Hung is ‘a flying hen’
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential hopeful Hung Hsu-chu (洪秀柱) describes herself as a “hen that can fly,” implying that she can protect her “chickens” — KMT legislative candidates.
This description is both improper and illogical.
A hen usually sits on fertilized eggs until they hatch into chickens.
She stays on the ground to feed the chickens and protect them under her wings in case of danger. If she flies, the eggs or chickens are exposed to possible attack.
Although Hung can speak fluent Hoklo (also known as Taiwanese), she does not know the delicacy of this language. There is a Taiwanese saying: “A hen that flies by taking advantage of the wind” (雞母趁風飛) — meaning an opportunist or an imitator without originality.
There is another related Taiwanese saying: “A hen’s anus that stretches in and out” (雞母腳倉縮出縮入) — meaning a person who talks inconsistently.
Therefore, Hung should be advised not to describe herself as a “flying hen” unless she wants to downgrade herself.
Recently, Hung’s supporters have used the campaign slogan “Pepper for frying water spinach or Chinese spinach” — pepper representing Hung, who is called the “little pepper,” and water spinach representing Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson and presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) through a play on the Mandarin pronunciation of her family name.
In response to this, Tsai’s supporters in the south are using the slogan “squeeze out the acne” — acne representing Hung through a play on Hoklo pronunciation of the last syllable of Hung’s first name.
The quality of campaigning in elections should be upgraded to a respectable level.
Charles Hong
Columbus, Ohio
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