இ 人有三急 : URGENCY

When Bananaz was a little boy will often hear family members coming back home rushing through the front door  yelling *人有三急 rén yǒu sān jí [pinyin]; jan4 jau6 saam3 gap1 [cantonese] : lit. 'people have 3 urgency'* and heading straight to the toilet in a jiffy.  Instead of saying 'excuse me' the message was loud and clear enough for us to make way for the 100m sprinter to dash through. Living in a home where Mandarin and Chinese dialects monopolized all communication with hardly any English, Bananaz will only have to silently adapt with open ears. Knowing pretty well *人有三急 rén yǒu sān jí  : lit. 'people have 3 urgency'* means the same as to answer the call of nature.  That's cool so we have in total two kinds of urgency either a big or small call, now what about the third urgency then? At that tender age Bananaz could be too naive to question further or maybe he did ask but in vain.

This same idiom re-surfaced at college while Bananaz was waiting impatiently, mumbling and grumbling at the dining table as patience was rapidly wearing out. Just about to switch into angry mode  one of my buddies commented: "Hey! Hungry is not stated in the idiom of *人有三急 rén yǒu sān jí : lit. 'people have 3 urgency*, let me tell you what are the threes".  AHA Bingo! Bananaz was jumping in joy to have found the 3rd urgency after a lapse of time. Unconsciously the hunger instantly switched to jubilation mode. Eureka! here is the answer: 1. Urinate  2. Defecate 3. Sexual.

 An amazing blogger [SK] who gave me the inspiration for this post who prefers to hold on to his big call. To find out why? Plz click HERE

However not quite as yet still not the correct or complete answer for the idiom until Bananaz googled recently. Imagine learning Chinese the hearsay way all through out life from a little boy to adolescence until adult to get to the real meaning of this idiom.  Learning is never ending.

What is so URGENT about this idiom * People Have 3 Urgency人有三急 rén yǒu sān jí * :
[ 1 ]. 内急 nèi jí lit. 'internal urgency' consist of urinate and defecate.
[ 2 ]. 性急 xìng jí lit. 'sexual urgency'.
[ 3 ]. 心急 xīn jí lit. 'heart urgency' ie impatient / hurried.

[ 1 ]. 内急 nèi jí : lit. *internal urgency* consist of urinate or defecate
That's how you would have jumped when you are holding on to answer the call of nature.


[ 2 ]. 性急 xìng jí : lit. *sexual urgency*.
A just newly married couple on their very first wedding night who are too impatiently in love.


[ 3 ]. 心急 xīn jí : lit. *heart urgency* ie impatient/ hurried
Another close example of 心急 xīnjí  would apply to an impatient/anxious husband pacing to and fro outside the hospital ward while his wife is delivering their first baby. CAUTION: Be careful not to view this video on a full stomach as it may cause stomach ache or ROTFL.

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ക WhyAskWhy¿ (13) Ah Long 大耳窿 *Big Ear Hole*

Strange enough this name 'Ah Long' has been accepted en masse by a wide variety of ethnic groups in Malaysia. WhyAskWhy on the origin of this notorious name for money lender aka Loan Shark come into existence? Hearsay the name originated from Hong Kong where those days  the person who loans out money are called Chettiars, who love piercing their ears and wearing big earring.

As years go by the hole at the ear lobe stretches bigger and bigger. The same effect would apply to the loan that they give out as most borrowers are unable to repay the loan when the compounded loan amount gets bigger and bigger, just like the ear piercing hole, hence the Cantonese called them "Dai Yee Long"大耳窿 daai6 ji5 lung1 literally *Big Ear Hole* a colloquial term for illegal loan shark better known as Ah Long or Along in Malaysia and Singapore.

It is very common for Chinese to replace the middle name with "Ah", so as to be more friendly or closeness? Maybe this should trigger Bananaz to post about in future. Come to think about it all my siblings are of no exception where their last name is after the word "Ah".  Some examples will be like 'Ah Soon Fast Food' or 'Ah Fatt Noodles'. Therefore it is not surprising for 'Dai Yee Long' to become Ah Long *啊窿*. 

Ah Longs are one of the worst in graffiti with zero skills in spray paint on the walls of the house or property of defaulters. Their only best art is to paint "O$P$" meaning "owe money, pay money". Bananaz is not elaborating on their threat of violence suffered by the borrowers or their family members. You can read more on "Stay Away from Loan Sharks or Being Risk Eaten Alive" from  Seniors Aloud.

What is the difference between a Bank and Ah Long?
Some said no difference at all, except that loan sharks are unlicensed and can be imprisoned for what they do, whereas banks can do the same legally. Banks would require some time after the paperwork for approval of loan but its pre-approved almost instantly by Ah Longs. Somebody has said Banks won't break your arms and legs like what the Ah Longs are doing, well they're right instead a bank will break your spirit.  Borrowers go to the Banks dealing with sweet elegant customer service officers. Ah Longs come to you with tattoos all over their body. (disclaimer: not every persons with tattoos all over their body are Ah Longs). HERE is a true life story of one blogger who had gone through hell with Ah Long for being a guarantor.

 

Above is a live performance by Afdlin Shauki aka Chief Kodok & Din Beramboi as guest artistes in AHA2 portraying them selves as 'Along from Bukit Beruntung'. Sorry the video is not very sharp and its in Bahasa Malaysia anyway its basically a comedy show of how Ah Longs solicit for business with no requirement of IRB returns form, Bank's 6 months statements not needed and no guarantor involved. But if you don't pay up chances are the Ah Longs will mutilate your fingers or  arm. They ended the song naming the various branches nationwide and the number to call @ 24/7 service ext 12.
 

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