redirected from
bo peng iau si
Commonly found variants; note these may range from acceptable alternatives to
non-standard forms or incorrect spellings*.
* Singlish is a largely spoken creole, and as such descriptivism (recording forms that reflect actual pronunciation in spoken language, or as appearing in the linguistic corpus) is more pertinent than strict prescriptivism. Nevertheless, the use of more standard forms (or for words originating in languages with Latin script, such as Malay, accurate to the original spelling) is recommended and encouraged.
* Singlish is a largely spoken creole, and as such descriptivism (recording forms that reflect actual pronunciation in spoken language, or as appearing in the linguistic corpus) is more pertinent than strict prescriptivism. Nevertheless, the use of more standard forms (or for words originating in languages with Latin script, such as Malay, accurate to the original spelling) is recommended and encouraged.
also can:
bo peng iau si bo peng yao si
bo peng yau si
简
繁
→
Hokkien:
无兵枵死
無兵枵死
poj:
bô peng iau sí
Detailed etymology
definitions
expression
- (military, sarcastic) used to express that a soldier is working so hard as though the army were his sole means of survival
bo peng yau si. Literally, it means 'without the Army one can starve to death'. (The peng here is used collectively to mean army). This slang smacks of sarcasm and is aimed at the soldier who works so diligently and seriously as though the Army were his only source of survival...
— 1978, Leong Choon Cheong. Youth in the Army. p.304
noun
- (military, sarcastic) a soldier who works so hard as though the army were his sole means of survival
synonyms: