The story
Partial calque from Cantonese 海鮮醬／海鲜酱 (hoi2 sin1 zoeng3, literally “seafood sauce, sauce for seafood”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
hoisin sauce
Today it means: A thick, pungent, dark, sweet and salty sauce made from soy, garlic and chili, used in Chinese cooking. Full definition →