you ask me, I ask who

English

Etymology

Calque from Chinese 你問我，我問誰／你问我，我问谁 (nǐ wèn wǒ, wǒ wèn shuí).

Phrase

you ask me, I ask who?

1. (Chinglish, Singlish) I don't know, how should I know
   • 2014 04, Celina Wong, Righteous Betrayal, PartridgeIndia, →ISBN, page 27:

     'What the hell was she trying to do?' I asked Callum. 'You ask me, I ask who?' he looked bemused.

   • 2020 December 27, Tan Jie Ying, “"The Colour of Glass"”, in Home Groan: A NutMag Anthology, Malaysian Writers Society:

     "No, I'm not colour-blind, but it's been like this since I can remember. Even Doctor Lam doesn't know why all home-building blocks look grey to me. How come like that, ah?" "You ask me, I ask who?"

   • 2023 September 8, Devyani Sharma, From Deficit to Dialect: The Evolution of English in India and Singapore, Oxford University Press, →ISBN:

     So Bilbo's nephew Frodo... Aiyah, dun ask me why their name all so funny, can or not? You ask me, I ask who?