食尾牙面憂憂，食頭牙撚喙鬚

Chinese

		eat; food; to feed eat; food; to feed; animal feed	last dinner party held by employer before Chinese New Year	face; side; surface face; side; surface; aspect; top	worried	worried		eat; food; to feed eat; food; to feed; animal feed	first dinner party held by employer after Chinese New Year	twirl (in the fingers)	beard
trad. (食尾牙面憂憂，食頭牙撚喙鬚)		食	尾牙	面	憂	憂	，	食	頭牙	撚	喙鬚
simp. (食尾牙面忧忧，食头牙撚喙须)		食	尾牙	面	忧	忧	，	食	头牙	撚	喙须
Literally: “worried when having last dinner with employer before Chinese New Year, but touching beard calmly when having the first dinner with employer after Chinese New Year”.

Pronunciation

• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): chia̍h bé-gê bīn iu-iu, chia̍h thâu-gê lián chhùi-chhiu / chia̍h bóe-gê bīn iu-iu, chia̍h thâu-gê lián chhùi-chhiu

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• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Taipei)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chia̍h bé-gê bīn iu-iu, chia̍h thâu-gê lián chhùi-chhiu
    • Tâi-lô: tsia̍h bé-gê bīn iu-iu, tsia̍h thâu-gê lián tshuì-tshiu
    • IPA (Taipei): /t͡sia(ʔ)⁴⁻¹¹ be⁵³⁻⁴⁴ ɡe²⁴ bin³³⁻¹¹ iu⁴⁴⁻³³ iu⁴⁴ t͡sia(ʔ)⁴⁻¹¹ tʰau²⁴⁻¹¹ ɡe²⁴ liɛn⁵³⁻⁴⁴ t͡sʰui¹¹⁻⁵³ t͡sʰiu⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Kaohsiung)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chia̍h bóe-gê bīn iu-iu, chia̍h thâu-gê lián chhùi-chhiu
    • Tâi-lô: tsia̍h bué-gê bīn iu-iu, tsia̍h thâu-gê lián tshuì-tshiu
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sia(ʔ)⁴⁻²¹ bue⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ ɡe²³ bin³³⁻²¹ iu⁴⁴⁻³³ iu⁴⁴ t͡sia(ʔ)⁴⁻²¹ tʰau²³⁻³³ ɡe²³ liɛn⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ t͡sʰui²¹⁻⁴¹ t͡sʰiu⁴⁴/

Proverb

食尾牙面憂憂，食頭牙撚喙鬚

1. (Southern Min) Employees are more prone to dismissal before than after Chinese New Year.

See also

• 無情雞 / 无情鸡 (mou⁴ cing⁴ gai¹) (Cantonese)

References

“Entry #3083”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2025.