摘要
諺語是一種美的語言，其產生是源於人類實際生活經驗，而表現於日常談話之中被公然使用，流傳至今的諺語是經無數人雕琢，沿用而成的簡潔語句。 連橫《雅言》中說：「俚言俗諺，聞之似鄙，而每函真理，古人談論，每援用之。」臺灣的俚諺，對於人生啟示，取用最宏，堪稱「臺灣語學上之人生哲學」。俚諺可稱為祖先智慧的寶石，可惜這種文化遺產卻日益殘破而被遺忘。連橫在《雅言》書中，收錄有五十七則臺灣俚諺，本文以此加以探究，由微觀而見著，讓我們了解先民智慧。 《雅言》收錄臺灣俚諺內容包括禁忌、俗傳、諷誡、氣象、人生觀、道德、賭博、風俗、不平之鳴、歧義殊見、不曉事理及歇後語式的俚諺等類別，從內容上見其涵類多方，可知連橫的儒家人生哲學、時代感慨、胸襟識見及對當時社會現況的批判。 另從《雅言》紀錄的俚諺，亦可知當時的社會景況，對我們了解傳統臺灣的風土民情裨益甚多。
並列摘要
Proverbs are a beautiful form of language. Many of them originated from our practical daily life and are often widely practiced in our everyday encounters. They have been passed down to us in concise slang-like epigrams through various modifications. ”Slang and proverbs,” remarked Lien Heng, author of the book Ya-yien (雅言, meaning beautiful words), ”though often considered vulgar at first, are in fact capable of carrying some insights into truth, and are commonly cited in ancient academic writings.” Lien Heng believed proverbs or epigrams in Taiwan are excellent fragments of literature for the study of Taiwanese philosophy, on the grounds that they have been widely and influentially used in all walks of life for many years. As a result, proverbs are, so to speak, the treasures left from our ancestors, and it would be a pity if we people in Taiwan did not know the treasures passed down to us in our language. To prevent the proverbs from falling into oblivion, Lien Heng collected fifty seven proverbs or epigrams that he himself knew and wrote the book Ya-yien. Here in this paper, we will explore the world of Taiwanese proverbs and try to discover the implication they hold for our understanding of ancient Taiwanese wisdom. In Ya-yien, we can find various information or messages embedded in slang and proverbs, including implied messages about Taiwanese taboos, legends, sarcasm, climate, philosophy, morality, practices, grumblings, ambiguities etc. The embedded information also has a lot to tell us about the writer's personality, his conception of the era he was in, and his critique of the society. Furthermore, it offers an overall picture of the author's society, which facilitates our understanding of traditional Taiwanese culture.