Hong Kong Code-mixing Dictionary

Definition: A code-mixing term used by Hong Kong doctors to refer to acting professionally when dealing with the family of a child diagnosed with cancer.

Usage: E.g. 醫生：之前有一個兒童癌症個案係醫到, 但家人唔想醫, 我唔想judgemental , 但覺得可惜 (Doctor: There was a case of cancer in a child that could be treated, but the family didn't want to continue treatment. I didn't want to be judgmental, but I felt it was a pity.)

Synonym: 批判性

Reference: https://ccf.org.hk/zh-hant/services/services_faq/?id=5)的專業團隊、醫院遊戲師，會介入向家長及病童解說療程，用柔性方式減輕恐懼

Definition: A code-mixing term used by Hong Kong court judges to refer to demonstrating and establishing the truth or validity of something by providing evidence and argument, which is especially strong to use in a court of law.

Usage: E.g. 官：呢個，如果因為part of the prosecution case 嘅話，你一定要prove 嘅。(Judge: If this is part of the prosecution case, you must prove it.)

Synonym: 證明

Reference: https://hkupress.hku.hk/image/catalog/pdf-preview/9789888528202.pdf

Definition: A code-mixing phrase used by overseas educated Hong Kongers who suspect that Hong Kongers should think equally more about playing hard than just working hard in order to achieve work life balance.

Usage: E.g. 林作：個個都講work hard play hard，work life balance。其實work hard我都懷疑好多香港人都已經做到，但係play hard係咪真係做到？ (Jo Lam: Everyone talks about work hard play hard and work life balance. In fact, I suspect many Hong Kong people can already 'work hard', but what about 'play hard'?)

Synonym: 努力工作，盡情玩樂

Reference: https://www.threads.com/@jolamchok/post/DZ7vZQvEu-N?xmt=AQG0CXq4cs_lvE9lalZblnSIMOpYE8FFkxn2iPI5ppvBkQgGVDW4mGrHcOZJpC5yTFDRogoV&slof=1

Definition: A code-mixing term used by overseas educated Hong Kongers when they admire or recognise the value of someone or something and want to show gratitude at the same time.

Usage: E.g. 好appreciate你咁短時間去練廣東話，真係好彩你聲底好靚，同埋你音樂感好好，即使廣東話唔係你最擅長嘅。(I really appreciate that you learned Cantonese in such a short period of time. It's very fortunate that you have a great voice and a very good music sense, even though Cantonese is not your strength.)

Synonym: 欣賞；感激；多謝

Reference: https://ol.mingpao.com/ldy/showbiz/latest/20260122/1769072872519/《中4》藝人代表「貓女郎」引發腹式呼吸之爭-肥媽被取笑鬧爆周國豐

Definition: A code-mixing term used by overseas educated Hong Kongers to refer to not being strict enough when managing people. Also, it often tends to depict a weakness in character by describing a person is not forceful or harsh enough.

Usage: E.g. 同事話我太soft管唔到學生，我聽完好灰。(My colleague said I am too soft and cannot manage students like this. I felt very grey afterwards.)

Synonym: 不嚴厲

Reference: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DU-fcZMgjI7/ (use mobile version)

Definition: A code-mixing term used by overseas educated Hong Kongers to refer to being able to gain experience of something by being in a particular environment rather than having physical contact with something. However, it is not to be confused with public exposure.

Usage: E.g. 學習語言要夠exposure。(Learning a language needs enough exposure.) E.g. 做開大行去細行一定唔慣，exposure 又細啲，資源又小啲。(It must be hard getting used to working in a small company if you came from a large company. There is less exposure and resources are also less.)

Synonym: 接觸

Reference: https://lihkg.com/thread/2363704/page/1

Definition: A code-mixing term used by overseas educated Hong Kongers when they want to ask for a deeper analytical understanding of something.

Usage: E.g. 你睇完本書有咩insight? (What insights do you have after reading the book?)

Synonym: 見解; 睇法

Reference: https://www.lib.eduhk.hk/pure-data/pub/202301935/202301935_1.pdf

Definition: A code-mixing term used by overseas educated Hong Kongers to refer to noticing something in a more passive and less intentional way.

Usage: E.g. 我唔係唔知道發生咩事，只不過當時我唔係咁aware周邊既環境姐。(It's not that I don't know what was going on, but I was just not aware of my surrounding environment at that time.)

Synonym: 意識；知道；察覺；為意

Reference: https://www.reddit.com/r/EnglishLearning/comments/1chahae/difference_between_realize_and_be_aware_of/?tl=zh-hant

Definition: A code-mixing term used by overseas educated Hong Kongers to refer to being annoying and persistent in asking people what you want from them, which they may find unpleasant sometimes.

Usage: E.g. 要做成一件事, 我經常會話, 係要夠煩, 要有少少pushy, 要真係問人攞。你既企圖心要夠擔, 夠明顯。無論係愛情, 定係講緊事業, 定係講緊銷售, 定係講緊生意, 有時候要夠煩。(In order to succeed in doing something, I always say that one must be annoying, a little pushy, and be really willing to ask people what you want. You must have a strong and clear ambition. No matter it is love, career, being a salesman or doing business, you have got to be annoying sometimes.)

Synonym: 糾纏不休

Reference: https://www.threads.com/@jolamchok/post/DWwAUf9EvsW?xmt=AQF0y1ypqqeuGQnl13QqFayBUxJUEO9Wygkjfo1KjhsL2gTqpLWJM-Xeszh4FEGiA-wBWbDL&slof=1

Definition: A code-mixing phrase used by overseas educated Hong Kongers to refer to a unique or distinct competitive edge that a person or company has over others, which is often something that they were born with or started with. The phrase also tends to be more positive and optimistic than the Cantonese equivalent terms, even though some may think the opposite is true.

Usage: E.g. 林作：個世界就係唔公平。你要做既，就係要用任何你身上有可能既unfair advantage。如果你唔識用你靚仔呢樣野，令人覺得你靚仔D，至少比你做intern，咁你就係傻仔。(Jo Lam: The world is unfair as we know it. What you need to do is to make use of any sort of unfair advantage that you intrinsically have. If you don't know how to make use of your advantage in having good looks or make others think you are better looking so that they would at least give you a job as an intern, then you are an idiot.)

Synonym: 不公平的優勢; 不平等的優勢

Reference: https://www.facebook.com/reel/2975035002684251