A lesson in slang is certainly not a legitimate part of grammar. But it may not be amiss for a learner to know that such a thing as slang not only exists, but that it is abundantly used. Every trade and occupation has its own slang best known to its own fraternity. In the market especially, trading operations are carried on between dealers and brokers by means of an extensive vocabulary of slang, used when occasion requires. Middle men who introduce a customer will conclude a bargain with the shop keeper about their own percentage, by the use of slang, in the presence of the country buyer himself who may not have the least idea of what is going on. Other slang, again, is well understood by everybody, and serves as a vehicle for Chinese humor, drollery, satire, and ridicule. Words of this kind are called “phiah-ūe”, which may here be rendered, slang. A few specimens are appended.
For example, fish dealers, instead of ordinary numerals, in discussing prices among themselves, use kìn, nãi, chong, su, ma, which are substitutes for che̍k, nõ, saⁿ, sì, ngõu, one, two, three, four, five. This is called, hṳ̂ phiah, fish slang.
Cattle dealers have another set from one up to ten,—thien (1), hiã (2), phêng (3), kháu (4), chúi (5), lêng (6), bûn (7), put (8), kìⁿ (9), khai (10). This is called, gû phiah, cattle slang.
- phah huan-nâng-chhèng,
- to shoot a foreign gun, i.e. to smoke opium.
- khṳ̀-saⁿ-tiám,
- gone for three drops, i.e. off for a drink.
- phah-chháu-chhie̍h,
- to beat the mat, i.e. to go to sleep.
- pí chháu-chhie̍h-tōu,
- to measure the length of the mat, i.e. to go to sleep.
- léng-sî-cheng,
- to push along the clock, i.e. to carry a sedan chair.
- saⁿ-chiah-chhiú,
- three-handed, i.e. thievish.
- ou lãu-tiâ,
- the black mandarin, i.e. a coffin.
- si-kue-thâu,
- a water melon head, i.e. a Buddhist priest.
- kûe-lo̍ih,
- a peaked hat, i.e. a man’s house.
- a-kòng-iâ,
- the esquire, i.e. a leper.
- kò-chûn-kiáⁿ,
- to row a small boat, i. e. wabbling gait.
- pn̄g-lōi,
- a rice scoop, i.e. stiff armed.
- tieⁿ-máng-tièⁿ,
- spreading a musquito net, i.e. sporting a long gown.
- tàu hun-tâng-thâu,
- putting on pipe stoppers, i.e. wearing stockings.
- siu phòu-chou,
- collecting shop rents, i.e. a fellow begging from door to door.
