by Kylie Chan
Bo: Weapon — staff.
Bodhisattva: A being who has attained Buddhist Nirvana and has returned to Earth to help others achieve Enlightenment.
Bu keqi (Putonghua) pronounced, roughly, ‘bu kerchi’: ‘You’re welcome.’
Buddhism: The system of beliefs that life is an endless journey through reincarnation until a state of perfect detachment or Nirvana is reached.
Cantonese: The dialect of Chinese spoken mainly in the south of China and used extensively in Hong Kong. Although in written form it is nearly identical to Putonghua, when spoken it is almost unintelligible to Putonghua speakers.
Causeway Bay: Large shopping and office district on Hong Kong Island. Most of the Island’s residents seem to head there on Sunday for shopping.
Central Committee: Main governing body of Mainland China.
Central: The main business district in Hong Kong, on the waterfront on Hong Kong Island.
Cha siu bow: Dim sum served at yum cha; a steamed bread bun containing barbecued pork and gravy in the centre.
Chek Lap Kok: Hong Kong’s new airport on a large swathe of reclaimed land north of Lantau Island.
Cheongsam (Cantonese): Traditional Chinese dress, with a mandarin collar, usually closed with toggles and loops, and with splits up the sides.
Cheung Chau: Small dumbbell-shaped island off the coast of Hong Kong Island, about an hour away by ferry.
Chi gong (Cantonese): Literally, ‘energy work’. A series of movements expressly designed for manipulation of chi.
Chi: Energy. The literal meaning is ‘gas’ or ‘breath’ but in martial arts terms it describes the energy (or breath) of life that exists in all living things.
Chinese New Year: The Chinese calendar is lunar, and New Year falls at a different time each Western calendar. Chinese New Year usually falls in either January or February.
Ching: A type of life energy, ching is the energy of sex and reproduction, the Essence of Life. Every person is born with a limited amount of ching and as this energy is drained they grow old and die.
Chiu Chow: A southeastern province of China.
Choy sum (Cantonese): A leafy green Chinese vegetable vaguely resembling English spinach.
City Hall: Hall on the waterfront in Central on Hong Kong Island containing theatres and a large restaurant.
Confucianism: A set of rules for social behaviour designed to ensure that all of society runs smoothly.
Congee: A gruel made by boiling rice with savoury ingredients such as pork or thousand-year egg. Usually eaten for breakfast but can be eaten as a meal or snack any time of the day.
Connaught Road: Main thoroughfare through the middle of Central District in Hong Kong, running parallel to the waterfront and with five lanes each side.
Cross-Harbour Tunnel: Tunnel that carries both cars and MTR trains from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon under the harbour.
Cultural Revolution: A turbulent period of recent Chinese history (1966–75) during which gangs of young people called Red Guards overthrew ‘old ways of thinking’ and destroyed many ancient cultural icons.
Dai pai dong (Cantonese): Small open-air restaurant.
Daisho: A set of katana, wakizashi, and sometimes a tanto (small dagger), all matching bladed weapons used by samurai in ancient times.
Dan tian: Energy centre, a source of energy within the body. The central dan tian is roughly located in the solar plexus.
Daujie (Cantonese): ‘Thank you’, used exclusively when a gift is given.
Dim sum (Cantonese): Small dumplings in bamboo steamers served at yum cha. Usually each dumpling is less than three centimetres across and four are found in each steamer. There are a number of different types, and standard types of dim sum are served at every yum cha.
Discovery Bay: Residential enclave on Lantau Island, quite some distance from the rush of Hong Kong Island and only reachable by ferry.
Dojo (Japanese): Martial arts training school.
Eight Immortals: A group of iconic Immortals from Taoist mythology, each one representing a human condition. Stories of their exploits are part of popular Chinese culture.
Er Lang: The Second Heavenly General, second-in-charge of the running of Heavenly affairs. Usually depicted as a young man with three eyes and accompanied by his faithful dog.
Fortune sticks: A set of bamboo sticks in a bamboo holder. The questioner kneels in front of the altar and shakes the holder until one stick rises above the rest and falls out. This stick has a number that is translated into the fortune by temple staff.
