呼乾啦
ho͘ ta là
呼乾啦 (ho͘ ta là) is the Hokkien way to say cheers.
The phrase 呼乾啦 is used as an imperative to signal that everyone should finish their drinks in one go during a toast. While the general expression 乾杯！ can be used to mean cheers, 呼乾啦 specifically carries the meaning of bottoms up.
Meaning: toast when drinking (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the verb 呼 meaning 'call', the adjective 乾 meaning 'dry' and the particle 啦 which indicates completion or totality, essentially meaning 'call [it] dry all'.
How do you pronounce it?
ho͘ ta là
When do people say it?
When clinking glasses during a toast, it is customary to move your glass slightly lower than the other person's glass to show respect to older individuals.
Did you know?
- The concept of 'drying the cup' in 呼乾啦 is mirrored in the Japanese word for cheers 乾杯, which shares the same 'dry cup' root characters.
- The verb 呼 in 呼乾啦 can also mean 'to shout' or 'to yell', implying that a proper toast is not whispered but announced loudly to the whole table.
- Because 呼乾啦 is an imperative, using it with a superior might actually seem too aggressive unless the social setting is very casual.
Examples in context
- 來，呼乾啦！lâi, hū kan la!Come on, cheers!
- 慶祝一下，呼乾啦！khìng tsuat tsi̍t-hā, hū kan la!Let's celebrate, cheers!
Example conversation
Jianhong and Xiaowen are having dinner together.
- 建宏 Kian-hong曉雯，我們呼乾啦！Xiǎo-wén, gún-lín hòo-kan-la!Xiaowen, let's cheers!
- 曉雯 Hiau-bun好，呼乾啦！Hó, hòo-kan-la!Okay, cheers!
- 建宏 Kian-hong這杯酒很不錯。Tse-pue-ciú hěn-pò-siat.This wine is very good.
- 曉雯 Hiau-bun我也覺得很好喝。Góa iā kàk-tō hěn-hó-lim.I think it tastes great too.
