The city’s entertainment industry is riding a wave of change. The local broadcaster ViuTV has only been established for five years, but its programs have achieved unprecedented success, not to mention the phenomenal local idol groups Mirror and Error launched from ViuTV's talent show King Maker.

In order to keep up with the changing media landscape, you should understand the popular Cantonese slang and idioms in Hong Kong’s entertainment culture. Ever wondered why people talk about giving away pork at the music awards ceremony? Have you "eaten screws" when you are nervous? Read on to find out how locals discuss the city’s film, performance and even music awards.

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Meaning: Describe when someone receives benefits that others have paid. This sentence first appeared in Chinese classical poetry and used to describe the illegal act of using public funds by oneself. Today, this slang term is commonly used in the entertainment industry as a relaxed and ironic way to make fun of stars who receive free, high-quality prizes from shows. This way of using the term became popular when the local boy band Error included it in the name of their successful variety show Error Selfish Project to make fun of how idol groups benefited from program-funded prizes and opportunities.

English: get a gift; take advantage of something

Example: Our teacher came up with a ji-fay project, funded by the school, to take students from the animation club to Japan for a week-long trip.

Meaning: a lot of stuttering when talking. This slang compares stuttering to the sound of someone chewing a screw.

English: stutter, mutter, sputter, and stammer

Example: It is difficult to understand what Mandy said at sik-law-see, but her nervousness is justified because this is the first time she has served as the host of a school event.

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Meaning: Refers to the unusual ability of characters to survive physical injuries, simply because they are important to the story. For movies and dramas with poor plots, when a character miraculously jumps between skyscrapers or falls from a cliff without dying, the plot will feel predictable. Many times, when the protagonist is about to die, other people will appear at a critical moment to fight the villain and save the protagonist from the brink of death. The locals describe it as a halo that protects these blessed characters in the story.

English: Plot Armor; character shield

Example: Recently, more and more screenwriters are trying to break the ju-gawk-gwong-wahn model to make their movies or shows more credible.

Meaning: When every participant wins a prize in the competition, no matter how they perform. Fun-ju-yuk describes the act of giving awards to everyone, and ju-yuk-jerng is the award itself. The slang term comes from Chinese tradition. People used pork as a sacrifice to their ancestors during the Ching Ming Festival and the Double Ninth Festival. Later, as a blessing from the ancestors, only men could eat some pork in the past. Now, pork is distributed to every member of the family. In the entertainment industry, this has become a slang term used to discredit the city’s music awards and present awards to every artist attending the awards ceremony.

In Chinese: When everyone gets a prize, no one gets anything; when everyone gets a trophy, no one wins

Example: Finally, there is a music award, no jade, to commend those who deserve it! The artist I don't like got a ju-yuk-jerng last year.