Fung shui (or feng shui): The Chinese system of geomancy that links the environment to the fate of those living in it. A house with good internal and external fung shui assures its residents of good luck in their life.
Gay-lo (Cantonese slang): gay, homosexual.
Ge ge (Putonghua): Big brother.
Guangdong: The province of China directly across the border from Hong Kong.
Guangzhou: The capital city of Guangdong Province, about an hour away by road from Hong Kong. A large bustling commercial city rivalling Hong Kong in size and activity.
Guanxi: Guanxi is a social concept where people have built a network of others that they can call upon to help them when needed. The more guanxi you have, the more others will be willing to assist you when you are in need.
Gundam (Japanese): Large humanoid robot armour popular in Japanese cartoons.
Gung hei fat choy (Cantonese): Happy New Year.
Gweipoh: (lit: ‘foreign grandmother’) The feminine form of ‘gweiloh’, suggesting a female foreign devil.
Gwun Gong (or Guan Gong): A southern Chinese Taoist deity; a local General who attained Immortality and is venerated for his strengths of loyalty and justice and his ability to destroy demons.
H’suantian Shangdi (Cantonese): Xuan Tian Shang Di in the Wade-Giles method of writing Cantonese words.
Har gow: Dim sum served at yum cha; a steamed dumpling with a thin skin of rice flour dough containing prawns.
Hei sun (Cantonese): Arise.
Ho ak (Cantonese): Okay.
Ho fan (Cantonese): Flat white noodles made from rice; can be either boiled in soup or stir-fried.
Hong Kong Jockey Club: a private Hong Kong institution that runs and handles all of the horseracing and legal gambling in Hong Kong. There can be billions of Hong Kong dollars in bets on a single race meeting.
Hungry Ghosts Festival: It is believed that once a year the gates of Hell are opened, and all the ghosts who do not have descendants to care for them are free to roam the Earth. Offerings of food and incense are left on roadsides, and in towns operas are performed to entertain the spirits.
Hutong (Putonghua): Traditional square Chinese house, built around a central courtyard.
ICAC: Independent Commission Against Corruption; an independent government agency focused on tracking down corruption in Hong Kong.
Jade Emperor: The supreme ruler of the Taoist Celestial Government.
Journey to the West: A classic of Chinese literature written during the Ming Dynasty by Wu Cheng’En. The story of the Monkey King’s journey to India with a Buddhist priest to collect scriptures and return them to China.
Kata (Japanese): A martial arts ‘set’; a series of moves to practise the use of a weapon or hand-to-hand skills.
Katana: Japanese sword.
KCR: A separate above-ground train network that connects with the MTR and travels to the border with Mainland China. Used to travel to towns in the New Territories.
Kitchen God: A domestic deity who watches over the activities of the family and reports annually to the Jade Emperor.
Koi (Japanese): Coloured ornamental carp.
Kowloon City: District in Kowloon just before the entrance to the Cross-Harbour Tunnel.
Kowloon: Peninsula opposite the Harbour from Hong Kong Island, a densely packed area of high-rise buildings. Actually on the Chinese Mainland, but separated by a strict border dividing Hong Kong from China.
Kwan
Yin: Buddhist icon; a woman who attained Nirvana and became a Buddha but returned to Earth to help others achieve Nirvana as well. Often represented as a goddess of Mercy.
Lai see (Cantonese): A red paper envelope used to give cash as a gift for birthdays and at New Year. It’s believed that for every dollar given ten will return during the year.
Lai see dao loy (Cantonese): ‘Lai see, please!’
Lantau Island: One of Hong Kong’s outlying islands, larger than Hong Kong Island but not as densely inhabited.
Li: Chinese unit of measure, approximately half a kilometre.
Lo Wu Shopping Centre: A large shopping centre directly across the Hong Kong/Chinese border on the Chinese side. A shopping destination for Hong Kong residents in search of a bargain.
Lo Wu: The area of Hong Kong that contains the border crossing. Lo Wu is an area that covers both sides of the border; it is in both Hong Kong and China.
Love hotel: Hotel with rooms that are rented by the hour by young people who live with their parents (and therefore have no privacy) or businessmen meeting their mistresses for sex.
M’goi sai (Cantonese): ‘Thank you very much.’
