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:
yusheng
yu sheng
简
繁
→
Mandarin:
鱼生
魚生
pinyin:
yú shēng
Detailed etymology
definitions
noun
- a salad dish popularly eaten to celebrate Chinese New Year, developed in either Singapore or Malaysia from a tradition of either Teochew or other Guangdongese origin (though unlike the modern salad, the original dish essentially only consisted of sliced raw fish).
It is often the centrepiece of a reunion dinner, where the salad is placed in the centre of a table and communally tossed with chopsticks by all present. Tossing the salad as high as possible while noisily shouting out auspicious greetings, and the big mess that often results, is considered a key part of the festivities.
It consists of raw fish (in modern times, usually salmon), julienned vegetables such as carrot, turnip, and capsicum, and often the flesh of fruits such as pomelo or mandarin orange. Before tossing, it is topped with a variety of ingredients, each traditionally paired with an auspicious saying. This usually includes ground peanuts, sesame seeds, honey, sesame oil, pok chui crackers, plum sauce, and five spice powder.
synonyms:
usage notes
The dish is popular during Chinese New Year because it is a homophone for the auspicious 余升/餘升, yú shēng ("excess; surplus; abundance" + "increasing; rising") in Mandarin.