Category Archives: Proverbs

Promises

Nationality: Singapore
Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Residence: USA
Performance Date: April 17th, 2017
Primary Language: English
Language: Chinese, Singaporean

Interviewee: My dad always said: always under promise and over deliver and never over promise and under deliver.

Interviewer: What does that mean to you?

Interviewee: That’s who you should be as a person. Show them you can do better and impress them. Say what they are content with and then do more.

After thoughts: This is similar to many Chinese motifs on trust and friendships, especially “guanxi” the basic dynamic in relationships with others. Reciprocal favors are the key to “guanxi” and failure to reciprocate is considered unforgivable. This is central in Chinese society and describes the importance of  personal connection between two people.

 

Nothing is Free

Nationality: USA
Age: 50
Occupation: Business
Residence: China
Performance Date: March 25th, 2017
Primary Language: English
Language: Chinese

“I have something a teacher told me that I have always said to you…and that is, if you want to dance you have to pay the band.”

Interviewer: What does this mean to you?

Interviewee: That means whatever you want in life, you have to put in to get out. Nothing is going to come free to you. nothing is free. if you want to do something, you have to do it. It’s not free. That wis something that I always live by.

 

Rose

Nationality: USA
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: USA
Performance Date: April 26th, 2017
Primary Language: English
Language: Farsi

“Every rose has it’s thorn”

Interviewee: My grandmother used to say this to me. Not everything beautiful is perfect and everything that is beautiful has its flaws. Sometimes the most beautiful.”

The informant is Persian. A similar proverb, believed to be from Persia, says “he who wants a rose must respect the thorn.” Here the idea of imperfection is expressed and teaches people to love and respect one another despite individual differences and flaws.

Lebanese Proverb

Nationality: Lebanese-American
Age: 22
Occupation: College Student
Residence: Los Feliz, California
Performance Date: 04/05/17
Primary Language: English

“Live for today, as if you’re going to live forever. Live for the year after, as if you’re going to die tomorrow morning.”

My informant is from a Lebanese family. She is a college student at the California State University Northridge. She is very close with her father, often helping him run the family store. We sat down at a coffee shop to talk about folklore from her family.

My informant explains that you have to live your life to the fullest. Don’t think of the year after. But when the times come, you must remember the year before. You have to live life to the fullest, while also preparing for the future. She heard this saying from her father.

When first listening to this proverb, it too me some time to understand what it was hinting at. I had to spend some time repeating it to myself to understand its meaning. This is an interesting take on living your life to the fullest. It kind of sound like it is cautioning people to live life to the fullest but at the same time make it meaningful.

Salvadoran Joke Proverb

Nationality: Salvadoran
Age: 50
Occupation: Chief Building Engineer
Residence: North Hills, California
Performance Date: 04/20/17
Primary Language: Spanish
Language: English

” No te mais, aquien temio”

Literal Translation: Do not be afraid, of he has been afraid

Joke translation: Do not be afraid, of he who has peed on you

The literal translation comes from the proper Spanish from Spain. The way it is used in El Salvador is they make the last word into two words turning it into “pee.” This joke is usually told to  friend or close family member that is having a bad day or is anxious. My father heard this joke from his friends.

I asked my dad for some folklore while walking to the store.

My informant is a building engineer. He migrated to the United States form El Salvador when he was 16 years old. He grew up in a city in El Salvador. Lots of the folklore he has heard has come from his family.

What is interesting about this piece is how a slight shift in space of a word can change the meaning of the whole proverb. Salvadorans are known for being jokers. They like to call it being “trucha.”