Tâi-oân hái-kiap bô khàm-kòa

台灣海峽無蓋蓋

【解釋】台灣海峽沒有蓋蓋子

【比喻】台灣的親中人士,隨時都可以自己滾回中國,不必要勉強留在台灣

【英譯】There is no boundary on Taiwan Strait / This is a saying to some people who live in Taiwan but always prefer China over everything, so Formosan would use this saying to remind them nothing is stopping them from going and settling down in China

Chhùi leh liām-keng, chhiú leh bong leng

喙咧唸經,手咧摸奶

【解釋】嘴在唸經,手在摸奶

【比喻】說一套做一套,言行不一

【同義】
Chhùi liām-keng, chhiú bong leng
喙唸經,手摸奶

Chiàⁿ-chhiú liām-keng, tò-chhiú bong leng
正手唸經,倒手摸奶

Káu pūi hóe-chhia lián

狗吠火車輪

【解釋】狗對著火車輪叫

【比喻】無濟於事、做白工、無法參與或改變的事實

【英譯】A dog is barking at a running train’s wheels / Pointless, to no effect, to no avail

【同義】
Kàu pūi hóe-chhia
狗吠火車

Liông kau liông, hōng kau hōng, ún-ku–ê kau tòng-gōng

龍交龍,鳳交鳳,隱痀–兮交侗戇

【解釋】龍結交龍,鳳結交鳳,駝子結交傻子

【比喻】(1)哪種人結交哪種伴侶 (2)物以類聚

【英譯】A dragon’s mate would be a dragon; a phoenix’s mate would be a phoenix; a hunchback’s mate would be a dummy / Birds of a feather flock together

Pa̍t-lâng ê gín-á sí bē liáu

別人兮囡仔死袂了

【解釋】別人的小孩很多,死不完

【比喻】冷血不關心,莫管他人瓦上霜、事不關己,罵人自私

【同義】
Pa̍t-lâng ê kiáⁿ sí bē liáu
別人兮囝死袂了

【英譯】Careless for others / selfish / unconcerned

Tōa-chha̍t kiap sió-chha̍t, jiû-hî kiap ba̍k-cha̍t

大賊劫小賊,魷魚劫墨賊

【解釋】大賊搶劫小賊,魷魚攔截墨魚,大賊及魷魚的體型大於小賊和墨魚

【比喻】(1)黑吃黑,大吃小 (2)惡人之間的不講道義 (3)螳螂捕蟬,黃雀在後 (4)人外有人,天外有天 (5)一山還有一山高

【英譯】A stronger thief robs a weaker thief; a big squid catches smaller squid / Everything has its vanquisher

Iau-kúi ké sè-jī

枵鬼假細膩

【解釋】貪吃又假裝客氣

【比喻】(1)裝模作樣 (2)表裡不一,假惺惺的樣

【英譯】Hypocritical behavior

Sio-hûi–ê chia̍h khih, chit-chhio̍h–ê khùn í

燒磁–兮食缺,織蓆–兮睏椅

【解釋】燒瓷的把有缺陷的的留給自己用、織草蓆的捨不得睡在自己織的草蓆上卻睡椅子

【比喻】生產者生產出好產品卻為了收入考量,捨不得用,而使用較沒有價值的瑕疵品

【英譯】Some businesspeople reduced the waste by keeping defective products to themselves but saving the best for the customers