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chap lau chhu
* 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:
chap lau chhu chap lao chu
chap lau chu
[t͡säp̚˩ lɑʊ˩ t͡sʰuˑ˩]
→
Hokkien:
十楼厝
十樓厝
poj:
cha̍p-lâu-chhù
definitions
noun
- one of the original ten-storey HDB flats built by the HDB in the early 1960s.
Singapore's first 10-storey flats, colloquially known as "chap lau chu" in Hokkien, are seven blocks of brown and beige-coloured flats in Commonwealth Drive.
Built in the early 1960s, this pioneering "mini estate" introduced Singaporeans to the concept of a self-contained "public housing precinct" with several tall housing blocks next to a food centre.
Decades later, the once-bustling neighbourhood lies vacant.
— 2015 August 20, Janice Tai and Aw Cheng Wei. The Straits Times. "Pioneer estate now a ghost town".
synonyms:
usage notes
Often used as a metonym or symbol to recall the early days of nation-building in Singapore (the period around the 1960s) and the perceived quintessentially-Singaporean HDB estate life.