Thai Proverbs II

* งงเป็นไก่ตาแตก
o Transliteration: Ngong pen kai tar-taec
o Literal: Confused like a chick with shattered eyes.
o Meaning: So confused or surprised because of some events that happened really fast.

* งมเข็มในมหาสมุทร
o Transliteration:Ngom kem nai mahaa-sa-mut
o Literal: Looking for a pin in the ocean.
o Meaning: Don't try the impossible.

* งามแต่รูปจูบไม่หอม
o Transliteration: Ngam tae rup, jub mai horm
o Literal: Great look but bad breath.
o Meaning: Those who have good appearance, but do not behave nicely or have no manner.

* โง่เง่าเต่าตุ่น
o Transliteration: Ngoh ngow tow toon
o Literal: Dumb like a turtle.
o Meaning: Obtuse.

* จับปลาสองมือ
o Transliteration: Jahb plaa song mue
o Literal: To catch fish in each hand.
o Meaning 1: Try not to multitask if that compromises the success of any single thing.

* จับเสือมือเปล่า
o Transliteration: Jub sua mue paol
o Literal: Catch a tiger with bare hands.
o Meaning: Being ill-equipped in tasks that require methodical preparations.

* ช้างตายทั้งตัวเอาใบบัวปิดไม่มิด
o Transliteration: Chang tie tung tua ow bai buor phid mai mid
o Literal: A dead elephant cannot be covered by a lotus leaf.
o Meaning: Don't try to hide a big mistake/problem, once it's out in the open.

* ช้างเผือกเกิดในป่า
o Transliteration: Chang puak gird nai pa
o Literal: White elephants are born in the forest.
o Meaning: The best thing is difficult to find.

* ชิงสุกก่อนห่าม
o Transliteration: Shing suek khorn harm
o Literal: Get overripe before partly ripe.
o Meaning: A person who did something before appropriate time (usually means unmarried sex.)

* ซื้อควายในหนอง
o Transliteration: seuu khwaay nai naawng
o Literal: Buying a water buffalo in the marsh.
o Meaning: To purchase something unseen.
o English version: To buy a pig in a poke.

* เดินตามผู้ใหญ่ หมาไม่กัด
o Transliteration: Dern tarm phu-yai mha mai khud
o Literal: When you follow the old man, the dog will not bite.
o Meaning: Follow the wiseman and you will be safe from harm.

* ต้นร้ายปลายดี
o Transliteration: ton-rai-plai-dee
o Literal: Bad beginning; good ending.
o Meaning: Referring to people or situations which have a bad start but gets better towards the end.

* ตำน้ำพริกละลายแม่น้ำ
o Transliteration: tum nam prig la lai ma nam
o Literal: Pound the hot sauce and pour it away in the river.
o Meaning: Don't be extravagant or wasteful.

* เตี้ยอุ้มค่อม
o Transliteration: Tear um khom
o Literal: The short carrying the hunchback.
o Meaning: Watch out for yourself if you know you're already disadvantaged.

* นานาจิตตัง
o Transliteration: Na na jit tung
o Literal: All sorts of mind.
o Meaning: Everyone to his taste; up for grasp.

* น้ำลดตอผุด
o Transliteration: Num lod tor pud
o Literal: When the water level is low, the stump speaks.
o Meaning: Deeds (negative) can't be hidden from view forever.

* น้ำขึ้นให้รีบตัก
o Transliteration: Narm khuen hai reeb thug
o Literal: When the river is filled, be quick to fetch some into your bucket.
o Meaning: Seize the opportunity.

* ปั้นน้ำ้เป็นตัว
o Transliteration: Pann nam pen tua
o Literal: Mold water into a shape.
o Meaning: Building fanciful stories out of thin air.

* ปิดทองหลังพระ
o Transliteration: Phid thong lhang phra
o Literal: Cover the back of an image of Buddha with gold leaf.
o Meaning: Referring to those who help others behind the scene, not desiring credits or recognition.

* เป็นที่รักของชายชราดีกว่าเป็นทาสของชายหนุ่ม
o Transliteration: bpen theerak khaawng chaay charaa dee gwaa bpen thaat khaawng chaay noom
o Literal: Be darling of old man is better than be slave of young man
o Meaning: It is better to be the darling of an old man than to be the slave of a young man.

* พบไม้งามเมื่อยามขวานบิ่น
o Transliteration: Pob mai ngarm muea yam kwan bin.
o Literal: Find a nice tree when your axe is broken.
o Meaning: Find a pretty woman when you are older.

* เพื่อนกินหาง่าย เพื่อนตายหายาก
o Transliteration: pheuuan gin haa ngaay pheuuan dtaay haa yaak
o Literal: Friends for a meal are easy to find, friends until end of life are difficult to find
o Meaning: It is easy to find good-weather friends in good times but hard to find real friends who stand by you in all situations of life.
o English version: A friend in need is a friend indeed.
o English version: Remember man and keep in mind: A faithful friend is hard to find.

