บำบัดทุกข์ บำรุงสุข

[tgeezer]

This means “alleviate hardship promote happiness”. 

I have just been looking at the Immigration forum and I think that Immigration’s attitude toward retirees is more toward บำบัดสุข บำรุงทุกข์ 

[Puchaiyank]

This may be true for some officers.  Others appear to get personal pleasure from elevating hardship and distress while creating an unnecessary atmosphere of fear of all things immigration.

[tgeezer]

I think that I must have misread the English definitions. 

บำรุง ก. 2nd definition : รักษาให้อยู่ในสภาพที่ดี 

ทุกข์ น. ความยากลำบาก, ความไม่สบายกายไม่สบายใจ that cannot be the object of บำรุง  because ทุกข์ is not a good thing. 

 บำบัด can be taken as the antonym of บำรุง I think, if one can say that of a verb, so I would not expect a native speaker to understand my object substitution. 

 เงินค่าบำรุง must mean the cost of maintaining whatever is the object of บำรุง. 

บำรุงบ้านเมือง is one of the examples for บำรุง.  

[DavidHouston]

How about saying, ironically, "กำจัดสุข บำรุงทุกข์"

[tgeezer]

That is really the nub of the topic as far as I am concerned, will a native speaker see the irony. You will have to ask the wife David! 

There are two things which might stand in the way of changing บำบัด, one is that it shares the first syllable with บำรุง and the other the example of บำบัด from the RID is บำบัดทุกข์ . 

 

 However taking the first definition of บำบัด,  ขับไล่ as ‘drive out’ could evoke an authority figure like a policeman more than บำบัด does.   

  

 

 

 

[digbeth]

บำบัด is not really antonym to บำรุง

บำบัด is best translated as improve/ treat

normally used for when turning bad things good, บำบัดน้ำเสีย waste water treat(ment)

 

where as บำรุง is also improve but used in context more like fattening, making more

 

interesting pair of words to see how similar words are used differently

[tgeezer]

3 hours ago, digbeth said:

บำบัด is not really antonym to บำรุง

บำบัด is best translated as improve/ treat

normally used for when turning bad things good, บำบัดน้ำเสีย waste water treat(ment)

 

where as บำรุง is also improve but used in context more like fattening, making more

 

interesting pair of words to see how similar words are used differently

I agree, the antonym is in the predicate. I found the mantra while browsing the Immigration site.  ทุกข์ and สุข are opposites and without a dictionary I see the verbs as opposites in this context.   

My second post is academic most people do not let the dictionary interfere with their understanding so ignore my second post. 

I think that บำบัดสุข บำรุงทุกข์ works provided people are familiar with the original. 

 

[tgeezer]

Error 

 

[digbeth]

Some clever Thai wordplay in similar line

Like the western 'Protect and Serve' for the police

Thai police is said to be ผู้ พิทักษ์สันติราษฎร์ protector of the peace (for) the people

there is  an alteration that is said instead of the police being

พิฆาตสันติสุข

killer of joy