Favorite Malay sayings
Pan
(I understand they now have morals instead, which I think is a pity.
Why not both? But anyway...) They used to teach us various sayings
(peribahasa), along with explaining the structure of the government
and so on. So here are some of my favorites, several of which I share
with my American friends:
Sediakan payung sebelum hujan. (Get the umbrella ready before it
rains, or as we say in English, "A stitch in time saves nine.")
Seperti rusa masuk kampung. (Like a deer entering the village; that
means someone is out of place and people are staring at him/her.)
Cikgu kencing berdiri, murid kencing berlari. (If the teacher pees
standing, the students pee running. In other words, when a teacher
sets a bad example, the students will do even worse.)
Rambut sama-sama hitam, hati lain-lain. (We all have black hair, but
our hearts are different. Self-explanatory, I think.)
Seperti katak dibawah tempurung (or, as I knew it in Terengganu,
dibawah tempayang). (Like a frog under a coconut shell. The frog has
never seen the world and thinks the coconut shell is the vault of the
sky. Applies to anyone who thinks that because s/he knows his/her home
town, s/he knows the world.)
Seperti budak makan pisang. (Like a child eating a banana. In English,
we say "Wet under the ears.")
Like a crab teaching her young to walk straight. (I don't remember the
exact phrasing of that in Malay. Seperti anak keram mengajar anaknya
jalan terus? That sounds wrong. Lurus?) (I think most people know that
crabs don't walk straight.)
And then there are the expressions "diam ubi" and "diam penggali,"
which I explain to my students at the beginning of every semester. (I
tell them that I will find out if they're diam ubi because it'll show
in their quiz and test results and papers, but that people who are
diam penggali are heading for trouble and ought to talk to me and have
me explain things to them one-on-one.) The tuber stays in the ground,
doesn't say a word, but absorbs nutrients and water and grows, while
the shovel is silent but never grows and may only rust. Similarly,
people who are diam ubi don't say a word but absorb everything that
happens around them and gain wisdom, whereas people who are diam
penggali say nothing because they are empty-headed. They remain
ignorant and don't grow.
Michael
If you would like to send a private email to me, please take out the TRASH, so to speak. Please do not email me something which you also posted.
Ir. Hanafi
"Pan" <panNO...@musician.org> wrote in message
news:vb6bsvccaqe2itsab...@4ax.com...
> In the 70s, I used to enjoy Tatarakyat in Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan.
> and so on. So here are some of my favorites, several of which I share
> with my American friends:
What about this:
Macam Yahudi masuk Palestin.
Meaning: Someone entering your house and treating it as their's, to the
point of claiming their grandfather built the house and cleared the land.
Pan
<han...@pop.jaring.my> wrote:
>
>"Pan" <panNO...@musician.org> wrote in message
>news:vb6bsvccaqe2itsab...@4ax.com...
>> In the 70s, I used to enjoy Tatarakyat in Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan.
>
>> and so on. So here are some of my favorites, several of which I share
>> with my American friends:
>
>What about this:
>
>Macam Yahudi masuk Palestin.
Shut up! You were acting reasonable for a while, asshole!
How about makan tahi?
k-boom
usually do when I see flies buzzing around. Hanafi has too many free times
lately :) No contracts perhaps.
BTW I did learn Tatarakyat, and moral is for non-muslim as there is
Pendidikan Islam for Muslims. Don't know if Tatarakyat has disappeared. Need
to ask someone else.
Ir. Hanafi
Are you even truly a Jew, Pan? Or Khazar?
Do you have that distinctive Jewish nose?
Has the skins been chasing you out of good ol USA?
Jack
Strutting your idiocy is fine and all, but try not to be insensitive.
Thanks.
J.
Ir. Hanafi
"Jack" <di...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:bq4i0m$pi2$1...@bunyip.cc.uq.edu.au...
Since when is being a non-pro-Jew a crime?
I don't hate Jews or Israel, but truly what Israel have done all these while
is akin to chicken coming home to roost. You reap what you sow.
Kalau tiada angin, masakan pohon bergoyang.
Jack
Dari post balas saudara, maklum bahawa daya pemikiran serta niat saudara
amat mengecewakan.
