Dictionary of Hong Kong English, A

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53 F F B face Falun Gong fan fan gwei(lo) Fanling fan tan fat choi fen feng shui FILTH foki foreign mud fruit money fu mo kwun fung shui 54 F face n. Definition: to lose, gain or save one’s reputation. Text example: “From the Confucian point of view ... a man in the workforceisequatedwithworth,diligence,controllability, and a conscience for himself, and more importantly, such a man has fulfilled the masculine social role and identity in which his family could gainface andsupport.” Note: 1 In Standard English this term is always expressed in the sense of losing or saving face. In HKE face can be gained. 2 The use of this word by HK Chinese has been stereotyped in some Western fictions. Falun Gong /fa:lun gɔŋ/ n. Source language: Cantonese (法輪功). Definition: a religious organization that is illegal in Mainland China. Text example: “These images illustrate the dichotomy of Falun Gong: it presents a rational, non-threatening image to outsiders ... while a closer examination of the cult throws up weird and wacky theories and prophecies.” See: qigong. fan (1) /fa:n/ n. Source language: Cantonese (飯). Definition: rice. Text example: “To eat fan, a diner raises the bowl to her lips and pushes the grains into her mouth with chopsticks. This is the face ▸ 55 F easiest way to eat it and shows proper enjoyment— eating fan from a bowl left sitting on the table suggests dissatisfactionwiththefood.” fan (2) /fʌn/ n. Source language: Cantonese (分). Definition: 1 1/1600 catty or 1 candareen; 2 10 fan (candareen) = 1 tsin (mace). See: catty. fan (3) /fʌn/ n. Source language: Cantonese (分). Definition: 0.371475 centimeters. See: chek. fan gwei(lo) (also fanqui, fan kwai, fan-kwei) /fan gweɪ (ləʊ)/ idiomatic expression. Source language: Cantonese (番鬼φ). Definition: literally, “troublesome ghost” (possibly offensive), a derogatory name for Caucasian. Text example: 1 “They are still ‘foreign devils’ to the locals, but the term fan gweilo or simply gweilo is usually uttered in a neutral, ironic, or even an indulgent way, and hardly ever in tones offearandloathing.” 2 “This proved so popular that we had to arrange a second crew, and we called ourselves by the irreverent names of ‘fan gwei’forthemainlypoliceandarmycrewand‘gweilo’ for the civilian team—two common abbreviations for ‘fan gweilo’ or foreign devils.” ▸ fan gwei(lo) 56 F 3 “...andtocarryafanqui (foreign devil) towhampoa.” 4 “Magistrate: Did not that witness say fan kwai in his evidence?” 5 “and the children cried ‘Fan-kwei’ again, after me—even the smallest shrimps and mudlarks of two years old.” See: gweilo. Note: Derived from the term gweilo and the Cantonese word for“trouble”(mah-faahn). Fanling /fanliŋ/ n. Source language: Cantonese (粉嶺). Definition: a growing market town in the North District. It is the site of some old walled villages. fan tan /fan tan/ n. Source language: Cantonese (番攤). Definition: a betting game based on the number of counters remaining when a hidden pile of them has been divided by four. Text example: “This analysis is based on the 1347 gamblers without missing data and the result is similar to 2001 in terms of the gambling related risk factors (Casino is replaced by Fan Tan and Mahjong House), and education is replaced byfamilyincomeasademographicriskfactor.” fat choi (also fat choy) /fat tʃɔɪ/ n. Source language: Cantonese (發財). Definition: a soft stringy food (of the species Nostoc commune var. Flagelliforme) often served at Chinese New Year. Fanling ▸ 57 F Text example: 1 “We should share our responsibility and not eat fat choi to avoid damaging the soil and earth.” 2 “Foods play a prominent role in Hong Kong superstitions, from eating noodles on birthdays (long strands symbolize longevity), using fat choy (sea moss) as a prosperitypropitious ingredient in dishes, or using peach pits as amuletsforbabies.” Note: 1 This term is a homophone for “get rich” in Cantonese. 2 Many people mistakenly call this bacterial food a sea moss or fungi. fen /fen/ n. Source language: Mandarin (分). Definition: Chinese currency, equivalent to one hundredth of a yuan Renminbi. Text example: “Currency: The currency unit since 1955 has been the Yuan, known as Renminbi (people’s currency!). 1 Yuan Renminbi (¥ Rmb) = 10 jiao =100fen.” See: Renminbi and jiao. feng shui /fəŋ ʃɔɪ/ n. See: fung shui. FILTH idiomatic expression. Definition: acronym for “failed in London try Hong Kong,” for those seeking to improve their prospects in the (former) colony. Text example...