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:
chau bin chow bin
chao bin
→
Hokkien:
臭面
poj:
chhàu-bīn
Detailed etymology
definitions
noun
- a scowling, glowering, sulking, gloomy etc. face; a black face; a sour expression
Her supervisor, Celine Teo, was notoriously difficult. Everyone called her Chao Bin, Smelly Face, behind her back ... Celine was convinced she had the right to reprimand any of her staff without restraint or reason ...
— 2018, Jinny Koh. The Gods Will Hear Us Eventually. Ethos Books. ISBN: 9789811414947
adjective
- black-faced; having a sour expression; scowling; glowering; sulking; gloomy
low ses sinkie face like mine is always chao one. i just now actually very happy leh why u say i chao bin
— 2022 June 12, icezombie. Hardwarezone, "How come some siao lang like to show their chao bin in public??". https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/threads/how-come-some-siao-lang-like-to-show-their-chao-bin-in-public.6763790/
synonyms: