Hong Kong Terms: G—N

G

Look Right; Look Left gai — chicken. Also Cantonese slang for a prostitute. Yes, I mentioned it before, but you need to know this.

gik sei yuhn — piss me off.

goh — Cantonese for big brother; like ah, also used with part of a man's proper name to show respect or friendship.

gun-fu — highly choreographed, over-the-top, improbably acrobatic gunfights in films. Made famous by director John Woo; copied to death by everyone else.

gwai louh — literally, ghost man, or white devil. A Cantonese term for any Caucasian man. Once derogatory, it has lost its negative punch. After all, we are all foreign devils.

gwai poh — female version of gwai louh. A gwai jai is the demonic offspring of foreign devils.

H

haak hau haak mihn — literally black mouth and black face. Said to someone looking glum or who is in a bad mood.

HK — acronym for Hong Kong. Duh.

Hongkers — Australian slang for Hong Kong. Gotta love them Aussies.

Hong Konger — a person that lives in Hong Kong. Double duh.

Hot Dog Bus — refers to old non-air-conditioned buses still operated by Kowloon Motor Bus company. Got the name because of its bun-coloured paint-job, and because after riding around in one during the hot summer days, you feel like a boiled weiner.

HKSAR — acronym for Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. May change in 2047, when the 50-year agreement with Britain regarding Hong Kong's status in relation to mainland China ends.

hostess club — a bar where lonely men pay to drink overpriced alcohol with good-looking women known as hostesses, or PR public relation girls. Encounters often end at a nearby hourly hotel room. Though legitimate clubs exist, most hostess clubs are poorly disguised brothels, as traditional brothels are illegal.

I

ICAC — acronym for the Independent Commission Against Corruption.

J

jade babe — used by tabloid rags to describe a pretty girl-next-door type of woman. Lame.

jade screen — the Asian version of the silver screen for films made in China, Hong Kong or Japan. Is this term necessary?

jai — Cantonese for son. Also used by triad societies to describe a respected lower-ranking member.

jat jai — Cantonese for nephew. Used by older people when addressing someone younger than themselves. Also used by triad socities to describe new recruits.

jing — using cleverness to get ahead. Myself, I use the word jing to mean money, as in: Man, I need to make some jing!

jing gu jouh gwaai — to do all sorts of funny things to annoy, distract, mislead or deceive.

ji sih — nosy. Also, a trouble-maker. Said in tones dripping with contempt or disgust.

joi gin — Cantonese for so long or goodbye. The English bye bye is also used. See Ducks and Mynahs for more.

jok sei — Go to Hell! Used when someone is pretending to be angry with you.

jou tau — Good night; good bye. Said with force, it wishes someone to die at an early age, so be gentle.

K

kowtow — bowing down to someone to show respect. A form of humiliation if done under duress.

kung fu — a generic term for southern Chinese styles of martial arts styles. Identified by most Westerners as a style on its own, which is incorrect. Can also be applied to any type of work or play where a practitioner has exceptional skills. For example, a chef can be said to have good kung fu.

Kwan Daaih — the patron saint of both the Hong Kong police and the many triads. He represents the Taoist ideals of integrity and loyalty. His statue is easily identifiable by his dark red face. For a deity, he is woefully uninformed about sunblock.

KCR — Kowloon-Canton Railway. The extra charge for the first-class car is worth it.

L

laahp saap chuhng — literally, garbage-worm. Applies to litterbugs.

Lan Kwai Fong — an area popular with expatriates, it is filled with trendy clubs, restaurants and drunken expatriates.

leng jai — a good-looking fellow. I hear this one all the time. Heh.

louh yauh gei — a good friend of long standing. The British would say old chap.

M

mah jong — the anglicised spelling of mah jeuk. A popular tile game in which is exuberant, noisy and played for money. Jeuk sounds nothing like jong.

mainland — China.

mainlander — A person that lives in China. Meant to describe Chinese nationals rather than foreigners. Foreigners in China will always be foreigners, even if they're born there, if you catch my drift.

mamasan — the female manager of a hostess club. The pimpette, as it were.

Mandarin — the principle dialect of mainland China, though each region also maintains its own alternative dialects. Also a tangy orange.

Mark Six — Hong Kong's public lottery, run twice per week. That's 104 chances per year to waste your money.

mm goi — Cantonese for thank you or excuse me. For offering thanks, it is used when someone performs a service. Can be heard being yelled out at dim sum to get a waiter's attention.

mm haih gwa — No kidding? Put another way: You aren't BSing me, are you?

mm mm ah ah — used to describe someone who mumbles instead of giving a definite answer. What it sounds like.

mm sai mm goi — You're welcome. Or, not at all. Literally: no need to say thank you.

MTR — Mass Transit Railway. Clean, efficient and the place where grown men will shove a pregnant woman out of the way in order to get a seat.