M’sai (Cantonese): Literally, ‘no need’, but it generally means ‘you’re welcome’.
Macau: One-time Portuguese colony to the west of Hong Kong in the Pearl River Delta, about an hour away by jet hydrofoil; now another Special Administrative Region of China. Macau’s port is not as deep and sheltered as Hong Kong’s so it has never been the busy trade port that Hong Kong is.
Mafoo (Cantonese): Groom.
Mah jong: Chinese game played with tiles. The Chinese play it differently from the polite game played by many Westerners; it is played for money and can often be a cut-throat competition between skilled players, rather like poker.
Manga: Japanese illustrated novel or comic book.
Mei mei (Putonghua): Little sister.
MTR: Fast, cheap, efficient and spotlessly clean subway train system in Hong Kong. Mostly standing room, and during rush hour so packed that it is often impossible to get onto a carriage.
Na Zha: Famous mythical Immortal who was so powerful as a child that he killed one of the dragon sons of the Dragon King. He gained Immortality by unselfishly travelling into Hell to release his parents who had been held in punishment for his crime. A spirit of Youthfulness.
New Territories: A large area of land between Kowloon and Mainland China that was granted to extend Hong Kong. Less crowded than Hong Kong and Kowloon, the New Territories are green and hilly with high-rise New Towns scattered through them.
Nunchucks: Short wooden sticks held together with chains; a martial arts weapon.
Opium Wars: (1839–60) A series of clashes between the then British Empire and the Imperial Chinese Government over Britain’s right to trade opium to China. It led to a number of humiliating defeats and surrenders by China as they were massively outclassed by modern Western military technology.
Pa Kua (Cantonese): The Eight Symbols, a central part of Taoist mysticism. Four of these Eight Symbols flank the circle in the centre of the Korean flag.
Pak Tai: One of Xuan Wu’s many names; this one is used in Southern China.
Peak Tower: Tourist sightseeing spot at the top of the Peak Tram. Nestled between the two highest peaks on the Island and therefore not the highest point in Hong Kong, but providing a good view for tourist photographs.
Peak Tram: Tram that has been running for many years between Central and the Peak. Now mostly a tourist attraction because of the steepness of the ride and the view.
Peak, the: Prestigious residential area of Hong Kong, on top of the highest point of the centre of Hong Kong Island. The view over the harbour and high-rises is spectacular, and the property prices there are some of the highest in the world.
Pipa: A Chinese musical instrument, shaped like a mandolin, but played vertically with the body of the instrument held in the lap.
Pocky: A popular Japanese snack, which is a box of stick-shaped biscuits dipped in flavoured sweet coating.
Pokfulam: Area of Hong Kong west of the main business districts, facing the open ocean rather than the harbour. Contains large residential apartment blocks and a very large hillside cemetery.
Putonghua: Also called Mandarin, the dialect of Chinese spoken throughout China as a standard language. Individual provinces have their own dialects but Putonghua is spoken as a common tongue.
Qing Long (Putonghua) pronounced, roughly, Ching Long: The Azure Dragon of the East.
Ramen (Japanese): Instant two-minute noodles.
Repulse Bay: A small swimming beach surrounded by an expensive residential enclave of high- and low-rise apartment blocks on the south side of Hong Kong Island.
Salute, Chinese: The left hand is closed into a fist and the right hand is wrapped around it. Then the two hands are held in front of the chest and sometimes shaken.
Sashimi (Japanese): Raw fish.
Seiza: Japanese kneeling position.
Sensei (Japanese): Master.
Seppuku: Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment: hari-kiri.
Sha Tin: A New Territories ‘New Town’, consisting of a large shopping centre surrounded by a massive number of high-rise developments on the banks of the Shing Mun River.
Shaolin: Famous temple, monastery and school of martial arts, as well as a style of martial arts.
Shen: Shen has two meanings, in the same sense that the English word spirit has two meanings (‘ghost’ and ‘energy’). Shen can mean an Immortal being, something like a god in Chinese mythology. It is also the spirit that dwells within a person, the energy of their soul.
Shenzhen: The city at the border between Hong Kong and China, a ‘special economic zone’ where capitalism has been allowed to flourish. Most of the goods manufactured in China for export to the West are made in Shenzhen.
