# proverbs



## cherine

Hi all,
While looking for an explanation of the proverb وافق شن طبقه (mentioned in this thread) I found some amusing proverbs, and thought I'd share them with you.
If any of you can add to this thread -both in fusHa or colloquial-, maybe we can make a culturally interesting thread (what do you think?)

Here's the first one I chose, I liked it because it sounded strange and bit "cute" too  :
مجمع الأمثال، للميدانى
لا تبرقل علينا : هذا مأخوذ من البرق بلا مطر. ومعناه الكلام بلا فعل. يضرب للمتصلف. يقال: أخذنا في البرقلة. أي صرنا في لا شيء.​


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## SofiaB

قِرْد في عَيْن أُمّه غَزَال ​ 
.........................................................................................................
a monkey in hs mother's eye is a gazelle.
Yemeni proverb​


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## Josh_

Yes, excellent idea, Cherine. In fact I have been wanting to start an Arabic proverbs thread, but never got around to it.

Here are two of my favorites that I use often:


I like this one because it is short and simple, but has a deep meaning, that needs to be expressed by a long sentence in English in order to get the full meaning:
*لقد اعذر من انذر*
laqad 2a3zara man anzar (A mix of FusHa and Egyptian pronunciation)
Literally: He who warns is excused
Meaning: He who gives you time to mend your ways by giving a warning has every right to act against you if you do not act accordingly.

*عري طيزك   للدبابير وقول يا رب انت قدير*
3arri Tiizak  lid-dababiir wi-2uul ya rabb, inta 2adiir (Egyptian pronunciation)
Literally: Expose your bottom to the hornets, and say, "lord, you are the almighty one," that is, "Expose yourself ... and ask for God's help."
Meaning: Don't complain at the consequences of your own stupidity.

I will add more later as I think of them.


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## Heba

Hi Cherine and all
That is a great idea Cherine. I guess that this will be very interesting and helpful for people trying to learn Arabic.

I would like to give proverbs which have equivalents in other languages. Here is one of my favourites:

*من خرج من داره اتقل مقداره* (men kharag men daro it'al me'daro)-colloquial Egyptian pronounciation.

The proverb literally means that a man can be humiliated if he gets out of his home, (but can be sure to preserve his dignity or pride as long as he is in his own house). In other words, this proverbs means that a man's home is his castle, and it can be equal to the spanish proverb ''mientras en mi casa estoy, rey me soy''


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## ayed

Every tide has its ebb 
*لكل جواد كبوة*


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## zahret el zenbak

غش القلوب يظهر في زلات اللسان​


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## zahret el zenbak

اتق شر من أحسنت إليه.
من قال لك قال عليك.​


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## cherine

Thank you all for sharing  this is getting good. 
Ayed and Zahra, could you please give us more than just the text of the proverb; like : its story, its meaning, its origin, were is it used.... This would enrich the thread further.
Thanks again for everyone 
Cherine


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## cherine

SofiaB said:
			
		

> قِرْد في عَيْن أُمّه غَزَال
> 
> a monkey in his mother's eye is a gazelle.
> 
> Yemeni proverb​


Yes Sofia, thanks for adding the translation, I was going to do it 
By the way, this proverb is also widely used in Egypt, but we add an article to the monkey  القرد فى عين أمه غزال
It's used with people who insist on ignore the bad things in the person they love 

A somehow contrary proverb, were monkeys are used too  is : يا واخدة القرد على ماله، يروح المال ويبقَى القرد على حاله a very wise proverb that says : you who marry a monkey (a very bad or ugly reason) for his money, the money can be gone/lost but the monkey will remain what he is.


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## SofiaB

تالعب بي حنش و تقله دودة  ​from Yemen​​You play with a snake and call it a worm.

Hi Cherine, It( monkey) is the same meaning as Egypt but no article.


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## Josh_

Here are some more proverbs that I like.  Hopefully they will be agreeable to all sensibilities.
   If anyone would like to add, clarify, or correct something, please do.


*يعمل من الحبة قبة*
*Transliteration:  yi3mil min il-7abba 2ubba
   Literal English translation:  he makes from a seed a dome.
   and
*زوبعة في فنجان*
   Transliteration: zawba3atun fii finjaanin
   Literal English translation:  A storm in a teacup.
   Meaning:  Making much fuss about something little; as Shakespeare might say, “Much ado about nothing.”
Equivalent English proverb: making a mountain out of a molehill (literal of first one); a storm in a teacup (literal of the second one) 

*ما كل ما يلمع ذهبا*
   Transliteration: maa kull ma yalma3u dhahaban
   Literal English translation:  not all that glitters is gold
   Meaning: This means that something my not be as valuable as it first appears
   Equivalent English proverb:  all is not gold that glitters (literal of the Arabic)

*ذئب في ثوب حمل*
   Transliteration: dhi2bun fii thawbi 7amal
   Literal English translation: a wolf in lamb’s clothing
Meaning: Something that seems harmless, but is actually dangerous. Be careful because appearances are not always what they seem in the sense
Equivalent English proverb: A wolf in sheep’s clothing (literal); an iron fist in a velvet glove (but this is more accurately something that is strong/powerful on the inside, but beautiful/aesthetically pleasing on the outside; gentle demeanor or persona concealing a dogmatic personality).

   A related proverb is:

*تحت السواهى دواهى*
*Transliteration:  taHt is-sawaahi dawaahi
   Literal English translation:  Under the innocent looking are disasters/misfortunes.
   Meaning: Appearances are not always what they seem; don’t be fooled by appearances.
   Equivalent English proverb:  Still waters run deep.

