At the office, your colleagues may use a lot of Chinese idioms in everyday communication. How can you explain these to a colleague who is a native English or who is not familiarized with the Hong Kong culture? Take a look at these idioms. The English version is not a direct translation of the idioms, but it can explain the underlying meaning of them.
「上位」 Get somewhere
Meaning: to make progress towards achieving something
Example: Peter has been working very hard over the years, and finally he is getting somewhere.
「吞 pop」 Goof off
Meaning: waste time and not doing any work
Example: They goof off as the manager leaves for a meeting.
「釣魚」 Nod off
Meaning: to fall asleep, especially not intentionally
Example: Carmen is nodding off at the meeting because she did not have enough sleep last night.
「新丁 」 Rookie Meaning: someone who is new to a job and does not have much experience
Example: Mary looks young and is considered a rookie. In fact, she has more than 10 years of working experience in the field.
「燉冬菇」 Demote
Meaning: being given a lower rank or less important position
Example: The manager is demoted because he fails to fulfill his duties.
「懶醒」 Smart arse (in US: smart ass)
Meaning: a person who likes to show off being cleverer than others in an annoying way
Example: I don’t like that smart arse in the other department telling me how to do my job.
「話晒事」 Call the shots
Meaning: being in a position telling others what to do
Example: Mr. Lee is our manager and he calls the shots in our team.
「大信封」 Pink slip
Meaning: a document given to an employee to terminate his/her employment
Example: The company is cutting the number of staff, and John is the unfortunate one in our team getting a pink slip.
「潛水」 Keep your head down
Meaning: to avoid trouble or drawing attention to yourself at a time of danger
Example: It is better to keep your head down when the boss is in a bad mood.
「吊鹽水」 Get by
Meaning: to manage to survive or make ends meet
Example: It is hard for Philip to get by on this low salary.
