一块薯粉粿，欲保贺多少人

There is a saying in Teochew”一块薯粉粿，欲保贺多少人”(practice how to pronounce in Teochew above),which is often used to satirize those who give little but ask for a lot.Literally means:Who can be blessed by offering only one piece of sweet potato Kueh?

Meaning of “保贺”in Teochew

“保贺“is a common phrase in Teochew.It is something like “Bless”.We say “God bless”,Teochew people would say”老爷保贺”.So”你有老爷保贺，无事个“means “God bless you”.You can practice this sentence in Teochew follow the audio below:

In Teochew,People use the emoji above in chatting or as a sticker for a car/bike/fridge or any other objects.

“粿”,Kueh means food made by rice.

So how do this sentence became a saying popularily in Teochew?

Story start from “Boye Palace”

In Teochew, “伯爷”（Boye) usually refers to “土地公”, also known as “Fude Zhengshen”福德正神”, the god who manages a piece of land. Every village has its own “土地公” and a Palace would be built for them which is “Boye Palace”.

Legend has it that on the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month of a certain year in a village in Teochew, people brought offerings to the “Boye Palace” to worship “Boye” and pray for peace.

The “temple priest” of the Boye Palace had been waiting for this day to come so that he could take the opportunity to make a fortune.

An old lady’s Prayers

At daybreak, an old lady held a bamboo basket and tremblingly pushed open the temple door. She placed the bamboo basket on the altar and burned a stick of incense. Then she knelt on the ground and worshiped devoutly, murmuring prayers:

“伯爷公保贺保贺，保贺我老伴和我长寿健康；保贺保贺，保贺大囝子孙兴旺、大赚；保贺保贺，保贺二囝合家平平安安……”

Probably means:

Bless my husband and me with longevity and health. Bless, bless, bless, bless, bless our eldest son’s descendants to be prosperous and profitable. Bless, bless, bless, bless, bless our second son and his family to be safe and sound..

The old woman’s four sons and three daughters all prayed, and the voices of “保贺保贺” never stopped.

Other people in the village brought chickens, fish and other offerings and came one after another. More and more people came to pay respect to “伯爷”, they lined up behind the old woman.

Impatient temple priest

The temple keeper was annoyed by the old woman’s endless chatter. He walked up to her and saw that there was only a large piece of potato Kueh in her basket.

He said sarcastically, “Ah, old woman, how many people do you want to bless with just this piece of potato Kueh?” Later, the story spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred. “一块薯粉粿，欲保贺多少人” became a common saying.

Just follow the audio below to practice pronounce”一块薯粉粿，欲保贺多少人”: