Walking with a Friend

Title: Walking with a Friend

General Information about Item:

  • Verbal Folkore, Proverb
  • Language: Chinese
  • Country of Origin: China
  • Informant: Katie Zhao
  • Date Collected: 10-31-18

Informant Data:

Katie Zhao is born and raised in New York City. She is 29 years old and works as a recruiter at a hedge fund. She was born in China, but moved to the United States when she was 7 years old. Her parents maintained their traditional Chinese lifestyle at home in Brooklyn, even as Katie grew up in America and attended American schools. Katie still feel greatly connected to her Chinese family past as her grandmother, uncle, aunt and cousin continue to reside there.

Contextual Data:

Katie heard this riddle from her mother a few years ago when she was telling her about her childhood. Katie was very young when she was told this story. Her mother spoke of how her childhood friends had supported her growing up in Guangzhou through many issues she was facing at home.

Item:

Orally transmitted proverb:

和朋友在黑暗里同行,好过一人在光明中独步。

Zài hēi’àn zhōng yǔ péngyǒu yīqǐ sànbù bǐ zài guāngmíng zhōng dúzì xíngzǒu gèng hǎo

Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.

Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):

Transcript:

和朋友在黑暗里同行,好过一人在光明中独步。
Zài hēi’àn zhōng yǔ péngyǒu yīqǐ sànbù bǐ zài guāngmíng zhōng dúzì xíngzǒu gèng hǎo
Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.

I heard this riddle from my mother, when she was talking about the friends she made during childhood. I remember her telling me this when I was very young. I was very young and we were at home, when she was telling stories about her childhood growing up in Guangzhou.

To me, this proverb means that friends are people you can depend on during the hardest times of your life. They are supposed to support you and be people to lean on and confide in. I also really like the metaphorical aspects of the dark and the light.

This is a proverb you would hear during a difficult time in your life, when you need to be reminded of the value of your friends.

Informant’s Comments:

Katie thinks this proverb exemplifies friendship to her, as well as to her grandmother. Friends are people to lean and depend on, which is a quality that she looks for in those she chooses with which to be friends. Moreover, she can see the loneliness in walking alone, even if things in life are going well. To her, this proverb makes sense in that the “light” in life will most likely give way to darker times in life at some point, and then you are better off having friends to face such darkness than be by yourself. Furthermore, there is a feeling of safety and security in having a friend to confide in and lean on during those darker times. And even during easier times in life, it is better to share that joy with someone else, rather than just enjoy it by yourself. You would normally hear this proverb during times of difficulty when you need to depend on your friends while “walking in the dark”.

Collector’s Comments:

There is a parallel structure present in the proverb as the two halves are separated in comparing walking with a friend in the dark, to walking alone in the light. Such stark contrast is also a common feature of Chinese proverbs, and the balance of the structure reflects the balance of the differences between those two scenarios. It makes sense that Katie remembered this proverb as she faced many difficulties with her transition in a different country and must appreciate her friends that helped her through it.

Collector’s Name: Rachel Zhao

Tags/Keywords:

  • Chinese
  • Friends
  • Light
  • Dark
  • Hardship

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