“A Daughter Less Ordinary”-Pearls of Wisdom

In Ipoh, Cantonese is widely spoken – you must understand this dialect to move around and get things done. At home, my father used to speak Cantonese, so too Mom, Grandma and all my elder siblings.

Besides the daily conversations, Cantonese proverbs were a common feature in our house.

“Yau kam sang, mo loi sai” means “only in this life and not in the next.” This is used when siblings are at odd with each other. We were reminded to cherish each other because we are only siblings in this life and not in our next.

“Lou luen kut tow” means “all the bones got mixed up in the same urn.” This is also used to describe siblings at odd with each other, just like the bones fighting for some space and privacy when they found themselves being kept in the same urn.

“Man see yew yan” means “to stay cool and calm in all situations.” This was the advice my father gave me on the day I moved down to Kuala Lumpur to stay.

“Ngor sik yim toh gor lei sik mai” means “I ate more salt than you eat rice.” Used to describe a person who has gone through a lot of trial and tribulations in life.

These Cantonese proverbs which Dad used very often, appeared in my second book, “A Daughter Less Ordinary.”

To me, proverbs are pearls of wisdom, and hence, I love to use them in my writings.