Learn some common Thai idioms
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| Michael: What are some common Thai idioms? |
| Arnon: And how are they used? |
| Michael: At ThaiPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine the following situation: Karen Lee hears an idiom she's not familiar with. She asks Thida Thongtong, |
| "What does "kill two birds with one gunshot" mean?" |
| Karen Lee: ยิงปืนนัดเดียวได้นกสองตัวแปลว่าอะไร (ying bpuuen nát diiao dâi nók sǎawng dtuua bplaae wâa à-rai) |
| Dialogue |
| Karen Lee: ยิงปืนนัดเดียวได้นกสองตัวแปลว่าอะไร (ying bpuuen nát diiao dâi nók sǎawng dtuua bplaae wâa à-rai) |
| Thida Thongtong: มันแปลว่าทำอย่างเดียวได้ผลสองอย่าง (man bplaae wâa tham yàang diiao dâi phŏn sǎawng yàang) |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Karen Lee: ยิงปืนนัดเดียวได้นกสองตัวแปลว่าอะไร (ying bpuuen nát diiao dâi nók sǎawng dtuua bplaae wâa à-rai) |
| Michael: "What does "kill two birds with one gunshot" mean?" |
| Thida Thongtong: มันแปลว่าทำอย่างเดียวได้ผลสองอย่าง (man bplaae wâa tham yàang diiao dâi phŏn sǎawng yàang) |
| Michael: "It means to get two things done with a single action." |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Michael: In this lesson, we'll talk about idiomatic expressions, or |
| Arnon: สำนวน (săm-nuuan) |
| Michael: Idiomatic expressions, or idioms for short, are expressions with a meaning that's very different from the individual words that compose them. We use idioms if we want to convey what would be a long message using as few words as possible. When translated directly, they can be both confusing and hilarious, especially to non-native speakers. It's important to learn idioms when studying a new language like Thai, as they provide a window into better understanding a culture and its people. |
| [Recall 1] |
| Michael: To understand things better, let's take a closer look at the dialogue. |
| Do you remember how Karen Lee asks "What does "kill two birds with one gunshot" mean?" |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Arnon as Karen Lee: ยิงปืนนัดเดียวได้นกสองตัวแปลว่าอะไร (ying bpuuen nát diiao dâi nók sǎawng dtuua bplaae wâa à-rai) |
| Michael: Every language has its own version of this idiom. In most cases, "gunshot" is substituted by "stone," or |
| Arnon: หิน (hĭn) |
| Michael: referring to the use of a slingshot instead. As Thida explains, this idiom means getting two things done at once. |
| Arnon: This idiom has gone a long way and is believed to have originated from Greek mythology, particularly from the story of Daedalus and Icarus. In the story, Daedalus kills two birds with one stone so he could make wings out of their feathers. Another theory states that the idiom first appeared in the work of John Heywood in 1546. It states "I will learn to stop two gaps with one bush." If this idiom talks about multi-tasking, there's another Thai idiom that advises against doing two things at the same time: |
| Arnon: จับปลาสองมือ (jàp bplaa sǎawng muue) |
| Michael: It means "catch fish with two hands." This idiom is a warning against greed. Fish are slippery, which means you need two hands to catch one. If you are too greedy and try to catch two fish with each of your hands, you will risk losing both. |
| [Summary] |
| Michael: In this lesson, you've learned that idiomatic expressions, or |
| Arnon: สำนวน (săm-nuuan) |
| Michael: are expressions with a figurative meaning used to help the speaker get their message across better. |
| Expansion/Contrast |
| Michael: So far, we have covered a couple of idiomatic expressions that are commonly used in Thai. But don't worry, because we have more examples for you. Here's the first one: |
| Arnon: สมน้ำหน้า (sŏm-náam-nâa) |
| Michael: This literally means "serve your face" and is similar to the English expression "serves you right. This is what you tell someone who gets caught for doing something unacceptable, such as cheating on an exam. Another common Thai idiom is |
| Arnon: ง่ายเหมือนปอกกล้วยเข้าปาก (ngâai mǔuean bpàawk glûuai khâo bpàak) |
| Michael: This one means "As easy as peeling a banana." If you've heard of "as easy as pie" or "piece of cake," this is the Thai version of those expressions. Bananas are very common in Asian countries, and if you've ever tried eating one, you know how easy it is to take the peels off. The third idiom on our list is |
| Arnon: ดินพอกหางหมู (din phâawk hăang mǔu) |
