台灣俗語的智慧(24)

台灣俗語的智慧(24)

1)    《呣知天地幾斤重》(Pronounced as:m zhai tnn deh kui kin tang)

= 不知天高地厚。中原人用天的高度及地的厚度比喻宇宙之大；台灣人則認為天地一體故以重量計算。

直譯：not knowing how much heaven and earth weigh.

意譯：a person too childish or naïve; one ignorant of how serious things are

l  Naïve:

America is still a government of the naïve, for the naïve and by the naïve.

(美國仍然是天真人治國，天真人所有，天真人所享)

He who does not know this nor relish it, has no inkling of the nature of his country. (凡是不明白也未喜歡此點者，就對其國的本性缺少一種模糊的概念。)

2)   小漢偷挽瓠，大漢偷牽牛(Pronounced as:sei han tao ban puh, tuah han tao kan guh)

小漢，未成年；大漢，已成年。挽=採= pick；偷牽=帶走；偷竊(自行車、摩托車、牛、馬、羊、鹿等)

直譯：When a child, a person will steal a bottle gourd, however, when grown up, he will steal a cow. (前者輕罪，後者重罪)

意譯：When a child, a person may commit a misdemeanor；when grown up, he will commit a felony of theft.

l  misdemeanor是罰款或短期拘留的輕罪；felony則是一年以上有期徒刑

3)   《龍眼試，鳳梨彈，拔仔揑到爛 》(Pronounced as:ling ging zhih, ong lai tuanh, pah-a teng kao luang)

指挑選水果的方法，龍眼試吃，鳳梨用手指彈，聲音堅實表示新鮮 ，番石榴則用腕力壓，耐壓的表示新鮮。

直譯：There are different ways in picking out good fruits: for longan by testing; for pineapples, by gentle knocking of fingers；for guavas by pressing with wrists.

意譯: There are different ways of handling things.

4)    《愛死勿會得斷氣》(Pronounced as: ai seeh buei tid tenn kui)

註：勿會= unable to. 不能…無法

直譯：想死，但斷不了氣

A person is desirous of dying, but he can’t make it.

意譯：A person is tired of going on living, but somehow certain kind of hardships or tortures keep tormenting him.

5)    菜蟲食菜，菜下死(Pronounced as: Chhai-thang chiah chhai , chhai-kha seeh).

直譯：Worms eating vegetables eventually die under vegetables.

意譯：Those who keep taking advantage of others will get themselves killed some day. (＊玩必火自焚)。

6)    車盤雞母生無卵(Pronounced as:Chhia-poan ke-bu sen bo-lng.)

註：車盤，指不安於室，亂闖亂撞

直譯：A hen which does not sit still cannot lay eggs.

     意譯：A rolling stone gathers no moss. 滾石不生苔，轉業不聚財。      

     註：台語指不好好穩定工作者之行為又稱為『貓徙岫』(niao Soa-siu)

日譯：_{ころいしこけむ}  

          

                  転石苔生さず。 

7)   千間房一頂床，家財萬貫一頓飯(Pronounced as: Chheng-kiang-pan chit -tiang-chhng , ka-chai ban koan chit-tnn-pnn.)

註：即使豪宅內有上千房間，個人一張床就夠。十分富有者，也只需一頓飯

直譯：One needs only one bed to sleep on even if one owns a mansion with one thousand bedrooms. What a very wealthy person needs every day is three means a day.

意譯：One should be content with one has. Do not desire for more than one needs.

8)    清明無轉厝，無祖；過年不回家，無某。(Pronounced as: Chhiang-biang bo tng-chhu , bo-cho；koe-ni bo hoe-ka , bo boh).

註：清明= 清明節；轉厝=回家。無祖=沒有祖先；無某=光棍。當孤家寡人一個，無祖先可祭拜，過年無妻兒團圓

直譯：On Tomb-sweeping day one does not go home for he does not have any ancestors to worship.  On New Year one does not go home for he is not married.

意譯：One should be married, have a family to support, and ancestors to worship. Do not always remain a bachelor.

9)   成你大漢，無成你一世人。(Pronounced as:Chhian li toa-han , bo chhian li chit-si-lang).

註：成(念chhian) =養育成人= rear, raise；大漢=長大成人

直譯：It is parents’ obligation to bring a child up, but they are not obligated to take care of children for a life time.(此為人父母無奈的話)

意譯：Children should be independent of parents once they are grown up.

10) 親囝親兒，毋值著荷包仔兩個錢。(Pronounced as:Chhin-kian chhin-ji , m-tat-tioh ho-pau-a nng-e chin).

註：囝仔=小孩；毋值= 不值得；荷包仔=錢包

直譯：Even if we are children’s biological parents, they are less worth than two dimes in our pocket.

      意譯：Money ready for use in my pocket is of more practical value. Do not

depend on one’s children to support but on yourself.

   Justin Lai編/譯

   11/30/2015