*إللي تزرعه تحصده*
*Transliteration:  illi tizra3u tuHSudu
   Literal English translation:   what you sow, you harvest/reap.
Meaning: (1) related to the karma idea of whatever you do will come back onto you. (2)You will bear the consequences of your actions.
   Equivalent English proverbs:  As you sow, so shall you reap; what goes up must come down; what comes around goes around.


*I know these are used in Egypt. The other ones I am not sure, but I imagine all Arabic speakers would understand the intended meanings.


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## ayed

Josh Adkins said:
			
		

> *يعمل من الحبة قبة*
> *Transliteration: yi3mil min il-7abba 2ubba
> Literal English translation: he makes from a seed a dome.


What about :
_He makes a mountain out of a mole hill ?_


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## Josh_

ayed said:
			
		

> What about :
> _He makes a mountain out of a mole hill ?_


Yes, of course. I was just showing the literalness of the proverb. I suggested that as an English equivalent of the proverb. I combined the first two proverbs as they have similar meanings but it might have been better to separate them out.


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## ayed

*لاتعمل من الحبة قبة*
*لاتصنع من الحبة قبة*


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## Heba

Here are more proverbs:
*البعيد عن العين بعيد عن القلب* (el-be'eed an el'een, be'eed an el alb)- Colloquial Egyptian pronounciation.
This proverb literally means'' out of sight, out of heart'', but I suppose that it has an English equivalent that goes like this ''out of sight, out of mind''.

*من يضحك أخيرا يضحك كثيرا *(man yadhako akheeran, yadhako katheeran), standard Arabic pronounciation.

This proverb is equal to the English proveb ''He who laughs last laughs best''.


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## ayed

cherine said:
			
		

> لا تبرقل علينا : معناه الكلام بلا فعل. يضرب للمتصلف. يقال: أخذنا في البرقلة. أي صرنا في لا شيء.​


Cherine, does this suggest the meaning of the title of Shakespeare's play:
_*Much ado about nothing ?*_


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## cherine

Frankly Ayed I'm not sure  but I think that it may probably mean the same thing, yes.
Actually it was the first time for me to read this word, and this is why I thought I'd share with you as something completely new, and to know if any of you guys have heard it before


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## Josh_

*جبنا في سيرة القط جا ينط
*Transliteration:  gibna fi siirit il-2uTT ga ynuTT
Literal English meaning:  We mentioned the cat (and) he came (and) jumped.
Meaning:  used when the person being spoken about suddenly comes.
Equivalent English proverb:  Speak of the devil.

I know this is used in Egypt, but I don't know about elsewhere.


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## SofiaB

From Bahrain nothing is better to scratch your back than your own fingernail.

ما يحك ظهرك إلا ظفرك​


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## fayabundem

> *لاتعمل من الحبة قبة*
> *لاتصنع من الحبة قبة*


 
لاتجعل من الحبة قبة؟



> *جبنا في سيرة القط جا ينط*


 
Is there an equivalent in Fusha??


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## zooz

*دَنَبْ الكلب أعوج*
*دق المي، مي*

for whom can't change his/her habit. like my grandma..


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## Josh_

*الوقت من الذهب
*al-waqt min al-dhahab
Literally: time is gold
Meaning:  time is precious.
The equivalent English proverb is "time is money."


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## Josh_

fayabundem said:
			
		

> *جبنا في سيرة القط جا ينط*
> 
> 
> 
> Is there an equivalent in Fusha??
Click to expand...

I wasn't sure, but I found this:

*إن تذكر الشيطان يحضر فوراً
*in tadhkur ash-shaytaana yaHDur fawran
If you mention the devil, he will promptly appear.

This one is interesting because it is pretty much a literal translation of the English, which makes me wonder of the origins. I would be interested to know if this is used in the Arabic world. Hopefully some of the natives here can answer that question.


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## zooz

*



إن تذكر الشيطان يحضر فوراً

Click to expand...

* 
I didn't hear it before by anyone. anyway, in Syria we use the same cat proverb, and this one too:
*ازكور الديب وهيِّر القضيب*
mention the wolf and prepare the rod.


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## cherine

zooz said:
			
		

> *دَنَبْ الكلب أعوج*


There's a similar one in Egypt  But it's sort of insulting (maybe because calling a person a dog is an insult, so we can't use it with our parents  )
 ديل الكلب ما ينعدل ولو اتحط له قالب  ​A rough translation would be : we can't straighten up a dog's tail even if we put it in a mold.

There's a longer version of the same proverb, I'm not very sure about it but it goes something like this :
 غلبت أعالج فيك والطبع فيك غالب، وديل الكلب ما ينعدل ولو اتحط له قالب ​gholobt/ghelebt a3aaleg feek wet-tab3 feek ghaaleb, we deil el-kalb ba yen3edel we law'et7attelo 2aaleb
(the underlined word is the one I'm not sure about) It means: I tried to change your bad habit/caracter but your nature prevails, [like] the dog's tail....


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## Josh_

ma aghla min il-wild illa wild il-wild
Nothing is dearer than one's children except the children of one's children.

I know this one is used in Egypt, but I don't know about other places.


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## cherine

Another variation of the same proverb :
A3azz mel-weld, weld el-weld أعز مِ الولد وِلْد الولد
It's used by/about grandparents spoiling their grandchildren  much more than they did with their own kids (the fathers/mothers of those grand children)


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## ayed

Josh Adkins said:
			
		

> I wasn't sure, but I found this:
> 
> *إن تذكر الشيطان يحضر فوراً*
> in tadhkur ash-shaytaana yaHDur fawran
> If you mention the devil, he will promptly appear.
> 
> This one is interesting because it is pretty much a literal translation of the English, which makes me wonder of the origins. I would be interested to know if this is used in the Arabic world. Hopefully some of the natives here can answer that question.


