Author Archives: Melody Chiu

Joke – Chinese/America

Nationality: Chinese-American
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: West Covina, CA
Performance Date: February 2007
Primary Language: Chinese
Language: English

There is a pig, a cow, a horse, and a sheep. They all decide to go to 7-Eleven. The pig goes in first, then walks out in crutches and a broken arm. The cow walks in and comes out with a black eye and a twisted ankle. The horse walks in and comes out beaten up as well. But then the sheep walks in and walks out fine. Why is this? Because 7-Eleven “bud a yang.”

My informant learned this joke from his Chinese teacher. The punch line of the joke is actually in Chinese. The phrase “bu da yang” has two meanings. One meaning is “don’t hit sheep.” The other meaning is “never close.” Thus, this joke is actually a type of pun on the Chinese phrase. Because 7-Eleven “never closes,” they also “don’t hit sheep.” It is not uncommon these days to hear jokes that combine two languages. Chinese people especially love to tell jokes with in both English and Chinese. One joke that also combines both English and Chinese is one that I heard from my father. The joke is, “you bei er lai.” This phrase is actually an idiom. The idiom itself means that one should always be prepared so that if anything should happen, a person will still be okay. However, it is a common joke for Chinese people to say “you bei er lai.” The “bei er” sounds like the American word, “bear.” The word “you” means “there is,” and the word “lai” means “coming.” Thus, the entire phrase turns into the joke “There is a “bei er” coming.”

Poem – Chinese

Nationality: Chinese-American
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: West Covina, CA
Performance Date: March 2007
Primary Language: Chinese
Language: English

Chuang qian ming yue guang
Yi shi di shang shuang.
Ju tou wang ming yue,
Di tou si gu xiang.

Translation:

Before my bed there is bright-lit moonlight
So that it seems like frost on the ground
Lifting my head I watch the bright moon
Lowering my head I dream that I’m home

My informant told me this poem from memory. However, once he started reciting it, I knew immediately which poem he was talking about. This is one of the first poems that Chinese students learn, either from their parents or from Chinese school. One reason that it is so popular is because Chinese poetry is usually very difficult to understand. Many of the words that great Chinese poets use are very traditional and no longer used in the modern world. However, this poem is simple yet still complicated. While the words are easy to understand, the content of the poem creates beautiful imagery.

My informant says that his mother used to recite this poem to him before he went to bed.This poem ins written by Li Po and it is named Jing Ye Si or Quiet Night Thoughts in English. This poem is very descriptive and creates many images in the reader’s mind. In the Chinese culture, the moon is a very important aspect, especially when it is full. A full moon, especially during autumn, symbolizes family and tradition. It is a time for celebration. Thus, when the person in the poem looks at the moon, he thinks of his family and wishes he could be at home with them.

Game – Korea

Nationality: Korean-American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Syracuse, NY
Performance Date: March 2007
Primary Language: Korean
Language: English

My informant is a Korean-American boy who has lived in California all of his life. He taught me this folk game that originated in Korea, called “ssireum.” Ssireum is basically Korean-style wrestling.

In the game, each contestant must wear a belt that wraps around both the waist and the thigh. This game is a very large part of Korean culture, and tournaments are often held in the summer and in the autumn. When this game was played in the past, the winner would be awarded a bull to take home to represent his strength. This game is played in a ring that is covered with sand. The two competitors grasp the belt and they both pull and yank on it until one person touches the ground with anything below his torso. The person who touches the ground first loses.

My informant tells me that this game is often played in a light-hearted way among boys. There used to be a large competition that had professional ssireum players. However, the tradition is dying because Korea is becoming more Westernized. Now, only one real team is left in Korea, and even this team has very little action during the year.

My informant says that this game is a good way for boys to bond, because showing strength is very important for Korean men. This game shows others that they are worthy of being friends. It also shows women that they are able to take care of them. This game seems to differ from American wrestling in that very little physical contact is needed. The players do not actually fight each other physically; rather, they are hands off in that they only pull on a string. This may make the game less brutal than the one that exists in Western culture.

