This Dictionary Entry, Dedicated to The Delightful Quirks of Hokkien

This Dictionary Entry, 

Dedicated to The Delightful Quirks of Hokkien

 

November, 4th, 2024, as I walked in a local ice house in Macau, the waiters greeted me in mandarin, with a heavy twist of Cantonese on the end of their tongue. I recognize that tongue, that tone sandhi with consecutive syllables, chiming with the bustle of utensils. 

"You might may not hear it now, but your ears are just as sharp as ours."

Our guide in Fujian comforts me as I failed again to decipher his conversations with the local Hakka people.

That's true.

Chengyang Zhang