掌櫃

掌櫃

1. shopkeeper; manager of a shop

   甩手掌櫃／甩手掌柜  ―  shuǎishǒuzhǎngguì  ―  absentee business owner

   • 1912, James Dyer Ball, How to Speak Cantonese, 4th edition, Kelly & Wash, pages 210–211:

   • 佢有一日嚟話、佢掌櫃虧空佢一千銀、個千銀佢係特登留翻嚟還一條債、個掌櫃走路去、揾佢唔到。 [Cantonese, trad.]
     佢有一日嚟话、佢掌柜亏空佢一千银、个千银佢系特登留翻嚟还一条债、个掌柜走路去、揾佢唔到。 [Cantonese, simp.]

     keoi⁵ jau⁵ jat¹ jat⁶ lai⁴ waa⁶, keoi⁵ zoeng² gwai^6-2 kwai¹ hung¹ keoi⁵ jat¹ cin¹ ngan⁴, go³ cin¹ ngan⁴ keoi⁵ hai⁶ dak⁶ dang¹ lau⁴ faan¹ lai⁴ waan⁴ jat¹ tiu⁴ zaai³, go³ zoeng² gwai^6-2 zau² lou^6-2 heoi³, wan² keoi⁵ m⁴ dou^3-2. [Jyutping]

     He came one day, and said that his accountant had embezzled a thousand dollars, which he put by (laid by) to pay a debt. The accountant absconded, and could not be found.

   • Mar 1919, Lu Xun, “孔乙己”, in 吶喊, 9th edition, 北新書局, published 1928, page 21:

     我從十二歲起，便在鎮口的咸亨酒店裏當夥計，掌櫃說，樣子太傻，怕侍候不了長衫主顧，就在外面做點事罷。 [MSC, trad.]
     我从十二岁起，便在镇口的咸亨酒店里当伙计，掌柜说，样子太傻，怕侍候不了长衫主顾，就在外面做点事罢。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: translation by Yang Hsien-yi and Gladys Yang

     Wǒ cóng shí'èr suì qǐ, biàn zài zhèn kǒu de Xiánhēng jiǔdiàn lǐ dāng huǒjì, zhǎngguì shuō, yàngzi tài shǎ, pà shìhòu bù liǎo chángshān zhǔgù, jiù zài wàimiàn zuò diǎn shì ba. [Pinyin]

     At the age of twelve I started work as a waiter in Prosperity Tavern, at the entrance to the town. The tavern keeper said I looked too foolish to serve the long-gowned customers, so I was given work in the outer room.

2. (dialectal) husband