Category Archives: 20 F Proverbs about work

A collection of proverbs from Japan, China, India, Russia, and the Philippines

Russian Proverb: Под лежачий камень вода не течёт

Leave a reply

General Information About Item:

  • Verbal Folklore, Proverb
  • Language: Russian
  • Country of Origin: Russia
  • Informant: Myself
  • Date Collected: 2010

Informant Data:

Jennifer Gadalov is a sophomore at Dartmouth College. She was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. Her mother’s family immigrated to the United States about 20 years ago, and her father immigrated from Russia after meeting her mother on a trip to Los Angeles. She was raised in a fairly traditional Russian household with Russian being her first language and the language she speaks at home with her family. She is completely fluent and enjoys to embrace other aspects of Russian culture as she feels a strong connection to the country despite not being born there. She also travels to Moscow, Russia once a year to visit family that still live there.

Contextual Data: 

Growing up, Jennifer would consistently hear this proverb, especially from her mother. Whether she didn’t want to study or didn’t want to play tennis, her mother would look at her and sternly repeat this proverb to motivate Jennifer. The first time Jennifer ever heard this proverb was around the age of 10 when she began playing tennis more competitively. She initially began playing tennis for fun but gradually became one of the best players in the country, which proved to be a lot of pressure for her. She sometimes struggled with the pressure and would lose motivation to play or practice, which is when her mother would speak this proverb. Her mother believed strongly in this proverb, and she wanted it to be a reminder for Jennifer that she has achieved so much because of her hard work, but the work doesn’t stop there as she needs to continue pushing herself in order to succeed the way she wants to. This proverb stuck with Jennifer because of the visual language and the motivation she got from remembering she still has work to do in order to fulfill her dreams.

Social Context:

This proverb is often spoken towards an inactive person who refuses to change anything in their life, but instead expects the people around them to help better their lives, or even simply expects their life to move forward without putting in the work. The proverb translates to “water does not flow under a lying stone,” which essentially means if nothing is done, things will not budge or move and change will not occur. There are many people who sit around and expect to still succeed in life, whether by luck or by others helping them, so this proverb hopes to encourage the person to take action in their life. Hard work is not always enjoyable work, but if you do not work in life, your whole life can go by, and you will not achieve anything. A person who is lazy, inactive, or passive will not be able to achieve the matter or goals by itself because there is no effort put in towards moving your life forward. If you do not exert effort into your goals and achieving success, then there will be no force to propel your life forward, but if you put the work into your goals, you will continue growing.

Cultural Context:

Russians, like many other cultures, praise hard work and punish laziness. From the beginning of time, Russian people had to fight for their survival. Being an agrarian county, during earlier times, everyday work in the field was extremely hard work, but it was necessary in order to feed your family. Russians worked to survive, which made hard work normal for them. They got used to dealing with the challenges consistently thrown at them, so they do not allow it when they see an inactive and lazy person. As a country, society, and culture that faced revolutions, purges, and mass imprisonment, the people had to fight through a lot in order to make it out, which is why Russia is viewed as one of the toughest countries. To this day, Russian people continue to face challenges every day but can overcome most anything because of their grit and determination. Thankfully, Russians no longer have to face revolutions, purges, and mass imprisonment, which allows them to move forward in life and achieve success. Since this opportunity is fairly new, Russians are strongly encouraged to push themselves to work as hard as possible to achieve new goals and heights that were not previously possible for them. Because of these new opportunities, laziness and inactivity are looked down upon but are still prevalent, which is why this proverb is so popular.

