台灣俗語的智慧(30)

台灣俗語的智慧(30)

1)     想貪著鑽鷄欄 (xiun tam dio nen gei lam)

註解：

貪= greed= avarice；鑽進= sneak into；鷄欄，鷄籠=cage for chickens

直譯：Those who think of greed will be jailed or put into a chicken cage.

鷄欄，原義為關鷄的竹欄，亦可引伸為吃虧，或因犯法而被懲罰或囚禁。

意譯：Those who are greedy will end up being put in jail. -凡是貪心者終究會吃上官司(被監禁)- 得不償失。(Loss is greater than gains)

另註：

A.    勸戒人勿貪，另有俗語：『貪者貧字壳』，貪與貧兩字皆含一貝字，前者為今+貝=短暫的錢 temporary riches，貧則為分+貝=散財=守不住的錢= poverty。故本句可譯為，He who is greedy is poor. (貪者必窮)

B.    台語的句法，某一行為或動作+著+結果=若……..則….. = if……. ，另如：『欲好額著打併』= If you want to be rich, you should work hard.

2)     鷄蛋命咱己輪 (gei nen miah gah gih lian)

註解：

鷄蛋命，喻「命中註定」，孤立無援。咱己= by oneself；輪=轉動= get/move along。本句乃自我抱怨的話

直譯：A person born with the same fate as that of an egg is destined to move/manage by oneself. (without help from others)-具天生鷄蛋命者凡事靠自己。

3)     嬴嬴茭博到輸 (yian yian giao buah gau suh)-本來會嬴的一塲賭博却輸了(含遺憾之意)

註解：

本來看好會嬴的一塲賭博却輸了；台語博茭指賭博，嬴茭與輸茭乃賭博的輸嬴。

直譯：A gamble seems likely to win in the beginning but is lost at the end. 或

       It is regrettable that a gamble should have been lost.

意譯：An enterprise or undertaking is lost though it was full of prospect. (原來前景看好的事業却失敗了)

它與漢語『煮熟的鴨子飛掉了』之義略近

4)     三講四呣著 /三講四漏氣 (san gong si m dio) / (san gong si lau kwi)

註解：

三講=講三句話；呣著= 不對，講錯；漏氣= 講話前後兜不攏。三與四之比乃誇大之意；漏氣指事情前後不一致。

意譯：All that one said is incorrect. All that one said is inconsistent. (說話全不正確或不一致)

5)     挖鼻屎吃鹼鹼  (kang peen sai jia giam giam)

註解：

鼻屎= shit from nose。原句為「佔了他人便宜却佯裝不知，或認為理所當然」之義。當然「鼻屎」是穢物，丟棄唯恐不及，還吃下。本句比喻雖低級，但寓意極深又通俗，含「不屑」與「輕視」之意。

意譯：He who has taken advantage of others pretends not to know it or takes it for granted. (佔了人便宜還假裝不知或認為理所當然)

或 It is despicable that one does not feel ashamed about the favor he should not have got, or the duty he should have failed to fulfill. (令人鄙視的是，對於不該得到的好處，或未盡到的義務並不感到可恥)

另註：

1)     台語除了吃鼻屎外，另外罵人『吃屎』，意謂不明是非之義。中外對shit (屎) 字全是負面意思，如You are full of shit. (你滿口胡言；說話顛三倒四) 但若非熟友，宜避免，因它仍屬dirty language.(不雅) 。一位美國警察攔下一位開跑車的少年吔，並吆喝道，『I don’t like to see again the shit of your driving! 』『下次再這樣亂開車，別被我看到! 』- the shit of driving- 開車接近違規的程度。

2)     又另一俗語『銅鑼放在衣手袖內打』意為『自吹自擂』-或自我吹噓而不知恥。

Justin Lai編

08/04/2014