This is a phrase my mom first told me when I was a young child. She used it when she would do or say something to cheer me up when I was feeling down, after which she would say, “Cheer up, laughter is good medicine.” From then on she always reminded me to have something in my day that would make me laugh, for she said it would actually make me feel physically better. Every once in a while when I was little, and I wanted to watch cartoons and my mom didn’t really want me to I would try to persuade her by saying, “But mom, laughter is good medicine.” That always made her chuckle a bit. The phrase actually came from the Bible, out of Proverbs 17:22. It says, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.” My mom also told me that she read in a medical journal that doctors will actually have patients watch or read funny material, and some how it actually makes them feel better.
Tag Archives: proverb
守株待兔, 不劳而获
Shou zhu dai tu, bu lao er huo
Protect tree wait rabbit, no work and gain
Don’t wait for the rabbit to dash its head against a tree, to gain without work
This was first learnt by my informant when he was a young boy in Putian, a small village in the province of Fujian. He assumes that this is to teach children that there are no rewards without hard work as the likely hood of a rabbit dashing its head against a tree is very small. This discourages laziness in the hopes that the child would work hard and accomplish great things in the future.
In fact, according to my informant, there was a back story involved with this proverb as well. While he did not tell me the whole story, the gist of it was that a farmer was out one day looking for food, when suddenly, a rabbit ran into the tree in front of him and died. The farmer was so happy to have food that night that he kept venturing out to the same tree in the hope that another rabbit would perform the same feat. Day after day, the farmer kept going out and the rabbit never came. Eventually, this happy tale ends with the farmer starving to death.
In the past, much of the Chinese economy was agricultural based, and even now, most of China is very dependent on farming and fishing. To many of them, to follow a blind hope such as this, instead of cultivating the crops that they had at home is just foolishness. The Chinese also prize hard work and just rewards a lot more than luck. For example, from the Tang dynasty onward, hardworking scholars could become court officials if they did well at the examinations in the capital. Therefore, it can be inferred that this proverb was to encourage young children that there are no rewards in slacking and the results of laziness can often be dire.
Annotation: Huaxia.com. http://www.huaxia.com/wh/jdgs/cydg/00096705.html 24 April 2007
Proverb
The informant is a caucasian male. His father was born in Denmark, but was raised in America. He was raised in Virginia, but attended high school in Pasadena, CA. The informant later lived in Hawaii for 8 years, Northern California for 7 years, and now resides in Southern California again. He is a professor, teaching molecular biology to pharmacy students. He was brought up episcopalian but is no agnostic. The informant is divorced with one child.
The informant first learned this proverb while playing with his tennis partners in his 50s. It connotes that even a player of a certain level of abilities, average or below, will upon occasion hit a fabulous shot, on the level of a professional such as Federer. He has only heard it among his tennis players. The proverb can be shortened to blind squirrel, used as an epithet or label. It is usually used jokingly, but he says that there is still an underlying layer of condescension and derision.
Text: Even a blind squirrel finds a nut.
Analysis: Most proverbs offer advice to the recipient. This proverb functions differently. It has no moral for a person to take, but rather seems to function mainly for the benefit of the person who says it. It is used as a stress reliever for the benefit of the speaker. While there is probably a joking aspect to the proverb, but it stems greatly from jealousy. The player who says it feels jealous that one of their partners has made a fabulous shot and expresses, and thus releases, these feelings through the use of this proverb, channeling their frustration into semi-humor. That the more negative aspect of this proverb is of greatest importance is indicated by the shortening, which leaves out the more positive aspect of finding a nut and only focuses on the negative blind squirrel.
Proverb
The informant is a caucasian male. His father was born in Denmark, but was raised in America. He was raised in Virginia, but attended high school in Pasadena, CA. The informant later lived in Hawaii for 8 years, Northern California for 7 years, and now resides in Southern California again. He is a professor, teaching molecular biology to pharmacy students. He was brought up episcopalian but is no agnostic. The informant is divorced with one child.
The informant first heard this proverb as a child, used generally in conversation. He does not very commonly use proverbs, but this is the one that he uses most frequently. In conversation, he says he hears it about once a year. The proverb is said to imply that a task is easier to do as soon as it is needed. If a problem is dealt with as soon as it is identified, it will be much easier to solve than if a person waits and procrastinates. The example he gives is about washing the dishes; the dishes are easiest to wash as soon as they are done being used. If a person waits the food was crusted on and it takes much more effort to see them clean. The informant says that the proverb comes from sewing. If a small rip is identified in a garment, it should be stitched up right then, for if it is not, the rip will expand and soon become a major tear, meaning much more work for the sewer.
Text: A Stitch in Time Saves Nine
Analysis: The informant offers both a proverb and an explanation for the proverb. This folk etymology was told hand and hand with the proverb itself. The informant told the proverb and directly followed it with his explanation of its origin. It is very likely that the etymology is correct, but that is not most pertinent. It is interesting that in performing, or at least explaining, the proverb the text itself goes hand in hand with the explanation of origin. This combination of the two could be an example of people’s desire to explain the origins of folklore. Throughout the history of folklore people have tried to pinpoint the origin of certain pieces of lore, through the use of the Historic-Geographic method and other such devices. This desire perhaps comes from the belief that to understand something you must know its origin, where it came from. Anyway, it is interesting that the informant considered the etymology so important to offer it unasked for in interview.
Proverb
The informant is a male in his 50s. He was born to two Greek parents in New York. He was brought up in the Greek Orthodox Church. He lived in the Bronx for most of his youth before moving to the suburbs in Connecticut. He has worked as a journalist for most of his life, a job in which he spent a good deal of time in the Middle East as a foreign correspondent. He now lives in Southern California as a software developer. He is divorced with three children.
The informant first learned this proverb as a young adult, although the cannot remember exactly where. He uses it occasionally, more than any other proverb. To him it means that a person comes into the world with nothing, no possessions or materials, and that is how he or she will go out. The informant will use the proverb if he sees someone being venal about their possessions, or obsessing about some material object they have lost. He uses this proverb because he believes that it encompasses a self-defining idea, that at its root it encapsulates wisdom and knowledge. The message behind the proverb is meaningful to him and represents what considers to be a good life view.
Text: There are no pockets in a shroud.
Analysis: It is interesting that the informant considers this proverb to represent his ideal life outlook. It seems to be contradictory to the American dream, which espouses that people should work hard to move their station in life upward, indicated by material gains. This proverb indicates that it does not matter how hard you work to gain, as in death, nothing material matters. The informant’s preference for this proverb could be his Greek background, which might be from cultural difference. Or it could represent a cognitive dissonance in the American people. This cognitive dissonance would allow people to value the acquisition of material wealth in life, while at the same time believing that objects are not all important in life.