Item:

Orally transmitted proverb: Под лежачий камень вода не течёт

Pronunciation: Pod lezhachiy kamen’ voda ne techot

Literal Translation: Under lying stone, water does not flow

Translation: Water does not flow under a lying stone

Informant/Collector’s Comments:

When I become one of the best tennis players in the United States, I lost a lot of motivation and desire to work and practice hard because the sport was no longer fun due to the pressure and expectations I felt. At the same time, I still wanted to be as good as I was. My parents recognized how I was feeling and, my mother knew she had to speak a proverb that would emotionally impact me, while also captivating me, which is exactly how this proverb makes me feel. The visual language in this proverb is fascinating and enthralling, which caused me to really think through the proverb and understand the hidden deeper meaning. The proverb has also stuck with me because the deeper meaning is hidden rather than being straightforward. You have to break down the proverb to find the lesson it is teaching you. The proverb’s lesson continues to influence my life every day because you cannot further your life or move forward without putting in the hard work that might come along in order for that to happen. The proverb’s structure does not include the typical rhyming and repetition, but the deeper meaning and visual language included have made this proverb popular in Russia.

Collector’s Name: Jennifer Gadalov

Hanover, NH

Dartmouth College

RUSS 013 Fall 2020

Tags/Keywords:

  • Russian
  • Proverb
  • Hard work
  • Water
  • Stone

Japanese Proverb: Saru mo ki kara ochiru

Leave a reply

Proverb

Japanese: 猿も木から落ちる

Japanese Romaji: saru mo ki kara ochiru    

Translates as: even monkeys fall from trees

English: Even if you’re good at something you can still fail

 

MK

Zoom

11/28/2020

 

Informant Data: The informant is from Chiba Japan and has lived there her whole life. She is 21 years old and works part-time at a “gyuniku” (lit. cow-meat) restaurant, which is a Japanese style restaurant in which customers cook raw slices of meat on grills built into the tables. She also enjoys going to the beach and shopping.

Contextual Data: While I do not personally know the informant, I know her through my close friend I met in high school who lives in Japan now, and she has been friends with the informant since elementary school.

Social Context: MK heard this phrase a lot when learning to play basketball because she kept hitting the ball in her foot while dribbling. Even though dribbling is very easy in basketball, she kept messing it up and her coaches would tell her this phrase. The idea behind it is that just like climbing trees comes very naturally to monkeys, and just like basketball players can dribble a basketball seemingly effortlessly, everyone makes mistakes and the best course of action after a mistake is to brush it off and keep going. 

Cultural Context: This proverb is primarily used in contexts where someone fails and gets discouraged but needs encouragement to keep going by reassuring them that everyone fails eventually. This represents the Japanese ideal of working hard and overcoming the odds. In Japanese culture achieving one’s goal is something that is very important, so this quote helps people understand that even though it is human to make mistakes what matters is how much you can keep going after mistakes, for example, even monkeys fall off trees. 

Russian Proverb: Любишь кататься люби и саночки возить

Leave a reply

General Information About Item:

  • Verbal Folklore, Proverb
  • Language: Russian
  • Country of Origin: Russia
  • Informant: AG
  • Date Collected: 11/3/20

Informant Data:

AG was born in Moscow, Russia, in 1977, but immigrated to the United States in 1999 because of his current wife. In 1999, Anton was visiting friends in Los Angeles where he was introduced to his wife by a mutual friend. They began dating, and eventually, AG permanently relocated to Los Angeles. The majority of AG’s family still lives in Moscow, Russia. AG earned an undergraduate degree in accounting at Pepperdine University. AG is fairly traditional and has stuck to his Russian roots. To this day, AG and his wife are still happily married, residing in Los Angeles, with their two beautiful kids

Contextual Data: 

Growing up, AG was an extremely active kid who loved to have fun. He was also a little bit on the lazier side and hated doing things for himself. He enjoyed soaking up all the fun and adrenaline and hated actually doing the work to get to the point where you can have fun. Specifically, he enjoyed skateboarding down big hills and mountains but hated going back up the hill or mountain (which is very similar to the proverb). He enjoyed having others do that for him, especially his mother. At around the age of 11, his mother realized she could no longer treat him like a little child, and she had to teach her son the importance of working hard before being able to play and have fun. That was when the first time AG remembers hearing the quote because his mother loved to use proverbs and metaphors to describe everyday life, so she used this proverb because it emphasizes the importance of enjoying both the hard work and the reward.

