Singaporean Mandarin Database

This database contains a collection of Mandarin terms which have cultural, historical or sentimental value unique to Singapore. These terms may be used by Singaporeans in the past or at present. Some of the terms are read in print while others are used in our everyday conversations.

shēng huó
Speech
塑胶袋
sù jiāo dài
plastic bag
铁公鸡
tiě gōng jī
having a fist fight
贴士
tiē shì
tips
头手
tóu shǒu
foreman
头尾
tóu wěi
from beginning to end
5C
wǔ C
5Cs
乌龙
wū lóng
Unexpected mistake
五十对五十
wǔ shí duì wǔ shí
fifty-fifty
洗肾
xǐ shèn
dialysis
下坡
xià pō
go downtown
行兼跑
xíng jiān pǎo
walk-and-jog
眼睛吃冰淇淋
yǎn jīng chī bīng qí lín
checking out eye candy
一般上
yī bān shàng
normally
一级棒
yī jí bàng
excellent
一路来
yī lù lái
always
饮胜
yǐn shèng
cheers (as a toast, colloquially known as yumseng)
一次过
yῑ cì guò
one-off
展延
zhǎn yán
postponing or extending a date
直透
zhí tòu
direct
重本
zhòng běn
High cost