# Where there was fire, ashes remain



## Kangy

Hi!

I'd like to know if you have a similar saying in your languages. I'm not sure it exists in English. The phrase on the title is just a direct translation from the Spanish saying:

*Donde hubo fuego, cenizas quedan.​*
Thanks!


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## Mahaodeh

In Arabic there is a saying that goes: wara'a kuli dukhaanin naar وراء كل دخان نار literally meaning: behind every smoke there is fire. The above would be translated as: haithu kaanat al-naar yabqa ramaad حيث كانت النار يبقى رماد. I'm not aware of any such saying in Arabic.


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## Outsider

Kangy said:


> The phrase on the title is just a direct translation from the Spanish saying:
> 
> *Donde hubo fuego, cenizas quedan.​*


But what is the meaning of that saying? "Where there's smoke, there's fire"?...


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## OldAvatar

In Romanian, the saying is:
*Nu iese fum fără foc.*
meaning
_There is no smoke coming up without a fire.

_Probably there is one similar with the Spanish one too, but it is not that common._

*Unde-i foc, rămâne cenuşă.*
_


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## avok

In Turkish we have: "Ateş olmayan yerden duman çıkmaz" :No smoke without fire but we dont have the other one.

I guess the meaning of the other one "Where there was fire, ashes remain" is: when something bad happens, the pain it caused leaves some marks. I have enough ashes left, then


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## Kraus

In Italian: "Dove c'è fumo c'è arrosto", but I'm not sure that's the right equivalent.


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## Kangy

The saying means that where there was some kind of feeling, there'll always be at least a little of it, whatever happens.
When you're in love with someone and then the love ends, there'll still be a little bit of love no matter what.


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## hunternet

in French : il n'y a pas de fumée sans feu (first thing came to mind, but it does not seem to fit) or il y a toujours la flamme


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## avok

Kangy said:


> The saying means that where there was some kind of feeling, there'll always be at least a little of it, whatever happens.
> When you're in love with someone and then the love ends, there'll still be a little bit of love no matter what.


 
Yeah, but I think "fire" makes reference to the _end _of love rather than the love itself.


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## Nizo

In *Esperanto*: *Ne ekzistas fumo sen fajro *is the proverb "where there's smoke, there's fire."  This is a standard proverb in Esperanto and dates from the late 1800s or early 1900s.  I can't find an equivalent for your phrase in Esperanto; however, it would literally be translated:  _Kie estis fajro, tie restas cindro_.


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## Kangy

avok said:


> Yeah, but I think "fire" makes reference to the _end _of love rather than the love itself.



Nope. "Fire" actually represents the heat and passion of love.


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## maitreyaleng

Outsider said:


> But what is the meaning of that saying? "Where there's smoke, there's fire"?...



In Spanish, "Where there's smoke, there's fire" translates as "Si el río suena es porque agua trae".


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## Hermocrates

Kraus said:


> In Italian: "Dove c'è fumo c'è arrosto", but I'm not sure that's the right equivalent.



Alternatively:

"Non c'è fumo senza arrosto"


Rye


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## ThomasK

In Dutch: _geen rook zonder vuur_. But indeed, it has nothing to do with love. It means that rumours are never fully unsubstantiated: there must something wrong, is the implication. 

I guess the one about the ashes is about passion. But that is a different one, I think.


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## Doubleagent67

ANSWER TO:  "Where there was fire ashes remain."

I've used this phrase before with an ex of mine.  She was my first love and we had a child together but she moved on and got married to someone else.  After some years passed we talked one day and reflected on our past relationship.  She asked me if I still felt a special regard for her and I replied "where there was fire, ashes remain."  The fire of course was the true love we once felt and the ashes was the special regard I still felt for her.  I asked her the same question and she replied "we have a daughter together so i guess there's always going to be something there between us."  We were acknowleging the same thing.  It's a another way of saying where true love once existed (fire) lingering feelings (ashes) will always remain for that person.  I'm Hispanic and this is a common Spanish phrase that's always used in this context.

This is different than the phrase "where there's smoke there's fire" which means where's there's evidence of something afoul (smoke) there's usually something to it (fire).


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## sound shift

I've never come across "Where there was fire, ashes remain" outside this forum.


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## arielipi

Hebrew

כי עזה כמוות אהבה קשה כשאול קנאה רשפיה רשפי אש שלהבתיה
ki aza kamavet ahava, kasha kish'ol kin'a, reshafeha rishfey es, shalhevetya
because [=for] strong [=fierce, forceful] as death is love, hard [=to bear] as hell [=bottom of the earth] (of) jealousy, her flares are flares of fire, ember.


מים רבים לא יוכלו לכבות את האהבה ונהרות לא ישטפוה
mayim rabim lo yuchlu lechabot et ha'ahava uneharot lo yishtefuha
many waters would not could [=withstand, or better put be able to] put out love and rivers wont flood it.

אין שנאה גדולה מזו שנולדת מאהבה נבגדת
en sin'a gdola mizo shenoledet me'ahava nivgedet
there is no greater hatred than the one that is born from betrayed love.

Also, theres the regular no fire without smoke:
אין עשן בלי אש
en ashan bli esh.


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## ThomasK

Maybe we ought to introduce the proverb (isn't it?) in Dutch...


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## mataripis

Tagalog: Abo ang labi' ng pinagsunugan" (Ash is the remain of Fire)


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## Outsider

sound shift said:


> I've never come across "Where there was fire, ashes remain" outside this forum.


Neither had I. Lovely saying, though...


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## ilocas2

translation in Czech:

Kde byl oheň, zůstává/zbývá popel.


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## Määränpää

Kangy said:


> The saying means that where there was some kind of feeling, there'll always be at least a little of it, whatever happens.
> When you're in love with someone and then the love ends, there'll still be a little bit of love no matter what.


That sounds so much more beautiful than the Finnish _"vanha suola janottaa"_ (old salt is making one thirsty), which refers to a situation where someone has romantic or physical feelings for a former lover.


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## morior_invictus

Slovak:

~ Stará láska nehrdzavie. (Old love does not rust. ~ Old flames die hard)


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## Medune

Portuguese_ onde há fogo, há fumaça_ also means _where there's smoke, there's fire, _but I don't think they are equivalents.


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## Messquito

The closest I can think of in Chinese is 凡走過必留下痕跡 Wherever you walk, you leave marks.
But it is not always used in a romantic sense.
Or you could simply say 舊情難忘/捨/斷 Old feelings/relationships are hard to forget/give up/cut off.


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## 810senior

I'm not sure if there's also the one in Japanese but its literal translation says '火ありし所に、灰が残るhi arishi tokoro ni, hai ga nokoru'.


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## Karton Realista

morior_invictus said:


> Stará láska nehrdzavie. (Old love does not rust.


It's the same in Polish: Stara miłość nie rdzewieje.


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