| Michael: This one literally means "dirt covering pig's tail," and is used to describe a person who loves to procrastinate and end up not accomplishing anything. Thailand is an agricultural country, and it's not uncommon to see pigs relaxing in the mud in farms. When left on their own, pigs would roll in mud all day until the mud on their tail hardens to a point that they can't move them. When someone sits around the entire day doing nothing, they will find out later on that their tasks have piled up to a point that they won't have enough time to finish them. Let's try another one: |
| Arnon: หนีเสือปะจระเข้ (nǐi sǔuea bpà jaaw-rá-khêe) |
| Michael: This one literally means "Escape a tiger, meet a crocodile." This is an idiom of Greek origin. Its English equivalent would be "Out of the frying pan into the fire." It best describes a time where you were able to escape a bad situation but ended up in a worse one. For our fifth idiom, we have |
| Arnon: น้ำขึ้นให้รีบตัก (náam khûen hâi rîip dtàk) |
| Michael: This expression means "When the water rises, hurry to get some." It's the equivalent of the English idiom "Make hay while the sun rises," which means if you have an opportunity to accomplish something, grab the opportunity before it expires. Here's another one: |
| Arnon: ขวานผ่าซาก (khwăan phàa sâak) |
| Michael: This idiom literally means "Splitting a hard wood with an axe." It's like saying "Calling a spade a spade," and means being blunt or straightforward about something. Thai people, like most Asians, avoid open confrontations, but that doesn't mean they don't know how to be frank when the situation calls for it. For our next idiom, we have: |
| Arnon: สีซอให้ควายฟัง (sǐi saaw hâi khwaai fang) |
| Michael: This literally means "Playing the violin for the buffalo to listen to." Some cultures have their own version of this idiom. If you're familiar with buffaloes, you know that they don't really care about anything in the world but to eat and bathe in mud. What this idiom is trying to convey is the idea of talking to a brick wall, which means talking to someone who isn't listening. Here's another idiom that's related to musical instruments: |
| Arnon: รำไม่ดีโทษปี่โทษกลอง (ram mâi dii thôot bpìi thôot glaawng) |
| Michael: "Those who can't dance blame it on the flute and the drum." This idiom refers to people who blame the tools they are using every time they make a mistake. In reality, the tools have nothing to do with it, but the fact that they are not as good as they think they are. Next, we have: |
| Arnon: ได้อย่างเสียอย่าง (dâai yàang sĭia yàang) |
| Michael: "You have to lose something to get another thing." As they say, you can't make an omelette without breaking any eggs. If you want to create something special, you need to sacrifice a thing or two to achieve your goals. For instance, in business, you can't achieve success unless you invest time, money, and energy. For our final idiomatic expression, we have |
| Arnon: กบในกะลา (gòp nai gà-laa) |
| Michael: This means "Frog in a coconut shell," and is something you don't want to be used to describe you. It is said that this idiom is of Malay origin and talks about a frog who spends its entire life under a coconut shell. The frog refuses to leave the shell thinking that the shell is all there is to see and know. The frog is happy with its ignorance, though, even though in reality, there is so much more to explore outside its tiny world. |
| Cultural Insight/Expansion |
| Michael: Most of the idioms we have covered in this lesson are not uniquely Thai. Other languages and cultures have their own versions of these expressions. However, if you're looking for an idiom that truly represents the Thai culture, here's one: |
| Arnon: ปิดทองหลังพระ (bpìt thaawng lăng phrá) |
| Michael: This literally means "Putting gold sheets at the back of monk statues." We all know that Thailand has the second largest Buddhist population in the world. It is a common practice among Buddhists to place thin sheets of gold on Buddha statues to honor Buddha's teachings or when asking for a favor. Most people would apply gold sheets in front of the statue, but others would place them at the back of the statue where they cannot be seen. People who do good works without asking for attention can be likened to followers of Buddha who apply gold sheets at the back of Buddha statues. |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Arnon: แล้วพบกันใหม่เร็วๆนี้ครับ (láaeo-phóp-gan-mài reo-reo-níi khràp) |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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