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What are Chinese 4-character proverbs?
Chinese "cheng yu" are 4 character proverbs and idioms. This folklore collection project focused on proverbs, a type of verbal folklore. Chinese proverbs are often derived from traditional stories (including legends, mythology, folk tales, literature and history) and can be difficult of impossible to understand without background knowledge. Informants may have multiple interpretations of the same proverb and may know different versions of the stories behind them. Some Mandarin speakers may understand proverbs solely from exposure to their usage in context, with little or no knowledge of stories they are derived from. There are thousands of different proverbs, and speakers do not use all of them. The usage of specific proverbs and their interpretation varies regionally and from person to person. Though Chinese proverbs possess different features than English proverbs, due in part to the different structure of the language, they still serve the same purpose: to provide a short piece of cultural wisdom or general truth.
This collection: We collected Chinese proverbs from Mandarin speakers on Dartmouth campus. We asked each informant to write and translate the proverbs to the best of their ability. Mandarin was not the primary language of most of our informants, many of whom were second-generation speakers, and we discovered that their knowledge of proverbs was limited and generally acquired through school settings. This is not that surprising, as the proverbs rely on a lot of cultural background and are notoriously difficult to understand and use for even the most advanced non-native speakers.
Because these proverbs all have the same format, they are employed in similar ways for similar purposes. Rather than repeat the same information for each proverb, here are the features that apply to all of the proverbs collected, unless otherwise indicated:
General Texture: All of the proverbs are four characters. Each Chinese character corresponds to one syllable, so each proverb is also four syllables.
General Context: Chinese four-character proverbs form discrete 'phrases' that are not grammatically structured but can be used on their own or as part of sentence. Most of these proverbs would be used in an advice-giving context, and are accepted as general truths. They are frequently used to justify decisions or instruct behavior. Proverbs and the stories behind them are either picked up through conversation, or directly taught by parents, mentors and teachers.
General Meaning/Interpretation: Chinese culture emphasizes wisdom acquired through experience and passed down from elders. As the proverbs can be opaque and require so much background knowledge in culture, mythology, folk stories, literature and history, understanding and using proverbs correctly can demonstrate a person's education and wisdom, which would explain why they are often taught in schools. The story-derived format also makes them memorable for children (and adults) and are used to teach cultural values and behavior.
Collectors Information:
Amy Yun Zhang and Jun Chen
Dartmouth College
Russian 13
Mikhail Gronas
Spring 2014
