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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下

xià

坡

pō

to go downtown (colloquially known as lo po

Speech

生活用语

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to go downtown (colloquially known as lo po

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Speech

生活用语

Speech

释义

动词

到市中心去，特别指到新加坡的“大坡”与“小坡”。也称“落坡”。

DEFINITION

Verb

To take a trip downtown, in particular to the “大坡” (tua po) and “小坡” (sio po) areas in central Singapore. Also known in Chinese as “落坡”.

由来
  • 新加坡华人俗称的“坡”，指的是市区，在新加坡，特别指“大坡”与“小坡”这两个华人的商业区。“大坡”与“小坡”之分，主要以埃尔金桥（Elgin Bridge）为中间点，“大坡”为桥南路（South Bridge Road）一带，“小坡”为桥北路（North Bridge Road）一带。
  • 早期新加坡华人到市区去称为“落坡”，“落坡”是福建方言词，“落”指的是“去”的意思，后来演变成华语词“下坡”。新加坡华人用“下坡”来形容到市区去，是受英语“downtown”用法的影响。

ETYMOLOGY
  • The term “坡” is colloquially used by Singaporean Chinese to refer to the town area. More specifically, “大坡” and “小坡” refer to two historically Chinese commercial areas, separated by the Singapore River. “大坡” refers to the area around South Bridge Road, while “小坡” refers to the area around North Bridge Road. The bridge in this case refers to Elgin Bridge.
  • In the early days, “落坡” meant going to the central commercial area. “落坡” is a Hokkien expression, “落” meaning “to go down”. Subsequently, the term evolved to become “下坡”. Influenced by the English word “downtown”, Chinese in Singapore use the phrase “下坡” to describe the action of going to the downtown area.

例句
与新加坡人交谈时，难免会听到“下坡”这个词。“下坡”指的是到市区去，与“到城里去”或是“going downtown”一般上用于口语，尤其是新加坡中年人惯用的词汇之一。（《联合早报》， 11/8/2004）
SAMPLE SENTENCE
When speaking with Singaporeans, it isn’t uncommon to hear the phrase “xia po” or “lo po”. It refers to going to the central commercial area. It is a colloquial term which means “going downtown” and is commonly used by middle-aged Singaporeans. (Lianhe Zaobao, 11/8/2004)
参考资料
点击查看下坡的参考资料
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