The following proverbs, colloquial sayings and nursery rhymes were told by Fay Hing Lee Wong to her children and grandchildren. They were collected and submitted to us by her daughter Linda Huang. Most are wise, many funny, more are wry, and a few are very earthy. Fay Hing Lee Wong (1917-2000), recited them to Linda and her brothers and sisters, and their children, giving them, and us, a lifetime of loving wisdom. Her husband Voy Wong brought Fay to American in 1947, and, together with their children, they operated the Chungking Restaurant in Riverside for many years. The sayings, nearly 100 of them, are in Hoisan and English, with an audio “button” you can click to hear audio in Linda’s Hoisan-wah. Here are the first nine of Fay’s sayings. More will come in the following months.
- M’geen-yao nui, yeet-at dee yeet-ai; At-dou dee hou nai-nai.
Not serious child, one fall will make one big (grow up); To fall, will become pretty.
2.-Ngun-foon m’pa lockjuk chong, Oh-gei m’pa see-leung fan.
Sleepy, not afraid bamboo thorn bed, Hungry, not afraid tough brown rice.
(You won’t be picky if you’re hungry or sleepy.)
3.-Mo-sui ahk loi gai hwot.
(Even) fog can quench thirst.
(Make do with what you have, even a little bit helps, be optimistic.)
4.-L’wah-bak mo hai tui fung naan.
Carrot no head sways with the wind.
5.-Leung ga gung-doi hung hel thlan chieh.
Two puppets pulled by the same string.
6.-Leung ga hung ahm-fah.
Two of the same flower stalk.
7.-Kan kan, san san, song gu, song chan, Lot lot, tot tot, maht maht, chaht chaht.
Too clean creates disease, Dirty, messy wipe healthy.
8.-Ah jeung-doi, bok del-doi,
Clap your little hands, trade for little banana, (doi is diminutive).
Del-doi hem, bok wah-lem.
Little banana is sweet, trade for scythe, (for cutting rice stalks).
Wah-lem lei, let, let, quat-da nei ga bei.
Scythe sharp, cut, cut, cut off your (or child’s name) nose.
Wah-lem gnah, gnah, gnah, quat-da nei ga hop-ha.
Scythe jagged, jagged, jagged, cut off your chin.
Wah-lem hoon, hoon, hoon, quat-da nei ga hoon.
Scythe dull, dull, dull, cut off your butt.
Wah-lem chei, chei, chei, quat-da nei ga jeck-gnei (or bei for thigh).
Scythe pulls, pull, pull, cut off your ear or thigh.
9.-Jewk yeah cop, m’jewk yeah cop.
Think also talk, not think also talk.
My sister Linda Huang has a passion for sharing and learning more about the Toisanese dialect. Since she lives in San Francisco, with a large Toisanese community, she’ll never pass up an opportunity to “practice” speaking. She is part of a growing number of people preserving the wisdom and folk culture of village life passed down from elders. I hope that this series of audio clips will inspire others to share their family stories. Perhaps this will foster an ongoing exchange of ideas for other ways to preserve our Toisanese culture.