| Order |
Pronunciation |
Expression |
Explanations |
When pronounced in Mandarin & Mandarin counterpart(s) |
| 2 |
diam6diam5 jia6 sa85wa81gong5 bua86 |
沉沉 吃 三碗公 半 |
Still water runs deep. To have finished eating three and a half large bowls of rice quietly. In Taiwanese, a large bowl is called a "wa81 gong1 [碗公] (Grandpa bowl.)" |
[chen2chen2 chi1 san1wan3gong1 ban4] “看 不 出來。” |
| 126 |
jia6 mu86dio6 yio2a4 |
吃 不對 藥子 |
Have taken the wrong medicine. He is not himself; there must be something wrong with him. |
[chi1 bu2dui4 yao4zi0] “吃錯 藥。” |
| 101 |
jia6 cai4 bhui1a4 |
吃 菜 尾子 |
Eat the leftover. You have to see that after a banquet is over, such as one served right after the wedding ceremony, how much is left! Because not to waste is one of the virtues valued in the Taiwanese traditions, the leftover from the banquet will be collected and distributed to relatives. Nowadays, there might be a better system of taking care of this stuff. To me, it is only reasonable that a shelter be easily contacted and the leftover swiftly taken care of so that nothing is wasted. Do not forget that the dishes the leftover stuff came from were delicious and expensive, although the cost was mostly covered by the guests gifting the hosts with "ang5bao1 [紅包] (red envelopes.)" |
[chi1 cai4 wei3zi0] |
| 19 |
jia6 he1kang1 dao4 sio5be6 |
吃 好孔 兜 相報 |
Spread the news to share the secret if you have come upon a good fortune. |
[chi1 hao3kong3 dou1 xiang1bao4] 接近 “有福 大家 享。” |
| 44 |
jia6 kun4 tao5ge1 |
吃 睏 頭家 |
Lodge and board supplied by the boss. According to the Taiwanese traditions of apprenticeship, it is made clear from the beginning how the apprentice's lodge and board will be supplied. When the boss is to supply both lodge and board, they will say "jia6 kun4 tao5ge1 [吃 睏 頭家] (eat and sleep on the boss.)" However, nowadays nobody will resist the temptation to twist the expression and say to his friends that his conditions are to "jia6 tao5ge1, kun4 tao5ge5niu3, [吃 頭家， 睏 頭家 娘] (board with the boss and lodge with the boss's wife,)" which is extremely rude. Therefore, I will recommend that the apprentice show respect to both the boss and the boss's wife by using the proper usage, which is also one of the reasons why I compile this collection of Taiwanese Common Expressions. Without a language tool like mine, there is no telling how the language will be distorted to the point where there is no return but complete loss and ignorance. |
[chi1 kun4 tou2jia1] |
| 25 |
jia6 ce85cao1 kua84 teng5tao3 |
吃 星餚 看 湯頭 |
Judge if a banquet is delicious all you need to do is to taste the first course which is a soup. |
[chi1 xing1yao2 kan4 tang1tou2] |
| 31 |
jia6ba4 xiu85 yieng3 |
吃飽 太 閒 |
Have nothing to do after eating too much. |
[chi1bao3 tai4 xian2] “無聊。” |
| 195 |
jia6cai6 e6 |
吃菜 的 |
Vegetarian. |
[chi1cai4 de0] “素食者。” |
| 27 |
jia6gin4 gong4pua4 wa84 |
吃緊 摜破 碗 |
Eating too fast, one will dash his rice bowl. Haste makes waste. |
[chi1jin3 guan4po4 wan3] “欲速 則 不達。” |
| 108 |
jia6bhi4 mu6 zai2ya84 bhi1ge6 |
吃米 不 知影 米價 |
Not know the price of the rice oneself is eating. |
[chi1mi3 bu4 zhi1yang4 mi3jia4] “對 實際 情況 懵然 沒有 概念”， “不 切 實際，不懂 人情 世故。” |