wantchee

Chinese Pidgin English

Alternative forms

• 灣治 (Chinese spelling)

Etymology

From English want +‎ English -y, with the suffix spelled as -chee reminiscent of English -sy.

Verb

wantchee

1. want
2. need
   • 1860, The Englishman in China, London: Saunders, Otley, and Co., page 100:

     belong olo custom pidgin, any man must wantchee go chin-chin Joss new year tim.^[sic]

     [according to?] pidgin customs, everyone needs to go worship God on new years

   • 1862, 唐景星 [Tong King-sing], 英語集全, volume 4, marginalia, page 32; republished as “Pidgin English texts from the Chinese English Instructor”, in Michelle Li, Stephen Matthews and Geoff P. Smith, editor, Hong Kong Journal of Applied Linguistics‎^[1], volume 10, number 1, 2005, pages 79-167:

     㕭灣治𪢍治温卑士羅也
     *ju¹ waan¹ zhi⁶ get³ zhi⁶ wan¹ bi¹ si⁶ lo⁴ jaa⁵
     You wantchee catchee one piecee lawyer.
     You will have to engage a lawyer.

References

• Gow, W. S. P. (1924) Gow’s Guide to Shanghai, 1924: A Complete, Concise and Accurate Handbook of the City and District, Especially Compiled for the Use of Tourists and Commercial Visitors to the Far East, Shanghai, page 109: “Wantchee: to want; to require.”