In Saudi, nomadic daily life when we mention a relative or a a friend ,then all of a sudden he appears approaching us , we say in *colloquial*:
_*Tirri al-Theeb fa 'Ada*_.
*طري الذيب فعدا*
*Wolf was mentioned ,then it came over!*


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## cherine

Interesting proverb Ayed. What does Tirri mean, or what is its etymology ? Is it only used y nomads ?


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## Josh_

Here's another proverb I like:
Maybe I should heed the message.

*الكلام من الفضة، ولكن السكوت من الذهب
*al-kalaamu min al-fiDDati, wa-lakinna as-sukuuta min al-dhahabi.
Speech is silver, but silence is gold.


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## cherine

Here's one that's very Egyptian 
elly te7sebo moosa yetla3 fara3on اللى تحسبه موسى يطلع فرعون
or -with a little variation of tenses- اللى حسبته موسى طلع فرعون 
I think the meaning is clear  it's about mis-judging people, you think a guy/girl a good person (moosa) and he/she turns out to be a real bad person (fara3on)

P.S. Of course moosa is the prophet Moses, and fara3on is the Egyptian king (the Pharoh)

P.P.S. Please forgive my spelling mistakes


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## Josh_

Here are two more that are very Egyptian:

*لما أبو هول ينطق
*lamma abu hool yinTa2.
When the Sphinx speaks.

*لما الهرم يتحرك (من مطرحه).
*lamma il-haram yitHarrak (min maTraHu)
When the pyramid moves (from its place)

Meaning of both: never!

Equivalent English Proverbs: when pigs fly; when the cows come home.


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## cherine

Same meaning : fel-meshmesh فى المشمش 
(as if المشمش never ripes ! )


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## ayed

cherine said:
			
		

> Interesting proverb Ayed. What does Tirri mean, or what is its etymology ? Is it only used y nomads ?


Tirri
*طري:فعل ماضي مبني للمجهول بمعنى "يذكر اسمه" *


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## fatiha

الجمل ما يشوف السنم تاعه يشوف غير تاع غيره
يعني الانسان ينسى عيوبه ويشوف عيوب غيره


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## zooz

> اللى تحسبه موسى يطلع فرعون


 
cherine's post reminds me of this one which I like:
*على هامان يا فرعون؟*
meaning: you think you can bluff me??; you can fool everyone, but not me!!
  

anyhow, the equivalents in Syrian dialects are:
*ياما تحت السواهي في دواهي*
*ياما ورا المراعي في دياب*
*مي من تحت التبن*
in English: still waters run deep. 

*السواهي: *plural of *ساهية*; the unmindful/naive.
*دواهي: *plural of *داهية*; the vulpine.
*المراعي: *plural of *مرعى*; the grassland.
*دياب: *plural of *ديب*; the wolf.
*التبن: *straw/hay


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## Josh_

*الضحك من غير سبب قلة أدب
*iD-DiHk min gheer sabab 2illit adab
Laughing for no reason is rude.


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## cherine

Josh Adkins said:
			
		

> *الضحك من غير سبب قلة أدب*
> iD-DiHk min gheer sabab 2illit adab
> Laughing for no reason is rude.


 Yes this is one proverbe that we learn since our childhood, we must not laugh for no reason.
But does قلة الأدب really translate as rude ?

Now, here's another famous one :
اجرى جرى الوحوش غير رزق لن تحوش 
egry gary el-wo7oosh, gheir rez2ak lan t7oosh
It's -to an western eye- a "fatalist" proverb. I'm not sure I can translate it well, but it means that whatever a man does he will only get what he's destined to get.


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## Josh_

cherine said:
			
		

> Yes this is one proverbe that we learn since our childhood, we must not laugh for no reason.
> But does قلة الأدب really translate as rude ?


That's how I usually translate it. I guess you could also use "bad mannered" or "impolite" depending on the context. You're right, the latter two would be better in English translation of this proverb. 


> Now, here's another famous one :
> اجرى جرى الوحوش غير رزق لن تحوش
> egry gary el-wo7oosh, gheir rez2ak lan t7oosh
> It's -to an western eye- a "fatalist" proverb. I'm not sure I can translate it well, but it means that whatever a man does he will only get what he's destined to get.


Is it similar to:

*ما حدش ياخد إلا نصيبه
*ma-Hadd-ish yaakhud illa naSiibo.
no one takes more than his fate (ordains).

?


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## cherine

Yes, it's the same.
Slight correction ماحدش بياخد إلا/غير نصيبه 
غير is more used with this expression.
Speaking of جرى الوحوش there's an Egyptian movies with that title "gary el-wo7oosh", speaking precisely about this idea : people not satisfied with what they already have in life (which is a lot) and fighting to get more.


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## Josh_

cherine said:
			
		

> Speaking of جرى الوحوش there's an Egyptian movies with that title "gary el-wo7oosh", speaking precisely about this idea : people not satisfied with what they already have in life (which is a lot) and fighting to get more.


 Here's my advice to them :

*القناعة كنز
*il-qanaa3a kinz
Contentment (with one's lot) is a treasure.

*العين ما تعلىش على الحاجب
*il-3een mati3laash 3ala il-Haagib
Know (and respect) your place (in life).

*اللي ما عندوش ما يلزموش
*illi ma3anduush mayilzamuush
If you don't have it, you don't need it.


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## zooz

Originally, it should be like this: *القناعة كنز لا يفنى*

This one is about work: *مطرح ماترزق الزق*
*الزق *is _to stick _with the *ل* pronounced.


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## Josh_

*إرضاء الناس حاجة لا تدرك
*irDaa2u an-naasi Haajatun laa tudraku

Pleasing people is an impossible task.


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## zooz

*من راقب الناس مات هماً

*Who observes the people dies of anxiety.

