Don’t be such a pushover

Nńg thô͘ chhim ku̍t

Literally: “soft soil gets dug deep”

I.e., if you’re too nice, people will take advantage of you

Work to the bone; be worked to the bone

Chi̍t-chiah gû, pak nn̄g-niá phôe

Literally: “Flay two skins from one cow.”

Brain drain

Jîn-châi gōa-liû

Fire (someone); get fired

Chhiáⁿ [person] kiâⁿ lō͘·
Tńg khì chia̍h8 ka-kī (“go back to eating your own (food)”)
Kā [person] sî-chit/sî-tiāu
Kā [person] sî thâu-lō͘·
Kā [person] thâi-thâu

Consider the lilies of the field

Chi̍t8-ki chháu, chi̍t8-tiám lō͘·

Literally: One blade of grass (gets) one drop of dew.

The English proverb I have as this proverb’s equivalent come from the Sermon on the Mount. The whole saying goes, “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” In other words, as it’s usually used in Taiwan, “you’ll find a job or livelihood, so don’t worry.”

Rush Hour

Siōng-hā-pan sî-kan

Literally: “the going-to-and-getting-off-work time”

Burn the midnight oil

Piàⁿ kui mê  ["Work the whole night"]

You can also, as in Mandarin, say “drive the night bus”: Sái iā-chhia

Sexual harrassment

Sèng-sau-jiáo

Dwell; make a living

Khīa-khí

The dictionary definition is “dwell, live,” but it also means, by extension, “make a living.”

————–

Chng-kha khah hó khīa-khí.

It’s easier to support a family in the country.

Speaking ability (of salesman)

Seng-lí-chhùi

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Seng-lí-chhùi hô·-lùi-lùi

(He) can talk a blue streak.