Ke lâng ke hok-khì
Literally: More people more fortune
Siōng put chèng, hā chek oai
Literally: Top not straight, bottom then crooked
Keh-piah chhin-ke, lé-sò͘ goân-chāi
Literally: (Even if) your next-door neighbors are close relatives, you should still maintain politeness.
Posted in Family, Proverbs, Relationships
Thiⁿ chhī lâng pûi chut chut, lâng chhī lâng chhun chi̍t ki kut
Literally: (When) Heaven feeds men (they’re) fat as can be, (when) people feed people (there) remains (only) one bone
Posted in Proverbs
Pàng hā tô͘-to, li̍p tē sêng hu̍t
Literally: Put down the butcher knife, (and) immediately become a buddha
(Buddhism–like Stoicism and, when you get down to brass tacks, Christianity–rejects the Aristotelian concept of virtue .)
Posted in Proverbs, Religion and Morality
These are a series of rhymes related to marriage. I’ve never heard anyone recite the following list before, but I found them listed in a book of Taiwanese sayings from Maryknoll, and I thought they were interesting:
Kè-tio̍h be-chhài ang, saⁿ tǹg m̄ sī chhài, chiū sī chhang.
Kè-tio̍h chiú-kúi ang, chiú-chùi sio-phah giú thâu-chang.
Kè-tio̍h choh-chhân ang, bô-êng thang hó sé thâu chang.
Kè-tio̍h chò-tê ang, cha̍p mê, káu mê khang.
Kè-tio̍h é-á ang, sio-hiuⁿ, tiám-hoé chhiáⁿ pa̍t-lâng.
Kè-tio̍h chhàu-thâu-á ang, liàm mī-phoē lâi that phīⁿ-khang.
Kè-tio̍h chheⁿ-mê ang, se-thâu, boah-hún bô chhái-kang.
Kè-tio̍h hong-liû ang, sam-tin hái-bī iā chia̍h bē phang.
Kè-tio̍h ian-tâu-á, saⁿ ji̍t bô chia̍h mā khin-sang.
Kè-tio̍h pīn-toāⁿ ang, khiām-tn̂g neh-tō͘ iā bô-chhái kang.
Kè-tio̍h poah-kiáu ang, chi̍t chhiú koāⁿ bah, chi̍t chhiú koāⁿ chhang.
Kè-tio̍h thâi-ti-á ang, bô iû chú-chhài mā ē phang.
Kè-tio̍h tha̍k-chheh ang, chhn̂g-thâu khùn, chhn̂g-boé phang.
Kè-tio̍h thó-hái ang, saⁿ-keⁿ poàⁿ-mê la̍h chàu-khang.
Kè-tio̍h ún-ku ang, khùn tio̍h mî-phoā ē kek khang.
Reminds me a little of the English rhyme my mother used to recite about children born on different days of the week:
Monday’s child is fair of face,
Tuesday’s child is full of grace,
Wednesday’s child is full of woe,
Thursday’s child has far to go;
Friday’s child is loving and giving,
Saturday’s child works hard for a living;
But the child that is born on the Sabbath day,
Is bonny and blithe and good and gay.
Posted in Family, Proverbs, Relationships
Tiām tiām chia̍h saⁿ oáⁿ kong poàⁿ
Literally: Without a word eat three and a half big bowls
Posted in Proverbs
Ū iūⁿ, khoàⁿ iūⁿ (; bô iūⁿ, ka-tī siūⁿ)
Literally: Have a model/form, refer to the model/form; not have a model/form, think for yourself
Posted in Proverbs, Religion and Morality
Ū chi̍t hó, bô nn̄g hó
Literally: have one good, not have two good
Posted in Proverbs
Ū sim phah chio̍h, chio̍h chiâⁿ chhng
Literally: Have heart hit rock, rock becomes a hole
Posted in Proverbs