Parable – China

Nationality: Chinese-American
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: West Covina, CA
Performance Date: March 2007
Primary Language: Chinese
Language: English

Two dogs are trying to cross over a bridge. They are each standing on opposite ends of the bridge and it is only wide enough to hold on dog at a time. Neither is willing to let the other go first, thus they end up meeting in the middle. The dogs begin to fight and they both end up falling into the water. Next, two goats come upon the same bridge. They, too, are standing on opposite ends. However, one goat lets the other cross first, thus they are able to cross safely.

My informant was taught this parable by his Chinese school teacher when he first entered the school. The moral of this story is quite obvious. If one is kind to others and is always polite, then life will be smooth and good. However, if one is always selfish and never thinks of others, he will fall and have a hard life. My informant says that in Chinese schools, parables were a large part of the teaching system. Because telling stories is a good way to entertain young children and keep their attention, teachers will often tell well-known stories that have a moral to them.

Another reason that his teacher taught him this parable is because respect is very important in Chinese culture. One must always put another before them, especially if it is a friend or family member.

Myth – Hawaii

Nationality: Japanese-American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Hawaii
Performance Date: March 2007
Primary Language: Japanese
Language: English

Maui is a legendary demi-god of ancient Hawaii. He was a half man and half god and did many things—he is known as the hawaii superman. One day, Maui’s mother wanted to eat fish, so she sent her sons out to fish in the oceans. Her sons caught fish and returned to the shore, where they saw a fire burning in the mountainside. For a long time, people had not cooked with fire since Haleakala (the mountain on the island of Maui) went dormant and was not producing hot coals to cook with. Basically, everyone was eating raw food. Maui ran up to the fire and when he approached, he saw a family of birds tending to the fire. As he went closer, however, he saw that the birds extinguished the fire, hiding the secret from Maui. The birds were a type of bird named Alae. For days, Maui tried to get close to the fire but the birds would always extinguish the fire when they saw him. One day, Maui told his brothers to go out fishing in the canoe—he was going to sneak up on the birds. However, Alae saw that there were only 3 brothers in the canoe so she told the birds not to make the fire. One day, Maui got kapa (cloth) and rolled it up to look like a human and put it in the canoe. Then, he snuck up on the birds who actually built the fire and grabbed Alae by the throat. Maui initially wanted to kill Alae for not being cooperative but Alae reminded him that if he killed her, the fire would be lost forever. Alae finally agreed and told Maui that if he rubbed the stalks of water plants together, fire would start. However, Maui did not want Alae to be let go so easily, so Maui guarded Alae while he tried the idea. However, only water came out when he rubbed the stalks together. He squeezed the bird’s throat harder, and the bird screamed that he needed to use a green stick for fire. The sticks became warm, but still there was no fire. Maui squeezed the bird’s throat even harder until she finally screamed the real secret. Maui grabbed Alae and rubbed a fire stick against her head so that the feathers on her head burned off. To this day, Alae birds are bald and the people of Maui have fire.

My informant is from Hawaii, and came to California for college. This story is a very popular one from where he comes from. Although the people of Hawaii know that this story is not true, they still celebrate Maui’s achievements. There is even a song called “Maui Hawaiian Sup’pa Man” by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole. My informant says that in Hawaii, there are many stories like this to explain many things of the modern world. For example, there are also similar stories that tell the story of the beginning of the Hawaiian Islands. These are all very traditional stories, and almost everyone where my informant comes from knows of them. Many of the children hear the stories from their parents, and friends will also often pass the stories around. Schools also tell of these stories during “story time.” This story reminds me of many of the Greek and Roman stories for explaining things, such as how the flute was made, or how fire was discovered. It is clear that cultures often like to have explanations for why things are the way they are.

Annotation: This myth with a slight variation was found on:
Kamakau, Samuel. “Gets Fire from ‘Alae (Mud Hen).” Traditions of O’ahu. APDI. 26 Apr 2007             <http://apdl.kcc.hawaii.edu/~oahu/stories/waianae/maui/gettingfire.htm>.