Thai proverbs — read closely · Parallel Proverbs

Parallel & Proverbs

A weekly literary miscellany

Don't Teach a Crocodile to Swim

สอนจระเข้ให้ว่ายน้ำ

sǎwn jɔɔ-rá-kêe hâi wâai náam

A Thai proverb about instructing a crocodile in the one thing it does best — and what the choice of animal tells you about the kind of fool the proverb has in mind.

Boasting 1,250 wds 6 min

№ 01 Thailand

Fear the Still Water

น้ำนิ่งไหลลึก

nam ning lai luek

Why Thais say still water runs deepest — and how Russian, Japanese, and Latin traditions each arrive at the same warning about silence from a completely different direction.

Vigilance 1,190 wds 6 min

Thai proverbs, at a glance

Fear the still water; the quiet one runs deepest

น้ำนิ่งไหลลึก

Nam ning lai luek

Literally: Still water flows deep

Thai · Thailand

Set beside
- Russian — в тихом омуте черти водятся; supernatural menace in still water, applied to people
- Japanese — the hawk with skill hides its talons; deliberate concealment of dangerous capability
- Latin (Curtius Rufus) — the deepest rivers flow with the least sound; greatness and power manifest quietly
To teach a crocodile to swim.

สอนจระเข้ให้ว่ายน้ำ

Sǎwn jɔɔ-rá-kêe hâi wâai náam

Literally: Teach a crocodile to give it swimming

Thai · Thailand

Set beside
- Latin — sus Minervam; presumption recast as blasphemy — a pig daring to instruct a goddess
- Chinese — 班门弄斧; showing off your craft before the master craftsman — the audience makes the fool