塞翁失马，焉知非福 or sài wēng shī mǎ，yān zhī fēi fú

Age: 24

TEXT:

“塞翁失马，焉知非福” or “sài wēng shī mǎ，yān zhī fēi fú”

CONTEXT:

Informant- “Another Chinese proverb called “sài wēng shī mǎ，yān zhī fēi fú” meaning “the old man lost his horse, who knows if it is not a blessing”. So the story is about an old man whose horse ran away and his neighbors felt so sorry for him, but he said, “who knows if this is a bad luck?” And later the horse came back with another horse. The neighbors congratulated him, but he said, “who knows if this is good luck?” And then his son wrote the new horse and broke his leg. And again, everyone thought it was terrible, but soon after a war broke out and all the young men were drafted except his son because of his injured leg.

So this message is that like luck can change and we should not judge events too quickly. This is like, I’ve heard it from my parents, but we also taught, we also like teaching this story to little kids in school. So it could be seen as a proverb of moral tale and folk philosophy about fate.”

ANALYSIS:

This proverb provides a fluctuating understanding of fate and destiny, as well as provides a tale that instructional listener not to be too quick to judge and rather to wait to see how things play out in the long run. It makes a lot of sense to me that this proverb would be taught in schools and two young children because young children are often very quick to judge a book by its cover or react in haste rather than process their emotions and respond accordingly. This folk speech reminds me of the reading, Mechling, “‘Cheaters Never Prosper’ and Other Lies Adults Tell Kids.”

年年有鱼 or nián nián yǒu yu

TEXT: “nián nián yǒu yu” / “年年有鱼”

CONTEXT:

Informant- “This is like a very beloved tradition called nián nián yǒu yu in China during Chinese New Year. So literally it means “may there be fish every year”, but the magic is in the sound of the word. In Chinese, the word for fish is “yu” and it sounds exactly like another word, “yǒu” which means abundance or having extra leftover. So when Chinese families eat fish during the Chinese New Year dinner, they are not just eating a dish, they are making a wish. It’s like saying, “oh, may this year bring us more than enough, always enough food, enough money, enough luck, enough love, and enough happiness to carry into the next year.” And the fish is usually served as whole with the head and tail, because a complete fish represents wholeness and a good opening and a good beginning and ending. So in some families, people do not finish the entire fish on New Year’s Eve. They intentionally leave a little bit because this is like having leftovers and abundance symbolizes that the family will have abundance left over for the coming year. So the fish on the table is not only food, it is a symbol of hope. And it tells a like, simple but beautiful Chinese New Year wish. “May we always have more than we need.”

ANALYSIS:

This Chinese New Year tradition is a symbolic way of setting forth positive intentions for the coming year in hopes of prosperity. This belief that stems from the play on words is reminiscent of the tradition of blowing out birthday candles in hopes for the coming year to be full of happiness and good luck. Beliefs such as this one are cultural and passed down in familial settings across generations.

Brutal Barney

TEXT:

“I hate you, you hate me. Let’s get together and kill Barney.”

CONTEXT:

The informant from Pennsylvania shared that around 2010-2012 they heard many songs sung by their classmates regarding the brutal dismantlement of Barney and his purple body parts.

Informant- “In elementary school, there would be like different songs about like Barney, like the purple dinosaur Barney being like violently eviscerate, and it was like “I hate you you hate me. Let’s get together and kill Barney,” and it would be like, “with a big sharp ax…” and something something something.”’ 

Informant-“A Wikipedia page somewhere dedicated to violent playground songs about Barney I think one of them like the punchline is like flushing him down the toilet” 

Informant-“I’m not entirely sure what the purpose was and I feel like it was just like other classmates like other other kids we were singing them and there was like that whole like kind of urban legend that like Barney had gone crazy on on live television And I don’t know that that was true.”

ANALYSIS:

I myself recall hearing similar songs relating to Barney as a child growing up around the same time as the informant and from our seedings feel that another great example of this morphed folk speech can be explained in Davies, “Jokes That Follow Mass-Mediated Disasters” & Mechling, Jay. “‘Cheaters Never Prosper’ and Other Lies Adults Tell Kids: Proverbs and the Culture Wars over Character.” I especially think that Mechling explores the thought behind children finding great joy in twisting the songs they hear, such as the theme song from the children’s show Barney, and making it into something entirely their own, which also raises their status (at least in their own mind) to a higher level of maturity.

If and Buts

Age: 23

TEXT: If ifs and buts were candies and nuts we’d all have a merry Christmas.

CONTEXT:

My informant, who grew up in Central Pennsylvania, shared that this saying was something they heard from their parents growing up. “I don’t know if that’s just my family or just like an eastern/northeastern United States thing or just like older saying, but it was very common for my parents to say oh “If ifs and buts were candies and nuts we’d all have a merry Christmas.”’

ANALYSIS:

I had never heard of this saying before, but after some research, I was able to find it on the USC archive in a post from 2024! From what I’ve gathered, it seems to be a common phrase on the east coast of the United States. Folk speech such as this phrase communicates to others that you are a part of a community. In this instance this phrase would communicate that you are from a specific region of the US as well as that you grew up with or spent some significant time with children, as it is aimed at kids who might be complaining about a small matter.

The dog that bit you

Age: 44

TEXT:

“Nothing better to beat a hangover than getting a taste of the dog that bit you.”

CONTEXT:

A saying used by the informant’s grandfather and uncle, in reference to curing a hangover. The informant later explained her disbelief in the saying and application of the saying, stating, “I just think it makes you more drunk, and then you just don’t feel as bad.”

ANALYSIS:

This take on the traditional English proverb the hair of the dog was used by my informants grandparent and uncle growing up in Chicago. The saying offers a fresh and witty take on the widely known saying, and when thinking of the same or sharing it with others, such as was the case with this interview, my informant is reminded of her childhood and interactions with now deceased relatives. These sayings bring back memories in a bittersweet way, but keep the memory of those who said them alive. In my opinion, this is a combination of folk medicine (hangover cure) and a proverb.