(Colloquial) *كول اللي بيعجبك والبيس اللي بيعجب الناس

*Eat what you like and dress up as people like.


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## Josh_

> من راقب الناس مات هماً
> 
> Who observes the people dies of anxiety.


This proverb reminds me of another proverb about people who always look up (to others in envy) will get a crick in their necks, but I can't remember it right now.
----------------

*من يخطئ فهو إنسان ومن يعفو فهو ملاك*
man yukhti2 fa-huwa 2insaanun wa-man ya3fuu fa-huwa malaakun

To err is human, to forgive is divine


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## cherine

Josh Adkins said:
			
		

> This proverb reminds me of another proverb about people who always look up (to others in envy) will get a crick in their necks, but I can't remember it right now.


There's اللى يبص لفوق يتعب elli yboss lefo2 yet3ab (=He who looks up suffers/get tired).
Here, "up" means of course something "above" your means.


> *من يخطئ فهو إنسان ومن يعفو فهو ملاك*


This one doesn't sound like a proverb to me, but rather like a wiseman's saying. Usually proverbs have certain musicality, if not ryhme.
But it's a wise one anyway 

But there's a good one in this meaning :
اللى بيته من ازاز ما يحدفش الناس بالطوب elly beito men ezaaz maya7ddefsh (maye7defsh) en-naas bet-toob. (=He whose house is of glass shouldn't throw stones on others).


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## mansio

salâmatu l-insâni fî HafZi l-lisâni = You are in safety when your keep your tongue.

man sakata salima = Same as above.

3izzu l-insâni fi l-lisâni = The strength of man is in his tongue.

wazanu l-insâni wazanu 3aqlihi = The weight of man is the weight of his intelligence.

likulli faSlin jamâlahu = Each season has its beauty = One can find beauty in ugliness.

al-3ilmu aHaddu mina s-sayfi = Knowledge is sharper than the sword.

ra'su l-Hikmati makhâfatu Llâhi = The beginning of wisdom is the fear of God.


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## ayed

Josh Adkins said:
			
		

> *إرضاء الناس حاجة لا تدرك*
> irDaa2u an-naasi Haajatun laa tudraku
> 
> Pleasing people is an impossible task.


We often say:
*إضاء الناس غاية لاتدرك*


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## Josh_

cherine said:
			
		

> There's اللى يبص لفوق يتعب elli yboss lefo2 yet3ab (=He who looks up suffers/get tired).
> Here, "up" means of course something "above" your means.


Yes, you reminded me.  The one I heard goes اللى يبص لفوق تتعبه رقبته .


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## cherine

This is not a common version. Mine is more common 

Seriously : we say يتعب in absolute, without determining "what exactly" gets tired.

Another proverbe about the same meaning :
تروح فين يا صعلوك بين الملوك
teroo7 fein ya sa3look bein el-molook
Where do you think yourself going among kings you vagabond

It means : don't get too ambitious, don't try to trade with people too "high" for you.


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## zooz

*غلطة الشاطر بعشرة*

A subtle's mistake worths ten.


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## Josh_

cherine said:
			
		

> This is not a common version. Mine is more common
> 
> Seriously : we say يتعب in absolute, without determining "what exactly" gets tired.


Oh, your proverb reminded me of what I heard, but it also misled me. I meant to write اللى يبص لفوق توجعه رقبته . But I'm sure that is not used much either.


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## zooz

A "birdy" theme..


- *الطيورُ على أشْكالِها تَقَع.
*Birds of a feather flock together.

- *عُصفُورٌ باليد خيرٌ مِن عَشَرةٍ بالشَجَرة.
*A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

- *كُلٌ يُغَنِّي على ليلاه/مَوّالِّه.
*Every bird loves to hear himself sing*.

- *اللي بيُسبُقْ بياكُل فُسْتُق *(colloquial Syrian).
The early bird catches the worm.

- *ما طَارَ طيرٌ وارتَفَع إلا كما طارَ وقََع.*
No matter how high a bird flies, it has to come down for water*.

- *لو فيه خير ما رَماه الطير *(colloquial Syrian).
I can't think of an equivalent for this one. It's said when talking about something useless or abandoned.



(*) The correspondent proverb might not be so accurate.


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## Josh_

It's been a while since anyone has posted any proverbs.  yalla folks, let's here some more.

Here are some Egyptian ones:

illi ma yirDa bil-khookh yirDa bi-sharaabu
Literally:  He who doesn't accept the peach must accept its nectar.
Meaning:  If one does not accepted what is first offered, he/she may have to be satisfied with something less later on.

guHr diib yisaa3 miit Habiib
Literally:  A jackal's burrow can accomodate 100 friends.
Meaning:  There is always room for friends.

zayy il-mishsh, kull is-saa3a fil-wishsh
Literally:  Like mish*, every hour in the face.
Meaning:  Something that is always around.

 *mish is a mik-based liquid culture that cheese in fermented in.


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## ayed

Stolen kisses are more sweet .
*كل ممنوع مرغوب*

The absent saint gets no candle.

*من غاب خاب*


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## MarcB

*From Sudan *
*Time is gold **الوقت من دهب*


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## cherine

Actually this is more of Pan-Arab 
There's also -about the same topic- 
الوقت كالسيف إنْ لم تقطعه قطعك
which translate literaly as :
Time is like a sword, if you don't cut it [first] it will cut you
And this also, to my knowledge, doesn't belong to one country in particular.

And speaking of swords and cutting  it reminded me of another one, I don't remember if we mentioned it before :
لسانك حصانك إنْ صنته صانك
lisaanak 7uSaanak, in Sonto Sanak
Your tongue is your horse, if you care of it, it will care of you
It's an Egyptian proverb to teach people to think before they talk, or to take care about what they say, so they won't regret it.


