台灣俗語的智慧(18)

台灣俗語的智慧(18)

1)  搶頭香 (Pronounced as:chiun tao heun)-台灣寺廟重要慶典時，清晨開大門第一位搶進廟內將三柱香插入金爐者。比喻『捷足先登』= be an early bird (早起的烏有蟲吃)。The early bird catches the worm.

2)  蔘仔氣(Pronounced as:sCm/s0m a ku0)-裝腔作勢 (putting on airs) 。另，「氣口」- (kui kao) 指講話的語氣或姿態

3)    度小月 (Pronounced as: dou xio guei) – (台南地區) 小生意人家，辛苦度過生意較差的月份 (如四、九、五月。美國人的小月為3,4,5月，因為屬報稅月份，多數人要掏錢繳納所得稅) 。南部度小月的『切仔麵』(Pronounced as:chiet ah meen) 又稱『擔仔麵』(Pronounced as:tarn ah meen)很有名

意譯：people engaged in small business to survive the least brisk months

gloomy days

4) 顧鋤頭 (嘸通顧鴨母蛋) (Pronounced as:koh dih tao, mn tang koh ah boh r’en)-不可只關心產品，而更要重視生產工具

caring more for tools for production than simply for products

        

5) 好種嘸傳，歹種嘸斷(Pronounced as: hoh jing mn teng，pai jing mn deng) 好的個性或品德未秉承上一代，但不好的習慣卻綿延不盡，一代傳一代

It is regrettable that good character or trait is not handed down to the next generation while the poor or bad one is endlessly continued.

6) 軟土深掘(Pronounced as:r’en toh chim kut) -對弱者盡量欺侮或佔便宜 (對硬土壤，就是想挖深也難)

直譯：digging deeper when the earth is soft.

意譯：taking more advantage of those who are much weaker

7) 麻薯手裡搓 (Pronounced as:mua chi/chu chiu lih jun)有彈性的應付手段 (由手中揉搓出的麻薯，因需要，可大可小)

taking flexible measures to meet the different demands

註：麻薯，用米醬製成。

 

8) 牽網仔補雨傘(Pronounced as:kan bang ah poh hoh shuang) 註：網仔，指找魚網的破洞，比喻無意義或無目的的閑聊 = having a bull session

9) 一樣生百樣生(Pronounced as:jit yun seng pah yun see)出生方式僅一種，死亡却有多種 (諷刺人生命運的不同)

直譯：There is only one way for one to be delivered of whereas there are many ways of dying.

意譯：Destiny differs from people to people.

10) 久長病就有不孝子(Pronounced as:kuh teng pen dio uh but hao zi) 父母久病卧床，兒女就不孝順(這是抱怨話)

As long as parents are sick in bed for a long time, they feel no filial piety coming from children.

 久病父母，找不到子女

11) 嚴官府出厚賊 (Pronounced as:giam kuan hu chu gao tsat) 政府管得愈嚴，盜賊反而愈多

=Strict parents create sneaky kids

The more serious and more stringent measures the government is taking, but ironically, there will be more law-breaking people.

12) 人牽毋行，鬼牽蹓蹓走 (Pronounced as:ran kan mn kiang, kui kang liu liu zhao)

直譯：A man does not follow decent people’s directions, but ghosts’.
意譯：When at a loss, people are more apt to be led by bad guys than by nice people.

(當迷失時，一個人無法分辨人的好壞。往往不聽好人的勸導，反而輕易相信壞人的話)。 

07/22/2015

Justin Lai 編譯