So the other day, I went to eat at a Chinese restaurant. And I was reading that little piece of paper from my Chinese fortune cookie and realized that these words of wisdom dispensed in folded cookies were exhibiting a higher level of intelligence than before. In the past, I found they were doing nothing more than re-stating the obvious (ie, to better absorb food, one must chew before swallowing, or some wise crap like that :P). But this particular note I got confounded me, and I haven't felt this confused about a note since I was last asked to question about my own sexual orientation :D. This note reads "A feather in one's hand is better than a bird in the air." And on the back, it says "菜" is pronounced "shu-cai", which further adds to the contextual mystery of this note. So, feather, hand, bird, air, and 菜, why?! Can the same be said about hair in one's hand being better than a head attached to one's neck? Any expert please shed some light. Thanks :P

The idiom may imply that you should live in the present and seize any opportunities. As to the word “shu-cai,” my guess is that the owner of the restaurant is trying to teach foreigners learning Chinese by this way.

"A Feather in One's Hand is Better than a Bird in the Air"
= "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." (idiom)
= "双鳥在林, 不如一鳥在手"; "多得不如現得"

"shu cai" = "蔬菜" in Putonhua (普通話)
It's there to teach foreigners simple Chinese.

Sorry for the typo: "Putonghua"

Thank you enigma for sharing what he have read in his daily life.

Thank you Elinor and two persons' reply.

I learn a lot from all of you .

This means: It's better to have a small actual advantage than the chance of a greater one. Many cultures have similar proverbs like it.

wow, you guys are all very knowledgable! thanks for the answer. But isn't "Cai" pronounced as "Kai"?

In Putonghua, yes.

Quote:

In Hanyu Pinying, c = ㄘ
e.g.
疵 = ci = ㄘ
參 = can = ㄘㄢ
操 = cao = ㄘㄠ