Soalnya begini:
Apa kaitan post yg secara jelas bertajuk 'Favourite Malay Sayings' dengan
kaum Yahudi atau konflik di Palestin? Bukankah matlamat asal post ini pada
pokoknya sebagai sebuah pencetus diskusi mengenai peribahasa?
Jelas bahawa niat saudara semata-mata untuk memperli Pan. Sebagai seorang yg
(kononnya) bijak membahas isu-isu berkait Islam, perlakuan saudara Hanafi
amat jauh dari ethos toleransi yg dipupuk agama saudara.
Cukup memalukan.
Sekian.
Ir. Hanafi berkata:
Pan
<noe...@astheyliketoputshitinmyemail.com.my> wrote:
>Ignore him Pan, he's been a pain in the ass for quite a while. Thats what I
>usually do when I see flies buzzing around. Hanafi has too many free times
>lately :) No contracts perhaps.
Yeah, perhaps.
>BTW I did learn Tatarakyat, and moral is for non-muslim as there is
>Pendidikan Islam for Muslims. Don't know if Tatarakyat has disappeared. Need
>to ask someone else.
At least in Terengganu, it apparently has. Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan
teachers told me so.
Pan
<han...@pop.jaring.my> wrote:
>
>"Jack" <di...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>news:bq4i0m$pi2$1...@bunyip.cc.uq.edu.au...
>
>Since when is being a non-pro-Jew a crime?
[snip]
You are a rank bigot. Posting a fake anti-Jewish saying as a response
to a thread asking about favorite Malay sayings, just because you know
that the originator of the thread is a Jew, is nothing more than an
act of "Get the Jew!" Fuck you and fuck the horse you rode in on.
k-boom
> On Thu, 27 Nov 2003 16:23:10 +0800, "k-boom"
> <noe...@astheyliketoputshitinmyemail.com.my> wrote:
>
> >Ignore him Pan, he's been a pain in the ass for quite a while. Thats what
I
> >usually do when I see flies buzzing around. Hanafi has too many free
times
> >lately :) No contracts perhaps.
>
> Yeah, perhaps.
>
> >BTW I did learn Tatarakyat, and moral is for non-muslim as there is
> >Pendidikan Islam for Muslims. Don't know if Tatarakyat has disappeared.
Need
> >to ask someone else.
>
> At least in Terengganu, it apparently has. Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan
> teachers told me so.
>
Oh okay :) seems I'm getting old quicker than I think (I'm only 24!!!)
Stand-Up Kid
wrong.
Ada gula ada semut (there lies the sugar sure found the ants)
Interesting place always crowded.
Bagaimana acuan begitu kuihnya (cake always follow the shape of acuan)
similar to "Like father like son"
Dalam Kilat ada kilau (In lightning there is shining??)
You can know the hidden meaning behind the sentence.
Duduk sama rendah, berdiri sama tinggi (Sit or stand always the same height)
All the people equal in right. No one above the law.
Hilang bahasa, lenyaplah bangsa (If languange dissapear, nation also)
Language is important as an identity of a nation
Ikan di laut, asam digunung, bertemu juga di belanga (Fish in the sea, Lemon
in the mountain, will meet in the cook)
Even apart by distance, man and woman will meet again for marriage if they
are destined each other.
Kalau tiada api, mana ada asap (If no fire no smoke)
If there is no truth on it, why there is fact(s)?
Still many to go.... maybe next time ...
cheers - Kid
Jack
Sepandai-pandai tupai melompat, sekali jatuh ke tanah jua (As deftly as the
squirrel leaps, yet to the ground it may falls in a slip)
Seperti katak dalam tempurung (As a frog beneath the coconut shell)
Ada udang dibalik batu (Behind silent rocks lies await the snapping lobster)
Anak dipangku dilepaskan, beruk di rimba disusukan (The cribbed child is
abandoned, while the forest monkey is suckled and tended)
k-boom
> Here are some that I recall:
>
> Sepandai-pandai tupai melompat, sekali jatuh ke tanah jua (As deftly as
the
> squirrel leaps, yet to the ground it may falls in a slip)
>
smart you are you are still bound to make a mistake)
> Seperti katak dalam tempurung (As a frog beneath the coconut shell)
(somebody has already described this one's meaning)
> Ada udang dibalik batu (Behind silent rocks lies await the snapping
lobster)
(ulterior motives)
>
> Anak dipangku dilepaskan, beruk di rimba disusukan (The cribbed child is
> abandoned, while the forest monkey is suckled and tended)
>
same as "Kilat dilangit, air di tempayan dibuang"... same meaning as "one
bird in hand is worth two in the bush" (bush sr n junior??.. just kidding..)