* ไฟลนก้น
o Transliteration: Fai lhon kon
o Literal: Having your buttocks on fire.
o Meaning: Describing the manner in which one is pressured by something, usually a deadline.

* มือไม่พายเอาเท้าราน้ำ
o Transliteration: Meue mai pie ou tao ra narm
o Literal: Not paddling, even hang feet in the water.
o Meaning: A person who doesn't help but only hinders progress.

* ไม้อ่อนดัดง่ายไม้แก่ดัดยาก
o Transliteration: Mai on dat gnai mai gae dat yak.
o Literal: Young trees are easier to cut than aged trees.
o Meaning: You cannot teach an old dog new tricks.

* รักฉันต้องรักหมาฉันด้วย
o Transliteration: Rak chan tong rak maa chan duay
o Literal: Love me, love my dog.
o Meaning: If you love me, love me with all my faults.

* รักวัวให้ผูกรักลูกให้ตี
o Transliteration: Rak wua hy puuk rak luuk hy dtee
o Literal: If you love your cow, tie it up. If you love your child, punish him/her.
o Meaning: If you love your child, you must discipline them.

* รำไม่ดีโทษปี่โทษกลอง
o Transliteration: Rarm mai dee, tose phee tose klong
o Literal: Those who dance poorly yet blame the musician (direct meaning: flutes and drums).
o Meaning: Referring to one who blames others for his own shortcomings or failures.

* วัวแก่กินหญ้าอ่อน
o Transliteration: wuaa gaae gin yaa aawn
o Literal: Old bull eats soft grass.
o Meaning: An old man loves a young woman.

* วัวหายล้อมคอก
o Transliteration: Wua hai lorm korg.
o Literal: Building ox's pen after it was stolen.
o Meaning: A preventive method enforced only after the disaster or mistake has occurred.

* สอนจระเข้ว่ายน้ำ
o Transliteration: Son jarakeh wai-naam
o Literal: Teach a crocodile to swim.
o Meaning: Don't teach an expert.

* เสน่ห์ปลายจวักผัวรักจนตาย
o Transliteration: saneh bplaay jawak phuaa rak john dtaay
o Literal: A husband loves the charm of the ladles tip until dying.
o Meaning: When a wife cooks good the husband will love her until end of life.
o English version: The way to a man's heart is through his stomach.

* เส้นผมบังภูเขา
o Transliteration: Senn pom bang puu khao
o Literal: A hair hides a mountain.
o Meaning 1: Sometimes the problem is not as big as you think it is.
o Meaning 2: You can't see something clearly even when it's huge and right in front of you, because of that little something that obscures it.

* สำเนียงส่อภาษา กิริยาส่อสกุล
o Transliteration: samniiang saaw phaasaa giriyaa saaw sagoon
o Literal: Tone shows speech manners show lineage
o Meaning: Your tone shows the meaning of your speech, your manners show your lineage.
o English version: Manners maketh man (William of Wykeham).

* ใส่หน้ากาก
o Transliteration: sai na kak
o Literal: Wear a mask.
o Meaning: Faking; putting up a face.

* หน้าเนื้อใจเสือ
o Transliteration: Nar nur jai saur
o Literal: Nice face, but with the heart of a tiger.
o Meaning: Referring to one with a nice exterior but with a cruel heart.

* หนีเสือปะจระเข้
o Transliteration: Nee sua pa' jorakeh
o Literal: Escape from a tiger to be eaten by a crocodile.
o Meaning: To escape a danger only to meet another.
o English version: Out of the frying pan, into the fire.

* หมาขี้ไม่มีใครยกหาง
o Transliteration: mah kee mai mee krai yok hahng
o Literal: Nobody lifts a dog's tail when it defecates.
o Meaning: Self praise is not recommended.

* เห็นกงจักรเป็นดอกบัว
o Transliteration: Heng gong jak pen dok bua
o Literal: Mistaking blades for a lotus.
o Meaning: Being blind as to view a threatening person/thing as lovely.

* เห็นช้างขี้ ขี้ตามช้าง
o Transliteration: hen chaang khee khee dtaam chaang
o Literal: See an elephant defecate and try to defecate as much.
o Meaning: To keep up with the Joneses.

* หัวล้านได้หวี
o Transliteration: Hua laan dy wee
o Literal: A bald man bestowed with a comb.
o Meaning: A person sometimes wants something that is useless to him/her.

* อย่าเปิดฝาเรือน
o Transliteration: yaa bpeert faa reuuan
o Literal: Don't open a wall of your house.
o Meaning: Don't wash your dirty laundry in public.