Text:
“So well the game itself was from like a tv show. It’s uh–its uh basically a stupid party game that a host ask the other guests ‘who’s gonna die?’ and whoever talks first got shot because of the idiom ‘the gun shoots the bird that goes in the front.’ So I think thats like–I dont know–thats like one of those Chinese phrases that originated probably thousand or hundred years ago because of a story that got condensed into like four simple words or four to six simple words. The phrase itself is:
Chinese: 枪打出头鸟
Phonetic: Qiāng dǎchū tóu niǎo
Transliteration: Gun beat out head bird
Translation: The gun strikes the bird which sticks its head out.
which means literally again the gun strikes like the first bird and I think this is pretty funny because there is another proverb that conflicts with this one.”
Context:
Informant (ZZ) is a student aged 19 from Shanghai, China. He attended high school in the U.S. and currently goes to USC. This piece was collected during an interview over dinner in the dining hall. He learned the riddle from a tv show, and the proverb he learned from the tv show. He doesn’t really care much for its meaning.
Interpretation:
The riddle demonstrates how proverbs can be incorporated into other folk genres. The proverb itself demonstrates a desire within culture to conform rather than stick out.
Tag Archives: proverb
Early Bird Gets the Worm
Text:
“As I say before, there is a proverb that conflicts with the one about the bird getting shot, and that is:
Chinese: 早起的鸟儿有虫吃
Phonetic: Zǎoqǐ de niǎo ér yǒu chóng chī
Transliteration: Early bird gets worm.
Translation: The early bird gets the worm.
which means early bird gets the worm. I don’t know I just think it’s interesting how they are contradictory. But also, these phrases come from, like, some dude from four thousand year ago, who was probably super racist or something.”
Context:
Informant (ZZ) is a student aged 19 from Shanghai, China. He attended high school in the U.S. and currently goes to USC. This piece was collected during an interview over dinner in the dining hall. He learned this proverb in school from a school book containing old Chinese proverbs. He doesn’t really care much for its meaning.
Interpretation:
This proverb demonstrates how wisdom can change within a culture over time. As (ZZ) mentions, this proverb conflicts with another proverb previously mentioned. Proverbs and wisdom can change within a culture and can vary significantly.
Guatemala a Guatepeor
TEXT: “Guatemala a Guatepeor”
INFORMANT DESCRIPTION: Female, 42, Mexican
CONTEXT: My friend said this phrase while referring to her old boyfriend and her new boyfriend. She said that she had gone from “Guatemala a Guatepeor”, I laughed and asked what that meant. Although it was kind of self-explanatory. She learned this phrase from her other female Mexican friends. She finds it very funny and useful, when referring to going from bad to worse.
ANALYSIS: There is a hierarchy between Latin countries and certain bias. So the use of Guatemala as if that is a step down (from Mexico) but then a play on words since the end of Guatemala, is “mala” which means bad, and then the change to Guatepeor, where “peor” means worse. Indicating you went from bad to worse while inserting some latin hierarchy bias.
ORIGINAL SCRIPT: “Guatemala a Guatepeor”
TRANSLITERATION: “Goo-ah-teh-mah-lah ah Goo-ah-teh-peh-or”
TRANSLATION: “Guate(bad) to Guate(worse)”
THOUGHTS: I thought this phrase was very funny since I speak Spanish and it is such a fast jab that is both funny and descriptive.
Pelo en la oreja…ni duda deja.
TEXT: “Pelo en la oreja…ni duda deja.”
INFORMANT DESCRIPTION: Male, 58, Mexican
CONTEXT: His mother said this Old Age Proverb occasionally, when referring to someone being very old. His mother learned it from her grandparents who used it with each other to poke fun at their old age. It is a well known Mexican saying that is comically but also points out the Life’s Cycle. It can be said in reference to an elderly person that is not listening, pokes fun and is at their expense. It speaks about the fact that elderly people grow hair in their ears.
ORIGINAL SCRIPT: “Pelo en la oreja…ni duda deja.”
TRANSLATION: “hair in the ear, does not leave a doubt”
THOUGHTS: Although this saying is a bit rude, it is also light hearted and not meant to actually insult anyone. I think it is funny and something rare to point out or notice.
La Carne de Burro no es Transparente
Informant: My informant is my Mexican dad who grew up in Puebla, Mexico.
Main Piece: “La carne de burro no es transparente”
Transliteration: “donkey meat is not transparent”
Translation: “Donkey meat is not transparent”
Context: My dad stated that he heard this proverb in Mexico a lot whenever, he was in the way or when someone was in his way, he would say it. This proverb is told in order to tell someone to move out of the way. In other words, “excuse me,” but in a much vulgar way.
Analysis: I think this proverb can be problematic because it stems from fatphobia. Although it is proverb used to tell someone to get out in the way, it means to say it because you are telling the person that they are too “big.” It also emphasizes how in Mexican culture, when this is said it means that the person who said it to you has no time to deal with you. Therefore, you should move out of their way because they have a busy day. Therefore, emphasizes just hardworking Mexican people are.