Letting go of what you already have for something that is not certain...
amaso
Observer
> On Thu, 27 Nov 2003 18:07:51 +0800, "Ir. Hanafi"
> <han...@pop.jaring.my> wrote:
> >Since when is being a non-pro-Jew a crime?
> [snip]
>
> You are a rank bigot. Posting a fake anti-Jewish saying as a response
> to a thread asking about favorite Malay sayings, just because you know
> that the originator of the thread is a Jew, is nothing more than an
> act of "Get the Jew!" Fuck you and fuck the horse you rode in on.
Didn't I sort of warn you guys about
this MORON ....and his hypocrisy?
At first he only attempts to suppress Muslims here
as he knows they are governed by the "denigrading
Islam" law in Malaysia and thus not be able to
expose his LIES. But confronted by unknown
opponents where his usual stock of "weapons"
of kafir calling, threats ..etc..do not work...he
flounders....LOL
Now when his Islamic platform has been shot
down and him exposed as MORON who only just
gleans cheap Islamic books .....he has to try something
else to show that he's an Islamic "warrior".
Does he go to Iraq, Palestine...to fight with
his brothers there?
No....he picks fights....and guess what?
He picks fight only with those that he thinks are
weak and vulnerable.....always avoiding
the BIGGER guys....
What do you expect from a cretin...whos
a MORON, LIAR, HYPOCRITE and ...
hehe...finally a COWARD....LOL
Observer
"amaso" <am...@hadeaq.com> wrote in message
news:bq4u2q$otn$1...@mawar.singnet.com.sg...
> mak lu punya...
Eh?..
Apasal lu maki mak lu?
Anak derhaka yer?....LOL
toyota liteace
>
> Seperti budak makan pisang. (Like a child eating a banana. In English,
> we say "Wet under the ears.")
Never heard this one before. Can anyone explain the meaning of
'seperti budak makan pisang' or 'wet under the ears'. Thanks.
Stephen Lim
<han...@pop.jaring.my> wrote:
now what's your problem hanafi? bomb making experiment didn't work out
in your kitchen?
Ir. Hanafi
"Stephen Lim" <ker...@deadspam.com> wrote in message
news:f36dsvo6u4ooimicu...@4ax.com...
> now what's your problem hanafi? bomb making experiment didn't work out
> in your kitchen?
Accusations, accusations.
Pan
I think they said it changed about 5 years ago, but I'm not sure.
Pan
<trip...@rocketmail.com> wrote:
>Let me add :) but maybe my English not really proper, pls correct me if I'm
>wrong.
I'll give you my versions.
>Ada gula ada semut (there lies the sugar sure found the ants)
"Where there's sugar, there are ants."
>Interesting place always crowded.
Maybe a comparable English expression would be "You draw flies with
honey (not vinegar)."
>Bagaimana acuan begitu kuihnya (cake always follow the shape of acuan)
Acuan=mold, and that's a good one.
>similar to "Like father like son"
>
>Dalam Kilat ada kilau (In lightning there is shining??)
This dictionary says "glitter":
http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~qntal/dictionary/
>You can know the hidden meaning behind the sentence.
>
>Duduk sama rendah, berdiri sama tinggi (Sit or stand always the same height)
This is hard to translate gracefully into English. I'd try "When we
sit, we're all equally short, and when we stand, we're all equally
tall."
>All the people equal in right. No one above the law.
>
>Hilang bahasa, lenyaplah bangsa (If languange dissapear, nation also)
>Language is important as an identity of a nation
>
>Ikan di laut, asam digunung, bertemu juga di belanga (Fish in the sea, Lemon
>in the mountain, will meet in the cook)
>Even apart by distance, man and woman will meet again for marriage if they
>are destined each other.
