Grasshopper Rhyme in Penang Hokkien

Chau1 Maek1 Kong1, or The Dear Grasshopper, is a Hokkien Nursery Rhyme that introduces children to biology. The word for grasshopper is chau1mek3, however, as with many animals, the word kong1 is suffixed as a term of endearment, corresponding roughly to "grand daddy", hence in kid-speak, we say niau3kong1 for "grand daddy cat" and niau1chu1kong1 for "grand daddy mouse".

In the old days, children in the Baba Nyonya families in Penang were taught at home by private tutors until such time that they are old enough to be sent to English or mission schools. This nursery rhyme, told in question and answers, is used by the tutor to introduce biology to children. The tutor provides a statement, while the children ask the subsequent question.

I learned this Hokkien rhyme from an elderly nanny who taught me when I saw small. It is just one of many Hokkien rhymes. Unfortunately, I have forgotten the majority of them before it dawned on me that I should write them down. I created the video file below so that you can follow this nursery rhyme. I am reading out the nursery rhyme slowly for the video, so that you can follow along.

Chau1 Maek1 Kong1, gau3 chie3 gu2
Gu2 ta1lok1?
Gu2 beh33 gin2.
Gin2 ta1lok1?
Gin2 chua33 bor4
Bor4 ta1lok1?
Bor4 snaeh3 knia4.
Knia4 ta1lok1?
Knia4 snaeh3 soon1.
Soon1 ta1lok1?
Soon1 knua1 ah3.
Ah3 ta1lok1?
Ah3 snaeh3 nui3.
Nui3 ta1lok1?
Nui3 chnia1 lang3kheh3
Lang3kheh3 ta1lok1?
Lang3kheh3 pang1sai4.
Sai4 ta1lok1?
Sai4 ark1 chye3.
Chye3 ta1lok1
Chye3 kiat1chee4.
Chee4 ta1lok1?

Chee4 cnua3 iu2.
Iu2 ta1lok1?
Iu2 tiam1 hoay4.
Hoay4 ta1lok1?
Hoay4 Chau1 Maek1 Kong1 pun2 sit3!

The Translation

The dear Grasshopper, is fed to the cow,
Where's the cow?
It's sold for money.
Where's the money?
It's used to get a wife.
Where's the wife?
She's giving birth.
Where's the child?
She's giving birth.
Where's the grandchild?
He's herding the ducks.
Where're the ducks?
They're laying eggs.
Where're the eggs?
They're being served to the guests.
Where're the guests?
They've gone to the toilet.
Where's their stool?
It's fertilizing the vegetables.
Where're the vegetables?
They're forming seeds.
Where're the seeds?
They're being milled for oil.
Where's the oil?
It's being lit.
Where's the fire?
Extinguished, by the dear Grasshopper.

Vocabulary

ah3 [aʔ]: (noun) duck
ark3 [ak]: (verb) to water, to sprinkle on
bor4 [bɔ]: (noun) wife
chau1mek3 [ts^hau-mɛk]: (noun) grasshopper, the suffix kong1 is often attached as a term of endearment
chnia4 [ts^hiã]: (verb) to invite, to treat
cnua3 yiu2 [tsuã-iu]: (verb) to boil oil, usually part of oil refinement, to extract oil from seeds
gin2 [gin]: (noun) money
gu2 [gu]: (noun) cow, bull
hoay4 [hoe]: (noun) fire
kiat1chee4 [kiɛt-tsi]: (verb) to form seeds
knia4 [kiã]: (noun) child, offspring
knua4 [kuã]: (verb) to herd, to drive, to hurry
lang3kheh3 [laŋ-k^hɛʔ]: (noun) guest, customer, visitor
pang1sai4 [paŋ-sai]: (verb) to defecate, to experience a bowel movement
poon2 sit3 [pun-sit]: (verb) to blow out, to extinguish
nui3^RW [nui]: (noun) egg
sai4 [sai]: (noun) shit, stool, faeces, excrement
soon1 [sun]: (noun) grandchild
tiam4 [tiam]: (verb) to light, to ignite

About this website

Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.

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