pyit taing daung (ပစ်တိုင်းထောင်)

Burmese. ‘That which always rights itself when thrown down’. A tumbling kelly, i.e. a knock-about egg-shaped doll in Myanmar with a serene smiling face (fig.), which is made of papier-mâché and weighed down with some clay stuck inside its base, in order that it can be rolled about, yet always ends up standing upright again, regardless of how hard it has been thrown nor in which direction. This traditional toy is also found in architecture, represented in stone as a figure that stands as a symbol for those who are always hardworking, but fail to gain proper achievement and any person inured to the vicissitudes of life. Though they typically seem to represent what looks like a female figure, they may occasionally be come across as fashioned in the form of an unambiguous male personage (fig.). Sometimes transcribed pyit taing htaung. See also zee kwet (fig.) and Daruma (fig.). 回