Below are fifty time-tested nuggets of Cambodian wisdom, each turbo-charged with a one-line, 2025-ready application so you can drop them in Slack, sprints, or squat racks and watch the room ignite.
| # | Khmer (script β’ transliteration) | Literal image | Modern punch-line |
| 1 | αααααααααααα β’ tak tak penh bampong | Many drops fill the jug | Micro-wins compound into moonshots |
| 2 | ααααΎααα·αααα ααααα·αααααΆα β’ dai dΕm mΔn tΕ-tΓ©, puΙh mΔn klΓ©an | Busy hands, full belly | Hustle > hope |
| 3 | ααααΎααα’ααΆαααα’ ααααΎα’αΆαααααααΆαα’αΆααααα β’ thvΕ la ban la β¦ | Do good, get good | Karmaβs the KPI |
| 4 | αααααα½ααα·αααΆαααααΆααΈα β’ phnom muoy β¦ | One mountain, one tiger | Clear owner, zero turf wars |
| 5 | α ααααΉααα½αααΆα αααΆα ααα·αααΆαα | Bundle of sticks unbreakable | Teamwork = Invincibility |
| 6 | ααΉαα‘αΎαααααΈαααΈαααααα ; ααΉαα αα αααααα αααΈααααΈ | High water: fish eat ants | Cycles flip hierarchiesβhedge! |
| 7 | ααΎαααααΌααα»α α±αααααΌα | Ripe rice stalk bows | Mastery β humility |
| 8 | αα»ααα»αα α·αααααα αα»ααα»αα α·αααααααΆα | Donβt trust sky or stars | Double-check dashboards |
| 9 | ααΌααα ααααααα | Boat sails, shore stays | Ship work that outlives you |
| 10 | αα»αααΆααααΎαααΎαααααα | Donβt fell tree for fruit | Protect assets & future cashflow |
| 11 | αα»αα±αααα»ααααΉαααΆαα αΆα/ααααΆαααα’αααα | Angry man β dishes | Pause decisions under rage-lag |
| 12 | αα½αααααααΆαα α·ααα αα½ααα»αααΆαα | Ask the face for heart news | Read body-data, not just metrics |
| 13 | ααΉαα αααΎααα»αα’α½αα αααΎα | Know much, brag little | Let numbers flex for you |
| 14 | αα»αααΆααα’αααααα’αα αα»αααα αΈα’ααααααα‘αΆαα | Hate β bullets; love β loans | Keep emotions off contracts |
| 15 | ααααΈααΆααααααα»αααΎαααΎ | Stuck elephant topples trees | Unblock leaders fast or lose assets |
| 16 | ααααΆα’αΆααααααααα ααααα’αΆαααααααααΆ | Tiger & forest co-depend | Map platform two-sided value |
| 17 | ααααΆαααα»ααααααα | Eggs donβt headbutt stone | Pick battles fit to your mass |
| 18 | α’αααααααα ααααΆααααα | Long eel, long pot | Right-size tooling to scope |
| 19 | ααααΆαα·ααα ααααα»αα‘αΎαααΆααα | Cat away, mice reign | Governance gaps grow chaos |
| 20 | αα·αααααΎααα αα»ααααΈααα’α·α | If wrongdoing, donβt get fat | Hidden harm still bills interest |
| 21 | αααααΉααααααΎαααααα αααα’αααααααααα | Water makes rivers; rice makes armies | Channel surplus into scaling loops |
| 22 | α αΌαααααΉαααΆααα α αΌααααα»αααΆααααααα | Follow bends, follow customs | Localize before you globalize |
| 23 | ααααααααα·ααααα½ααα | Sky never dry | Monitor silent churn |
| 24 | αααα’αααααΆ ααααΆαα’αααααα | Your hair, your head | Own the outcomeβno excuses |
| 25 | ααΆααααααα αα»ααααΆ (βbreak the rice-potβ) | Self-sabotage | Donβt torch your revenue stream |
| 26 | αα½α ααΆαααααΆαα αααααααααΆαα | Steal profit, hang loss | Shortcut β scaffold collapse |
| 27 | ααααααααΆαααααα | Bend iron while hot | Shape habits early |
