:  the British Consulate. 

  • Ta-ying-sho-sun-kwan:  the British Post Office. 

  • That:   often used as indicating in Pidgin-English when it would be omitted in ordinary English e.g., that man, he. 

  • That-same: that. 

  • That-side: there. 

  • That-time: then; when.  

  • This-side:  here. "Hab makee stop t'his side." 

  • Tiffin:  lunch. (Indian)  

  • Time:  time; is employed with all adverbs of time. 

  • Tin:   thin i.e., light, not heavy.

  • Ting:  thing.  

  • Tinkee: think. 

  • Tin-mak:  Denmark.  

  • Toi-tche:  German i.e., Deutsch.  

  • Too:   very. "You too bad."  

  • Too-muchee:  very; excessive. "You too-muchee hansom": You are very bandsome.  

  • Top-side: above; on high. "Top-side galow":  excelsior. "Top-side piecee Heaven pidgin-man": a bishop. 

  • Two-time:   twice; again.  

  • U-lup:  Europe.  

  • Understand?:  a very common expression for Do you understand? 

  • Wifey:  wife. 

  • Wailo, Wy-lo:  go away; away with you! go; depart; gone; departed; went. 

  • Walkee:  to go, in any way.  "China-man wear two watch. What for? Supposee one makee sick, t' other walkee." 

  • Wantchee:  to want. 

  • Wat:   what. 

  • Wata:  water. "Hab got wata top-side":  Mad, foolish, cracked. 

  • Wat-ting?:  what is it? what? 

  • Wei-yuen: great officials. 

  • What for?:  why? wherefore? because. "What for you makee so fashion?"  

  • What-side:  where. "What-side my can go?": Where can I go?  

  • What-time:  when.  

  • Who-man?:  who? "Who-man makee Wake t'hat one-piecee?

  • Willow-waist:  expressive of a fine female figure.  

  • Yamun, Yamen: a governor's, mandarin's or prefect's residence; a consulate.  

  • Ying-ling:  England. Ta-ying-ling-shi-shu, the British Consulate.

  • Ying-kwo:  English nation. 

  • Yin-ke-li:  English. 

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