Category Archives: Folk speech

Chinese Proverb: “The Thousand Mile Horse”

Nationality: Chinese
Age: 53
Occupation: Microscope Store Manager
Residence: Southern California
Performance Date: 4/20/16
Primary Language: Chinese
Language: English

Informant is a 53 year-old Chinese female. She was born and raised in Beijing, China, and now lives in Southern California.

Informant’s folklore: There’s a saying in China called “A Thousand Mile horse is easy to find, the discoverer is hard to find.” A “Thousand Mile Horse” is a horse that can run a thousand miles in one night, like a very talented person. But, it’s not easy to find such a great talent, but in comparison to the discoverer, it’s harder to find. This means that talented people exists, but they need to be discovered and recommended.

Collector: Do you like this proverb?

Informant: Yes, I like it. It means, you are talented, but you need to get opportunities and meet people who can appreciate you to discover your talent and help you reach your full potential.

I think that this proverb means that all the elements need to be in place for success–the stars need to align. As person who has a dream needs to not only have talent, but seek and be open to the opportunities presented to him in order to become successful in his pursuits.

Break a Leg

There’s a long running saying in the theater culture, where instead of wishing someone good luck, you are supposed to say, “Break a leg.” It’s actually considered bad luck to literally wish someone good luck. According to The Phrase Finder, it could potentially imply that this person has put on such a good performance that they literally bend their knees “in a bow or to curtsey to acknowledge applause.” Another meaning could be that the actors may get their big “break” from this performance and their performance leads them to success.

I think that this superstition reflects the mental mindset of people who are in performance or show business. There’s never a guarantee of success, and so much of the career in acting or performance is based on luck, chance, and the hope that you will be discovered. Therefore, it’s important to be careful and superstitious, so that the performer’s mind is filled with positive energy, as so much of their career is dependent on their optimism and mental drive.

Chinese Proverb: Sow Seeds Before Rain

Nationality: Chinese
Age: 53
Occupation: Microscope Store Manager
Residence: Southern California
Performance Date: 4/20/16
Primary Language: Chinese
Language: English

Informant is a 53 year-old Chinese female. She was born and raised in Beijing, China, where she used to work as a farmer. She now lives in Southern California.

Informant: This proverb, “Sow Seeds Before Rain” means that you need to plan ahead. Sow the seeds before it rains, so that after it rains, your crops will have grown, and you won’t have to worry about lacking water or working in the rain.

Collector: What does this mean to you?

Informant: Without foresight, you will always run into problems. If you don’t have a future plan, you will always focus on the present, short term, problems. It means that a person will live in the problems of every day life because he is only solving the temporary problems, without knowing what’s the long term plan or focus. You can take life or business for an example. You need to have a plan–What should I do in five years? What will happen in 10 years? You need to see personal growth and development.

Collector: Do you like this saying?

Informant: Yes, I like this saying, because it’s something that I live by. A person needs to have a plan for their life, what their goals are. Even for businesses, you need to plan ahead, and can’t always focus on the small tasks and forget the larger tasks. This is very important to the development and growth the a person, business, and even nation.

I think that the informant did a good job of explaining the meaning of this proverb. It’s a philosophical way to approach life and reach one’s full potential as a human being. This proverb is reflective of the attitudes of people who aspire to be successful in the fields they choose.

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

There is a very common joke: “Why did the chicken cross the road?”

Usually, it’s followed by the answer: “To get to the other side.”

From that joke, there has been many other jokes that stemmed from the joke, such as: “Why did the chicken cross the playground?” “To get to the other slide.”

These types of literal jokes are called anti-jokes, in which the punchline is not a clever play on words, but a literal, mundane answer.

For reference of the first time this joke was published, please see: The Knickerbocker, or The New York Monthly, March 1847, p. 283.

“Biz” – Fraternity Tradition

Nationality: Jewish, Russian, English
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Westwood, CA
Performance Date: 4-15-16
Primary Language: English

Informant: Sam Kitaj is one of my best friends from high school. His heritage is English, Russian, and Jewish. He is 21 years old and grew up in Westwood, California. He went to high school in Los Angeles and now attends a university and is studying Real-Estate Development. He played sports his whole life with a focus on soccer and is now in a fraternity.

Sam told me, “In my particular fraternity, it is frowned upon to say the number ‘5,’ because of a drinking game we play called beer die. The game involves throwing up a die in the air and trying to have it hit the opponents side of the table and bounce awkwardly enough so that they cannot catch the rebound. By some off chance the die does not exit the plane of the table, it will land on a number. The number 5 is forbidden and if it lands on 5 then the person who threw the die has to finish his beer. Also, during the game you are not allowed to say the word 5 so instead it is substituted for the word ‘BIZ.’ It has now become a custom in my particular fraternity that, even when not playing beer die, you say ‘biz’ instead of the number 5.”

Sam learned this particular folk speech tradition from the older members in the house when he was a younger member. It is now a humorous aspect of the house and people say biz whenever 5 is commonly said. For example, “It’s ‘biz o’clock” or “1,2,3,4,biz,6,7.” It is just a way to distinguish the houses vocabulary from others and it makes it have something unique. It is even funnier when someone forgets the rule and says ‘5,’ people don’t hesitate to correct him instantly. Its a cultural thing that is specific to the particular group.

I personally find this particular custom hilarious. Its such a silly way to translate an aspect of simple game into something that occurs on a daily basis. I can really understand how this could be a fun tradition around a fairly small group. Grilling those who don’t abide by the rule is a typical occurrence that happens nearly everyday, giving a common situational humor. Even though it is not that important, it is looked at as so. This creates a common dialect between the members of the particular group and allows for them to grow closer through this fun game that they all play.