台灣俗語的智慧(15)

台灣俗語的智慧(15)

1)     阿婆仔生子 (Pronounced as: ah boh ah seng giang) (老太婆生孩子-比喻十分困難的事)-It is as difficult as an old lady’s delivery of a baby.  extremely hard to do something

2)     心歹無人知，嘴歹上厲害 (Pronounced as: sim pai boh ran zhai, tsui pai shon rih hai)
指一個人心地壞，別人看不出來，但如果嘴巴壞，它所造成的禍害卻很嚴重。(歹即不好)- 知與害押韻

A person’s evil heart is less known or harmful than his mouth’s speaking bad language.

3)    一人一家代，公媽隨人祀 (Pronounced as:jit ran jit geh dai, gong mah sui ran sai(tsai)
指勸人少管別人家庭閒事，也就是各人自掃門前雪，莫管他人瓦上霜的意思。(公媽指祖宗牌位)

直譯：One may put one’s ancestors’ shrine on the shrine table in the way he likes. 祀(念sai)即祭祀。代與祀押韻

意譯：Mind one’s own busuiness.

4)     賣貨頭，洩貨尾(Pronounced as:beh hui tao,xiah hui buei) 新進的貨貴賣，殘貨就便宜地賣，這是台灣人做生意的大原則，其實外國人也如此，因為有些貨有時間性，逾期會壞，另外能賺的錢皆在未賣的存貨，出清存貨才賺到，這就是拍賣(on sale) 之理。古老生意哲學可以看出台灣人一流的生意頭腦。這句話可用作購物殺價時的藉口。

Newly arrived commodities are sold at a regular price while those left over are sold at a bargain (or on-sale) price. (consolidation sale出清存貨)

5)    錢沒無个袜彈(Pronounced as:jeen boh ren eeh buei dan)一個銅板拍不响

It takes two to tangle. (要兩人才跳得起探戈)

6)     吃一歲，學一歲(Pronounced as:jiah jit hui ooh jit hui)活到老學到老

Live and learn. None is too old to learn.

7)     愛死，袜得斷氣(Pronounced as:ai see buei dit deng kui)- 想死卻斷不了氣，比喻精神壓力大，十分痛苦very painful or stressful 斷氣=expire

8)  誠意好，吃水甜-(Pronounced as:shing yi hoh jiah tsui deen)只要有誠意待客，即使用清水，客人嚐起來也是甜的

One’s sincere hospitality is felt when one treats others even with tap water. Hospitality counts.

9)     一丈差九尺 (Pronounced as:jit deng tsah gao cho)
指做事不切實際，馬馬虎虎，在需要一丈的尺寸中，只有九尺(即不符合要求)。One handles things without care, unscrupulously or unrealistically.

One is hardly qualified.

10) 一日剃頭，三日緣投  (Pronounced as:jit zih teeh tao, san zih yan tao)
指把頭理一理，整個人看起來清爽且有精神，不但自己看了順眼，也會給別人好的印象。台語剃頭即理髮(真正用剃刀) ，緣投(台音)=handsome限用男生，從前的人稱呼帥哥叫『緣投仔桑』。本句乃鼓勵男士經常修整儀容。頭與投押韻

After a hair-cut, one makes a good impression on others because of clean-shaved face and nicely-cut hair.

11) 一世人撿角  (Pronounced as:jit see ran kyo kah)
乃形容人一輩子沒出息，好比不好的東西要撿起來丟掉一樣。a person who is good for nothing in his whole life. 台語「撿角」指useless, 或futile

12) 一個錢，拍二四個結  (Pronounced as:jit eeh jeen pah rih see eeh gat)- 台語拍結即打結，古時錢幣用帶子串聯一起，若纏繞在腰間，『腰纏萬貫』則比喻十分富有。24個結表示不易隨便解開花用。此句比喻人極度吝嗇，與「一毛不拔」意思相近。 近a very stingy(miserly, meager) person。台灣口語很小氣的人又叫『凍酸』(Pronunced as : dang sng)

06/20/2015

Justin Lai 編著

AACHW13/