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## Josh_

عمر ديل الكلب ما ينعدل
Transliteration:  3umr deel il-kalb ma-yin3idil
Literal meaning:  A dog's tail never straightens out.
Meaning:  A person (or possibly thing) doesn't/can't/never change (even if they pretend to.)
Equivalent English proverb:  "A leopard never changes its spots."


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## cherine

Nice one Josh 
Here's a more complete version :
غلبت أعلم فيك والطبع فيك غالب
وديل الكلب ما ينعدل ولو انحط له قالب
ghulubt a3allem (I'm not sure if it's the right verb) weT-Tab3 fiik ghaaleb
we deil el kalb ma yen3edel we law in7aT lo 2aaleb

I tried so many times changing your bad habits, but they prevail in you,
[It's like] a dog's tail that never straightens out, even if they put it in a mold.


----------



## SofiaB

Yemen:
.القرش الابيض لاليوم الاسود. لو كان الكلام من فضة في الصمت من ذهب .​Il girsh il abyadh fil yom il aswad. Lo kan il kalaam min fidha fil samt min dhahab.
Tunis:
. العروسة طويلةوالباب قصر. بالحجرة بالحجرة تتبنى الدويرة .​L’arousa tweela wil bab qsir. Bil hjra bil hjra titebna iddouira.​


----------



## Die Arabische Blume

wonderful,i like it too much
تحفة يا شيرين حلو اوي


----------



## Die Arabische Blume

hi all:
زي القطة ب7 ارواح: a cat has 7 lives. (egyptian proverb)
المرء يعرف بأقرانه: a man is known by the company he keeps. (old arabic proverb)
ليس كل ما يلمع ذهبا: all is not gold that glitters.(arabic proverb)
لا نامت اعين الجبناء: cowards die often .(arabic poem)


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## zooz

Die Arabische Blume said:


> المرء يعرف بأقرانه: a man is known by the company he keeps. (old arabic proverb)



That reminds of a line of poetry I like:
لاتَسَلْ عنِ المرءِ وسَلْ عن قرِينِهِ، فَكُلُّ قرينٍ بالمُقارنِ يَقْتَدي

مية كلمة جبان ولا كلمة "الله يرحموا"ـ (Colloquial Syrian)

هذا الشِبلُ منْ ذاكَ الأسدِ ـ
فِرخْ البط عوّام (Colloquial)
Both mean: Like father, like son.


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## cherine

Good ones Zooz  


zooz said:


> مية كلمة جبان ولا كلمة "الله يرحموا"ـ (Colloquial Syrian)


Could you explain this one, please?



> فِرخْ البط عوّام (Colloquial)
> Like father, like son.


In Egypt we say ابن الوز عوّام ibn el wezz 3awwaam


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## zooz

مية كلمة جبان ولا كلمة "الله يرحموا: I didn't explain it because I thought it'd be understood literally. Let's say, I'm in a critical physical situation where I must choose between either escaping or facing it. I chose to flee so I'm called by everyone "coward". Still, I'm content to hear it repeatedly rather than "لله يرحموا"  which refers to the bad consequence of the other choice. It's often used to ease up or justify someone's decision especially when narrating some tale.

A: Last week during a football match, I was the goalkeeper when I let this rage ball shot to get in the goal to avoid twisting my wrest.
B: You chicken!!
A: "مية كلمة جبان ولا كلمة "الله يرحموا

كل الدروب بتودي عالطاحون  (Colloquial Syrian): كُلُّ الطُرِقِ تُؤدّي إلى روما 

المكتوب مبين من عنوانه (Colloquial Syrian): This is just the tip of the iceberg.


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## Milletperver

Hi all;
You know that proverb is anonymous. But what about Arabic aphorism by well-known people? I need this for my school research. Can you help me please?


----------



## MarcB

Milletperver said:


> Hi all;
> You know that proverb is anonymous. But what about Arabic aphorism by well-known people? I need this for my school research. Can you help me please?


Look here


----------



## Milletperver

MarcB said:


> Look here


Thank you so much! Thank for God, you are here!


----------



## cherine

Hahaha, that's fun, thanks Zooz 
We have some proverbs in Egypt about the idea (better be a coward than die) :
عيش جبان تموت مستور 
3iish gabaan temuut mastuur
الجري نص الجدعنة
el gary nos el gad3ana
(for those who don't know the word "gad3ana" it's like manhood, we say that a man is "gada3" when he's a good man who carries his responsibilities and faces difficult situations...)



zooz said:


> المكتوب مبين من عنوانه (Colloquial Syrian): This is just the tip of the iceberg.


Egyptian version :
الجواب بيبان من عنوانه el gawaab beybaan men 3inwaano
And sometimes "el ketaab" instead of "el gawaab".
We use it when things starts in a way from which we can tell where they're going, or how they're going to be.


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## cherine

Milletperver said:


> Hi all;
> You know that proverb is anonymous. But what about Arabic aphorism by well-known people? I need this for my school research. Can you help me please?


Hello Milletperver and welcome to the forum 

You can also see the various books about proverbs in the Arabic litterature, such as : مجمع الأمثال، للميداني
You can find such books in www.alwaraq.net
(subscription is for free, then you can read many of the Arabic literary productions)
Good luck !


----------



## Milletperver

cherine said:


> Hello Milletperver and welcome to the forum
> 
> You can also see the various books about proverbs in the Arabic litterature, such as : مجمع الأمثال، للميداني
> You can find such books in alwaraq.net
> (subscription is for free, then you can read many of the Arabic literary productions)
> Good luck !


