Idioms

[meme]

คบเด็กสร้างบ้าน คบหัวล้านสร้างเมือง

A friend of mine who is Thai is studying idioms in English and has found that some Thai idioms transfer over to English idioms. She was wondering if this one can too.

Thanks.

[eefoo]

Doesn't ring any bells with me. Have I got the gist right though;

Make a friend with a child, build a house. Make a friend with a bald person, build a city

[the scouser]

Mrs. Scouse explained the phrase as meaning that you will receive wiser counsel off an older friend. Nothing idiomatic in English jumps out at me.

Scouse.

[meme]

Mrs. Scouse explained the phrase as meaning that you will receive wiser counsel off an older friend. Nothing idiomatic in English jumps out at me.

Scouse.

[/quot

Thanks anyways guys. The above is how it was explained to me as well. And yes eefoo from what I was told that is the literal interpretation.

[DavidHouston]

Here are some more English-based sayings regarding "youth" and "age" translated into Thai:

"Age pays the penalty for the sins of youth":

"ความประพฤติผิดในวัยหนุ่มจะประกฏโทษให้เห็นเมื่อเข้าสู้วัยชรา"

"The blunders of youth are preferable to the success of old age."

"ความผิดพลาดของคนหนุ่มนั้นย่อมดีกว่าความสำเร็จของคนแก่"

"The greatest thing in a man's life should be done in the flush of youth"

"สิ่งสำคัญที่สุดในชีวิตนั้น ควรจะทำเมื่อความสดชื่นแข็งแรงในวัยหนุ่ม"

"Better an old man's darling than a young man's slave."

"เป็นคนรักของคนแก่ ดีกว่าเป็นทาสของคนหนุ่ม"

from "Proverbs and Sayings, ภาษิต และคำคบ", compiled by อ. พฤกษะศรี and สุนันทา ต่างใจ, Athens Books, 2524 (1981) and 2537 (1994)

[meme]

Here are some more English-based sayings regarding "youth" and "age" translated into Thai:

"Age pays the penalty for the sins of youth":

"ความประพฤติผิดในวัยหนุ่มจะประกฏโทษให้เห็นเมื่อเข้าสู้วัยชรา"

"The blunders of youth are preferable to the success of old age."

"ความผิดพลาดของคนหนุ่มนั้นย่อมดีกว่าความสำเร็จของคนแก่"

"The greatest thing in a man's life should be done in the flush of youth"

"สิ่งสำคัญที่สุดในชีวิตนั้น ควรจะทำเมื่อความสดชื่นแข็งแรงในวัยหนุ่ม"

"Better an old man's darling than a young man's slave."

"เป็นคนรักของคนแก่ ดีกว่าเป็นทาสของคนหนุ่ม"

from "Proverbs and Sayings, ภาษิต และคำคบ", compiled by อ. พฤกษะศรี and สุนันทา ต่างใจ, Athens Books, 2524 (1981) and 2537 (1994)

Cheers

Will pass those along.

[sbk]

My dad's personal favorite (in English obviously) is "Age and and treachery will always overcome youth and skill"

Anything like that in Thai or is that just too close to being disrespectful of age?

[stateman]

คบเด็กสร้างบ้าน คบหัวล้านสร้างเมือง

A friend of mine who is Thai is studying idioms in English and has found that some Thai idioms transfer over to English idioms. She was wondering if this one can too.

Thanks.

I believe this idiom is specifically Thai, with no English equiv.

BTW the meaning is in comparing a certain action which will surely lead to failure.

When you want to build a house, and you befriend a child to be part of your team. You'd likely fail as the child wants to just play. He won't have the responsibility to carry the project through.

If you want to build an entire city and you team up with a bald person. A bald person is rather selfish and is not generous (according to the meaning and saying in this idiom) - kind of proportional to the amount of hairs on his head. Thus it is unlikely that the endeavour would succeed.

Change sujbect a bit. A bald person is not considered selfish nor not-generous in general Thai perception.

For some reason this author chose to say it this way. Maybe from his own experience it was so?

[stateman]

คบเด็กสร้างบ้าน คบหัวล้านสร้างเมือง

A friend of mine who is Thai is studying idioms in English and has found that some Thai idioms transfer over to English idioms. She was wondering if this one can too.

Thanks.

I believe this idiom is specifically Thai, with no English equiv.

BTW the meaning is in comparing a certain action which will surely lead to failure.

When you want to build a house, and you befriend a child to be part of your team. You'd likely fail as the child wants to just play. He won't have the responsibility to carry the project through.

If you want to build an entire city and you team up with a bald person. A bald person is rather selfish and is not generous (according to the meaning and saying in this idiom) - kind of proportional to the amount of hairs on his head. Thus it is unlikely that the endeavour would succeed.

Change sujbect a bit. A bald person is not considered selfish nor not-generous in general Thai perception.

For some reason this author chose to say it this way. Maybe from his own experience it was so?

I should add that a bald is stereotyped as being touchy. I can imagine that if he is handling a large project to build a city, he needs to get cooperation from a wide variety of people and thus need to have emotional stability. If someone teased him about his baldness, he probably would get into a foul mood, and may jeopardize the success of his project.

I found this added meaning in the lit. of the legendary "Mahosot" which was about one of the 500 previous lives of Buddha. Mahosot was a mere 7 year old, when he ordered a large pavilion built while he supervised the contractor. It was successful and well built. Thus his ability to handle the building project shattered the old proverb quoted above, as here a child could successfully accomplish what people said it would not succeed.