Nghĩa biểu trưng của con số “ba” trong thành ngữ, tục ngữ thái

Abstract

The Thai language belongs to the Tai-Kadai language family. The Thai people refer to their idioms and proverbs as “quam chiêm lang” (words passed down). These language units encapsulate a lot of profound folk knowledge. Surveying 6,602 units of Thai idioms and proverbs, the number “three” occur 132 times. Compared to other numbers, the number “three” appears second most common (following only the number “one”). The number three expresses interesting symbolic meanings including completeness, singular/plural distinctions, taboo implications, complexity, change, and power. The symbolic meaning of the number “three” in Thai’ idioms and proverbs contributes to reflecting the human outlook and worldview of ethnic minorities. The article focuses on presenting the common cultural values, classifying and analyzing the symbolic meaning of the number “three” in Thai idioms and proverbs in order to identify the basic semantic features of this number in a clear and systematic manner.