Teung Gaw Chang

[Neeranam]

On a train yesterday I heard this phrase which I thought was really nice and summed up my day on the train.

I think it means "if we arrive or don't arrive, I don't care" maening that the trip is great.

Can anyone say if this is right or not.

[sabaijai]

On a train yesterday I heard this phrase which I thought was really nice and summed up my day on the train.

I think it means "if we arrive or don't arrive, I don't care" maening that the trip is great.

Can anyone say if this is right or not.

Yes it's pretty common, if not entirely polite. More akin, in English, to 'if we arrive, screw it, and if we don't arrive, screw it just the same.'

Same ช่าง ([F]chaang) as in ช่างมัน ([F]chaang [M]man), or you can think of it as a shortened version of the phrase.

[Dara]

On a train yesterday I heard this phrase which I thought was really nice and summed up my day on the train.

I think it means "if we arrive or don't arrive, I don't care" maening that the trip is great.

Can anyone say if this is right or not.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The expression is "ถึงก็ช่าง ไม่ถึงก็ช่าง" supposed to be the sound that the wheels of the train make as they hit the rails.

The expression means "if we get there, fine. If we don't ever get there, fine too" and reflects the care-free nature of a train ride.

[RDN]

The expression is "ถึงก็ช่าง ไม่ถึงก็ช่าง" supposed to be the sound that the wheels of the train make as they hit the rails. 

.....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That is such a good explanation! And a good way to remember the phrase:

tĕung gôr châang... mâi tĕung gôr châang

tĕung gôr châang... mâi tĕung gôr châang

tĕung gôr châang... mâi tĕung gôr châang

....

Reminds me of that little train, "The Little Engine That Could" -- "I think I can, I think I can, I know I can!":

[Neeranam]

That is such a good explanation! And a good way to remember the phrase:

tĕung gôr châang... mâi tĕung gôr châang

tĕung gôr châang... mâi tĕung gôr châang

tĕung gôr châang... mâi tĕung gôr châang

....

Reminds me of that little train, "The Little Engine That Could" -- "I think I can, I think I can, I know I can!":

--------------------

Nil illegitimi carborundum

Thanks for the picture RDN. I remember that too.

BTW, how do you write like this, "tĕung gôr châang"?

I would love to be able to type like this.

Edited May 13, 2005 by Neeranam

[sabaijai]

On a train yesterday I heard this phrase which I thought was really nice and summed up my day on the train.

I think it means "if we arrive or don't arrive, I don't care" maening that the trip is great.

Can anyone say if this is right or not.

The expression is "ถึงก็ช่าง ไม่ถึงก็ช่าง" supposed to be the sound that the wheels of the train make as they hit the rails.

The expression means "if we get there, fine. If we don't ever get there, fine too" and reflects the care-free nature of a train ride.

I just asked my wife about this, and she said she never heard the phrase used to refer to the sound of a moving train, only as a comment on how the trains often run late.

Of course someone may have applied the phrase to that sound in a movie, comedy sketch, cartoon, etc, but unless she's wrong (and of course she could be), that's not the general connotation.

[RDN]

Thanks for the picture RDN. I remember that too.

BTW, how do you write like this, "tĕung gôr châang"?

I would love to be able to type like this.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi Neeranam, I'm afraid I don't know! All I did was copy and paste from the thai2english web site:

If you copy and paste the full Thai phrase: ถึงก็ช่างไม่ถึงก็ช่าง into the search box at thai2english, you get this result:

http://www.thai2english.com/search/%B6%D6%...%E7%AA%E8%D2%A7

I then copied the transliteration results into my post. But I did notice that the tone marks are not quite in the right place when displayed at Thaivisa - they are slightly off to the right by half a character - but are in the right place at thai2english.

Maybe some of our font/encoding experts can help .

[yoot]

On a train yesterday I heard this phrase which I thought was really nice and summed up my day on the train.

I think it means "if we arrive or don't arrive, I don't care" maening that the trip is great.

Can anyone say if this is right or not.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The expression is "ถึงก็ช่าง ไม่ถึงก็ช่าง" supposed to be the sound that the wheels of the train make as they hit the rails.