Social Context:

Russia is known for its below-freezing winters and heavy snow, which quickly led to the growth and popularity of sledding in Russia, especially with younger children, causing a very instructive thought to be formed. A sled is essentially a winter carriage on skids, but instead a much smaller size, and it is intended to bring pleasure and adrenaline when sledding down. In order to have the chance to sled in the first place, you have to pull the rope or push the sled from behind to get to the top of the mountain. This can be a strenuous and tedious activity, but the reward is going down the mountain on your sled, enjoying the speed and rush. In order to ease the tedious and strenuous activity, you must instead embrace it and also enjoy it because it’s the part that comes before having fun. You must enjoy all activities whether they are hard or fun because nothing in life comes for free.

Cultural Context:

Like most people, Russians look forward to their leisure time, especially after working hard, which is why this proverb applies to all spheres of life and is still so commonly used. Most Russian adults have found the balance between work and fun due to Russians teaching their kids from an early age the importance of working hard in order to be able to have fun. No doubt, sliding down the slope on a sled is a fun activity, but for that to happen, you must first drag your sled up the hill, which can be lengthy and difficult. There will be both pleasant and unpleasant moments in anything you do, but to get the best possible results, you need to learn how to embrace and enjoy both. Without embracing hard work, you will not achieve anything and be extremely unhappy, which applies to children and adults. The proverb depicts the relationship between rest and work by reminding us that work is an integral part of recreation and entertainment. There is no such thing as fun without work, nothing in life comes for free, and you must embrace the hard work that comes before the fun.

Item:

Orally transmitted proverb: Любишь кататься люби и саночки возить

Pronunciation: Lyubish’ katat’sya lyubi i sanochki vozit’

Literal Translation: If you like to ride – love and carry sleds.

Translation: If you like sledding, you should like to carry the sled.

Informant’s Comments:

“This is one of my favorite proverbs because it was the first time I realized my behavior was unacceptable, and instead, I had to accept the fact that nothing in life comes for free. I used to enjoy things like skateboarding and snowboarding, but I absolutely hated the times I would be off the board, either trying to climb the mountain or treating an injury. I was extremely immature, but my mother’s proverb opened my eyes to the reality that life is hard, and I have to work hard in order to be able to provide myself with those fun times I enjoy. Work hard, play hard.”

Collector’s Comments:

I agree with the informant because the first time I heard this proverb, I realized I was no longer a child, meaning I would have to learn how to be independent and endure those unpleasant, hard times myself rather than have a family member do it for me, or even worse, just not endure the activity and give up. As little children and even now, we love when someone else does something helpful for us because it means less work, but the reality is that will rarely happen, and you will always have to work to achieve your reward. This proverb has helped me a lot during times when I didn’t want to work out or practice because I was too tired or lazy. It had reminded me that if I push myself now, it will pay off in the end, which led me to begin embracing the hard work and even enjoying it. The proverb’s structure is fairly typical to that of a traditional Russian proverb due to the phonetic devices and repetition, which give the proverb a catchy, smooth flow.

Collector’s Name: Jennifer Gadalov

Hanover, NH

Dartmouth College

RUSS 013 Fall 2020

Tags/Keywords:

  • Russian
  • Proverb
  • Hard work
  • Sled
  • Uphill

Russian Proverb: Без труда не вытащишь рыбку из пруда

Leave a reply

General Information About Item:

  • Verbal Folklore, Proverb
  • Language: Russian
  • Country of Origin: Russia
  • Informant: NG
  • Date Collected: 11/6/20

Informant Data:

NG was born in Moscow, Russia, in 1976, but immigrated to the United States in 1998. The previous year, NG’s aunt moved to Los Angeles in search of a better life. Shortly after, NG and her family moved to Los Angeles as it was important for their families to stay together. NG earned an undergraduate and graduate degree in accounting at the California State University, Northridge. NG is fairly traditional and has stuck to her Russian roots. She is happily married with two beautiful kids.

