Some Khmer sayings

In the former Cambodian society, people have gone through many experience f life, and they want to guide and advise the next generations with some insights and directions, which later on known as lessons learned from the informal society. For any particular life experience, situation or circumstance, there was a lesson learned drawn from it. Those lessons learned were formed and transformed into good and beautiful sentences (often with rhyme words) to make people easy to say and remember, and finally become “sayings”. For me, Khmer sayings and Cambodian lessons learned from the former Khmer society are the same.

During the course of time, while some sayings still useful and powerful for the current Cambodian society, some others become irrelevant or even hindering forces to the positive social changes. In other words, there are sayings that influence Cambodian behaviors positively and sayings that influence people’s behaviors negatively. Some old Khmer sayings are not relevant at all for the current society (meaningless). Below are some sayings that still have powerful influences on Cambodian attitudes and practices:

A.Khmer sayings that facilitate learning and change

Tork Tork Penh Bampong (Drop by drop fills the(bamboo) container): Do thing step by step; small things (saving) will be accumulated to a big one.

Ches min chhnah chorng (Knowing is not better than willingness): Willingness get more successes than knowledge. It gives values to person’s attitudes rather than his or her knowledge.

Ches mok pi rean,mean mok pi rork(Knowledge come from learning, wealth from business): This saying encourages people to learn and to work hard (not lazy), if s/he wishes to become knowledgeable and rich.

Ches dob min smoeuning prasab mouy (Know 10 is not equalthan 1 skillfulness): Being skillful is far better than just having knowledge. This saying gives more values to people’s talent and their creativity in achieving the goal.

Damrey choeung bourn kung mean ploat, nek prach ches stoat kung mean phlek (4-feet elephant will surely trip, professional wise man will surely forget): Everyone makes mistakes. No one can avoid mistakes. Making mistakes is human natural.

Kmas lngung toeb ches,Kmas kror toeb mean(Feeling shame of being ignorant leads to be knowledgeable, feeling shame of poor leads to be rich.): Being sensitive to your weaknesses so that you can overcome them. If you don’t care about them, nothing will be improved.

Khoeng koch, khoeng khat(Anger is damage,anger is waste): We need to control our temper (anger) so that everything will go smooth without disasters.

B.Khmer sayings that hinder learning and change

Strey bangvel changkran min chum(Women cannot manage around stove): Women has limited ability to do thing. The prioritized work for women is around household (such as cooking, cleaning, children etc.)

Kloun tirp kom toung dey kley kom choung sra war aub phnom(Do not try to grasp the mountain with your short body and short arms
): Do not try to do anything beyond your abilities and available resources.

Kom Kit dochchao chak smok(Do not think like the man, who makes palm leave box): This is a saying from a Cambodian folk story. A man sat on the top of a palm tree, and was making a box from the palm leaves. While he was doing, he started to dream with a logical steps, i.e. when I have produced so many boxes, I will get a lot of money, and when I get a lot of money I will do this, then this …, finally I can hire a housemaid to work for me, and if the housemaid does not work and behave appropriately for me, I will kick him. While dreaming to this stage, the man has made a real kicks down the palm tree, and unfortunately he fell down from the palm tree .

Num min thomcheang neal(Cake is not biggerthan its basket): Parents have power / control over their children.Parents can make decision on behalf of their children. What the children have to do is to comply the parents’ decision.

Khoenh damrey chuh, kom chuh tam damrey(See elephant defecates, do not defecate as it does): Do not try to do anything beyond your capacity and ability. Do not be ambitious!

Kom put Sralao,kom pradao srey koch (Do not bend Sralao, do not educate prostitute): Sralao is a kind of tree.The saying means that you cannot change anything from its nature. Prostitutes are not be able to be educated to change their attitude.

Khmer sayings about power

Pong moan kom chul ning thmor(Egg not to hit stone): Weak (powerless) people not to challenge powerful people.

Phnom mouy min del mean kla pi(A mountain neverhas two tigers): There is only one powerful person, who has the control over one area (location).

Changkes mouy bach kach min bak(A bunch of sticks cannot be broken): Represents the power of solidarity or being together.

Tek loeng trey sisra-mauch, tek hauch sra-mauch si trey(when water raises,fish eats ant, when water decreases, ant eats fish): A powerful person will certainly powerless in some circumstance, and the powerless person will be powerful in another circumstance. Circumstances can change people’s power status.