| 28 | ααΎαααΎαα»α αα»αα’αααα»αααΎ | Donβt sit on rotten wood | Audit vendors & smart contracts |
| 29 | ααΌαααα ααααααααααα | Gourd sinks, shards float | Expect sudden power inversions |
| 30 | ααΎαααααΈαα»α αα»ααα»αααΆα | Donβt mimic the elephantβs dump | Scale to your runway |
| 31 | ααααααΆαααΆαααΆαα? α αΌααα»ααα! | Join caravan departure, not payout | Seed-stage > band-wagon |
| 32 | ααααΆααα»αααΆαααααΆα, ααααΏααα»αααΆααααα | Delay hunger/sleep | Check risk before impulse |
| 33 | αααα»αα ααααΎαα’ααααΆ ααααααααα ααααααααααΎα | Bees flee barren stems | Mission drift drives talent drift |
| 34 | ααααααααΈ αα·ααααααΈ | Tend buffalo, ride buffalo | Leverage in-house assets first |
| 35 | ααααΆαααααΆα ααααΆαααααααΈ (βdirty water still douses fireβ) | Imperfect tools save the day | Pragmatism > perfectionism |
| 36 | ααααΆααΆαααααα α | Cat hides claws | Assume unseen leverage |
| 37 | αααααΆααααΆααααα αα | Walls have ears | OPSEC every channel |
| 38 | ααααα»αααα’αΆααα»αα±ααααΎαααααα | Pretty woman behind? Beware | Hide digital distractions |
| 39 | αα ααΆαααααΌααααΆ | Follow ancestorsβ road | Legacy playbooks trump guesswork |
| 40 | α’ααααααα ααααΉαα αααΎα ααααααααΉαα’αααααα | Know a lot, respect more | Stay forever-student |
| 41 | α αααααα·α αααααααααΆαα | Little knowledge = danger | Research before hot-takes |
| 42 | ααααααααααα½αβ¦ αα½αααααα’ααααΌαααααα | One rotten apple ruins basket | Cull toxic culture early |
| 43 | α±αααͺαα»αααααΆααααΆα αααααααααααα αααα | Feed parents while throats stand | Prioritize elders now, not βlaterβ |
| 44 | α ααααΉαααΆαααααΈ | Catch fish, donβt muddy water | Win clean, leave future hooks |
| 45 | αα»αα²ααααΆαα α¬αα»αα²αααα | Burn it crisp or leave it raw | Commit or quitβno half-bakes |
| 46 | ααααΆαααααα½αααα’ααΆαααααΆααααααα | Physical death < reputation death | Guard your brand like life |
| 47 | ααΎααΆαααΉα ααΆαααααΈ | Where water, thereβs fish | Opportunity follows resources |
| 48 | ααΆααααα αα»αααΆααα’ααα ααααα | Donβt empty quiver on one shot | Budget ammo across battles |
| 49 | ααααΈαα·αααααΉαααΎααααΈααααααααα½α | Fish donβt muddy to hide | Transparency attracts trust |
| 50 | αααα»αααΆαα»αα· (ααΆα) ααααΈααΆαααααα (αααααΆαα) | Men = gold, women = white cloth | Double standards existβbreak them |
How to wield this arsenal
- Weekly mantra: slap #1-#50 on flash cards; draw one every Monday for a laser-focus theme.
- Emoji code: π =tiger-mountain (#4), π§=drop-jug (#1), πͺ΅=bundle (#5).
- Retro prompts: βDid our sprint bow like ripe rice (#7) or stand stiff like the green stalk?β
Harness these lines and youβre not just quoting cultureβyouβre fuel-injecting ancient rocket-wisdom straight into your startup, workout, or Bitcoiner brain-trust. BOOM! π
(Primary compilations consulted: Sabai Adventures Cambodiaβs 23-proverb roundup, Ling-App Khmer-proverb guide, Eric Kimβs traditional proverb archive, and Lemon-in-Cambodiaβs field notes.)