Great saying.
I'd call asam "tamarind."
>Kalau tiada api, mana ada asap (If no fire no smoke)
"If there is no fire, why is there smoke?"
>If there is no truth on it, why there is fact(s)?
In English, we have "Where there's smoke, there's fire," which is very
similar.
>Still many to go.... maybe next time ...
Thanks. This is a fun thread!
Pan
<obser...@yahoo1.com> wrote:
>Didn't I sort of warn you guys about
>this MORON ....and his hypocrisy?
[snip]
I give people chances to change and grow. But now, I'm done with him.
Best,
Pan
wrote:
It's like saying someone was born yesterday, i.e., they don't know
much.
k-boom
>
> I think they said it changed about 5 years ago, but I'm not sure.
About the time I got out of school.. no wonder... :)
k-boom
> On 27 Nov 2003 10:19:45 -0800, toyo...@lycos.com (toyota liteace)
> wrote:
>
> >Pan <panNO...@musician.org> wrote in message
news:<vb6bsvccaqe2itsab...@4ax.com>...
> >
> >>
> >> Seperti budak makan pisang. (Like a child eating a banana. In English,
> >> we say "Wet under the ears.")
> >
> >
> >
> > Never heard this one before. Can anyone explain the meaning of
> >'seperti budak makan pisang' or 'wet under the ears'. Thanks.
>
> It's like saying someone was born yesterday, i.e., they don't know
> much.
>
How about "kalau kail panjang sejengkal, lautan luas jangan hendak diduga"
and "umur baru seputik jagung"
Both can be interpreted like "wet under the ears", and the kail thingy can
also be said as someone without the proper knowledge. Anyone wants to add?
Jack
the act of biting more than what one is able to chew.
K-boom:
Stand-Up Kid
height)
>
> This is hard to translate gracefully into English. I'd try "When we
> sit, we're all equally short, and when we stand, we're all equally
> tall."
Thank you for the translation, yea this is fun... actually I have more and
different type of words.... because many other types of 'saying' and
different way of expression. maybe later on....
Actually this Malay 'saying' even not really correct in proper Bahasa
Malaysia structure, because too simple without subject or maybe object,
example "duduk sama rendah berdiri sama tinggi", there is no 'we' or
'kita/kami" (who is sit who is stand) in that 'saying', if we go further
(let say there is we in the sentence) even we don't know what is 'we', as it
could be human or object (i.e dog also can sit, robot also can sit), but
just at plain look we know the meaning instantly. When we translate to
English it become "we' (additional 'we') are all equally ........". So
actually that's already the meaning... but if we translate in rigid way
direct to English we had no proper way perhaps... because in English there
should be object, subject, etc....
So I dont know let say we take the ridig transformation...."Sit or/and stand
equally the same height" without putting the subject "we" does the 'saying'
make any meaning in English reader?? just curious...:)
Another example of simple Bahasa is 'Dia' (She/He) but in Bahasa we dont
know 'dia' means a she or he.... :) unless we see the following words in
that sentence...
So I think the beauty of this saying is in the simplicity (no proper
tsructure), also multiple meaning.....and perhaps because it sound funny too
:)
Stand-Up Kid
> much.
In Indonesia I know one sentence... "Anak kemaren sore" or "A kid of
yesterday afternoon" means a person like a kiddo....don't know much
toyota liteace
> Here are some that I recall:
>
> Sepandai-pandai tupai melompat, sekali jatuh ke tanah jua (As deftly as the
> squirrel leaps, yet to the ground it may falls in a slip)
Speaking of squirrel...I see that are lots and lots of
squirrels get run over on the roads in the United States. I don't know
who to blame...the squirrels ...or... the drivers. No wonder David
Letterman likes to make jokes with the squirrels.
k-boom
knowledge or other attributes. :)
"Jack" <di...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:bq78vb$7sk$1...@bunyip.cc.uq.edu.au...
Red Dragon
Batu Api macam Hanafi
"Stand-Up Kid" <trip...@rocketmail.com> wrote in message
news:3fc728ae$1...@news.tm.net.my...
Ahmad Sayuthi
> Seperti budak makan pisang. (Like a child eating a banana. In English,
> we say "Wet under the ears.")
