Category Archives: Folk speech

Chinese Red Date String Game- Children’s Folklore

Age: 54

Text:


Informant: “It’s something you say while doing a string trick. You use a piece of string and form a shape that looks like a date. The string represents the fruit, and through different movements it changes shape and eventually disappears while you say the rhyme out loud, ‘大枣大枣，越吃越小，吃了剩核，一拍没了。(Dà zǎo dà zǎo, yuè chī yuè xiǎo, chī le shèng hé, yī pāi méi le.)’. It’s meant to be a little like a magic trick. The phrase translated in English is something like, ‘Big date, big date, the more you eat it the smaller it gets, then you clap and nothing is left.'”

Interviewer: “When did you first learn it?”
Informant: “My mom taught me when I was very young. There weren’t that many things to do for fun back then, so we did a lot of hands-on activities like this, and all you need is a piece of string, it’s pretty easy to do.”

Interviewer: “Did you teach it to anyone else?”
Informant: “Yes, I taught it to my kids.”

Context:

The informant learned this string game from their mother during childhood while growing up in China in the 1980s. They explained that there were not many forms of entertainment available to children at the time, so simple hands-on activities like string tricks were a common way to play. Because the game only required a piece of string, it was easy for families to share and teach to children. The informant later passed the game on to their own children, continuing on the tradition.

Analysis:

This example can be interpreted as a form of children’s folklore, specifically a children’s game that combines a rhyme with a small physical activity. The game also demonstrates the folkloric concepts of multiplicity and variation. Similar string games appear in many cultures using the same simple materials but different shapes and rhymes. For example, it is similar to the string game cat’s cradle I learned as a kid, which also involves manipulating a loop of string to create patterns. Because the movements are difficult to understand without seeing them performed, games like these are usually learned directly from another person rather than through written instructions, which helps preserve their oral and performative nature.

금시초문 (Geum shi chomeun)- Korean Proverb

Age: 21

Text: 금시초문 (Geum shi chomeun)- hearing something for the first time

Informant: “It’s a four-character proverb or idiom. Each syllable has meaning, like “gold, time, first, escape,” but together it means hearing something for the first time. People say it when they are surprised by something they just heard. I like to use it as a joke, but most people use it as a surprised exclamation. Not all Koreans use it. It’s something more educated people tend to use It’s part of the culture. It’s something people in Korea say, especially when speaking to older people. If you use it with older people they might be impressed. I first heard it in 8th grade Korean school, we were learning four word proverbs.”


Interviewer: “Can you give an example of how you would use it?”
Informant: “If someone said, ‘Oh I heard this person is transferring to UCLA,’ someone could respond, ‘That’s a geum shi chomeun,’ meaning this is the first time they’ve heard that news.”

Context:

The informant learned this four-character Korean idiom while attending Korean language school in eighth grade. The phrase was introduced as part of a lesson on traditional four-character proverbs that are common in Korean speech and writing. The informant explained that although the expression is not used by everyone, it is often associated with more educated speakers and can be especially appropriate when speaking with older people. The informant mostly uses the phrase humorously among friends.

Analysis:

This example is a proverb or idiomatic expression, a form of verbal folklore that circulates through language and everyday conversation. Four-character idioms are especially common in East Asian traditions and are valued for their ability to carry complex meanings in only a few syllables. Although each syllable has its own literal meaning, the phrase can only be fully understood when the words are interpreted collectively. This shows how certain forms of folk speech require shared cultural knowledge to understand beyond a direct translation. The informant notes that the phrase is often associated with educated speakers and can be used to impress older people, showing how language can carry cultural prestige. In this way, the idiom reflects not only surprise, but also the value placed on education, tradition, and respect for elders in Korean culture. At the same time, the informant mentioned that they sometimes use the phrase jokingly with friends, which shows how folklore is dynamic and can take on new meanings in different social contexts.

己所不欲，勿施于人 (Treat others the way you want to be treated)- Chinese Proverb

Text: “己所不欲，勿施于人” (Jǐ suǒ bù yù, wù shī yú rén).

Informant: “己所不欲，勿施于人 (Jǐ suǒ bù yù, wù shī yú rén). It means you want to treat other people you want to be treated, if there’s something you don’t want for yourself, don’t do it to others. It’s a Chinese principle of life. Everything is not about yourself, it’s more about the community and living in society. That’s a cultural difference from Western culture.”

