(Version in Hokkien)
Ai Hiam, Bay Phnai
Mai Hiam, Ay Sai
Bo Hiam, Bay Pang Sai
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(Version in English)
If you want to criticise, it looks alright actually
If you do not want to criticise, that is also possible
If you never criticise, you cannot shit.
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About this rhyme/ditty:~
This rhyme/ditty is commonly recited and it is meant to be dry humour. It usually revolves around the instance where a group of people of the opposite sex is assessing the physical attributes of someone from the opposite sex they encounter . It is a way of making the listener amused because you are neither directly praising nor criticising that person you are talking about when you recite it. But as all Hokkien ditties usually ends in jest, the last line is comical in the sense that it can also be used in that instance to criticise a snob.
The author/owner has compiled for record, a collection of early Hokkien sayings, proverbs, rhymes and ditties to capture the essence and spirit of his hoi polloi, a community originating from the southern province of Fujian, China where individuals climbed aboard bum boats, crossing the South China Sea to settle in faraway lands to escape the brewing civil unrest and a way out from hardship carrying along with them in their journey, nothing except their trademark ponytails and their beliefs, very much rooted in Confucianism. These ditties retell their story and their lifestyle way back then so that the younger generation can gain an insight and foothold to their origin..
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