The expression means "if we get there, fine. If we don't ever get there, fine too" and reflects the care-free nature of a train ride.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I just asked my wife about this, and she said she never heard the phrase used to refer to the sound of a moving train, only as a comment on how the trains often run late.

Of course someone may have applied the phrase to that sound in a movie, comedy sketch, cartoon, etc, but unless she's wrong (and of course she could be), that's not the general connotation.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

"ถึงก็ช่าง ไม่ถึงก็ช่าง" is one of a formal Thai saying means "ไม่เอามาใส่ใจว่าจะเป็นอย่างไร" which sounds like " don't care that how thing is going on".

For example;

ถ้าพวกคุณยังทำงานแบบ ถึงก็ช่าง ไม่ถึงก็ช่างอย่างนี้ แล้วเมื่อไหร่จะก้าวหน้าสักที

tâa pûak koon yang tám ngaan bàep tĕung gôr châang mâi tĕung gôr châang yàang née láew mêua-rài jà gâao nâa sàk tee

If you guys still work as if you don't care that how your work will be,then when your career will be progressed.

This expression supposed to be the sound that the wheels of the train make as they hit the rails as Dara's explaination too. It can also be a sarcastic expression on how the trains often run late.

[RDN]

...This expression supposed to be the sound that the wheels of the train make as they hit the rails as Dara's explaination too....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The Thai lady who runs my local bar also confirmed that it's supposed to sound like the wheels of a train.

[sabaijai]

...This expression supposed to be the sound that the wheels of the train make as they hit the rails as Dara's explaination too....

The Thai lady who runs my local bar also confirmed that it's supposed to sound like the wheels of a train.

Obviously my wife still has a thing or two to learn about Thai language ....

[Neeranam]

I know how you feel sabaijai, often I have to ask someone other than my wife to confirm certain things

[meadish_sweetball]

Nobody knows everything.

Also, as I am sure we've all experienced, the way you pose a question may make all the difference too.

Use a "chai mai" question, and many Thais will say "chai kha/khrap" just in order to confirm your assumption and not make you lose face (or being afraid to lose face themselves if they oppose what you say, if you are perceived as an authority).

[sabaijai]

Nobody knows everything.

Also, as I am sure we've all experienced, the way you pose a question may make all the difference too.

Use a "chai mai" question, and many Thais will say "chai kha/khrap" just in order to confirm your assumption and not make you lose face (or being afraid to lose face themselves if they oppose what you say, if you are perceived as an authority).

Not the case with my wife though. I do a fair amount of Thai-English translation work, so she's used to my exacting questions about Thai and we went over the topic several times. She was certain she had never heard the phrase in reference to the sound of a train. She's travelled in Thailand far more extensively than the average Thai, too (as an interior designer, and later restaurateur), which makes it all the more strange she's never heard that reference. (And she certainly doesn't perceive me as an authority!)

On the other hand she hasn't watched much Thai television since she was a child, and I can't remember the last time she watched a Thai movie. I see more Thai films than she does! Might be lack of cultural knowledge, who knows.

Come to think of it, I've ridden the Thai rails for 10s of thousands of kms, and never heard the phrase myself used accept in its literal meaning (in other words, I never heard anyone repeat the phrase to imitate the sound of a train).

As you say, no one knows everything. I think I'll ask a few other Thai friends, though, just to see how common this association is.

[meadish_sweetball]

I was not so much referring to your wife as to the people in RDN asked in the bar.... if you are looking for answers and actually WANT an answer, the bar is usually not the best place to find it. The looking part can be well spent there though...

[RDN]

I was not so much referring to your wife as to the people in RDN asked in the bar.... if you are looking for answers and actually WANT an answer, the bar is usually not the best place to find it. The looking part can be well spent there though...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You could be right Meadish - I just asked my g/f the same thing (but kept quiet about the train) and I couldn't get her to say what it sounded like. I prompted her but she didn't know. Then I asked if it sounded like the wheels of a train, and she said she'd never been on a train !

So maybe the train-travelling Thais have associated the saying with the noise, but maybe not.

I can definitely see how my question to the lady in the bar would have generated a "Yes" response - 1. keep the customer happy, 2. don't understand this stupid farang, but don't admit it, just agree, 3. yes, I know it sounds like train wheels.