Talk:Tai-Pan (disambiguation)
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When I was in Hong Kong, the locals told me that Tai Pan is the term used to describe a brothel owner or Triad boss. The term the Hongkies use for big boss is Lo Pan. Can anyone confirm this?
Ian
- The sequal to Tai Pan called Noble House (set in post WW2 Hong Kong) includes a discussion (sorry I don't have the book to find a page number) where it is explained that Tai Pan is indeed the term used to describe a brothel owner or triad boss, and that Lo Pan is the more revered title. It goes on to say that the English boss's are used to the term and don't really mind.
- Dave
- The term Tai-Pan dates back to early colonial days in Hong Kong. Usage 100 years ago vs modern usage may differ a little. Tai-Pan can be used in generic sense as "The big shot" or anyone who is in charge. With proper qualification, it can be used in various settings, e.g. 舞廳大班 the ma-ma-san of a 1930's dancing hall in Shanghai (with courtesan girls as dancing companions on site or one-nighter sex trader off site) or 銀行大班 the big boss in a bank or 廁所大班 the host of the toilet in high class hotels (the kind who treats the toilet as his kingdom and scolds at Chinese people who makes a splash but wags his tail to foreign patrons. Tai-Pan is used sarcastically in this case.) In the article, the statement about the toilet Tai-pan being the origin of the term is most likely erroneous. Who came first, the Bank Tai-pan or the Toilet Tai-pan??? Lo-ban (老闆) is the Chinese term for "boss" who may or may not be the "big shot" but usually is. Kowloonese 23:00, May 25, 2005 (UTC)
- Lo-Ban (boss) is the name for a position. Tai-Pan is more a name for an attitude. A Tai-Pan is not necessary the boss. A Tai-pan is someone who does not need to listen to anyone in a work environment, he is in charge not in the sense that he gives orders and commands, but in the sense that he has the ultimate influence on everyone else. For example, if a top box-office actress holds up the entire filming crew just because she is in a bad mood, and even the producers or the directors or another big shot actor have to wait for her in patience, then people will give her a sarcastic title of "Tai-Pan". If your co-worker comes to work at noon and leaves the office at 3pm or comes and goes as he wishes as if he does not need to report to anyone, then you may as well give him the title of a Tai-Pan. The movie/play 《金大班的最後一夜》is about the story of an entertainer who was so famous that she was in Tai-pan status. Sometimes, people would address a Tai-pan with the salutation of Lo-ban, e.g. use Chan Lo-ban instead of Mr. Chan. Kowloonese 18:24, May 26, 2005 (UTC)
Who wrote that a tai-pan's wife was called a tai-tai? That's really off the mark. Tai-tai is Cantonese for 'supreme of the supreme,' or for someone's wife. A married woman is addressed by that title as if 'Mrs.'
Someone needs to go over their Cantonese.
- Tai-pan, Lo-ban, Tai tai are not necessarily Cantonese, these terms are used in Mandarin a lot too. Kowloonese 18:33, May 26, 2005 (UTC)
- In the novel Tai-Pan, Dirk Straun's (ie. the Tai-Pan's) wife is referred to as "Tai-tai". This may be where the confusion comes in, though obviously that is a specific instance of the usage and shouldn't be taken as a generality. JPrice 01:47, 12 July 2005 (UTC)
