ตักน้ำใส่กะโหลก

[DavidHouston]

Friends,

From an open letter dated from this 21st November from Sulak Siwarak to The Nation Magazine comes the following sentence.

"ตักน้ำใส่กะโหลกชะโงกดูเงาหัวตัวเอง"

Can anyone help explain the metaphor and the meaning? Anyone need context? Thanks.

[yoot]

กะโหลก is the hard shell of coconut, partly open and used as a dipper or cup.

This saying might be used in the past when they didn't have mirror to see the image of themselves. So, they saw the reflection they got from the water in the nutshell.

Normally the saying"ตักน้ำใส่กะโหลกชะโงกดูเงา" means to be self-evalution or to estimate one's own ability. But I'm not sure for this context since he addes "หัวตัวเอง" into this saying which might be able to change the meaning from the original saying.

In some saying, when we say "ดูเงาหัวตัวเองสิ" it has a sense of warning like you are in trouble. It's from the past, the dead sentence would be 'beheading'. So, if you can't see your head in your shadow, that means you are a dead man.

[MTLae]

Friends,

From an open letter dated from this 21st November from Sulak Siwarak to The Nation Magazine comes the following sentence.

"ตักน้ำใส่กะโหลกชะโงกดูเงาหัวตัวเอง"

Can anyone help explain the metaphor and the meaning? Anyone need context? Thanks.

Dear Davidhouston,

The metaphor "ตักน้ำใส่กะโหลกชะโงกดูเงา" in thai = เชิงเตือนสติคนที่ไม่รู้จักที่ต่ำที่สูง หรือคนที่ทะเยอทะยานทำตนเสมอกับคนที่สูงกว่าให้รู้จักยั้งคิดว่าฐานะของตนเองเป็นอย่างไร ให้รู้จักฐานะตัวเอง และเจียมตัว

Warning people who don't know their own positions or responsibilities or have too high self-esteem to behave themselves according to their responsibilities and positions. Don't compare or act equally to people who have higher authority than you, knowing your status and be humble. Or the meaning can be before you do or blame,scold someone about things that they did were wrong, you should look and consider yourself first that you're like that or used to be or not?

For example of the boxing situation: Your weight is only "106 lb " Light flyweight but you want to fight with a 200 lb boxer which is (heavyweight). And you think you're definitely win him.

This can refer to "ตัก-น้ำ-ใส่-กระโหลก-ชะโงก-ดู-เงา" dtak-naam-sai-ga lohk-cha ngohk-doo-ngao" that you should look at your competence and skill, with only 106 lb is impossible to win the heavyweight.

I hope you will be more understanding and if you have any questions, feel free to ask me.

Nice day,

Kroo Ae

My Thai Language School

[bannork]

Friends,

From an open letter dated from this 21st November from Sulak Siwarak to The Nation Magazine comes the following sentence.

"ตักน้ำใส่กะโหลกชะโงกดูเงาหัวตัวเอง"

Can anyone help explain the metaphor and the meaning? Anyone need context? Thanks.

Ah, David you should have checked in the Thai sayings thread pinned at the top, we talked about this just a few weeks ago.

[DavidHouston]

Friends,

From an open letter dated from this 21st November from Sulak Siwarak to The Nation Magazine comes the following sentence.

"ตักน้ำใส่กะโหลกชะโงกดูเงาหัวตัวเอง"

Can anyone help explain the metaphor and the meaning? Anyone need context? Thanks.

Ah, David you should have checked in the Thai sayings thread pinned at the top, we talked about this just a few weeks ago.

Ah, thank you; I see it now. Mea culpa.