Frank:	Chāi thāmmāi mī thōng sǐ lǔeang thî āhǎn lâ	ชัย ทำไมมีธงสีเหลืองที่อาหารล่ะ	Chai, why are there yellow flags all around the market?
Chai:	phûea bòk wâ pēn āhǎn chē  tōn ní pēn thêtsàkān kīn chē	เพื่อบอกว่าเป็นอาหารเจ ตอนนี้เป็นเทศกาลกินเจ	To indicate vegetarian foods. Right now is the vegetarian festival.
Frank:	âo  rǒe  phǒm sǒnchāi rûeang ní mâk  phǒm pāi thî nǎi dī	อ้าว เหรอ ผมสนใจเรื่องนี้มาก ผมไปที่ไหนดี	Is that so? I’m very interested in this festival. Where do I go?
Chai:	khūn tông pāi thî Yāowárât  nân làe  sǔnklāng lōei là	คุณต้องไปที่เยาวราช นั่นแหละ ศูนย์กลางเลยล่ะ	You have to go to Yaowarat. That’s the centre.
Frank:	ōkē  khūn mâi kīn chē rǒe	โอเค คุณไม่กินเจเหรอ	Okay. Are you  vegetarian?
Chai:	bāng khrâng  sùan mâk khōn chúeasāi chīn chà kīn kān	บางครั้ง ส่วนมากคนเชื้อสายจีนจะกินกัน	Sometimes. Most observers are ethnic Chinese.
Frank:	kīn chē mǔean kàp māng-sà-wí-rât mâi châi rǒe	กินเจเหมือนกับมังสวิรัติไม่ใช่เหรอ	Chinese vegetarian practices are the same as general vegetarian practices, aren’t they?
Chai:	mâi mǔean thī dīao  kīn chē chà krêng kwà mâk	ไม่เหมือนกันทีเดียว กินเจจะเคร่งกว่ามาก	Not quite. Chinese vegetarianism is much more strict.
Frank:	ngán rǒe  yàngrāi lâ	งั้นเหรอ อย่างไรล่ะ	Really. How?
Chai:	khōn kīn chē mâi kīn núea  khài  nōm  phàk mī klìn bāng chánît  tông thǔe sǐn  láe ngôt kit-chà-kām thāng phêt dûai	คนกินเจไม่กินเนื้อ ไข่ นม ผักมีกลิ่นบางชนิด ต้องถือศีล และงดกิจกรรมทางเพศด้วย	They don’t eat meat, animal products and certain veggies that have a strong smell. Also, they must observe strict precepts and abstain from sexual activities.
Frank:	ūem  phǒm hěn thāng thīvī ná  khōn thî kīn chē sài chût khǎo dûai	อือม์ ผมเห็นทางทีวีนะ คนที่กินเจใส่ชุดขาวด้วย	Um, I see. I learned from TV that Chinese vegetarians dress in white.
Chai:	châi  phûea tūean tōn-ēng láe phû-ùen hâi rúe wá kāmlāng thǔe sǐn	ใช่ เพื่อเตือนตนเองและผู้อื่นให้รู้ว่ากำลังถือศีล	Um uh. It’s a reminder that they’re observing precepts.
Frank:	nâ-sǒn-chāi nâ-sǒn-chāi yēn ní rāo pāi Yāowárât kān mǎi  Chāi	น่าสนใจๆ เย็นนี้ไปเยาวราชกันไหม ชัย	Very interesting! Let’s go to Yaowarat this evening, Chai.
Chai:	tòklōng  pāi sì	ตกลง ไปสิ	Okay, let’s do that.

Language watch Let’s look at a way to making your spoken Thai sound more natural. You can do that by adding a small word in front of the main verb. It functions much the same way as modals do in English. The one for today’s lesson is tông, which means must, have to, or need to in English. Here are two examples from the lesson: khūn tông pāi thî Yāowárât (You have to go to Yaowarat.) nǒk chàk ní tông thǔe sǐn (They must observe precepts.)

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This lesson was prepared by Acharn Sunee Siidao, Educational Specialist.

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Last modified: October 23, 2006 |

Welcome back to a new adaptation of Phût Phāsǎ Thāi after our transitional Songkran break. As per the valued suggestions of our readers, the transliterations now follow the Royal Institute's system (http://www.royin.go.th/th/profile/index.php), which includes tone markers. In terms of content, the column will continue to provide you with everyday language on specific topics.

๒๔ tulakhom ๒๕๔๙   ( 24 October 2006)

Phût phāsǎ Thai The vegetarian festival / thêtsàkān kīn chē A Thai-Chinese couple browse vegetarian food ahead of a vegetarian festival at Chinatown in Bangkok. Perhaps you have noticed small yellow flags throughout the market place. Some are on strings strung overhead. Some are attached to sticks planted in food containers. Emblazoned on each bright yellow flag is the graceful red Chinese calligraphic symbol for the word chē, which means vegetarian. It's a sign that this year's Chinese Vegetarian Festival - a nine-day celebration - has begun. The big event is from the first to the ninth days of the ninth month of the Chinese calendar, which is from Saturday, October 21 to Sunday, October 29. Kīn chē style vegetarian practice excludes meat or other animal products; animal by-products, such as dairy goods and eggs; and even pungent vegetables such as garlic, shallots and Chinese chives. In the Chinese area of Bangkok, Yaowarat's Chinese shrines see their busiest time when crowds, dressed in white, chant and pay homage to the revered deities with auspicious fruits and vegetarian offerings. The tradition is also very strong in the southern provinces like Trang and Phuket.