شكرآ يا مديرتي
.قد أرشدتموني إلي خزينة للغة العربية
.أنا متشكر جدآ​


----------



## zooz

cherine said:


> الجري نص الجدعنة


So it's only a half in Egypt and two thirds in Syria..
We say: الهريبة تلتين المراجل

 ازا كتروا الطباخين، احترقت الطبخة (Colloquial Syrian)
Too many cocks spiol the broth.

دق الحديد وهو حامي (Colloquial Syrian)
Strike while the iron is hot.

المصَائِبُ لاتأتي فُرَادَى
Misery loves company.


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## Josh_

اللى يأكل من حلاوتها يتحمّل مرارتها
Transliteration:  illi yaakul min Halawit∙ha, yitHammil mararit∙ha
Literal:  He who eats from its sweetness, (must also) put up with its bitterness
Meaning: There's no pleasure without pain

I can't really think of an Equivalent English proverb unless you count "You have to take the good with the bad" as a proverb.


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## al-sonbulah

A bird in the hand is worth owo in the bush
*عصفور في اليد يساوي أثنين على الشجرة*​A bird is known by its note and a man by his talk
*يعرف الطير من تغريده والرجل من كلامه*​Birds of a feather flock together
*أن الطيور على اشكالها** **تقع*​Man propose and god disposes
*نحن في التفكير والله في** **التدبير*​Proverbs are the adornment of speech
*الأمثال زينة** **الكلام**

*​A deceitful peace is more harmful than open war
*سلم خادع شر من حرب** **مكشوفة**

*​A disease known is half cured
*أذا عرف** **الداء سهل الدواء**

*​A drowing man will catch at astraw
*الغريق يتعلق بحبال** **الهواء**

*​A friend in need is friend indeed
*الصديق عند الضيق*​A full purse never lacks friends
*الكيس الملآن لا يفتقد الخلان*​A hungry man is an angry man
*الرجل الجوعان رجل غضبان*​A secret between more than two is no secret
*السر بين اكثر من اثنين ليس بسر*​After a test men are honoured or disgraced
*بعد الأمتحان يكرم المرء او** **يهان**
*

​A scabby sheep infects a whole flock​*النعجة الجرباء** **تعدي كل القطيع*​A tree is known by its fruit 
*تعرف الشجرة من** **ثمرها*​


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## MarcB

Malti(Maltese) Bil-flus taghmel triq il-bahar 
Money can make a road in the sea
gh=ع

بالفلوس تعمل طريق البحار


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## Antis

Heba said:


> Here are more proverbs:
> *البعيد عن العين بعيد عن القلب* (el-be'eed an el'een, be'eed an el alb)- Colloquial Egyptian pronounciation.
> This proverb literally means'' out of sight, out of heart'', but I suppose that it has an English equivalent that goes like this ''out of sight, out of mind''.
> 
> ... even if I would like to...
> I don't speak nor read Arabic
> So I was just reading the translations of the proverbs!
> "out of sight, out of heart''
> has an exact equivalent in italian.
> Lontano dagli occhi lontano dal cuore.
> where lontano is "Far" - dagli/dal is "from"
> - Occhi is "eyes and cuore is heart.


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## Mery_Dian

Antis said:


> out of sight, out of heart''
> has an exact equivalent in italian.
> Lontano dagli occhi lontano dal cuore.
> where lontano is "Far" - dagli/dal is "from"
> - Occhi is "eyes and cuore is heart.


There exists an exact equivalent in French too:
*"Loin des yeux, loin du coeur"*

In arabic, I know another proverb conveying a similar meaning:
*عين لا ترى، قلب لا يحزن​*
Here is another Arabic proverb :

*:وللناس في ما يعشقون مذاهب​*meaning in English that tastes and colours are not argued over.
French equivalents are: "*les goûts et les couleurs ne se discutent pas*" or : "*à chacun son goût*" (which is, by the way, a French phrase that is used sometimes in English and supposed to be understood by the English reader) meaning "_to each his own_" .


----------



## Antis

Mery_Dian said:


> Here is another Arabic proverb :
> 
> *:وللناس في ما يعشقون مذاهب​*
> meaning in English that tastes and colours are not argued over. French equivalents are: "*les goûts et les couleurs ne se discutent pas*" or : "*à chacun son goût*" (which is, by the way, a French phrase that is used sometimes in English and supposed to be understood by the English reader) meaning "_to each his own_" .



In Latin:
*De gustibus non est disputandum*
or
*De gustibus et coloribus non est disputandum*


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## zooz

This saying is a very handy one if you live in such a society like mine. I just used it today.

Colloquial Syrian: *بيقتل القتيل وبيمشي بجنازتو*

القتيل: The victim.
جنازته: His funeral.

It's said when someone pretends/claims to be innocent while he's probably  not.


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## cherine

zooz said:


> This saying is a very handy one if you live in such a society like mine. I just used it today.
> Colloquial Syrian: *بيقتل القتيل وبيمشي بجنازتو *


 We have the same in Egypt, with a slight difference in the pronounciation (of course)  : ye2tel el-atiil we yemshi f'ganazto.
But we use it when someone "stabs another in the back" than act as if he's sorry for him.


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## Josh_

Egyptian Colloquial:

إحييني النهار دا وموتني بكرة
iHyiini in-nahaarda wa-mawwitni bukra
Literal:  Give me life today and kill me tomorrow.
Meaning:  Sustain me today and you can do what you like to me tomorrow.

ما يعجبوش العجب ولا الصيام في رجب
ma-yi3gibuush il-3agab wala aS-Siyaam fi-ragab
Literal:  He is not impressed by wonders or fasting in (the month of) Ragab.
Applied to sombody who always finds something to disapprove of, even in the most wondrous of things.

This reminds me of another related proverb:
ما لقوش في الورد عيب قالوا له يا احمر الخدين
They did not find any flaws in the flower, so they said it was too red.
Applied to someone who tries to find fault with everything.


