Ah Beng, from Chinese: 阿明; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: a-bêng or a-bîng, is a stereotype applied to a certain group of young Chinese men in Southeast Asia, particularly Singapore and Malaysia. The stereotypical view of an Ah Beng is a young Chinese man or teenager who lacks cultural refinement or indulges in criminal activity or is involved in brawls or arguments out of disagreements with other people. Ah Bengs are also sometimes associated with extensively-modified or zhng-ed cars,[1] and are stereotypically seen as excessively flashy and show-offish. Ah Bengs are often stereotyped as trying to emulate Japanese street fashion.
In Malaysia, the term 'Ah Beng' usually refers to males who have unusual styles and tastes. And the term 'lala-zai' refers to males involved in stereotypical gangster activity or fashion such as the dyeing of hair.
In Singapore, the term 'Ah Beng' is normally used describe gangster wannabes who cannot speak fluent English and have very low education. They commonly speak in Mandarin or Hokkien.
The female equivalent of an 'Ah Beng' is an Ah Lian.
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Ah Bengs are stereotypically Chinese men in their early teens to late 20s, seen hanging out in groups and typically speaking in local slang, which is Hokkien or Cantonese mixed with English and Malay, such as Manglish or Singlish. Their English level is limited to simple English words with incorrect grammar. When having a conversation, Ah Bengs like to curse in their daily speech.
Ah Bengs' fashion has several stereotypes. One stereotype perceives Ah Bengs wearing flamboyant shirts, for example, with colorful decorations - especially dragons, tight jeans and always carrying plastic combs. Another stereotype perceives Ah Bengs trying to follow Japanese fashion in a wrong way, with spiked and dyed hair, metallic ornaments, leather jackets, belts and pants. They are usually very stingy in buying clothes too. Ah Bengs' almost always wear skinny jeans, ranging in color from black to purple to fluorescent pink, with the thinner ones sometimes wearing womens jeans. They also often dye their hair yellow, or sometimes orange, and use gel to make it stand up.
Ah Bengs are normally found gathering in the busier areas of towns, such as shopping malls, and especially on weekends and holidays. Ah Bengs are typically stereotyped as coming from lower class to families, even though they are sometimes rich, as the rich ones usually come from loan shark or otherwise gangster families.
Recently, Ah Bengs in Singapore found a new type of fashion. They often go around in tight tops (usually black, otherwise striped), shorts, colorful flip-flops with several piercings all over their head.
Ah Beng comes from the romanization of the Hokkien pronunciation of 阿明 (Pe̍h-ōe-jī: a-bêng). 明 is a word commonly used in the names of Chinese males in the region; it means 'bright' in the sense of intelligence. In Malaysia, Ah Beng is also known as lala zai. 'Lala' has no actual meaning in itself, while 'zai' (pronounced 'chai') means 'boy'. 'Lala zai' refers to individuals who speak Manglish and possess a strong preference for gaudy fashions or hairstyles.
Ah Bengs have been featured in several Singaporean films, including:
The stereotypical Ah Beng was played by Gurmit Singh in Phua Chu Kang on MediaCorp TV Channel 5 until 2006 as well. The fact that Gurmit Singh has a mixed ancestry including Indian, Japanese, and Chinese blood makes his convincing portrayal of an uneducated Chinese man even more notable. And Chu Kang's brother, known as Phua Chu Beng, is an articulate, educated architect who is known as Ah Beng in the show. His character though is that of an anti-thesis to an Ah Beng.[4]
The term is persistently used as an ad lib by UK-based rap artist Johnny Gunz.
Ah Bengs are also a source of humor for educated Singaporean and Malaysian. Many published works poke fun at the stereotype.
International:
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