Ti Oh Oh - Dialect Nursery Rhymes (Teochew & Hakka)

7/27/2019 Ti Oh Oh - Dialect Nursery Rhymes (Teochew & Hakka)

1/15

2013

:| 11.30am12.30pm |

Big Steps, School of Information Systems, SMU


2/15

2013

:| 11.30am12.30pm |

Big Steps, School of Information Systems, SMU


3/15

is a Teochew nursery rhyme. It provides inspirationin various aspects such as in terms of family ties, custom, wisdomand education. It tells a story. Three children are expecting theiraunts visit on a rainy day. They prepare an umbrella to shelter herfrom the rain. Their aunt brought a pair of persimmons as gift. Asthere are only two persimmons, after giving each nephew onepersimmon, there is none left for the niece. She is not happy about it.The aunt then thinks of a way to distribute the persimmons equally,

teaching them good manners at the same time.

TEOCHEW NURSERY RHYMES


4/15

As the sky is turning grey

We wait for our aunt with an umbrella

Our aunt arrives with two persimmonsin hand

One for Ah Li and one for Ah Nai

Ah Tao who is left with none, cries and complains

There are three of us but you only gave two of us,

why?

Ah Tao, Ah Tao, please don't cry, let me tell you why

Gifts are usually presented in pairs.

As Ah Li and Ah Nai have not eaten the persimmons

Ah Tao, get me a knife

Cut the kiwis into six pieces

Each person gets two pieces, fair and square

All of you must eat gracefully, to avoid getting dirty.



5/15

Rocking my precious son to sleep

Rock oh rock, rocking my precious son to sleep

Hoping my precious son grows up to be an official

Ah Wen, Ah Wu carry your boots, higher and higher

Rear pigs as fat as cows, rear cows to buy horses

Sell horses to buy pearl

Round and Round, the pearl is round

My precious son studies for the imperial exam

When setting off, the young male servant carries your

luggage

When coming back, lights and colourful flags greet your

return

( imp ly ing that he has topped the imp er ial exam and is

returning in glory accomp anied by much fanfare)

This is a lullaby, it is usually sung by mothers in sync with their rocking motion, when they are sitting by the

cradle, trying to soothe their baby to sleep. It reflects the high hope that parents pin on their children, hoping

that they grow up to be successful, to become high ranking official, thereby bringing honour and glory to the

family.



6/15

A Mouse drags a cat up a bamboo poleA mouse drags a cat up a bamboo pole

A monk fights with another, pulling each others hair

Climbing up a roof with a ladder to catch prawns

Burning the forest to catch snails

A mouse drags a cat up a bamboo fence

A monk fights with another, pulling one anothers braid

Climbing up a roof with a ladder to catch prawns

Burning the forest to catch crabs

This is a mocking topsy turvy nursery rhyme. Mainly,

it turns logic upside down.



7/15

FingerprintOne Spiral (referring to the spiralling print on ones finger) Have a stable life

Two spirals, have a hard life (having to work so hard that one gets blister on onesleg)

Three spirals, have enough rice for cooking

Four spirals, have enough rice for steaming

Five spirals, have land under your name

Six spirals, have a miserable life

Seven spirals, have a smooth life

Eight spirals, have a beggar's life

Nine spirals, have a peaceful life

Ten spirals, have a high-flying life (become a high -rankin g Mandarin)

This nursery rhyme is usually sung when children are playing a game where they clap each others hands. Although it is a

bit superstitious, nevertheless, a child is able to increase his or her vocabulary when singing this song during the game.

Mandarin: refers to a member of any of the nine senior grades of the bureaucracy, entered by imperial examination infeudal China.