First time that I've heard of this one. And I can't imagine what happens
when a child eats bananas to equate it with "wet behind the ears". He'd eat
and swallow it just like everone else I guess:)
> And then there are the expressions "diam ubi" and "diam penggali,"
> which I explain to my students at the beginning of every semester. (I
> tell them that I will find out if they're diam ubi because it'll show
> in their quiz and test results and papers, but that people who are
> diam penggali are heading for trouble and ought to talk to me and have
> me explain things to them one-on-one.) The tuber stays in the ground,
> doesn't say a word, but absorbs nutrients and water and grows, while
> the shovel is silent but never grows and may only rust. Similarly,
> people who are diam ubi don't say a word but absorb everything that
> happens around them and gain wisdom, whereas people who are diam
> penggali say nothing because they are empty-headed. They remain
> ignorant and don't grow.
Either my BM sucks or that you're raking up obscure sayings here:) "diam
ubi" is well-known but "diam penggali"... I can guess that it's someone who
keeps quiet AND doesn't know a thing (unlike the "diam ubi"). Erm, what's
"penggali"? Surely not "digger" for it doesn't make sense in the context.
Ahmad Sayuthi
> On Thu, 27 Nov 2003 19:37:40 +0800, "Stand-Up Kid"
>>Duduk sama rendah, berdiri sama tinggi (Sit or stand always the same
>>height)
>
> This is hard to translate gracefully into English. I'd try "When we
> sit, we're all equally short, and when we stand, we're all equally
> tall."
This one doesn't make practical sense though considering that people _are_
of different height.
k-boom
berkarat"... dont know if some parts of Malaysia uses penggali.
And for the "budak makan pisang" it equates to "wet under the ears" because
in olden times, a child first solid food is usually a mashed banana. Which
tends to say that the child is still young if he is still eating banana.
p/s: Che Mat your BM sucks.. just kidding :p
"Ahmad Sayuthi" <say...@myrealbox.com> wrote in message
news:Xns9441F3...@130.133.1.4...
Pan
wrote:
> Speaking of squirrel...I see that are lots and lots of
>squirrels get run over on the roads in the United States. I don't know
>who to blame...the squirrels ...or... the drivers.
I don't think it's a question of blame. There are so many squirrels
that some are bound not to outrun cars on the roads.
> No wonder David
>Letterman likes to make jokes with the squirrels.
Squirrels are funny. :-)
Pan
<trip...@rocketmail.com> wrote:
>> >Duduk sama rendah, berdiri sama tinggi (Sit or stand always the same
>height)
>>
>> This is hard to translate gracefully into English. I'd try "When we
>> sit, we're all equally short, and when we stand, we're all equally
>> tall."
>
>Thank you for the translation, yea this is fun...
Maybe we could do this with traditional pantun next, but I can
remember only one offhand, the first one I learned.
[snip]
>Actually this Malay 'saying' even not really correct in proper Bahasa
>Malaysia structure, because too simple without subject or maybe object,
>example "duduk sama rendah berdiri sama tinggi", there is no 'we' or
>'kita/kami" (who is sit who is stand) in that 'saying', if we go further
>(let say there is we in the sentence) even we don't know what is 'we', as it
>could be human or object (i.e dog also can sit, robot also can sit), but
>just at plain look we know the meaning instantly.
Right, which is why it's a saying. Another way of saying that is it's
an idiom.
> When we translate to
>English it become "we' (additional 'we') are all equally ........". So
>actually that's already the meaning... but if we translate in rigid way
>direct to English we had no proper way perhaps... because in English there
>should be object, subject, etc....
>So I dont know let say we take the ridig transformation...."Sit or/and stand
>equally the same height" without putting the subject "we" does the 'saying'
>make any meaning in English reader?? just curious...:)
Yes, it's pretty easily understandable but sounds like someone's
English-as-a-second-language.
But we do have some comparably pared-down constructions in English,
such as "The bigger, the better," or "Like father, like son." No verbs
in those expressions.
>Another example of simple Bahasa is 'Dia' (She/He) but in Bahasa we dont
>know 'dia' means a she or he.... :) unless we see the following words in
>that sentence...
