how-fashion

Chinese Pidgin English

Alternative forms

• 厚花臣, 口花臣 (Chinese spelling)

Etymology

Calque of Cantonese 點樣／点样 (dim² joeng^6-2).

Adverb

how-fashion

1. how
2. why

Conjunction

how-fashion

1. how
   • 1862, 唐景星 [Tong King-sing], 英語集全, volume 4, marginalia, page 33; republished as “Pidgin English texts from the Chinese English Instructor”, in Michelle Li, Stephen Matthews and Geoff P. Smith, editor, Hong Kong Journal of Applied Linguistics‎^[1], volume 10, number 1, 2005, pages 79-167:

     米沙比厚花臣^{[sic – meaning 𠱸]}都
     *mai⁵ shaa¹ bi² hau⁵ faa¹ sheon⁴ du¹
     My savvy how fashion do.
     I will know how to act.

   • 1862, 唐景星 [Tong King-sing], 英語集全, volume 6, marginalia, page 3; republished as “Pidgin English texts from the Chinese English Instructor”, in Michelle Li, Stephen Matthews and Geoff P. Smith, editor, Hong Kong Journal of Applied Linguistics‎^[2], volume 10, number 1, 2005, pages 79-167:

     口花臣^{[sic – meaning 𠱸]}㕭𠲟揸治梳乜治
     *hau⁵ faa¹ sheon⁴ ju¹ gen⁶ zaa¹ zhi⁶ sho¹ mat¹ zhi⁶
     How fashion you can chargee so muchee?
     How can you charge such a price?

References

• Gow, W. S. P. (1924) Gow’s Guide to Shanghai, 1924: A Complete, Concise and Accurate Handbook of the City and District, Especially Compiled for the Use of Tourists and Commercial Visitors to the Far East, Shanghai, page 106: “How-fashion: what for? why? what is the meaning? “How fashion you stop out so late?””