八加九

Chinese

eight to add; plus nine
trad. (八加九)
simp. #(八加九)
alternative forms 8+9 Internet slang
Literally: “eight plus nine”.

Etymology

Phono-semantic matching of Hokkien 八家將 / 八家将. Originated from stereotypes of people performing this kind of ritual.

Pronunciation


Noun

八加九

  1. (Taiwan, neologism, derogatory) gangsters, often associated with a stereotype of having little education and operating within secret societies and street gangs (similar to Ah Beng in Singapore and Malaysia or chavs in Britain)

Usage notes

On the Internet, this term is usually written in the Arabic numeral form 8+9.