C1
Idioms & Culture
វាក្យសព្ទ និងសង្គមវប្បធម៌
🎯 Objective / គោលបំណង:
Move beyond simple idioms. Use "Cultural Shorthand" to explain complex situations instantly.
💬 Scenario: The Business Lunch
Dara (You)
"So, about the new regulation. If we apply for the permit, we need a license. But to get the license, we need the permit."
Sarah (Intl. Client)
"Ah, a classic Catch-22."
Dara
"Exactly. And if we ignore it, we open a Pandora's Box of legal issues."
Sarah
"Agreed. Let's not reinvent the wheel. Has legal seen this?"
Dara
"Not yet. I'm just playing devil's advocate to find the weak points."
The Cultural Toolkit
Catch-22 ស្ថានភាពទាល់ច្រក
A situation where you can't do A without B, but you can't do B without A. Impossible to escape.
Origin: From the novel "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller (Literature).
Pandora's Box បញ្ហាដែលមិនអាចគ្រប់គ្រងបាន
A process that, once started, creates many unexpected troubles.
Origin: Greek Mythology.
Devil's Advocate តំណាងបិសាច (អ្នកតវ៉ា)
Arguing a point you don't actually believe, just to test the strength of the other argument.
Origin: The Catholic Church (process of canonization).
Reinvent the Wheel ធ្វើរឿងដែលគេធ្វើរួចហើយ
Wasting time creating something that already exists.
Select the Best Idiom
Situation: Your team wants to build a new reporting system, but a perfectly good one already exists online.
What do you say?
A. "Let's play devil's advocate."
B. "Let's not reinvent the wheel."
C. "That's a Catch-22."
Situation: You need experience to get a job, but you need a job to get experience.
What do you say?
A. "It's a classic Catch-22."
B. "It's a Pandora's Box."