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## zooz

This one exists in many languages. However, the Syrian versions are often used, on daily basis so to speak. 

*الفضول قتل الهرة*
Curiosity killed the cat.

*بدو يعرف البيضة مين باضا والجاجة مين جابا *(Colloquial Syrian).
Literally: He wants to know who laid the egg and who brought the chicken.

*يا داخِل بين البصلة وقشرتها، ما بنوبك منها إلا ريحتها *(Colloquial Syrian + several dialects).
Literally: When you get in between the onion and its peel, all what you'll get is its odor.


----------



## Josh_

zooz said:


> *يا داخِل بين البصلة وقشرتها، ما بنوبك منها إلا ريحتها *(Colloquial Syrian + several dialects).
> Literally: When you get in between the onion and its peel, all what you'll get is its odor.


I like that one and have used it it on occasion.  The meaning is something like don't interfere in others' business, you'll just make trouble for yourself.


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## Josh_

ُEgyptian:
*
قليل التدبير يحيل على المقادير
*2aliil it-tadbiir yiHiil 3ala 'l-maqadiir.
The disorganized man leaves (his affairs) to fate.

*قالوا :السمك بيطلع نار
قال: كانت الميّة تطفيه
*2aalu: as-samak biyTalla3 naar
2aal: kaanit il-mayya tiTfii.
They said, "The fish spouts fire."
He said, "The water would extinguish it."
Meaning: question the logic of everything you hear.


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## moura

ليس كل ما يلمع ذهبا: all is not gold that glitters.(arabic proverb)

Amazing! We have exactly the same proverb in Portuguese


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## ayed

moura said:


> ليس كل ما يلمع ذهبا: all is not gold that glitters.(arabic proverb)
> 
> Amazing! We have exactly the same proverb in Portuguese


 
Hi,moura.
In nomadic dialect , we have another one says:
ما كل بيضاء بشحمة
Literally, not each white thing is  suet


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## Josh_

Qcumber's recent thread reminded me of two more Egyptian proverbs:
 *أطبخي يا جارية.  كلف يا سيدي*.
uTbukhi ya garya.  kallif ya siidi
Literally:  cook, servant girl. Pay up, master.
Meaning:  If you request something you must pay for it.
Equivalent English proverb:  He who calls the tune must pay the piper.

*ست وجارتين على قلي بيضتين*
sitt wa-garyiteen 3ala 2aly beDteen
Literally:  a women and two servant girls frying 2 eggs
Meaning:  Using more of something than is necessary.
Equivalent English proverb/idiom: a sledgehammer to crack a nut


----------



## Vixen

Hi,
I'm looking for a specific arabic proverb and was wondering if someone could help me out!!!!

I'm looking for something along the lines like the latin proverb "That which nourishes me, also destroys me" 
proverbs about the body..


thanks!


----------



## al-sonbulah

*Content lodges oftener in cottages than palaces*​ 
*القناعة تقيم في الأكواخ اكثر من القصور *​ 

*Early to bed and early to rise makes a man*
*healthy**, **wealthy, and wise*
*النوم باكراّ والنهوض باكراّ يكسبان المرء صحة وثراء وحكمة *​ 
*Cowards die many times before their death*
*يموت الجبناء عدة مرات قبل موتهم *​ 
*Charity begins at home*
*الإحسان يبدأ بالأهل *​ 
*Time will**soon teach you what you were ignorant of*
*ستعلّمك الأيام -أو الوقت- ما كنت تجهله *​ 



*The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and**forget; the wise forgive but do not forget**." *
*الغبي لا يسامح ولا ينسى, والساذج يسامح وينسى, اما الحكيم فإنه يسامح ولكنه لا ينسى *​ 
*Quality**education is the best investment for your future*
*التعليم الممتاز هو افضل استثمار لمستقبلك*​ 
*يعرف الطير من تغريده والرجل من كلامه*
*A**bird is known by its note and a man by his talk*​ 
*أن الطيور على اشمالها تقع*
*Birds of a feather flock together*​ 
*نحن في التفكير والله في التدبير*
*Man propose and god disposes**.*​ 

*سلم خادع شر من حرب مكشوفة*
*A deceitful**peace is more harmful than open war**.*​ 
*أذا عرف الداء سهل الدواء*
*A**disease known is half cured**.*​ 



*الكيس الملآن لا يفتقد الخلان*
*A full purse never lacks**friends**.*​ 
*الرجل الجوعان رجل غضبان*
*A hungry man is an angry**man**.*​ 
*الكلب الحي خير من الاسد الميت*
*A living dog is better that a dead**lion**.*​ 

*تعرف الشجرة من ثمرها*
*A tree is known by its**fruit*​ 
​







*ــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــ *
*DON'T cry over anyone**who won't cry over you*
*لاتبك على من لا يبكي عليك *
*ــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــ *
*You can only go as**far as you push*
*على قدر أهل العزم تأتي العزائم *
*ــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــ *
*ACTIONS speak louder**than words*
*الأفعال أبلغ من الأقوال *
*ــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــ *​ 

​







*If you want to be happy*​ 
*طنش وصل على النبي** (**ص**)*

***************************************
*Take it easy*
*ياعزيزي*
***************************************
*If u want to be sad*
*اسمع كلام الحساد*
***************************************
*If you want to be beautiful*
*وزع الورد**والفل*
***************************************
*Friend in need*
*تعلمك ما**تريد*
***************************************
*Wait than wait after that*
*ابعد حماتك عن البيت*
***************************************
*I will die*
*مع السلامه باي باي*
***************************************
*Go to hill*
*ولاتعيش بالمهانه والذل*
***************************************
*Life will stop*
*بدون شويت حب*
***************************************
*If you eat more you will be fat*
*ولا تنحر على المسافات*
***************************************
*If you want to be a man *
*اصبر على قدر الزمان*
***************************************​ 
​


----------



## cute angel

thanks cherie it's a great idea
طير باليد افضل من 10 على الشجرة
a bird in hand is better than 10 on the tree


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## maliblues

I'd like some proverbs in arabic fusha about gossip, is there one equivalent to the English proverb: "who gossips to you will gossip about you"? thanks


----------



## cute angel

"who gossips to you will gossip about you"? may be
من نقل لك الاشاعات سيشيع عليك


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## maliblues

cute angel said:


> "who gossips to you will gossip about you"? may be
> من نقل لك الاشاعات سيشيع عليك


thanks cute !


