Add oil

In Cantonese, gā () means "add", and yáu () means "oil" or "fuel". It is cited that the Cantonese term originated as a cheer at the Macau Grand Prix during the 1960s. It was used to imply stepping harder on the gas pedal, giving the car more speed and power to accelerate. It is also a metaphor of injecting fuel into a tank. It was then used as an "all purpose cheer", and used exclusively in both Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese Chinese. The romanized Cantonese ga yau and literal translation phrase add oil was commonly used since then due to the large number of bilingual Hongkongers. Instead of using the romanised Cantonese, it is reported that the English phrase was used more commonly by young Hongkongers. The increasing use of text-based online communications also contributed to the usage of the English expression. == Usage ==

, in both English and Cantonese on Lennon Walls. The phrase is a versatile expression typically used in encouraging and supporting speeches. For example, "Add oil, you can do it!". It is also commonly used during sports matches, to encourage athletes to perform well. The phrase gained its international attention when it was used in the Umbrella revolution in 2014. Local artists set up the "add oil machine", a wall along Gloucester Road. It was used to encourage international supporters to put down supporting messages to the protesters. The term was also used extensively during the Hong Kong protests in 2019–20. ==Related terms==

Elsewhere in East Asia, terms used similarly to add oil are the Japanese Ganbatte! () and Korean Paiting! (). == References ==