Etymology

heng ah

Today it means: Phew!, thank goodness; expressing relief, e.g., when an extremely unlucky outcome has been avoided. Full definition →

Teochew 興啊 /兴啊 ← Hokkien 幸啊
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The story

  1. Hokkien · borrowed from幸啊
  2. Teochew · borrowed from興啊 /兴啊
  3. English todayheng ah

From Teochew 興啊 /兴啊 (hêng¹ a⁷) or Hokkien 幸啊 (hēng--a). By surface analysis, heng (“lucky”) + ah (used for emphasis).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.