Tag Archives: idioms chinese scolding

The Lazy Donkey

Age: 20

Text:

“The lazy donkey has to shit and piss before it goes to the mill.”

Context:

The informant would hear this from their mother when they were younger, but still hears it today as well. They grew up in China, and thus the above phrase is simply a translation from Chinese.

Analysis:

I interpret this phrase to mean doing aimless things in order to delay going to or doing work/what needs to be done. To back this up further, the informant told me that one time their mother said this to them when they went to get a drink of water and go to the bathroom right before their piano lesson–they were trying to delay going to their lesson, and thus their mother scolded them. I noticed that the phrase talks about the lazy donkey. No one wants to be seen as lazy, so this would incentivize them to work harder and efficiently. Furthermore, Chinese culture(and East Asian cultures in general) places a huge significance on diligence and rigor; having a strong work ethic is incredibly important, as it is seen as a reflection of one’s character. Additionally, Chinese social norms today find its foundations in Confucian principles, particularly in the principle of community and the collective good. If you are a lazy donkey, you are actively choosing to be a burden to your community.

* I would like to note that although I, the author of this post, was not born in China, as a first-generation Asian American with immigrant parents, I have grown up in an environment that placed heavy importance in the values mentioned above, and am familiar with this culture.

Take Your Pants Off

Age: 20

Text:

“Taking your pants off to fart.”

Context:

The informer learned this phrase from this mother as a piece of advice while they were growing up. Even today they hear this. They grew up in China, and thus the above phrase is simply a translation from Chinese.

Analysis:

Although it is just a rough translation, it means to overcomplicate something quite simple, as one doesn’t need to take their pants off to pass gas. It is a humorous, satirical way to point out an issue, and highlights cultural values of pragmatism and “effortless action” that stem from Daoism. Chinese culture(and East Asian culture in general) strongly emphasizes efficiency, work ethic, and community. By “taking your pants off to fart”, not only are you wasting your energy, your inability to be resourceful wastes the time of the people around you–Confucian values.

Some English equivalents of this idioms include:

  • Making a mountain out of a molehill(dramatizing a tiny, insignificant event.)
  • Using a sledgehammer to crack nuts(using excessive force and effort to achieve a small thing.)

Idioms to scold

Nationality: Chinese
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: California, USA
Performance Date: 4/30/13
Primary Language: English
Language: Mandarin

“I can’t think of any monsters… but there are these Chinese idioms that my parents would always say whenever they commented on my, well bad behavior, it’s usually a 4 word phrase that doesn’t really mean anything word for word, uh it is kinda like English idioms, like for example: spread oneself too thin, or things like that, but has a long history behind it that has some random and specific moral that relates to whatever they’re referring to. They’re actually pretty cool to know, there are thousands or some ridiculous number of them, so referencing them can actually be considered like being very knowledgeable/scholarly I believe. I just remember my parents scolding me with these random Chinese phrases that meant nothing to me but they’d keep repeating it and eventually I’d understand the meaning behind them too … and I just guess this is significant because well like I grew up with it so it made me want to like learn them because were parents were ALWAYS fucking saying them, it’s just another aspect that influenced my culture and folklore and such growing up, you know? And now I know a few so I’m proud of myself.”

Words of scorn are often very common when talking about folklore because they are used to shape the children’s actions and make them do more things that the parent found acceptable or such. It is the kind of folklore that allows the shaping of children through scolding or other means. It is also interesting that these words have probably been passed down from many many generations and form a very important part of the lives of many cultures because they grew up with it so they want to make sure that their children have this knowledge as well.