拜拜
pài-pài
To pray in Hokkien is to say 拜拜 (pài-pài).
The term 拜拜 is used broadly to cover the act of praying to a deity, the practice of worshiping or the general performance of religious rituals.
Meaning: to talk to God (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
The reduplicated form 拜拜 is built from the root word 拜, which means to bow or to pay respects to someone.
How do you pronounce it?
pài-pài
What mistakes should you avoid?
Be careful not to confuse the Hokkien 拜拜 (to worship) with the Mandarin Chinese term 拜拜 (bài-bài), which is a colloquial way to say goodbye.
When do people say it?
In Hokkien-speaking cultures, 拜拜 often refers to the entire process of performing rituals, such as setting up an altar, offering food and burning incense to deities or ancestors.
Did you know?
- While 拜拜 means 'to pray' in Hokkien, the same sounds in Mandarin are used for 'goodbye' because the Mandarin word is a phonetic loan from the English 'bye-bye'.
- Performing 拜拜 often includes offering specific foods, such as pomelo or pineapple, which are chosen because their names sound like words for 'luck' or 'prosperity'.
- In Hokkien culture, the act of 拜拜 often involves burning 'joss paper' or 'ghost money' to send currency to ancestors in the afterlife.
Examples in context
- 伊佇廟裏拜拜。i ti miàu lî bāi-bāi.He is praying in the temple.
- 伊每工攏拜拜。i muí kang lóng bāi-bāi.She prays every day.
- 汝拜拜時愛誠心。lí bāi-bāi sî ài sîng-sim.You must be sincere when you pray.
Example conversation
Two friends are walking past a local temple.
- 佳怡 Chia-yi建宏，咱去拜拜好無？Kiàn-hông, lán khì bái-bái hó-bô?Jianhong, shall we go pray?
- 建宏 Kian-hong好，我也想欲拜拜。hó, guá iā siáng-beh bái-bái.Okay, I want to pray too.
- 佳怡 Chia-yi咱拜拜完就去食飯。lán bái-bái uán jiù khì chia̍h-pn̄g.Let's go eat after we pray.
- 建宏 Kian-hong沒問題，走吧！bô bûn-tê, tsáu-pà!No problem, let's go!
