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 America in 1947, and, together with their children, they operated the Chungking Restaurant in Riverside for many years. The sayings, nearly 100 of them, are mostly accompanied by audio in Hoisan and English. You can click the audio button to hear the sayings in Linda’s Hoisan-wah. Here are Fay’s sayings, Nos. 76 to 86. More will come in the following months.
76.-Thleung-gan ho, hung jee naan.
Portrait meet good, live with difficult.
77.-Thlai wun yiu thleung hup.
Wash dishes have broken.
(Inevitable, like how dishes can break.)
78.-Hui yeet tan, fan yeet lei.
Go (spent) $1,000, go back one mile.
79.-Seung uk, ban ha uk.
Up house, move lower house.
M’gan thlam lo guk.
Gone three baskets rice stalk.
80.-Seep nyan ngin thleem dee giu gong-ban.
Ten years people heart has nine changes.
Thlong hoi dee ban thlong han.
(Bigger)rice ocean changes rice sky.
81.- Ung-gah m’heck dee ngun fei.
Winter melon (Boss) doesn’t eat, but eyes see fat.
(Even if he doesn’t eat, if he’s lucky, he’ll get fat.)
82.-Meow-ngei thlam thlai, m’thlai m’ahk ai.
Animals three moves, not move can’t big (grow).
83.-Yeet ngin gai-chaht ngwun, yeet Ngin gai-chaht cheung.
One person calculate short, one person calculate long.
Ai-gah ho loi tam-teung.
Everyone get together meeting.
84.-Toi loi dee-yiu fong.
Prosperity come freely let go (from everywhere).
(Prosperity comes easy to him.)
85.-Mo hei, mo toe.
No rise, no grass.
(Not ambitious)
86.-Lo niu, lai nell.
Old girl, leak pee.
Gan sigh lell.
Get used to it.