Contextual Data:

Growing up, NG was a competitive cross-country skier in Moscow, Russia. It was an extremely popular sport for Russian people, but at times NG really struggled to enjoy the sport, especially with all the pain, sacrifice, and tears that came with it. But every time she wanted to quit and give up, her mother would repeat this proverb to her to remind her that nothing, not skiing, not studying, not cooking, etc. came easily to anyone and only the people who didn’t give up, in the end, would achieve success, greatness, and happiness. Every time NG’s mother repeated this quote to her, NG knew she had to keep pushing through all of the lows because, in the end, it will pay off.

Social Context:

Fishers are regarded as extremely patient people because if they do not sit every day waiting for hours with their fishing rods to simply even catch one fish, then they will have no fish since the fish are not going to come on their own merit. Any and all activities/businesses require effort, but no effort can be done without effort. If you want to get anywhere in life or achieve success, you must have perseverance and give your full effort, or you won’t get anywhere if you are not willing to put in the necessary work. This proverb is often heard when someone complains about having to work hard.

Cultural Context:

Although Russian people are sometimes viewed as cold and harsh people on the surface level, deep down, they hide their love for laughter and cleverness. The Russian humor and wit can be difficult to follow and understand due to how tightly bound to the language’s subtleties, resulting in difficulty in translating. But with a little explanation, it is possible to see the clever remarks, humor, and wit Russians include in their everyday language, just like in this proverb. Russian people are extremely respected, wise, and well-aimed people. They expect a lot from themselves, which is how these figurative phrases and proverbs came to be because their goal is to emphasize the expectations and hopes of the people. Their wit and cleverness also stem from their desire to rid their oppressors, such as greed, lying, etc, and instead promote hard work, fairness, and commitment.

Item:

Orally transmitted proverb: Без труда не вытащишь рыбку из пруда

Pronunciation: Bez truda ne vytashchish’ rybku iz pruda

Literal Translation: You can’t get a fish out of a pond without difficulty.

Translation: You won’t achieve your goals if you don’t work hard and put in the necessary effort.

English Equivalent to “No pain, no gain”

Informant’s Comments:

“This is one of my favorite Russian proverbs as I believe it applies to every part of life. You truly cannot achieve success in life unless you put in the work, no matter how hard the work is. You have to give it your all, and you cannot be lazy. As a former athlete myself (cross country skier), this proverb reminded me that I shouldn’t and couldn’t give up even when times got tough or wanted to quit. It helped me realize that I wouldn’t achieve anything in skiing without hard work, even if, in the moment, I believed it was too hard for me. I also really enjoy this metaphor because I have vivid memories of watching my grandfather go out to the pond and sit there for hours trying to catch just one fish, but never losing hope.”

Collector’s Comments:

This is also one of my favorite proverbs; as NG mentioned, it applies heavily in life, especially to sports. Being a competitive tennis player since the age of 5, there have been one too many times where I wanted to quit, give up, and move on because the work was getting too hard and the reward seemed too far away, but this quote is a reminder that nothing in life comes easy especially success. The proverb’s repetitional rhyming is also extremely catchy making the proverb hard to forget; the two proportional rhyming parts are how Russian proverbs are traditionally structured. On top of the rhyming, there are phonetic devices combined with the A then B structure, making this proverb extremely memorable for all.

Collector’s Name: Jennifer Gadalov

Hanover, NH

Dartmouth College

RUSS 013 Fall 2020

Tags/Keywords:

  • Russian
  • Proverb
  • Hard work
  • Fish
  • Pond

Japanese Proverb: Kannin no nin no ji ga hyakkan suru

Leave a reply

Proverb

Japanese:堪忍の忍の字が百貫する。

Japanese Romaji: Kannin no nin no ji ga hyakkan suru

Translates as: the letter of the patience of tolerance does 100 pieces 

English: There is a great value in tolerating adversity;

 

RH

Zoom

10/19/2020

 

Informant Data: RH has been in Japan for a year and a half after having lived in the USA for 10 years. She is half Japanese and works at an English cram school. She mainly works with elementary school kids. I have known RH since 9th grade and she and I have spoken a lot about Japan and she has personally helped me a lot in my pursuit of learning Japanese. 

