Tag Archives: Verbal folklore

己所不欲，勿施于人 (Treat others the way you want to be treated)- Chinese Proverb

Text: “己所不欲，勿施于人” (Jǐ suǒ bù yù, wù shī yú rén).

Informant: “己所不欲，勿施于人 (Jǐ suǒ bù yù, wù shī yú rén). It means you want to treat other people you want to be treated, if there’s something you don’t want for yourself, don’t do it to others. It’s a Chinese principle of life. Everything is not about yourself, it’s more about the community and living in society. That’s a cultural difference from Western culture.”

Interviewer: “Is it different from the Western saying ‘treat others how you want to be treated’?”
Informant: “In American values they do have this idea, but the difference is that in Chinese culture it’s integrated into everything. In American culture there are also other proverbs that encourage you to be whatever you want to be. There are more choices between ideas. In China there are fewer contradictory principles like that.”

Interviewer: “When was the first time you heard it?”
Informant: “Since I was about seven or eight. I heard it from parents, neighbors, and teachers. Usually when you have conflicts with other kids, like when you fight with your brother or sister or with other students. For example, when my parents would bring good food or little treats, sometimes you try to keep the best one for yourself and give your brother or sister the one you don’t like. Then they would say this proverb.”

Context:
The informant first heard this proverb when they were around seven or eight years old from parents, neighbors, and teachers. It was commonly used in everyday situations when children were arguing with siblings or classmates, or when they were being selfish while sharing things like food or treats. The proverb was used as a reminder to consider others and behave fairly. As the informant grew older, they continued to hear the saying and later used it themselves when raising their own children.

Analysis:

This example is a proverb, a form of verbal folklore that communicates cultural values through a short and memorable phrase. Proverbs are often used in everyday conversations as a way to guide behavior, especially by parents and teachers when correcting children. In the informant’s explanation, the saying emphasizes thinking about how one’s actions affect others rather than focusing only on individual desires. Similar ideas appear in other cultures, such as the English saying “treat others the way you want to be treated,” which demonstrate multiplicity and variation. The informant describes the Chinese proverb as being deeply embedded in everyday moral teaching. Through repeated use in situations like family conflicts or lessons about sharing, the proverb reinforces Chinese cultural expectations about community and consideration for others.

The Star and Crescent

Text

“In my fraternity, Kappa Sigma, every new member must memorize a historic passage called the Star and Crescent. Besides other responsibilities as new members such as getting to know every brother in the house and earning their trust to become their fellow brother, the Star and Crescent must be memorized to perfection and able to be recited aloud. Once we can repeat each line to the brothers and have fully earned their respect, we are free to be initiated as official members of the Kappa Sigma chapter. I remember me and my boys, particularly —- and —–, would stay up late at night in one of our dorms just reciting it together. Not only was it something every brother has to do but it taught us how to be a good member of the frat. I remember my anxiety as the day to recite it in front of our executive came. I was so scared to mess up that even after I memorized it I still would practice at least 30 minutes a day following that.”

Context

I first learned about this passage when one of the brothers, —-, told us we had to have this memorized by heart before we could be initiated into the chapter. I remember seeing a large print version of the text framed on the wall. When I read it I knew it was specific to every Kappa Sigma, so I was not surprised when we were told to memorize it. After reading it over and over I came to appreciate its message about the honor of being a Kappa Sigma and the fact that not everyone is suited to be initiated into this chapter. It tells you that a man must be intelligent, honorable, truthful, and worthy to wear the star and crescent.

Analysis

Rites of passage such as this account of his fraternity shows how certain folk groups around the world require initiation rituals that are either physical or verbal. Shared knowledge of passages by memory create shared culture and identity between members of these groups. In knowing each and every member went through the same process and held the same requirements, they can share mutual respect because each knew what it took to join. Shared experiences that are turned into folklore help those in the folk group bond and create memories for life. This rite of passage is an example of an initiation ritual that represents members commitment to the fraternity. Beyond just memorization, is the history and shared journeys behind reciting these words, distinguishing the brothers as one folk group. This process before becoming a brother reveals a folk concept known as liminality because it is the middle ground between a non-member and a brother of this fraternity.

“Stop dicking the dog”

Main Text:
Background on Informant:
My informant is my dad, who I have grown up around and learned many sayings from. He often uses informal phrases in everyday conversation, especially when talking about work or getting things done. I asked him about to explain one of the crazy sayings that he used to say when I was a kid, I would cringe every time he would say it. I also asked him where he had heard it first. He explained that he first heard it while working in construction and has continued using it in daily life.
Text:
Interviewer: Dad, what’s that one saying you used to say to me all the time that I hated so much? You remember it.

Informant: Oh yeah, uh, “stop dicking the dog.”

Interviewer: Right, so tell me, what does that mean?

Informant: It just means stop messing around and get to work. Like if you’re wasting time or not doing what you’re supposed to be doing, that’s when you say it.

Interviewer: Okay, so it’s like for when you’re half-assing something then? Like instead of saying don’t half-ass it, you’d say don’t dick the dog, right?

Informant: Correct.

Analysis:
This is a clear example of folk speech or specifically slang/ proverb like sayings. While functioning as a form of indirect advice, reflecting how this saying can convey guidance without hostility or criticizing someone. Instead of giving a long explanation, the phrase quickly conveys that someone needs to stop wasting time and be productive. In class, we discussed how folklore helps reinforce group identity. This example shows that clearly, as the phrase was originally learned in a construction setting and is now used in everyday family conversation. It reflects values such as productivity, discipline, and responsibility. This also demonstrates the idea of multiplicity and variation, since the phrase moves across different contexts while keeping a similar meaning.

That’s What She Said

Background on Informant:

My informant is a friend I went to high school with, who would be considered a millennial. He is in his mid-thirties, works as a longshoreman, and spends a lot of his free time playing video games. He is also a fan of The Office. Since high school, he has regularly used a phrase that can turn an ordinary sentence into a sexual one, commonly known as “that’s what she said.”

Text:

Interviewer: Alright,  so you have been saying that’s what she said since high school. Where did you hear it first, and what does it mean?

Informant: *laughs* It’s just when someone says something normal and you turn it into something sexual, like if someone says this is really hard, you just go, that’s what she said.

Interviewer: Where did you hear it first?

Informant: The Office….. or school, but I know that the Office definitely made it stick.

Interviewer: So you heard it a lot in school too?

Informant: Oh yeah in the early 2000’s everyone was saying it.

Interviewer: Do you still use it a lot?

Informant: Yeah, its almost like an addiction now, if I hear anything even remotely sexual, its like a compulsion at this point.

Interviewer: Do you still hear other people say it?

Informant: Yeah, but not nearly as much, now when someone else says it, I get excited, *chuckles* like we are long lost family or something.

Interviewer: So when someone else knows your phrase or joke you get excited?

Informant: Yeah, its like we are on the same team or something.

Analysis:

This joke or phrase is verbal folklore that relies on shared cultural knowledge. The Main group for this phrase is millennials, as it became widely popular through the hit television show The Office, although that is not its origin. The show made it more popular and then it was repeated and shared through peer-to-peer or horizontal transmission. He describes the phrase as a compulsion, like an itch he must scratch, this demonstrates how repeated use of folkloric terms can embed themselves into regular speech. The joke relies on timing and capitalizing on the opportunity to turn a simple sentence into a sexual one. He mentioned that when he hears someone else say it, he gets excited, which shows how the phrase causes a sense of connection or cohesion within the folkloric group. Although it isn’t used as much, it still holds meaning within the groups that still use it. This is a really great example of how something that started mass marketed ended up working its way into a small niche group of people who now use it.