I eventually realized that some profanities must be uttered in a foreign language. In one’s mother tongue, the impact is simply too visceral; it hurts too much.

I’ve always had a soft spot for Cantonese. Initially, I was completely captivated by the phonetic punch of "DIU." The tone is so smooth, so unobstructed. You can shout it with such righteous indignation, letting it erupt from the depths of your chest like a "Hadouken" special move in Street Fighter.

Later, a friend returned from a business trip to Hong Kong with two illustrated volumes titled The Grand Lecture Hall of Cantonese Profanity. I was genuinely stunned. To think that such things could be studied with such academic rigor! The logic was impeccable: the etymology of each word, the historical context, the precise pauses, the emphasis, and the rhythmic flow.

As I read, I found myself clapping along to the rhythm, dancing with the sheer linguistic joy of it. My friend watched with a look of deep satisfaction, seeing the gift reach its full potential.

It was then I realized that when I curse in another language, I feel no discomfort. In fact, it’s quite fun.

Conversely, locals might frown and say, "Wow, how vulgar." But in my heart, I know better: it isn’t vulgarity; it is distance.

I remember being in the corporate world, where even anger had to be "refined." You’d want to say shit, but your mouth would automatically pivot to shoot. You’d start a WTF, only to swallow the rest and leave a lingering WT...

Because a mother tongue isn't just vocabulary. A mother tongue is muscle memory.

The moment a word is uttered, the body reacts. So does the listener's. It’s a direct hit. For someone who doesn’t understand, however, it’s just a sound, a mere symbol.

Some people aren't "insensitive"; their positioning is simply different. Everyone is sensitive; it’s just the trigger points that vary.

To curse in your mother tongue is to strike at yourself. To curse in a foreign language is to maintain that perfectly calibrated distance.

Language, ultimately, dictates the depth of our perception of pain.



—— 🎐 XC Scribbles · 壹佰參拾柒 CXXXVII 🗣️