Kó͘-chéⁿ chúi-ke, m̄ chai thiⁿ lōa tōa
Literally: a frog in a well doesn’t know how big the sky is.
(i.e., “ignorant of the wider world or bigger picture.”)
Kó͘-chéⁿ chúi-ke, m̄ chai thiⁿ lōa tōa
Literally: a frog in a well doesn’t know how big the sky is.
(i.e., “ignorant of the wider world or bigger picture.”)
A-niau a-káu
Hiān-chú-sî a-niau a-káu lóng khó ē tio̍h tāi-ha̍k.
These days, anybody can get into college.
Categories: Education · Figures of speech · Insults
Hó-khòaⁿ-thâu
Bîn-chìn-tóng ê hāu-pó͘ chí put kò sī hó-khòaⁿ-thâu, bô chèng-tī ê keng-giām.
The DPP’s candidate is just a pretty face, and has no political experience.
Gún tau hit-ê chú-pn̄g7 — ê
Literally: the one that makes the food at my house
Categories: Family · Insults · Relationships
Put-sam-put-sù (ê)
Example:
Kau-pôe tio̍h8 chi̍t8-kóa put-sam-put-sù ê pêng-iú
Hang out with a bad crowd; associate with some shady characters
Categories: Insults · Relationships
Lú chok-ka sin chheh hoat-piáu hōe.
Chi̍t ê lú tiān-iáⁿ bêng-chheⁿ kiâⁿ óa khì kā kóng: “Lí ê chok-phín siá liáu chiok chán, chúi-chún chiok kôan! Tio̍h –lah,” Iáⁿ-chheⁿ iōng chi̍t ê kún-sńg-chhiò ê kháu-khì kè-sio̍k kóng,” sī siáⁿ-lâng thè lí siá–ê?”
Lú chok-ka kóng:” Khí-kám! Khí-kám!” Jiân-āu koh iōng khau-sé ê khùi-kháu mn̄g:” si siáⁿ-lâng thè lí tha̍k–ê?”
———————————-
A female author was having a party to celebrate the publishing of her new book.
A female movie star walked over to her and said: “Your work is so well written, and of such high quality. So,” the starlet continued in a joking way, “who wrote it for you?”
The authoress said, “Oh, it’s nothing really.” She continued mockingly, asking (the movie star), “who read it for you.”
Original joke here.
Pn̄g7-tháng kòa chhia lián
Literally: (Like a) rice bucket with wheels.
Categories: Figures of speech · Insults
From least offensive to most offensive:
Hūn-hiat ê [“mixed-blood”]
Lām-hoeh [“mixed-up blood”]
pòaⁿ-hóng-á [?]
Of course, there’s always “mutt”:
cha̍p8-chéng-káu
Literally: “dog of ten kinds”
Update: Added the missing eight tone marker to chap8-cheng2-kau2. As you may have noticed, I’ve been having trouble getting the eighth tone to show up in WordPress lately.
Also, I just realized the chap8 of chap8-cheng2-kau2 could also be–and probably is–the chap8 meaning “mixed, confused,” as in hok8-chap8.
Categories: Family · Insults · Relationships · Society
(In other words, she’s not very pretty)
I seⁿ-liáu chiok an-chôan
She looks very safe.
Seⁿ-liáu hiân-hōe
(She) looks hospitable.
Siú kau-thong ê kui-chek
Follows all the traffic rules
Some more here.
Categories: Insults · Relationships
Pîn-tōaⁿ-sian
Hó kha hó chhiú m̄ khì thó-thàn, bo̍k-kòai lâng ē kiò lí pîn-tōaⁿ-sian.
You’ve got two good legs and two good arms, and yet you don’t go out and work for a living. No wonder people call you a slacker.
Note: Sian is (usually) a pejorative suffix used to form an agent noun. Other examples include:
Chiú-sian, chiú-sian-á (alcoholic)
Kiáu-sian, kiáu-sian-á (gambler)
Ài-khàu-sian (crybaby)
Sǹg-miā-sian-á (fortuneteller)