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.

niú

Sanitary inspector (colloquially known as te gu)

Communities/Organisations

社群、团体

Communities / Organisations

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Sanitary inspector (colloquially known as te gu)

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Communities/Organisations

社群、团体

Communities / Organisations

释义

名词

旧时对于土地或卫生稽查员的称呼。

DEFINITION

Noun

An old term for a land or hygiene inspector.

由来
  • 源自福建话中的 te gu。
  • 1950年代,新加坡的街头巷尾充斥着许多无牌小贩。稽查土地或卫生的人员最早也在这一时期出现,以维持公共卫生。
  • 当时,只要是有权发出罚单的制服人员,如市议会、原产局及建屋局的稽查员,摊贩都称他们为“地牛”。
  • 关于“地牛”的由来有两种说法。第一种说法是源自于福建和潮州当地的传说。当地人相信,发生地震是因为地底下有一只牛一直背着地球,而当牛累了,换个肩膀时就会动摇地面,产生地震。随着先辈们移民南洋,他们便用地牛的传说来比喻以前稽查人员抓拿小贩的场景如同发生地震一样,十分混乱,而小贩们也因此称稽查人员为“地牛”。
  • 第二种说法则与潮州人对于某种蛙类的俗称有关。花姬蛙(Microhyla pulchra)在潮州当地被称为地牛,其色泽呈棕黄色,带有黑色斑纹,在东南亚一带也十分常见。由于旧时新加坡的稽查员身穿土黄色斜纹布的制服,接近地牛的颜色,再加上执法时会喧哗吼叫,跟地牛发出的“呱呱”叫声相似,为非法小贩所憎恶,因此他们便将这些稽查人员称之为“地牛”。

ETYMOLOGY
  • The Mandarin term “地牛” originated from the Hokkien term te gu.
  • In 1950s Singapore, unlicensed hawkers were ubiquitous. In an effort to maintain public hygiene, sanitary inspectors were sent out to clamp down on unlicensed activities.
  • All personnel with the authority to issue fines, such as those from the City Council, Primary Production Department, and the Singapore Improvement Trust, came to be referred to as te gu.
  • Two explanations have been posited for the origin of the term. The first is that the term originates from a legend in Fujian and Chaozhou. The locals believed that there was a bull living under the ground and it carried the Earth on one of its shoulders. When it got tired, it would shift the Earth to the other shoulder, causing the ground to shake. The early Chinese migrants who moved to Southeast Asia brought this legend with them, and used the underground bull (te gu) as a metaphor to describe the chaotic, “earth-shaking” scenes of inspectors raiding illegal hawkers. Soon, the inspectors themselves came to be known as te gu.
  • The second belief is related to a type of frog, Microhyla pulchra, known to the Teochews as te gu. This species of frog is brownish-yellow, with black stripes, and is commonly found in Southeast Asia. In the past, the inspectors in Singapore wore khaki uniforms, which were similar in colour to the te gu. During law enforcement operations, their shouts were compared to the sound of the frog’s croaking. As the illegal hawkers detested the inspectors, they referred to them as te gu.

例句
李益光说,他11岁跟母亲“跑地牛”(指躲执法人员取缔的非法小贩)一两年,在达曼裕廊卖菜头粿、炒饭和炒米粉。(《联合早报》, 14/5/2019)
SAMPLE SENTENCE
Mr Li Yiguang said that starting from when he was 11 years old, he and his mother sold fried carrot cake, fried rice, and fried vermicelli around Taman Jurong. For almost two years, they were constantly on the run from “te gu” – the inspectors tasked with clearing out illegal hawkers. (Lianhe Zaobao, 14/5/2019)
其他地区用语

稽查员(大陆、台)

TERMS USED IN OTHER REGIONS

稽查员(Mainland China, Taiwan)

相关资料

  • 2019冠病疫情期间,“地牛”这个名称似乎再次出现在人们的日常对话中,主要用来形容安全距离大使(Safe Distancing Ambassador)。这是因为人们若不保持安全距离,也同样会被他们开罚单。

RELATED INFORMATION

  • During the COVID-19 pandemic, the term te gu re-emerged in Singaporeans’ daily conversations, to describe the Safe Distancing Ambassadors who would similarly issue fines if people did not maintain a safe distance from one another.

参考资料
REFERENCES