Dictionary

bo pian en · X

Pronunciation

• [bo˩ p˭jɛn˩] (Malaysia, Singapore)

Etymology

From Hokkien 無變／无变 (bô-piàn, “no choice”).

Meanings

1. (Malaysia, Singapore, Singlish) No choice; it cannot be helped; there’s no other way.
   • He already paid for my ticket so even if I was busy, boh pien, I would have to go. 2015 September 22, CLEO MAGAZINE, “11 WORDS THAT EVERY SINGAPOREAN WOULD UNDERSTAND”, in CLEO, archived from the original on 04 Mar 2016:
   • Eh, if cannot finish the work then bo bian must stay back 2011 August 21, Kirsten, “It's Singlish Lah!”, in SEA Youth Say So, retrieved 22 Oct 2015:
   • In Singapore, there is no choice being one of the world’s twenty smallest countries. Boh pien ah. 2006, Stuart Lloyd, Gone Troppo: Hot Babes, Warm Weather, Cold Beer. Paradise!, Monsoon Books, page 13:
   • I have been sleep deprived for the past few days, and a friend who knows about it just sent me an online message: “Notti (lingo-speak for naughty) ah…still don’t sleep.” My reply, “Bobian (Singaporean-English term for no choice), I’m a workaholic…” 2013, Lena Chen, EFT Meditations, Trafford Publishing, page 8:

Forms

Deriveds

bopes