What does "Little Chi Lao, Xiao Zha San" mean in Shanghai dialect?

Little Red Guy: Little thing, little devil. You can think of him as a little guy when you like.

Little Yakuza: hooligans, gangsters, scoundrels, and idle people are not good words.

Chilao, Shanghai dialect, foul language. Chilao originally means ghost in Shanghainese dialect.

"Chi" means shirtless. Because in the old days, when a poor person died, his family could not afford a coffin, so they would often wrap the body naked with straw and bury it hastily. It is also common for corpses to be found in the wild after heavy rains. When people walking in the wild encounter this corpse, they call it "Red Man".

Whether it is a ghost or a corpse, it is always an unlucky thing to encounter one. Thus, the Shanghai idiom "I met a red guy" came into being. It means encountering unlucky or unhappy people or things.

Extended information:

Shanghai, known as the "Magic City", is also the most modern city in China. Shanghainese have always been full of pride. In order to avoid being ostracized by the locals, many outsiders who come to Shanghai often pretend to be nondescript.

Shanghaiese dialect is a dialect formed in the long history of the Shanghai area. It brings together the essence of Wuyue and Jiangnan language and culture and has profound cultural accumulation. Shanghainese carries the echoes of the times, cultural heritage, and historical memories of the city of Shanghai.

Shanghai must strive to build itself into an oriental cultural pearl with individual characteristics, and it should inherit the soul of Shanghai’s language and culture.

Reference materials: Baidu Encyclopedia - Xiao Yazi

Baidu Encyclopedia - Xiao Chi Lao