Hokkien Ditties

Mum was in a good mood the other day and was recalling stories from her childhood. It was an amusing walk down memory lane and in the course of it, I managed to pick up a few Hokkien ditties. They're little rhymes, each with a meaning. I have attempted to translate them as best as I can from Hokkien to English. See whether they make sense!

Chiak Tor Tau

Chiak Lau Lau

(Eat groundnuts and live to a ripe old age)

Chiak Geng Geng

Ho Boey Keng

(Eat dried longans and have a good ending)

Chiak Ung Choe

Nee Nee Ho

(Eat red dates for a good year every year)

Chiak Huat Kueh

Huat Kay Hoay

(Eat Huat Kueh and grow your property)

Chiak Keng Chio

Thun Beh Pio

(Eat bananas and strike a lottery)

Chiak Kum

Thun Hoe Ung

(Eat Mandarin oranges and get a good husband!)

Of course there are many more rhymes, most of which have escaped Mum's memory with the passage of time. It must have been fun to compose them. People in the good old days led a much more relaxed lifestyle than we do now, with no TV to watch and no computers to work on, so they sat under the stars and coined up these delightful verses.

Which is your favourite?