8/15

HAKKA NURSERY RHYMES

The Moon Shines Bright

Chinese New Years here, everyone is in a joyous mood

The aroma of steamed rice cake and fried sesame balls fills the air

Every household celebrates reunion happily

Come and join me in singing, Oh! the moon shines bright

Aiyoyo, Aiyoyo

Come and join me in singing, Oh! the moon shines bright

While the moon shines bright

A bright young man

Riding a white horse

Gallops across a lotus pond

Chinese Leeks grows behind the pond

Chinese Leek flower

Got me in my in-laws


9/15

HAKKA NURSERY RHYMESThe Moon Shines Bright

,

My in-laws have a pond in front of their house

In the pond, there is a carp eight feet longThe carp head will be sent to the school

The carp tail will be sold to get a bride

The carp tail will be sold to get a bride

Get a bride, get oh get a bride

The Bridegroom grows ginger

When ginger produces shoots, he grows bamboo shoots

When bamboo shoots flowers, he grows melon

When melon ripens, he plucks and sells it

With the money from the sale

He learns cotton weaving

When the cotton thread snaps

He learns brick making

When the brick breaks apart


10/15

He learns iron welding

When the iron rustsHe learns pig slaughtering

When the pig wanders off

He learns dog slaughtering

When the dog keeps barking

He learns to grow veggies

Down at the veggie farm

I run into my two in-laws

Ha ha, My two in-laws, oh! my two in-laws

They brought me a stool

They serve me tea

And congratulate the bride for giving birth to a chubby baby

boy

Feed him clay pot porridge every dayHe will learn to crawl b the third da



11/15

He looks like his mother

He looks like his father

He learns to speak by the fifth day

Greet your grandma before you greet your mama

Grandmaaye, Mamaaye,

Grandpaaye, Papa-aye

Seeing him makes everyone so happy, oh so happy

Grandma laughs till she hiccups

Grandpa laughs till his tooth fell off

Hee Hee Hee Hee, Ha Ha Ha,

Hee Hee Ha Ha, Hee Hee Ha Ha, Ha Ha!

Oh this son of mine, this great baby of mine

The moon shines bright

)



12/15

Mother Duck is QuakingMother duck is quaking

Fetch me water for cooking

Who should I fetch the water for?

Fetch the water for the neighbours

For the neighbours to make Lei Cha

Add groundnuts, add sesame seeds

Add oil, salt and dried tea leaves

But I avoid adding red or green chilli

Next, sprinkle some spring onions and minced ginger

Three bowls, four ladles

Who should I send it to?



13/15

Mother Duck is QuakingMother duck is quaking

Fetch me water for cooking

Who should I fetch the water for?

Fetch the water for the neighbours

For the neighbours to make Lei Cha

Add groundnuts, add sesame seeds

Add oil, salt and dried tea leaves

But I avoid adding red or green chilli

Next, sprinkle some spring onions and minced ginger

Three bowls, four ladles

Who should I send it to?

HAKKA NURSERY RHYMESSend it to your family members

Send it to people of the same age

Eh Oh Eh Oh Eh Lei Cha

Send it to the local people

My gift of Lei Cha to you

One big bowl for my Hunan cousin

One ladle full for the Cantonese man

The last bowl I keep it for myself

Happily tucking into our bowl of Lei Cha

Eh Oh Eh, Hei Oh Hei, Eh Oh Eh Oh, Hei Oh Hei Oh

You drink it, I drink it, everybody drinks Lei Cha

You drink it, I drink it, everybody drinks Lei Cha

Eh Oh, Eh Oh, Eh Oh Eh Oh, Eh Oh Eh Oh

Everybody drinks till they are sweating

Everybody drinks till they are bloated

Just like that old mother duck


14/15

The Moon Shines Bright

The moon shines bright, upon the lotus pond

Chinese leeks grows behind the lotus pond

Chinese leek flowers, got me my in-laws

There is a pond In front of my in-laws house

In the pond, there is a carp eight feet long

The long portion, I cook it with wine

The short portion, I sell it to get a wife

I got a wife, who is a shorty

A wife who cooks delicious food


The Moon Shines Bright is a nursery rhyme that the Hakkas are most familiar with. In the

past, the elders in a family will teach this nursery rhyme to the children. However, as it is

passed down orally, it often resulted in different versions, with varying length and due itsrhyming nature, people can easily recite it.


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THANK YOU !

Documents

Ti Oh Oh - Dialect Nursery Rhymes (Teochew & Hakka)