To take the bull by the horn means to face difficulty directly, and fearlessly. This is the explanation I had been offered by freedictionary.com.
In Chinese Idioms, there is an seemingly similar phrase: 钻牛角尖
A literal translation is to bore through the tip of a bull's horn. The phrase is commonly used to describe fixating on futile plans.
However, I had a prior misconception on its meaning and use, and thought it was the chinese equivalent of "taking the bull by the horn". This led me to put a negative connotation on latter, and thought that it described doing things the hard way. After verifying the true meanings of both idioms, what that had seemed like misunderstanding attributed to a cultural difference was actually one that was due to my own ignorance. Shame was quickly followed by an epiphany: Besides pride and prejudice, ignorance is also a major barrier to effective communication! Kudos!
Anyhow, the morale of the story was actually to not assume anything too soon. At least, make sure the facts are right in the very first place.
I cannot agree more with your opinion about the miscommunication. It is the ignorance which led to some of main communication mistakes. I still remember that when I first came to Singapore, the Singlish which mixed quite a lot of Fujian Hua made me very confused. After entering the university, some of my local friends offered me a chance to further understand the meaning of the words. Like Loh Bang...Kia Su....Cui...(I guess my spelling is still wrong..) Finally I could understand some of the parts which sounded so familiar but I had never figured out the meaning before. I think language plays a very important part in the culture especially for a foreigner to understand and get known to the society.
ReplyDeleteWhile Singlish does have some common vocabulary with other languages, the use and the context may be different. It is the same case as for different cultures where similar gestures can have different connotations. These differences can sometimes tread on very thin lines. Fortunately, for Singapore, we are easy going people(sometimes too much so). So, there shouldn't be much worries about faux pas and integration.
ReplyDeleteCheers!
I'd like to share a similar story about assuming things too soon. On one occasion in the bus, I noticed a pair of middle-aged couple, around their 40s - 50s. The woman was standing beside her partner, and the man was seated. I couldn't help wondering why the man hadn't offered the other seat to the woman. How ungentlemanly! I thought. Furthermore, he was sitting in such a way that there wasn't enough space for the lady to seat even if she wanted to. It was only when they alighted that I noticed that the man was walking with a limp. It dawned on me that his injured leg probably gave him some discomforts while sitting (the leg space wasn't alot). Yet the lady, probably his wife, didn't mind him taking up two seats at all. How presumptuous I had been!
ReplyDeleteWell stated post, Wee Boon, and a good insight about assumptions. How dangerous they can be. Thanks for spurring the thoughtful comments that follow....
ReplyDeleteIt is always good to remind ourselves not to make assumptions too soon. Often, we may lack key information, which can render our assumptions wrong. Just as in the story Stephanie related, we would be likely to assume that the man was inconsiderate in some way. That is until we have the additional knowledge that the man was actually injured and probably needed extra legspace. I guess the moral of the story is to take prudence, especially in making assumptions.
ReplyDelete