The Teochew Inspirational proverb”正想千丁，倒想绝种”,literally means that “Whether there are offspring or not depends on whether you are positive”.This is of course an exaggerated statement.

“正想千丁，倒想绝种”

Meaning of Teochew proverb”正想千丁，倒想绝种”

Because the ancient Chinese people valued having many children and many grandchildren.They were afraid of extinction and no one to pass on the family line. These two sentences have a serious warning tone.

“千丁”means thousands of grandchildren in Teochew.“正”in this sentence means positive and “倒”means negative.”绝种”means no offspring.

It is intended to advise people to consider everything from a positive perspective and make efforts to practice, and then there will be good results. If you are negative, there will be no good ending.

The story starts with a Teochew scholar’s dreams

The story of this proverb comes from a scholar from Teochew who went to the provincial capital to take the imperial examination. The scholar stayed overnight in an inn on the way to the examination and dreamed of three things:

1. He planted cabbages on the wall.
2. He went out in the rain wearing a bamboo hat and holding an umbrella.
3. He slept back to back with his beloved cousin.

Opposite interpretation of dream

Part 1

After waking up at dawn, the scholar couldn’t wait to find a fortune teller on the street to predict good or bad luck. The fortune teller shook his head:

“This is an ominous sign!
Growing cabbage on the wall is a waste of effort.
Wearing a bamboo hat and holding an umbrella is a waste of effort.
Sleeping with your back to your sweetheart means hopelessness!”

The scholar was dejected after hearing this, and went to the inn to pack his luggage and went home. ———This is the “negative thought” of the fortune teller and the scholar.

Part 2

The innkeeper asked the scholar why he didn’t take the exam? The scholar told him the whole story. The innkeeper slapped his thigh and said happily: “I will make your dream come true! This dream is a good omen!

1 Planting cabbage on the wall is a high-quality crop, which means you will pass the imperial examination.

(Planting pronounce the same as success in Chinese.Planting is”种”in Chinese,and success is”中” in Chinese,both pronounce as :”zhong”.And planting on the wall wrote as “高种” which pronounce the same as”高中”(which means success in an exam).)

You can practice ‘高中’s Mandarin reading according to the following audio

2 Wearing a bamboo hat and holding an umbrella is a double insurance
3 Sleeping with your cousin on your back means that you can get her as soon as you turn around and raise your hand.

The scholar’s fame can be achieved in a blink of an eye and with just a raise of your hand!”

-This is the “positive idea” of the innkeeper.

The scholar who accepted mindfulness received positive feedback from fate

The scholar felt that what the innkeeper said made sense, so he cheered up and worked hard. He really passed the imperial examination and married his cousin as he wished.

Later, he went to Beijing and passed the imperial examination, and was gradually promoted from a county magistrate.

When he retired and returned home, his descendants were thriving. He said to them with emotion: “It was because I ‘thought about things positively’ that I have ‘thriving descendants’ today. If I had ‘been negative’, I’m afraid I would have ‘become extinct’.”

“正想千丁，倒想绝种”

Practice speaking this sentence in Teochew dialect as below:

These two sentences have been passed down to this day as a warning to the world.