Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
John: Common Slang Expressions Used in the Workplace, Part 2
John: Hi everyone, and welcome back to CantoneseClass101.com. I'm John.
Siuling: And I'm Siuling!
John: This is Must-Know Cantonese Slang Words and Phrases, Season 1, Lesson 2. In this lesson, you'll learn common slang expressions used in the workplace, part 2.
John: Don't be surprised when you hear Hong Kongers using these expressions when talking about work.
SLANG EXPRESSIONS
John: The expressions you’ll be learning in this lesson are:
Siuling: 炒魷魚 (caau2 jau4 jyu2)
Siuling: 秘撈 (bei3 lou1)
Siuling: 跳草裙舞 (tiu3 cou2 kwan4 mou5)
Siuling: 跳槽 (tiu3 cou4)
John: Siuling, what's our first expression?
Siuling: 炒魷魚 (caau2 jau4 jyu2)
John: literally meaning "fried squid." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "to fire someone; to quit."
Siuling: [SLOW] 炒魷魚 [NORMAL] 炒魷魚
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Siuling: 炒魷魚
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: Use this slang expression when referring to the termination of employment by either the employer or the employee.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Siuling: [NORMAL] 佢俾人炒魷魚。 [SLOW] 佢俾人炒魷魚。
John: "He got fired."
Siuling: [NORMAL] 佢俾人炒魷魚。
John: Okay, what's the next expression?
Siuling: 秘撈 (bei3 lou1)
John: Which literally means "secret fishing." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "to secretly have a second job; to moonlight."
Siuling: [SLOW] 秘撈 [NORMAL] 秘撈
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Siuling: 秘撈
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: Use this slang expression when referring to the additional job(s) outside of one's full-time job.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Siuling: [NORMAL] 佢為咗搵多啲錢去做秘撈。 [SLOW] 佢為咗搵多啲錢去做秘撈。
John: "He is moonlighting for some extra income."
Siuling: [NORMAL] 佢為咗搵多啲錢去做秘撈。
John: Okay, what's our next expression?
Siuling: 跳草裙舞 (tiu3 cou2 kwan4 mou5)
John: literally meaning "to do the hula dance." As a slang expression, it means "to bargain for promotion or better remuneration by pretending to quit."
Siuling: [SLOW] 跳草裙舞 [NORMAL] 跳草裙舞
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Siuling: 跳草裙舞
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: Use this slang expression when someone is using resignation as a negotiation tactic to ask for a promotion.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Siuling: [NORMAL] 跳草裙舞有風險㗎。 [SLOW] 跳草裙舞有風險㗎。
John: "There is risk in using resignation as a negotiation tactic."
Siuling: [NORMAL] 跳草裙舞有風險㗎。
John: Okay, what's the last expression?
Siuling: 跳槽 (tiu3 cou4)
John: literally meaning "to jump across the ditch." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "to move from one job to another."
Siuling: [SLOW] 跳槽 [NORMAL] 跳槽
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Siuling: 跳槽
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: Use this slang expression when referring to a change in jobs or companies.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Siuling: [NORMAL] 農曆新年之後好多人跳槽。 [SLOW] 農曆新年之後好多人跳槽。
John: "Many people change their jobs after Chinese New Year."
Siuling: [NORMAL] 農曆新年之後好多人跳槽。
QUIZ
John: Okay listeners, are you ready to be quizzed on the expressions you just learned? I’ll describe four situations, and you’ll choose the right expression to use in your reply. Are you ready?
John: A colleague is moonlighting at another job.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Siuling: 秘撈
John: "to secretly have a second job; to moonlight"
John: A colleague got fired.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Siuling: 炒魷魚
John: "to fire someone; to quit"
John: You’re changing to a new job.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Siuling: 跳槽
John: "to move from one job to another"
John: A colleague is hoping for a raise by telling the manager that he’s found another job.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Siuling: 跳草裙舞
John: "to bargain for promotion or better remuneration by pretending to quit"

Outro

John: There you have it; you’ve mastered four Cantonese slang expressions! We have more vocab lists available at CantoneseClass101.com so be sure to check them out. Thanks, everyone, and see you next time!
Siuling: 拜拜.

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