Chop chop (phrase)

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"Chop chop" is a phrase first noted in the interaction between Cantonese and English people in British-occupied south China. [1] It spread through Chinese workers at sea and was adopted by British seamen. [2] "Chop chop" means "hurry" and suggests that something should be done now and without delay. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word "chopsticks" originates from this same root. [3]

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The term may have its origins in the South China Sea, as a Pidgin English version of the Cantonese term chok chok (Cantonese: 速速; jyutping: cuk1 cuk1), meaning quick, which in turn is similar in usage to the Mandarin term k'wâi-k'wâi (Chinese :快快; pinyin :kuài kuài) [2] or may have originated from Malay. [4]

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References

  1. "Chinese English". The Penny Magazine. London: Charles Knight & Co. 19 May 1838. p. 190.
  2. 1 2 "Chop-chop". Phrase Finder. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  3. "chop-stick, n.2". Oxford English Dictionary. 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  4. "Quick! What Are The Origins Of 'Chop-Chop'?". NPR.org.