----------



## Josh_

إذا اشتد الكرب هان
idha ishtadda 'l-karbu haan
Translation:  If a hardship becomes (more) intense, it is near its end.
Meaning:  Things get worse before they get better.
Equivalent proverb:  The darkest hour is just before dawn


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## Josh_

It's been a while since anyone has posted any proverbs so I'll post a couple:

These are Egyptian, but maybe also known in other parts.

علمناه الشحاتة سبقنا على الأبواب
3allimnaa sh-shiHaata saba2-na 3a-l-abwaab
literally:  We taught him to beg (and) he beat us to the doors.
Meaning: He took advantage of our kindness 
English Equivalent:  He bites the hand that feeds him.

كل عقدة ولها حلال
kull 3u2da wa-liiha Hallaal
Literally:  Every knot has an untier (someone who can untie it)
Meaning: For every problem there is someone who can solve it.


----------



## sedd87

Hi Everyone, was wondering if you could help me out translating a latin quote from Catullus into Arabic. I want it as a tattoo! the quote is Vivemus amemusque which means, let~s live and let~s love.
Alternatively, any other originally arabic quotes about love, peace, happy things that i can live with for the rest of my life! 
Thanks
Sedd87


----------



## ayed

Josh Adkins said:


> إذا اشتد الكرب هان
> idha ishtadda 'l-karbu haan
> Translation: If a hardship becomes (more) intense, it is near its end.
> Meaning: Things get worse before they get better.
> Equivalent proverb: The darkest hour is just before dawn


 
*اشتدي أزمة تنفرجي*


----------



## Abu Rashid

sedd,

In Arabic I don't think that quote would have a great deal of meaning.

It would be like this I think: لنحيا و لنحب (lina7ya wal nu7ibb)

Remember you'll be stuck with this for the rest of your life, perhaps better to just engrave it on a necklace or something, much less painful, and later on you won't have to regret it


----------



## sedd87

Thanks Abu Rashid for saving my shoulder from something that doesn~t really make sense.

 does anyone know any other nice quotes about love or peace? 

Thanks so much. i wish i could speak arabic


----------



## Abu Bishr

Hi Everybody

Here is my idiom, to complete the hundred:

*لكل جواد كبوة ولكل صارم نبوة ولكل عالم هفوة *

I hope it wasn't mentioned before.


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## sedd87

Its lovely, but what does it all mean?


----------



## Josh_

A few more:

سيبه على هواه لما ييجي على قفاه
siibu 3ala hawaa lamma yiigi 3ala 2afaa
Equivalent to: give someone enough rope and he/she will hang him/herself.

بيت النتاش ما يعلاش
beet in-nattaash mayi3laash
Equivalent to:  A thief never prospers.


----------



## MeiLing

.
طـَنـِّشْ، تـَعـِشْ، تـَنـْتـَعـِشْ

Transliteration: Tannish, ta'ish, tanta'ish
Literal meaning: Ignore, live, and get revived
Meaning: Ignore trifles, and you'll not only live but will also get revived. 


Any suggested equivalents in English?


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## Tracelet

i realize no one has posted in awhile.. but i guess by some chance.. someone will be able to help me out.. 

i've been searching arabic proverbs.. and came across "everyday of your life is page of your history" several times.. if someone can give me the actual arabic origination.. that would be great.. i've been looking for it for quite some time now

thanks so much


----------



## Pyrrhonic

*Ayed, you posted the prover**b:


* *لكل جواد كبوة*


*which I very much like. I don't speak Arabic, however. I was wondering if someone might provide a phonetic romanization of the phrase?*


----------



## cherine

Welcome to the forum Pyrrhonic,



Pyrrhonic said:


> *لكل جواد كبوة*
> I was wondering if someone might provide a phonetic romanization of the phrase?


It would be : *likulli jawaadin kabwa*


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## Pyrrhonic

Thanks so much, Cherine. This is a wonderful forum. I've found myself stuck lurking on it for a few hours already today


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## Leebop

Could I have some help with people favorite arabic proverbs in arabic and their english translation. Thank you!


Also, are these proverbs correct?

اترك الشر يتركك 
Leave evil, it will leave you
أَحْسِنْ إلي الناس تستعبد قلوبهم 
Do good to people and you'll enslave their hearts. 
الحب أعمى 
Love is blind.
من بكى من زمان بكى عليه 
Weep for those who weep over the past.


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## cherine

*Big time to correct a big mistake.*

*With more than 100 posts, this thread is almost a mess. It's a very long list of unrelated posts; which goes against the forum rules.*
*I don't think I was right to open such a general thread, but I'm certain that closing it now -before it gets any messier- is the right thing to do.*

*Here's what I suggest to all of us : Whoever is interested in discussing a proverb would better start a thread for that proverb and that proverb alone. This way we can have organized threads, easily searchable, and consistent. Another way, is to open a thread about proverbs concerning one theme. *

*Thank you all for sharing the knowledge.*
*Now we can do it in a more orderly way *


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