樹 倒 猢 猻 散

shù dǎo hú sūn (Chinese)

literal translation: “when a tree falls, the monkeys scatter”

My roommate, KY, was born in China and lived there for the first few years of his life. His parents always used many proverbs. This is one of his favorites. He says it describes “fair-weather fans.” He explains, “When a leader loses power his followers abandon him. Or the fans cheer for whoever’s winning.” As you can see from the translation, the literal meaning is that when the tree falls, which is the monkeys’ home, they abandon it.

K explains the interesting dichotomy present in this proverb. Chinese culture emphasizes loyalty: loyalty to the family, loyalty to the state. But it also emphasizes practicality and taking courses of action that will benefit you the most. “This proverb,” K explains, “criticizes disloyal people. But it also shows how to be practical.” Clearly it is disloyal to abandon your home, your leader, your family etc. But it also makes practical sense to find a new one if the old one is defunct.

It’s curious how much complex meaning a simple proverb can convey. I guess this is the point of proverbs. Sometimes it is difficult to describe deep ideas such as loyalty and pragmatism. So cultures develop seemingly simple sayings that can convey powerful messages. The proverb is unique because it can be easily shared and performed. It is usually a light piece, no longer than a sentence. But if the audience takes time to further digest the proverb, its true meaning becomes evident.

死馬當活馬醫

sǐ mǎ dāng huó mǎ  (Chinese)

literal translation: “Try to save the dead horse as if it is still alive”

My roommate, KY, was born in China and lived there for the first few years of his life. His parents always used many proverbs. This is one of his favorites. He says, “It means nothing is impossible. You should always work with the mindset that you will be able to achieve your goal.” From the literal translation, we see that the proverb is saying that even if a task is literally impossible (i.e. bringing a dead horse back to life), you should still try as if it is possible.

K says that he likes this proverb for two reasons:

“First, I think it has a good message. My parents expect me to achieve a lot. They know that I do some pretty difficult things with my schoolwork and research, but they’ve taught me to never back down. They’ve always repeated this to me whenever I feel stuck or like I can’t do something. It’s reassuring.

“Second, I think it’s pretty funny to picture someone trying to save a dead horse. Like what the heck do you do? Just keep giving it CPR? How do you even give CPR to a f**king horse?”

He then proceeded to laugh at himself for a few minutes.

As ridiculous as it is, K does have a point about humorous proverbs. They make an image stick in your mind. As I’ve found through my research, Chinese proverbs tend to use ridiculous scenarios to teach profound lessons such as “nothing is impossible.” The imagery employed in these proverbs is much more powerful than simply telling someone to “work hard” and “follow their dreams.” Trying to save a dead horse as if it is alive is a great image to conjure whenever you’re stuck on a seemingly impossible task. Throughout my research I’ve grown to love the dark humor of Chinese proverbs. They’re both hilarious and profoundly inspiring.

包子打狗

ròu bāo zi dǎ (Chinese)

literal translation: “to hit a dog with a meat bun”

My roommate, JC, told me this Chinese proverb. He is from Taiwan, a country heavily influenced by Chinese culture (the island was a part of China until 1945, China still considers it a territory). His father is a prominent businessman. J told me that his father always teaches him business lessons whenever he can. “Business strategies are very important to my dad and to Taiwanese culture in general. Parents often run their houses like a business, with strict rules and practices. Taiwan is a very efficient and fair country.”

J learned this proverb from his father, and it always stuck out in his mind. He says that it means you can’t punish someone with something they’ll enjoy. “Or furthermore,” he elaborates, “do not take the wrong approach to solving a problem.” If you throw a meat bun at a dog to hurt him, he’ll eat the meat bun and enjoy it. And he will not learn his lesson.

This proverb preaches thinking about the right solution to a problem, and using the right tools to get there. I understand why a businessman such as J’s father would like this proverb. Business requires thinking about each problem individually and using a unique approach to solving it.

I enjoy this proverb because it uses a funny scenario to teach an important lesson. I see why this specifically has stuck in J’s mind. Telling someone to “always think” is vague advice. But putting it in the context of an interesting scenario makes the lesson much more valuable and easy to remember. If I’m ever faced with a difficult problem and I want to jump right to an easy solution, I’m going to think about this proverb. I’m going to think, “Wait, am I just trying to throw a meat bun at a dog?” The visualization that the proverb provides makes the message much more powerful. This explains the importance of proverbs. They are simple way to convey profound lessons.

酒发心腹之言

Jiŭ fā xīn fù zhī yán (Chinese)

literal translation: Wine sends feeling to the belly of words

My roommate, JC, told me this Chinese proverb. He is from Taiwan, a country heavily influenced by Chinese culture (the island was a part of China until 1945, China still considers it a territory). Taiwanese enjoy drinking and having a good time. This proverb talks about the possible dangers of drinking alcohol. J explains, “It means that wine makes people say stuff.” He elaborates, “It is used as a warning. Because when people get drunk they often run their mouths and say things they probably shouldn’t.” Alcohol warms the belly, but this proverb is saying that alcohol also warms the mouth (“belly of words”) and makes it more willing to move.

Taiwanese culture emphasizes politeness. It is considered rude to talk about intimate personal matters in public. When people drink, however, they are inclined to over-share, which can be humorous or disastrous. J explains how he and his friends would use this jokingly when things got a little out of hand with alcohol. He explains how adults use the phrase to warn about the consequences of alcohol. J and his friends, on the other hand, use it to encourage drunken friends to spill secrets.

It is amusing how the younger generation has taken a traditional proverb and changed its purpose. This is a perfect example of the fluidity of folklore. The proverb has its original intended meaning, but it continues to exist in new forms as new generations redefine the meaning. Folklore isn’t static. It changes to suit the modern culture, growing and expanding.