Sheung Wan: The western end of the Hong Kong Island MTR line; most people get off the train before reaching this station.
Shoji (Japanese): Screen of paper stretched over a wooden frame.
Shroff Office: A counter in a car park where you pay the parking fee before returning to your car.
Shui (Cantonese): ‘Water’.
Shui gow: Chinese dumplings made of pork and prawn meat inside a dough wrapping, boiled in soup stock.
Sifu (Cantonese): Master.
Siu mai: Dim sum served at yum cha; a steamed dumpling with a skin of wheat flour containing prawn and pork.
Sow mei (Cantonese): A type of Chinese tea, with a greenish colour and a light, fragrant flavour.
Stanley Market: A famous market on the south side of Hong Kong Island, specialising in tourist items.
Star Ferry: Small oval green and white ferries that run a cheap service between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.
Sticky rice: Dim sum served at yum cha; glutinous rice filled with savouries such as pork and thousand-year egg, wrapped in a green leaf and steamed.
Sun Wu Kong (Cantonese): The Monkey King’s real name.
Tae kwon do: Korean martial art.
Tai chi chuan: Full correct name for tai chi.
Tai chi: A martial art that consists of a slow series of movements, used mainly as a form of exercise and chi manipulation to enhance health and extend life. Usable as a lethal martial art by advanced practitioners. There are several different styles of tai chi, including Chen, Yang and Wu, named after the people who invented them.
Tai Koo Shing: Large enclosed shopping mall on the north side of Hong Kong.
Tai Tai (Cantonese): Lit: ‘wife’ but in this context it refers to a wealthy middle-aged Hong Kong woman who spends all her time shuffling between designer clothing stores, expensive lunches, and beauty salons.
Tao Teh Ching: A collection of writings by Lao Tzu on the elemental nature of Taoist philosophy.
Tao, the: ‘The Way’. A perfect state of consciousness equivalent to the Buddhist Nirvana, in which a person becomes completely attuned with the universe and achieves Immo
rtality. Also the shortened name of a collection of writings (the Tao Teh Ching) on Taoist philosophy written by Lao Tzu.
Taoism: Similar to Buddhism, but the state of perfection can be reached by a number of different methods, including alchemy and internal energy manipulation as well as meditation and spirituality.
Tatami (Japanese): Rice-fibre matting.
Temple Street: A night market along a street on Kowloon side in Hong Kong. Notorious as a triad gang hangout as well as being one of Hong Kong’s more colourful markets.
Ten Levels of Hell: It is believed that a human soul travels through ten levels of Hell, being judged and punished for a particular type of sin at each level. Upon reaching the lowest, or tenth, level, the soul is given an elixir of forgetfulness and returned to Earth to reincarnate and live another life.
Teppan (Japanese): Hotplate used for cooking food at teppanyaki.
Teppanyaki (Japanese): Meal where the food is cooked on the teppan in front of the diners and served when done.
Thousand-year egg: A duck egg that’s been preserved in a mixture of lime, ash, tea and salt for one hundred days, making the flesh of the egg black and strong in flavour.
Tikuanyin (Cantonese; or Tikuanyum): Iron Buddha Tea. A dark, strong and flavourful black Chinese tea. Named because, according to legend, the first tea bush of this type was found behind a roadside altar containing an iron statue of Kwan Yin.
Tin Hau (Cantonese): Taoist deity, worshipped by seafarers.
Triad: Hong Kong organised-crime syndicate. Members of the syndicates are also called triads.
Tsim Sha Tsui: Main tourist and entertainment district on Kowloon side, next to the Harbour.
Tsing Ma Bridge: Large suspension bridge connecting Kowloon with Lantau Island, used to connect to the Airport Expressway.
Typhoon: A hurricane that occurs in Asia. Equivalent to a hurricane in the US or a cyclone in Australia.
Wakizashi: Japanese dagger, usually matched with a sword to make a set called a daisho.
Wan Chai: Commercial district on Hong Kong Island, between the offices and designer stores of Central and the shopping area of Causeway Bay. Contains office buildings and restaurants, and is famous for its nightclubs and girlie bars.