Birds are entangled by their feet and men by their tongues :)
What's that all about? I've never seen a bird trip over its own foot. Even Flamingos that are all legs and feet seem as graceful as ballet dancers.
Well, our rooster Zeus stumbles around when he walks but that's because his spurs are too long and they make it difficult for him to maneuver.
And, men by their tongues. Now that's more believable than the other.
I Googled the saying to see if it was actually a Chinese saying and apparently it was. And it means something like birds do better on their wings, and men sometimes get trapped by their tongues.
But what does that mean and why did the Universe feel that I needed that particular message at this point in my life.
Somebody help me here. Was somebody sniffing too much ginseng or simply having fun with us wacky Americans?
I suspect if I was a bird I would use my feet as little as possible. To fly, to soar above the earth is a cherished fantasy. And sadly I have been trapped by my tongue before. I vote for someone messing with your mind. Because they could.
ReplyDeleteI'm still trying to visualize a bird tangled with his feet.
ReplyDeleteI think something was lost in the translation! Ha! I love reading fortunes. Jack and I always swap to see who has the best one. Did you know I have a son that speaks Chinese? He went on a church mission to Taiwan for 2yrs. I'm sure he's not as fluent as he used to be. He could even read it..not an easy task! Have a good Friday!
ReplyDeleteYou have your countrymen to blame for this since fortune cookies are an American creation.
ReplyDeleteAh Man. I didn't know that.
DeleteR
It will be interesting to see if you have a revelation aboout the meaning soon. It is the strangest message I have ever seen from a fortune cookie.
ReplyDeleteHere's my take on this: it means if you might think before you speak it might pay off in the shape of a better outcome....
ReplyDeleteAlphie
Boy oh boy...how true this quote it...
ReplyDeleteOk, ill be wondering on this all day and checking back at comments to see some answers. Im one that gets the cookie without a fortune inside. We get a giggle everytime it happens.
ReplyDeleteLisa
I'd take it as a general warning to be careful what you say. I've had reason to regret words I've spoken in the past. Sad but true, once they are said, we can't take them back.
ReplyDeleteI ain't reading any more of Stephen Hayes comments, Here I was believing in the wisdom of the Chinese and thought I had the winning Lottery Number. Now when it says I will find a fortune, Imma know it is a 'story'. Ban Stephen from comments! ;-) That is news to me too. I bet the Chinese folk get a laugh out of them when they are making them. LOL
ReplyDeleteGood entry@!
Have you ever gotten one that says, "Ignore previous cookie"?
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is that it got you thinking! Think before you speak!
ReplyDeleteWell, Rick, I will give you a few examples off the top of my head.
ReplyDelete1. Daddy said his mother didn't want them to clean out the hair in the hairbrush and toss it into the yard lest the biddies get their feet tangled up in the hair.
2. I had a coworker once who insisted that we cut the plastic rings that came around a 6-pack of soft drinks so the seagulls at the landfill wouldn't get their feet tangled up in them.
3. And a traditional bushcraft way to catch birds like pheasants (think Barney Fife trying to use Gomer's extra shoelace in the "Back to Nature" episode) is to use a string snare.
Anyway, the saying is nice, contrasting the literal entrapment of a bird with the metaphorical entrapment of using ill-advised words.
In a way, it is a bit of a take on a verse in Proverbs 7, where a young man is entrapped by a woman who personifies foolishness (as opposed to wisdom, which is also personified as a woman): "He goeth after her straightway... as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life."
Ha, now call me a smart cookie, lol.