Tâi-oân Chè-chō

Kill two birds with one stone

July 9, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Bong lâ-á kiam sé-khò∙

Literally: Wash your pants while catching clams

 

Or:

Chi̍t8 jī tiò siang hî

Literally: One piece of bait catches a pair of fish

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Comic book

July 8, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Ang-á-chheh

Kó∙-á-chheh

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Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

July 7, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Tōa kūi-bô͘∙ phò-hōai bú-khì

Tōa kūi-bô͘∙ hāi-sèng bú-khì

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Make a clean break

July 7, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Cartoon%20-%204%20July%202009%20[1]
Copyright 2009 Tân Gī-jîn. Used with author’s permission.

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Pún-tóng chòe sin kui-tēng, kìm-chí tóng-ôan tham-u, hòe-sóan: put-chún chhiáⁿ-kheh, sàng-lé, í-ki̍p ká-chià ho̍k-bū, kiù-chai téng-téng bêng-gī piàn-siòng ê hòe-sóan…

Oh? Pún-tóng í-keng “thòng kái chiân hui” ah?

Siáⁿ-mi̍h thòng kái chiân hui?

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Our Party’s [i.e. the KMT] newest rules prohibit Party members from being corrupt and buying elections; taking people out to eat and giving gifts aren’t allowed, and even covert ways of buying elections, such as providing services or relief (money) under someone else’s name, (are also not allowed)…

Oh? Your Party has already “repented and made a clean break with its past wrongdoings?”

What do you mean, “repented and made a clean break with past wrongdoings?”

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Close the barn door…

July 6, 2009 · Leave a Comment

…after the horse has gone:

Lâng-kheh cháu liáu chiah thîn tê.

Literally: Pour the tea after the guest has left.

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Happy Fourth of July

July 4, 2009 · Leave a Comment

→ Leave a CommentCategories: Not strictly vocabulary · Politics

Legitimate goods (i.e. not fake)

July 3, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Kong-si-hòe

 

Example:

Lí m̄-bián kiàⁿ, che cho̍at8-tùi sī kong-si-hòe.

Don’t worry, these are legit goods for sure.

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No one is completely useless

July 2, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Lám-lám bé iā ū cht-pō͘∙ that

Literally: Even an old weak horse can give a kick.

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The Chinese are a peaceful people

July 2, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Cartoon%20-%2027%20June%202009[1]

Copyright 2009 Tân Gī-jîn.  Used with author’s permission.

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Tiong-kok-lâng sī hô-pêng, hô-kái, khoan-iông, sià-bián ê bîm-cho̍k…

A-men. Meiyou gongyi, reng yao shemian. [Mandarin]

Pàng-hē siû-hūn, Kok-kiōng hô-kái…khoan-iông Tiong-kiōng ê ui-hia̍p8, cho̍at8-tùi khéng-tēng Tiong-kiōng ê siān-ì…sui-jiân, pháiⁿ-sè lah! Chèng-hú ū khah khióng-pò͘·, jîn-bîn éng-óan ài kok…

Ah! Kám-tōng. Tiong-kok-lâng it úi-tāi ê hô-kái. Án-ne lán ài kín sêng-jīn ka-tī sī Tiong-kok-lâng, chò Tiong-kok-lâng,

Ná bô ē pī Tiong-kok-lâng Chèng-hú tui-sat, choan-pān le̍k8-iâⁿ, chhiūⁿ A-píⁿ-á chi̍t8-ke, sí kah chin pháiⁿ-khòaⁿ.

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The Chinese are a peaceful, conciliatory, tolerant, and forgiving people…

[Amen to that.  Even if there's no justice, there is still a need for forgiveness.]

Putting aside enmity, the KMT and CCP are reconciling…the relaxation of the PRC threat demonstrates without question the goodwill of the PRC…however, I have to apologize! Though the people have always been patriots, the government is still a bit frightened, …

Ah! How touching. The Chinese are the most conciliatory of people.  Such being the case, we should quickly acknowledge we are Chinese, and act as Chinese people…

If not, we’ll be hunted down by the Chinese people’s government,  and the Green camp will be “dealt with,”  just like the family of A-Bian, dying in the most horrible way…

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Like a fox guarding a henhouse

June 30, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Chhiàⁿ kúi thiah io̍h8-toaⁿ

Literally: Hire a ghost to write a prescription.

→ Leave a CommentCategories: Proverbs