暗牌
Chinese
dark; gloomy; hidden dark; gloomy; hidden; secret |
cards; game pieces; signboard cards; game pieces; signboard; plate; tablet | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (暗牌) | 暗 | 牌 | |
| simp. #(暗牌) | 暗 | 牌 | |
| Literally: “hidden badge”. | |||
Etymology
Arising from the fact that detectives do not wear police uniforms in Malaysia and Singapore.
Pronunciation
- Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Penang, Singapore)
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī: àm-pâi
- Tâi-lô: àm-pâi
- Phofsit Daibuun: armpaai
- IPA (Singapore): /am²¹⁻⁴² pai²⁴/
- IPA (Penang): /am²¹⁻³³ pai²³/
- (Teochew)
- Peng'im: am3 bai5
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: àm pâi
- Sinological IPA (key): /am²¹³⁻⁵⁵ pai⁵⁵/
- (Hokkien: Penang, Singapore)
Noun
暗牌
- (Malaysian and Singapore Hokkien, Teochew) detective
Synonyms
References
- Chia, Caroline, Hoogervorst, Tom, editors (2021), “Chapter 5 Native Lexical Innovation in Penang Hokkien: Thinking beyond Rojak”, in Sinophone Southeast Asia: Sinitic Voices across the Southern Seas (Chinese Overseas: History, Literature, and Society; 20 [Open Access])[1], Brill, →ISBN, page 176