Appendix Figurative Speech Examples (Indonesian language examples precede Minangkabau language examples) marah/berang (“anger”) 1. rasa marah, mendidih darahnya (when angry, the blood boils) raso berang, mengalagak darahnyo 2. panas hati (hot liver) paneh hati 3. sempit hati (narrow, tight liver) sampik hati 4. naik pitam (flaring up, rising of dizziness) naia pitam 5. naik darah (flaring up, rising of blood) naia darah 6. harimau di perut, kambing keluar mulut (there is a tiger in the stom- ach, but a goat comes out of the mouth. One feels angry inside, but one speaks sweetly like a goat) harimau di peruik, kambiang kaluah muluik 7. musang berbulu ayam (the civet cat is chicken feathered—disguised as a chicken—wolf in sheep’s clothing—the enemy pretends friendship, but is ready to hurt) 8. musuh dalam selimut (the enemy under the same blanket—pretends friendship, but is dangerous) 9. palak-palak miang (hot skin as from touching a miang nettle—having hidden anger—[Echols gives anger as the first meaning of palak]) 10. anak sinyamuk dalam padi the small animal is in the rice field cuko didalam pabarasan vinegar is in the salad bia bakucamuak di dalam hati although there is fury in the heart dimuko usah tampak nothing shows in the face cerdik/cadiak (“clever”) 1. kalau cadiak, urang ndak kabatanyo, bagak urang indak kamalawan (the clever person isn’t questioned, the brave person isn’t attacked) 222 Appendix dendam (“revenge”) (this has elements of anger implied, hence close to the above examples) 1. api dalam sekam (fire smoldering in the rice husks—there is anger inside, but it can’t be seen—but he/she will get revenge eventually) api dalam sakam This saying was often linked to dendam, but once Pak A used it in connec- tion with love between two young people that was never expressed. This exemplifies the ways in which Minangkabau figurative speech can be used creatively, opportunistically, to make a point. Meanings are not totally fixed. 2,3. Musang berbulu ayam (a civet cat in chicken feathers) musuh dalam selimut (an enemy under the blanket) Both of these, like the preceding, are about hidden resentment. kacau (“confusion”) 1. seperti Cino karam (like a Chinese shipwreck—cf. English: a Chinese fire drill) bak Cino karam 2. payung tanggal kasau (the umbrella looses its ribs—it’s all messed up—of a situation that is seriously out of order, especially a social group— payung/umbrella is a metaphor for a local kin group in Minangkabau social organization) payuang tangga kasau kasih-sayang-cinta/kasiah/sayang/cinto (“love”) 1. seperti bulan empat belas (like a full moon—fourteenth day moon) bak bulan ampek baleh 2. seperti pinang dibelah dua (like an areca nut cut in half—both faces show the same pattern, the two people are just alike) bak pinang dibalah duo 3. air di daun keladi (water on a taro leaf—it disappears quickly—love is fleeting) aia di daun kaladi 4. kasih ibu sepanjang jalan, kasih anak sepanjang penggalan (a mother’s love lasts the whole way, but the child’s love lasts only for a bit) kasiah ibu sapanjang jalan, kasiah anak sapanjang panggalan Appendix 223 malu (“shame/guilt/embarrassment”) 1. membungkus tulang dengan daun keladi (wrap the bones in a taro leaf— it will soon tear, everyone will see the bones and you will be shamed) mambungkuik tulang jo daun kaladi 2. malu-malu kucing (a cat’s shame/embarrassment—it wants some- thing—e.g., the milk—but pretends shyness) malu-malu kuciang 3. yang sakit kata, yang malu tampak (words can hurt someone, if it is visible to all, shame) nan sakik kato, nan malu tampak 4. gading berpina, baling berkikih (the elephant’s tusks are turned down, the tiger’s stripes are scratched off—the power of the leader is stripped away, and he is shamed) gadiang bapina, baliang bakikih 5. Kaca pecah, minyak tabung, bau tabur ke nagari (the bottle breaks, the oil/kerosene is spilled, the smell spreads throughout the community— and you are shamed) kaco pacah, minyak tabuang, baun tabia ba ka nagari 6. (the water buffalo wallows in the mud, and everyone gets muddy— shame spreads to the whole group) [Minangkabau only:] sikua kabau bakumbang, sadonyo kana luaknyo 7. malu tercoreng di kening (shame is written in charcoal across his fore head—so everyone can see it) malu tacoreng di kaniang 8. daripada perputih mata lebih baik perputih tulang (better have whit- ened bones than whitened eyes—better be dead than pine away where everyone can see you and shame you) daripado baputiah mato labiah baiak baputiah tulang 9. tebal telingga (thick ears) taba talinggo 10. merobek baju di dada (a torn shirt on