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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大

dà

坡

pō

vicinity of South Bridge Road (colloquially known as tua po)

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vicinity of South Bridge Road (colloquially known as tua po)

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Photo courtesy of National Archives of Singapore
Places

地理相关

Places

释义

名词

指新加坡河的南岸一带，即今天的桥南路（South Bridge Road）地段。

DEFINITION

Noun

Area on the southern bank of the Singapore River, around South Bridge Road.

由来
  • 1822年，莱佛士爵士（Sir Stamford Raffles）的新加坡市区规划将新加坡河的南岸划分为华人聚居地，范围为桥南路地段，并以埃尔金桥（Elgin Bridge）作为分界点。这个地区即民间俗称的“大坡”。
  • “大坡”的“坡”并不是指山坡，而是将同音的福建话词语“埠”错写作“坡”。“埠”在福建话中指沿岸城市，在华语中有码头的意思。
  • “大坡”这个名称是相对于新加坡河北岸的“小坡”而言。由于新加坡河的南岸是早期南来的华人的第一个聚居地，所以根据华人传统办事先有大而后有小的次序，新加坡河南岸便称为大坡。至于新加坡河北岸，是后来的第二个华人聚居地，因此称为小坡。
  • 清朝李钟钰《新加坡风土记》中记载：市廛繁盛，莫若大坡，洋行、银行、信馆、海关均在大坡海滨。可见当时大坡沿海一带建有外国商行、银行、邮局及海关，呈现出了都市的繁华面貌。
ETYMOLOGY
  • In 1822, Sir Stamford Raffles developed a town plan for Singapore. He allotted the southern bank of the Singapore River to Chinese settlers. This area, centred around South Bridge Road (south of Elgin Bridge), came to be known to the Chinese as “大坡”.
  • The character “ 坡” (literally, “slope”) in “大坡” does not refer to an actual slope. Rather, the Hokkien term “ 埠” was miswritten as “ 坡”. In Hokkien, “ 埠” refers to a “coastal city”. In Mandarin, however, it refers to a “quay” or “harbour”.
  • The Mandarin term “大坡” is used in relation to the term “小坡”, which refers to the area along the northern bank of the Singapore River. Traditional Chinese culture prescribes a sequence of ordering from big (“ 大”) to small (“小”). Hence, the southern bank of the Singapore River was named “大坡 ” because it was the first area for the early Chinese settlers in Singapore. The northern bank came to be known as “小坡” as it was the second settlement for the early Chinese.
  • According to the records found in A Description of Singapore in 1887 (《新加坡风土记》) written by the Qing-dynasty court official Li Chung Chu, “The city is prosperous, and there is no better place than ‘大坡’. Foreign banks, local banks, trust offices, and customs are all located on the coast of ‘大坡’.” From this, it can be seen that the South Bridge Road area was a picture of prosperity.
例句
厦门街是大坡一条古老的街道，建于1830年代，街道两边都是二战前的两三层楼高老店铺。（《联合早报》，13/6/2019）
SAMPLE SENTENCE
Amoy Street is a historic street in the South Bridge Road area. Built in the 1830s, the street is lined on both sides with two- and three-storey pre-war shophouses. (Lianhe Zaobao, 13/6/2019)
相关资料

  • 19世纪初期，大坡的方言群以福建人（主要为闽南）、潮州人及广东人为主。19世纪末，当海南人、广西人及福建其他地方的人南来新加坡，大坡人口已经十分密集，于是他们便聚居在小坡一带。
  • 早期新加坡华人会用“落坡”（或“下坡”）来表示到市区去的意思，并把大小坡合称“坡底”。

RELATED INFORMATION

  • In the early 19th century, the people living in the South Bridge Road area were mainly from the Hokkien, Teochew, and Cantonese dialect groups. By the end of the 19th century, there were also settlers from the provinces of Hainan and Guangxi, as well as other parts of Fujian province. The South Bridge Road area had become very densely populated as a result. Hence, these new settlers moved into the North Bridge Road area.
  • In the early days, Singaporean Chinese used the terms “落坡” or “下坡” to mean “to go downtown”. The area around North and South Bridge Roads was also collectively referred to as “坡底” (downtown).

参考资料
点击查看大坡的参考资料
REFERENCES

Click here to view references for vicinity of South Bridge Road (colloquially known as tua po)

 

 

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