Contextual Data: RH went to highschool in the United States. I have known her for 4 years. RH was born in the US, moved to Japan when she was 3, and moved back to the US in about 6th grade. RH works 6 days a week from 1 pm to 9 pm. RH always uses this phrase with her students when she is teaching them new material and they get somewhat impatient because they cannot speak English super well yet and cannot express themselves in English. She uses that saying to help keep them motivated and prevent them from getting frustrated, which would further hinder their performance.

Social Context: Cram school is school after school. People go to cram school to study extra content that they cannot study at school. RH works at an English speaking cram school which students attend once a week. One of her students goes to Japanese Language cram school from 9 am to 10 pm on Saturday and Sunday. 

Cultural Context: Japan is known for its cultural importance of hard work, with many men placing the importance of work above the demands of homelife. Japan also has a culture of working overtime and work-related drinking activities. This idea of going above and beyond in Japan is a key part of Japanese culture and is instilled in everyone from the time they are a child. A good example being the attendance of cram school, which typically starts in elementary school and continues until the end of high school.

Gautham Sivadasan 19

3007 Mill Gate Lane

Hanover NH 03755

Dartmouth College

Russ 13

20F

Japanese Proverb: Ishi ni tatsu ya (石に立つ矢）

Leave a reply

Japanese: 石に立つ矢

Translation: (the arrow) {that} (stands) (in) (stone)

Meaning: Through hard work/ belief in oneself you can make an arrow pierce stone.

Origin: Comes from an ancient Chinese legend where the hero pierces a rock with an arrow, with the lesson that nothing is impossible if you believe. 

Informant: MK

Zoom

11/8/2020

Informant Data: MK is a “23 who was born in San Francisco, but grew up in Japan. He went to 

An international school in Japan and speaks Japanese and English fluently. I know MK because he plays on the

Dartmouth Rugby team, and I have known him since the start of last year.

 

Contextual Data: When MK was younger, he played “shounen yakyuu” youth baseball,  a very popular sport for kids in Japan. Practices were every weekday for 2-3 hours. MK heard this quote a lot at his practices, because it is very applicable to the grind of learning and mastering a sport, and ties into the intensity of the culture surrounding life and hard work in JapanThe coaches were passionate about coaching, and a big part of That comes from Japanese culture and working on team building and character development. Furthermore, shounen yakyuu culture also placed an important emphasis on hard work and dedication to the game to instill values such as hard work and discipline. Finally, shounen yakyuu is also a good social outlet for youth because they get the opportunity to bond with their team in an environment outside of school.

Social Context: All over the world youth partake in a variety of different extracurricular activities, however, the way that this is manifested varies from country to country. In the United States, for example, it is much more common to see kids do an eclectic mix of 3-5 activities such as a sport, playing an instrument, or doing a visual art, and while this allows the children to become well rounded, they do not become as skillful at any one particular thing. Children in Japan on the other hand generally only have one activity extracurricular activity that they pursue, and they work on perfecting it over long periods of time through rigorous devotion to their craft.

Cultural Context: Japanese culture places an emphasis on working on one’s self in both a physical and mental way. While MK’s main experience with this phrase was with sports, he says that these days, it would be more likely to be heard in an academic context. The quote is like a reflection of Japanese society’s view of hard work. The phrase itself is very short and direct and is almost like a representation of how Japan views achievement and self-actualization: just putting your head down and getting it done. This view of hard work and dedication is present from youth in activities such as academics and school sports, all the way up to adulthood, when it is present in company culture, evidenced by salarymen working very long overtime hours.  

Gautham Sivadasan 19

3007 Mill Gate Lane

Hanover NH 03755

Dartmouth College

Russ 13

20F