‘堵着正切要’

‘堵着正切要’ is a Teochew proverb,which implies that fate’s arrangements are the decisive factor in determining one’s future.’堵着’ means happened to meet.’正’ means actually.’切要’ means the decisive factor.

Practice speaking this sentence in Teochew dialect as below:

The Carrier’s Dialogue

Once upon a time, a county magistrate was riding in a sedan chair when he heard two sedan bearers arguing as they passed.

The bearer in front said, “A person needs others to look after him in order to have a bright future. Without them, I’ll always be a sedan bearer.”

The bearer behind said, “Not necessarily.’堵着正切要’ (It depends on whether fate favors you.)”

An unexpected planting leads to a bright future

The county magistrate, sitting in his sedan chair, thought:

I became the county magistrate because of someone’s help. This made him think the sedan bearer in front of him had a point.

Returning to the county office, he decided to help the sedan bearer in front, so he ordered his men to find him and assign him a job.

A few days later, the county magistrate encountered the sedan bearer in his office. Surprised, he asked, “Why are you working here?”

The sedan bearer had no choice but to tell the truth:

“The other day, the official came to us and said you were looking for the bearer who carried the sedan in front.

But the bearer was frightened, thinking you were going to blame him for something, that disaster was imminent.

He pleaded a stomachache and was afraid to come.

So I had no choice but to follow the official. But I didn’t expect them to assign me a task right away.”

The county magistrate, upon hearing this, said with a hint of enlightenment, “It really is ‘堵着正切要'(It depends on whether fate favors you.)!” From then on, the saying “‘堵着正切要’” became a popular saying in the Teochew area.