Interviewer: “Is it different from the Western saying ‘treat others how you want to be treated’?”
Informant: “In American values they do have this idea, but the difference is that in Chinese culture it’s integrated into everything. In American culture there are also other proverbs that encourage you to be whatever you want to be. There are more choices between ideas. In China there are fewer contradictory principles like that.”

Interviewer: “When was the first time you heard it?”
Informant: “Since I was about seven or eight. I heard it from parents, neighbors, and teachers. Usually when you have conflicts with other kids, like when you fight with your brother or sister or with other students. For example, when my parents would bring good food or little treats, sometimes you try to keep the best one for yourself and give your brother or sister the one you don’t like. Then they would say this proverb.”

Context:
The informant first heard this proverb when they were around seven or eight years old from parents, neighbors, and teachers. It was commonly used in everyday situations when children were arguing with siblings or classmates, or when they were being selfish while sharing things like food or treats. The proverb was used as a reminder to consider others and behave fairly. As the informant grew older, they continued to hear the saying and later used it themselves when raising their own children.

Analysis:

This example is a proverb, a form of verbal folklore that communicates cultural values through a short and memorable phrase. Proverbs are often used in everyday conversations as a way to guide behavior, especially by parents and teachers when correcting children. In the informant’s explanation, the saying emphasizes thinking about how one’s actions affect others rather than focusing only on individual desires. Similar ideas appear in other cultures, such as the English saying “treat others the way you want to be treated,” which demonstrate multiplicity and variation. The informant describes the Chinese proverb as being deeply embedded in everyday moral teaching. Through repeated use in situations like family conflicts or lessons about sharing, the proverb reinforces Chinese cultural expectations about community and consideration for others.

Force it Down Mid- Verbal Folklore/Slang

Text:

Informant: “Its from League of Legends, I’ve never played the game before but I’ve heard people say it before and I know how the game works. I know its played on a field that has three lanes, top, middle, and bottom lane. And the middle lane is the most contested, so to ‘force it down mid’ means to be stubborn and tunnel vision and push it down without any worry about challenges. So you’d say it if you need to persevere through something challenging.”

Context:

The informant learned this expression through online gaming culture and conversations with friends who play League of Legends.

Analysis:

Like much of verbal folklore and especially for slang, this example relies on shared knowledge within a folk group. In this case, player’s of the game League of Legends, or people in the gaming sphere. It also functions as a folk metaphor and can be used in everyday situations. The “mid lane” becoming a metaphor for a challenge, and “forcing it” implying stubborn determination. This reflects the growing influence of internet and gaming culture, where inside references circulate rapidly among online communities and spread into everyday conversations.

Damn D

Text

“One of my good friends is named Donovan. He and many of my other boys are all in the same frat, Kappa Sigma. Soon, after two of the brothers saw Donovan or when he did something funny they would say “Damn Dirty.” Us brothers found it catchy and comical so we would say it in the same context. “Damn Dirty” evolved to “Damn D” over time and went from only being said in context related to Donovan to being used as a substitute for ‘what’s up’ or ‘wow.’ Now, many of us say it by habit throughout the day.

Context

While we were still new members awaiting initiation into the Delta Eta chapter at USC, one of our fellow new members coined the nickname “Dirty Don.” When he called Donovan this for the first time, we all thought it was hilarious and took the nickname into our own hands and used it on the daily. Sometime later someone who liked Spongebob started calling Donovan “Dirty Bubble” because he reminded him of the tv character. This name was a little harsh off the tongue so we all shortened the nickname to “Dirty.” Once we all became brothers of the fraternity, it was a consensus among all the brothers that “Dirty” was the most funny nickname for Donovan, who also thought it was funny.”

Analysis

Nicknames carry folkloric value all over the world and prominently in young American culture. It serves as a heavy form of identity, personal to individuals and those close to that person. This name is a form of folk speech because it is a made up name used in informal contexts within this particular folk group, the frt brothers. Although these nicknames would sound crazy and meaningless to most people, the shared knowledge of this nicknames origin and meaning create a shared identity within the Kappa Sigma brothers. In this particular story, the nickname gives Donovan identity within his frat along with a unified folk group that stems from all of the brothers who know and understand the phrase “Damn D.” The evolution of the nickname shows how folklore can change and be manipulated over time. There is no factual reason why the name evolved, but instead it changed simply because of humorous interactions among these folk.