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.

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红

hóng

山

shān

Redhill

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Redhill

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Places

地理相关

Places

释义

名词

新加坡西南部的住宅区，位于女皇镇（Queenstown）的东边，中峇鲁（Tiong Bahru）的西边，花柏山（Mount Faber）的北边。

DEFINITION

Noun

A residential area in southwest Singapore that is east of Queenstown, west of Tiong Bahru, and north of Mount Faber.

由来
  • 马来语 “Bukit Merah” 的意译。在马来语中，bukit 和 merah 分别为 “山” 和 “红” 的意思。红山原是一处丘陵起伏的地区，因当地的红土（laterite）地质而得名。由于红山的红土很适合制造砖头，因此这里也曾经有不少砖厂。
  • 关于红山的由来也流传着一段著名的马来传说。相传新加坡的岸边曾受到剑鱼的攻击，有个住在山上的男孩便向苏丹建议筑起香蕉树干的围墙，把剑鱼给挡下。这一策略后来成功，男孩也因此大受欢迎。然而，由于苏丹担心他的地位被男孩超越，便派了手下去刺死男孩，结果男孩的血液流下山，染红了土地，这片土地也因此被称为红山。
  • 1850 年代，一些华人种植家最初在红山一带开垦种植甘蜜和胡椒。然而，由于过了 20 多年后提炼甘蜜燃料的原始森林树木被砍完，甘蜜园丘因而被荒废。1950 年代，红山一带也出现过小规模的橡胶种植园和许多坟山。
  • 1955 年，新加坡改良信托局（Singapore Improvement Trust）在红山弄（Redhill Close）一带兴建了 21 座七层楼的组屋，那一带也因此俗称为 “七楼”。
  • 1960 年代，政府开始在红山兴建组屋，并在 1970 年代末发展红山中心，还曾在这里设立建屋发展局（Housing and Development Board）总部。
  • 红山的不同地段都有个别的俗称。例如，由于亚历山大路（Alexandra Road）和亨德申（Henderson）区曾是倾倒垃圾、焚烧垃圾的地方，因此该地段也称为“粪扫埔”（也称“垃圾坡”），即福建话 poon sor por 的意译。另外，由于现今红山中心及巴士转换站的地段曾是福建人晒米粉的地方，因此该地段也俗称 “米粉坡”，即福建话 bee hoon por 的意译。
ETYMOLOGY
  • The Mandarin term “红山” is a paraphrase of the Malay term Bukit Merah. In Malay, the terms bukit and merah mean “hill” and “red” respectively. Redhill was originally a hilly area and was named after its laterite geology. As the laterite found in Redhill is very suitable for making bricks, there were many brick factories here.
  •  There is also a famous Malay legend regarding the origin of Redhill. According to legend, the coast of Singapore was once attacked by swordfish, and a boy who lived at the hill suggested to the Sultan to build a fence of banana trunks that could block the swordfish attacks. This strategy proved successful and the boy became very popular. However, the Sultan was worried that his position would be threatened by the boy and sent his men to stab the boy to death. Consequently, the boy’s blood flowed down the hill and dyed the earth red. Thus, this area became known as Redhill.
  • In the 1850s, some Chinese cultivators first grew gambier and pepper at Redhill. However, the primary forests used for the production of gambier fuel were cleared after more than 20 years of deforestation, resulting in the abandonment of the gambier plantations. In the 1950s, there were also small-scale rubber plantations and many cemeteries in the Redhill area.
  • In 1955, the Singapore Improvement Trust built 21 blocks of seven-storey flats at Redhill Close, giving the area its colloquial name “七楼” (seven storeys).
  • The Government began to build more flats in Redhill in the 1960s and subsequently developed Bukit Merah Central in the late 1970s, establishing the headquarters of the Housing and Development Board there.
  • Different parts of Redhill have their own colloquial names. For example, as Alexandra Road and the Henderson area were former grounds for garbage dumping and incineration, the area was known as “粪扫埔” (or alternatively “垃圾坡”, which means garbage hill), which is a paraphrase of the Hokkien dialect term poon sor por. In addition, as the area of the present Bukit Merah Central and bus interchange was where the Hokkiens dried rice vermicelli (bee hoon) in the sun, it was colloquially known as “米粉坡”, which is a paraphrase of the Hokkien dialect term bee hoon por.
例句
客工在 4 月 6 日搬入红山临时住所，基层也马不停蹄地开展各项工作，包括配合建屋发展局在场的人员，照顾客工的健康和福利。（《联合早报》，18/5/2020）
SAMPLE SENTENCE
The migrant workers moved into their temporary residences in Redhill on 6 April while the grassroots workers continuously carried out various tasks, including coordinating with HDB staff to ensure the health and welfare of the migrant workers. (Lianhe Zaobao, 18/5/2020)
参考资料
点击查看红山的参考资料
REFERENCES

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