Explanation of "Aiya!"

I originally used “aiya!” in the thread about Kyomara 's banning. If he/she reads this, welcome back, by the way; even though I don’t know you! (I was going to post that in the other thread, but it was closed by the time I got to it)

Since I thought people might not understand it, here’s an explanation.

I hope you got it! See you all later on this great message board!

Thank you, Flamsterette_X, that was very informative. I’ve never known the specifics of its usage. My friends, even those who don’t speak their parents’ language fluently, almost all use this expression, but none of them know anything about it other than the varied ways in which it can be used.

I also thought it would be worthwhile to note the popular misconception, that it’s spelled ‘aya’ and stands for ‘Angry Yellow Asian,’ which is of course false.

Love the explanation! Thank you

Flamsterette_X, a quick question for you, la!

I’ve heard Cantonese speakers say “eeeee-yaw” instead of “aiya”, but only in response something sad, frightening, or stomach-turning (violent parts of movies, etc). It seems to have stronger meaning than “aiya”. Is it just “aiya” pronounced differently, or is it a completely different phrase?

I (a white boy) use “Aiya!” all the time – I picked it up from my father-in-law.

–Cliffy

I’m another gwei lo with the “aiya!” habit.

I’ve often wondered how cool it would be to develop another Esperanto-style international language, but rather than basing it on simplicity and ease of learning, base it on the coolest words and expressions from existing languages. “Aiya!” would be in there, and Yiddish would be heavily represented, as would Cockney rhyming slang, colourful phrases from the American South, maybe an Arabic curse or two.

Aiya already! :slight_smile:

Hmm… haven’t heard that before, but then it could be that you’re mishearing the “aiya!” part. :smiley: Of course, it could be equally possble that it’s just a corruption of the original “aiya!” and so pronounced differently.

Probably for those triggers you mentioned (violence, gross stuff, etc.), “aiya!” is not enough! So you have to draw it out and turn it into something else entirely! :smiley:

Hey, that’s cool! We need to get more people going on this, don’t you think? That language you mentioned would certainly be an interesting hodgepodge, that much is for sure. A verbal smorgasbord, if you will.

Yeah, but the lesson I have learned with this is you have to be real careful not to use it when you’re with people that don’t belong to your immediate family or your circle of friends. Because letting it slip by accident in public, you can get a lot of strange (and not friendly) looks, let me tell you.

My computer crashed on preview. For another take on Aieeyaaa! Check out www.lilywong.net The World of Lily Wong was created by cartoonist Larry Feign, who kept Hong Kong amused with the antics of a bumbling westerner and his street smart local Lily Wong.

Remember, Aieeyaa is a Cantonese thing. Other parts of China don’t use this word or a local variation that is perhaps recognizeable but quite different. For example, the Shanghaiese use “aiyo” with short syllables. When excited, you can hear “aiyo, aiyo, aiyo, aiyo” spat out at a machine gun pace.

[hijack]gweilo, although commonly used in HK to refer to Westerners, has negative bias. Eg, gwei is “ghost” or “devil” and always has a negative connotation in Chinese.[/hijack]

AIYA!!! China Guy hijacked my post! I’ll complain to a moderator! :rolleyes: Just kidding, of course… in my short time on the board, I’m sure I’ve been guilty of that a few times!

And yes, I knew what “gweilo” meant… but the others on the board might not!

I was aware of the literal meaning of “gwei lo”, but I’ve never heard any Cantonese speaker shy away from using “gwei lo” when talking about Westerners. My guess is that it’s such a common phrase that people don’t think of the original meaning, just as English speakers don’t conjure up explicit sexual or scatological imagery when they swear in exclamation.

I could be wrong, but if anybody were to get upset, it’d be the Westerner being spoken about. I’ve had Cantonese-speaking friends suddenly stop their conversation and say, “Oh, I hope you don’t mind our calling you ‘gwei lo’”. Of course I didn’t mind - I find actually find it endearing. That’s not to say, of course, that I’d like to be formally introduced as one.

Aiya! I love this word! It’s better than “Oy!” or even “Wow!” or the ever-handy “Sheesh!” And I’ve dated enough Asian bois who have used the word on me (both for better and for ill) that I just love it. (Sadly, I’ve picked up a new phrase - “Rock on!” - since moving to California. I’m terribly, terribly sorry…)

Esprix

Well, I wouldn’t think you’d want to be introduced like that… “Hi guys! This is my gwei lo friend!” Sounds rather bizarre to me, at any rate.

And as for not conjuring up explicit sexual or scatological images when swearing in exclamation, well… all I have to say about that one is: I DO IT ALL THE TIME!!! :smiley: :stuck_out_tongue: :rolleyes:

What does this do?

Guess I’ll see on preview…always been curious…

Never mind, I thought it was the ultra-tiny text font! I think I’ll leave it in, though.


maybe this is it?

Time to do another preview…okay, so maybe not…

My sister picked “gwei lo” up from some people she went on tour to Taiwan with. My cousins and I now use it to refer affectionately to my boyfriend. :smiley: Since Chinese isn’t our primary language, I suppose it’s hard to imagine how offensive the term actually is. When we go out to Chinese restaurants with the family, my boyfriend always sighs and says jokingly “I’m the only gwei lo here”.

And just so this isn’t a complete hijack, he also likes to use “aiya”, followed closely by “zhao gao!” (sp?)

I came to work one day with a little plastic container full of some extremely Westernised Chinese food I’d picked up at the local shopping mall, and was promptly told (in a friendly way) that it was “gwei lo laap saap (sp?)”, or white man’s rubbish. Now, although I really love authentic Chinese food, and I eat it regularly, just on occasion I like to indulge in the cheap and nasty stuff from the “three dishes with rice” kiosks at the mall - I think it should be a recognised cuisine.

Damn it, one day I’ll buy one and change the name of the business to “Gwei Lo Laap Saap” (unless some PC govt department stops me).

I’m wondering if “aiya” is the progenitor to the Japanese “ara” because they are used almost identically (and it is kinda funny to use these expressions even if it isn’t your native language, ain’t it. “Ara, where are my keys”). Too bad we can’t type any Chinese characters on this board.

Of course the American variation of this is not “fck" but “whoa.” CAN you say "fck” when you crash into somebody in the super market? I suppose you could…

HAHAHAHAHAHA… what a name that would be! I can just imagine a restaurant/kiosk with that name at the mall or Chinese public market we have here… that would be rich! Of course, there are some “Chinese” foods that never originated in China; for example, chop suey. It was meant to appeal to Americans and other non-Chinese people back in the day.

Thanks, TheLoadedDog, that idea made me laugh out loud, and definitely made me feel better about being flamed (however toungue-in-cheek or sarcastically) by Crunchy Frog in the latest incarnation of his Welcome Wagon! Of course, before I got to this thread, I had to post my reply… for which I hope I will not get banned!

One thing, though… with a name like that, I’m not sure that your kiosk would do very well! Just like the soya sauce chicken foot Slurpees my friend Eddie always says he’ll make (and devote an eatery to, besides)! We can always dream, though… right?:smiley:

:eek: :eek: :eek:
(Band name!)
And I thought I was brave drinking an avocado milkshake!

Back to “gweiloh”. It’s a very common expression in HK and Guangdong, but it is not a polite expression. Sure, I use it sometimes, and some of my Honkie friends use it with me. But, at the end of the day, the “gwei” always has a negative connotation. i have also heard it used as an undisguised racial slur, and as a disguised racial slur. I hate to make an analogy with another groups word, but it is somewhat akin to sometimes, some people can get away with using the “n” word.

Just remember Jackie Chan in Rush Hour in the pool hall.