![]() So the next time you go to a teahouse for dim sum or decide to go shopping at an Asian market, listen to the lively banter as friends and families meet. American English should grab on Aiya or the Yiddish “Oy” for our use. So, I’m going to propose that we start an initiative. “Shucks,” “Darn,” and the plethora of swear words cannot convey what Aiya can. It saddens me that American English doesn’t afford me a fun phrase to emote. ![]() It is unfortunate that English has no equivalent to Aiya. Aiya says “I’m afraid,” “I’m in pain,” “I don’t believe it.” It is an exclamation of exuberance, a shout of hurt, a cry of fear, and the reflex of being startled, and the embrace of joy. Aiya is both simple and complex: on one hand, it is a couple of Chinese characters on the other hand, it can be a whole speech describing the state you are in. Verge of internal combustion: “I can’t deal with the family asking when and if I’m getting married! Ai-yaaaaaaaa!”Īiya is an all-purpose phrase that comes from deep in the soul. Outrage: “Never clean your rice cooker with that steel scouring pad! Aiya!” Lamentation: “Aiya…why me…ungrateful child…Aiya.” Probably what my mother is thinking when she reads this. Shock: “What? Ketchup on Yang Chow Fried Rice…Aiya!” Aiya.” Actual quote from my mother when I was a sophomore in high school. ![]() Great astonishment: “Aiya! She switched majors from Business to Art History!”ĭisapproval: “Report Card – 5 As, 1 B? Always a B in Math. Joy: “Aiya! You got 5 out of 6 in Lotto!”ĭistaste: “You expect me to drink that herbal medical concoction of yours? Aiya!”ĭoubt: “Do I have to wear that lemon yellow/lime green sweater my mother made? I wonder if she would notice if I ‘accidentally’ donated it to Goodwill? Aiya.”Īwe: “Your son got accepted into Harvard Law School?! Aiya!” Surprise: “Aiya! A surprise party for me?” For those who have met anyone in my family, you can picture one of my relatives instead: To explain more deeply how to use Aiya, imagine a worker slaving on the Great Wall when he accidentally drops a brick (a quickie Aiya)… on the work foreman (“Aiya!!”)… which gets him thrown into the wall to perish an agonizing death (“AIYA!!!”).Īs you read the following ways Aiya can be used, the mental image to solicit is to picture any of the mothers from Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club. With practice, I might get them to draw out Aiya even longer. I’m planning an experiment where I get a room full of people to meditate using it as a mantra. However, when I am extremely stressed, I can draw it out to nearly five seconds. For example, when the problem is minor, I can say “Aiya” in a short/curt manner. How you say Aiya can say volumes about your state of mind. It is used wherever the Chinese have been in the diaspora of the last sesquicentennial. Aiya is more than just two characters it is part of the spirit of being Chinese and may even go back to antiquity. Based on my personal experience and this observation, I’ve developed a personal understanding of Aiya.Īiya is 24-carat Chinese gold. Lo and behold, I heard Aiya used in a variety of ways. I clipped my cell phone to my belt, grabbed a couple of pink bakery boxes and sat around San Francisco’s Portsmouth Square drinking 7-Up and eating dim sum. Seeing that the publishers of tourist books were not going to be helpful, I decided to observe its use in the community. I thumbed through all the Chinese language materials, but couldn’t find any vocabulary drill including Aiya. First, I went to a national bookstore chain to review its Chinese language materials. I decided to conduct informal research about Aiya. No matter how far removed I’ve become as an American, there is something at my core that is Chinese. I was surprised that I would instinctively use my mother’s tongue because I’ve always known that I don’t speak Cantonese well. “M’sai… No apology needed.” Although it was a minor exchange, I later realized that Aiya is more than just two characters it is part of the spirit of being Chinese…in a moment of surprise, I could have said just about anything – my reaction was to say Aiya. At that moment, both of us said, “Aiya.” The children giggled, she apologized, and I quickly replied. I was putting said treat into my cart and looking for my Ranch 99 VIP card, when a woman with three kids in two ran into my cart. I had a craving for a sweet taste of childhood the other day, so I went shopping for some moy. Since I thought people might not understand it, here’s an explanation.Īn interesting look at a phrase that is completely second nature to me.Īi-Ya! – A must-read for all Chinese people If he/she reads this, welcome back, by the way even though I don’t know you! (I was going to post that in the other thread, but it was closed by the time I got to it) I originally used “aiya!” in the thread about Kyomara 's banning.
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