his chest—to be seen in public with a torn shirt) cabiak baju di dado 11. muluik tabua dapek di sumbeik, muluik manusia indak bisa disumbeik (you can stop the mouth of a drum, but you can’t stop the mouths of people—and so they will gossip, and you will be shamed) 12. Kok hilang raso jo pareso, bak kayu lungga pangabek (if you loose reason and shame, it’s like a bundle of firewood come untied) rindu (“nostalgia”) 1. rumput di halaman sudah tinggi (the grass in the yard is already high— it’s time to come home) rumpuik di halaman alah tinggi 224 Appendix 2. pungguk merindukan bulan (the owl longs for the moon—hopeless longing) pungguik marindukan bulan 3. hujan emas di nagari orang, hujan batu di nagari kami, namun kam- pung jauh (it rains gold in foreign lands, but it rains stones on our land, but we are far from home) hujan ameh di nagari urang, hujan batu di nagari awak, namun kam- puang takana juo 4. (however far the egret flies, it always returns to its nest) [Minangkabau only:]sajauah-jauah tabang bangau, baliaknyo kakai bangan juo 5. nasi dimakan raso sakam, aia diminum raso duri (the rice you eat tastes like husks, the water you drink tastes like thorns—i.e., when you are far from home) sedih/sadiah (“sad”) 1. Mulut saya berisi air, dan perut saya berisi batu (my mouth is full of water, and my stomach is full of stones) muluik den barisi aia, paruik den barisi batu 2. mulutku bagio disimpul batu (my mouth is stopped with stones) muluik den raso disampa jo batu 3. makan hati berulam jantung (to eat liver with heart as a side dish—to pile on the sadness) makan hati barulam jantuang 4. awan mengandung hujan (the clouds hold rain) awan manganduang hujan 5. hatiku bagai disayal sembilu (my heart is sliced with a bamboo knife) hati den raso disaya sembilu senang/sanang (“happy”) 1. mukanya seperti bulan purnama ( a face like a full moon) mukonyo saroman bulan purnama 2. seperti kera dapat mainan (like a monkey that has gotten a toy) saroman kara dapek mainan 3. seperti mendapat durian runtuh (like finding a ripe fallen durian fruit) saroman mandapek durian runtuah 4. seperti mendapat tebu rebah (like finding an already-cut sugarcane) saroman mandapek tabu rabah Appendix 225 sombong (“arrogance/pride”) 1. hari panas lupo kacang dengan kulitnya (when the day becomes hot, the peanut forgets its shell—when things get good, he forgets where he came from) karanyo hari a lapaneh lupo kacang di kuliknyo 2. makin berisi, makin runduk—ilmu padi (the fuller, the lower—the wisdom of the rice—the more one knows the more humble—less som- bong—one is) makin barisi, makin runduak 3. bagaikan kacang direbus satu (like a peanut being boiled by itself—it jumps arrogantly all around the pot) bagaikan kacang dirabuik ciek 4. besar pasak daripada tiang (a big nail driven into a small post—espe- cially in an economic sense—someone who spends more than he/she earns—too big for one’s britches) gadang pasak daripado tiang 5. air beriak tanda tidak dalam (rippling water means that it is shallow—a big show indicates there’s not much there) aia bariak tando indak dalam 6. tong kosong nyaring bunyinya (an empty barrel makes a loud noise, cf. Shakespeare) tong kosong nyaring bunyinyo 7. seperti katak tempurung (like a frog under a coconut shell—it thinks that it fills the universe) saroman goncek dibawah tempuruang 8. tinggi ruok dari botol (the foam rises high from the bottle—but even though it climbs high, it has no substance) 9. karano tinggi lonjak, pasuak kopiah (he/she jumps very high and ruins his/her hat—the foolishness of ambition) takut/takuik (“fear”) 1. seperti bulan kesiangan (like the moon at midday—very pale) saromon bulan kesiangan 2. seperti kucing dibawah lidi (like a cat under a palm leaf rib—expecting to be beaten) saromon kuciang dibawah lidi 3. kalau takut di ujung bedil, lari ke pangkanya (if you are afraid at the mouth of the gun, run to its rear) kalau takuik di ujung badia, lari kapanganyo 226 Appendix 4. jika takut di lembur pasang, jangan berumah di tepi pantai (if you are afraid of the rising tide, don’t live on the beach) jiko takuik di lambur pasang, jan barumah di tapi pantai 5. takut karena salah, berani karena benar ( afraid when doing something wrong, but brave when doing the right thing—being afraid that people will see and he/she will be shamed—the sense of malu hidden in takut) terkejut/takajuik (“surprise”) 1. habis darahku (my blood was finished) habih darah den 2. petir di siang hari (thunder at noon—very unusual) patia siang hari tersinggung/tasingguang (“offended” “touched”— both the emotion and the physical act) 1.