But that means it's easy to avoid the annoyance of "he or she."
>So I think the beauty of this saying is in the simplicity (no proper
>tsructure), also multiple meaning.....and perhaps because it sound funny too
>:)
Yep.
Pan
wrote:
>Pan <panNO...@musician.org> wrote Thu 27 Nov 2003 03:08:47p:
>
>> Seperti budak makan pisang. (Like a child eating a banana. In English,
>> we say "Wet under the ears.")
>
>First time that I've heard of this one. And I can't imagine what happens
>when a child eats bananas to equate it with "wet behind the ears". He'd eat
>and swallow it just like everone else I guess:)
Somehow the implication may be that children eat a lot of bananas?
>> And then there are the expressions "diam ubi" and "diam penggali,"
>> which I explain to my students at the beginning of every semester. (I
>> tell them that I will find out if they're diam ubi because it'll show
>> in their quiz and test results and papers, but that people who are
>> diam penggali are heading for trouble and ought to talk to me and have
>> me explain things to them one-on-one.) The tuber stays in the ground,
>> doesn't say a word, but absorbs nutrients and water and grows, while
>> the shovel is silent but never grows and may only rust. Similarly,
>> people who are diam ubi don't say a word but absorb everything that
>> happens around them and gain wisdom, whereas people who are diam
>> penggali say nothing because they are empty-headed. They remain
>> ignorant and don't grow.
>
>Either my BM sucks or that you're raking up obscure sayings here:)
They were used in Terengganu.
> "diam
>ubi" is well-known but "diam penggali"... I can guess that it's someone who
>keeps quiet AND doesn't know a thing (unlike the "diam ubi").
Exactly.
>Erm, what's
>"penggali"? Surely not "digger" for it doesn't make sense in the context.
Yes it does. As I pointed out (and as it was explained to me in
school), the shovel is quiet but doesn't grow.
Pan
wrote:
>Pan <panNO...@musician.org> wrote Fri 28 Nov 2003 02:59:39p:
>> On Thu, 27 Nov 2003 19:37:40 +0800, "Stand-Up Kid"
>
>>>Duduk sama rendah, berdiri sama tinggi (Sit or stand always the same
>>>height)
>>
>> This is hard to translate gracefully into English. I'd try "When we
>> sit, we're all equally short, and when we stand, we're all equally
>> tall."
>
>This one doesn't make practical sense though considering that people _are_
>of different height.
Not all of the sayings make objective sense. They're metaphors. In the
expression "Banyak udang, banyak garam; banyak orang, banyak ragam,"
does it follow that shrimp naturally contain salt?
Ahmad Sayuthi
> I think its really diam ubi and diam besi... "diam ubi berisi diam
> besi berkarat"... dont know if some parts of Malaysia uses penggali.
Might be "spade" then for "penggali" (sodek). Which makes sense since it
rusts.
> And for the "budak makan pisang" it equates to "wet under the ears"
> because in olden times, a child first solid food is usually a mashed
> banana. Which tends to say that the child is still young if he is
> still eating banana.
Ah, now this one starts to make sense too. Didn't know about those pre-
Nestum days:)
> p/s: Che Mat your BM sucks.. just kidding :p
Actually, in some aspects it's true, although I've somehow managed to ace
those papers in Form 5 & 6 during the times when it mattered. A BM lecturer
had once commented that my karangan "macam bahasa URTV" (entertainment
magazine Utusan Radio & TV). And, clueless and `perasan' that I was, had
even thought that he meant it as a compliment!:) You should have seen my
"Sajak" - they were the laughing stock of the class.
Ahmad Sayuthi
> Speaking of squirrel...I see that are lots and lots of
> squirrels get run over on the roads in the United States. I don't know
> who to blame...the squirrels ...or... the drivers. No wonder David
> Letterman likes to make jokes with the squirrels.
The peskiest vermins one can have in a kampung!
Cause a lot of damage to coconuts and durians every year when left
unchecked. No wonder there's another saying "Ditebuk tupai" (ruined by a
squirrel) to describe a wayward woman.
ardeedee
"Pan" <panNO...@musician.org> wrote in message
news:928fsv88k8v5l041m...@4ax.com...