Singaporean Mandarin Database

This database contains a collection of Mandarin terms which have cultural, historical or sentimental value unique to Singapore. These terms may be used by Singaporeans in the past or at present. Some of the terms are read in print while others are used in our everyday conversations.

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娘

niáng

惹

rě

nyonya / nonya

Culture

文化

Culture

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nyonya / nonya

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Photo courtesy of Nyonya Dawn Marie Lee
Culture

文化

Culture

释义

名词

  1. 早年从中国南部地区移居马来半岛或印度尼西亚的华族男子，与当地女子通婚所生下的女性后代。
  2. 用来指称华族男子与当地土族女子通婚所繁衍的族群。

DEFINITION

Noun

  1. A female descendant of intermarriages between the early Chinese male migrants who migrated from southern China to the Malay Peninsula or Indonesia, and indigenous women of the region.
  2. The community and culture associated with the descendants of the above intermarriages.

由来
  • “娘惹”源自于葡萄牙语 dona，原本被马来人借用来称呼欧洲或华族妇女，也用来称呼嫁给欧洲人或华人的妇女。后来,“娘惹”用来指称早期华族男性与土族女性通婚所生下的女性后代，也延伸为指称这一特殊族群。
ETYMOLOGY
  • The term “Nyonya” (sometimes spelled “Nonya”) originated from the Portuguese word dona. It was originally used by the Malays to address European or Chinese women, as well as women who married European or Chinese men. Subsequently, the term came to refer to female descendants of intermarriages between Chinese men and indigenous women in the olden days, as well as the special community to which they belonged.
例句
向来受到上班族欢迎的Blum，今年农历新年旗袍系列，以娘惹的峇迪蜡染图案，以及新加坡国花卓锦万代兰为设计主题。（《联合晚报》， 21/1/2019）
SAMPLE SENTENCE
Blum, a brand popular among working women, introduced their cheongsam series in time for the Lunar New Year. This series was inspired by nonya batik patterns and Singapore’s national flower, Vanda Miss Joaquim. (Lianhe Wanbao, 21/1/2019)
相关资料

  • 在印尼语里未婚的少女称为 Nona，结婚的妇女称为 Nyonya。

RELATED INFORMATION

  • In Bahasa Indonesia, unmarried girls were called Nona, while married women were referred to as Nyonya.

参考资料
点击查看娘惹的参考资料
REFERENCES

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