CHÁANG TÁO NÂA - CHÁANG TÁO LǍNG : A PROPOSAL FROM THE EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE

Abstract

The definition of “Cháang táo nâa - Cháang táo lǎng” at the present time has been interpreted as gender discrimination in that the fore legs of the elephant have taken a step first, whereas the hind legs have moved later. Metaphorically male is the fore legs, while female is the hind legs of the elephant. The former represents leaders, whereas the latter represents followers. This article aims to approach and scrutinize the maxim’s interpretation and give a real meaning as an empirical evident proposal. Logically, the mentioned maxim “Cháang táo nâa - Cháang táo lǎng” has been argued by empirical evident approaches. There have been plenty of arguments to contradict the previous maxim’s interpretation in this article. The study has revealed that, as an elephant takes its step, the hind legs firstly move and the fore legs move later. Thus, male represented by the fore legs may not be leaders; on the other hand, female represented by the hind legs may not be followers. It should be a compromise between male and female’s significance of roles to be interpreted as the fore and hind legs of the elephant.