Chop chop (phrase)

"Chop chop" is a phrase rooted in Cantonese. It spread through Chinese workers at sea and was adopted by English seamen.[1] "Chop chop" means "hurry" and suggests that something should be done now and without delay. The word "chopsticks" likely originates from this same root.[2]

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) which in turn is similar in usage to the Mandarin term k'wâi-k'wâi (Chinese: 快快; pinyin: kuài kuài)[1] or may have originated from Malay.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Phrase Finder is copyright Gary Martin, 1996-2015. All rights reserved. "Chop-chop". Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  2. ↑ Oxford English Dictionary, 2013. "chop-stick, n.2." Accessed on June 26, 2013.
  • The dictionary definition of chop-chop at Wiktionary
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