Rhyming Proverbs
He makes a dome out of a grain. Meaning: He worries about a small problem as if it is a big one.
- تيتي تيتي مثل ما رحتي جيتي
- Literal meaning: titi titi, just as you went you came.
- من برة إشيّ إشيّ ومن جوة خرق محشي
- Literal meaning: from outside "wow, wow" and from inside it's stuffed with rags.
- Metaphorical meaning: it looks good from the outside but it's actually not.
- الهزيمة تحل العزيمة
- A debacle demolishes the will.
- قد أعذر من أنذر
- وقعت الفاس في الراس
- يبني قصراً ويهدم مصراً
- He builds a castle by demolishing a country (Egypt).
- يا مأمنة بالرجال ، متل ياللي مأمنة بالمي في الغربال
- O! my sister that depend on men; you are believing in water in a sieve.
- ياما تحت السواهي دواهي
- Often, under the unseeing hide the cunning.
- يعمل من الحبة قُبَّةً
قلوبهم معك و سيوفهم عليك
- اليوم خمر وغدا أمر
- Today is wine, and tomorrow is an assignment. Today we will drink wine, and tomorrow we will work hard.
- Today wine, tomorrow is another problem. Tonight is for drinking and tomorrow we will see what the matter is.
- This is an historical word it's context is a man drinking with his guest and then come the news that his father was killed by the father of his guest, his friends ask him to kill his guest as a vengeance act but he reply "Today is is wine and tomorrow I ll act". Because Arabic culture give a very big importance to respect and well treat guest
- يوم لنا ويوم علينا
- One day is for us, and the other is against us.
- A mouth that praises and a hand that kills.
عضة أسد و لا نظرة حسد
- A bite from a lion is better the look of envy.
- In hurry you'll be sorry, in being careful you'll be safe.
- في العجلة الندامة وفي التأني السلامة
- Advice in a crowd is a scandal.
- النصيحة في الجهر فضيحة
- اقلب الجرة على فمها تطلع البنت لامها
- O! my sister close thy door, and enough what happened to you.
- سبع صنايع والبخت ضايع
- Seven trades but no luck.
- بكرة بنقعد على الحيطة وبنسمع الزيطة
- Tomorrow we sit by the wall and here it all.
- العلم في الصغر كالنقش في الحجر
- What is learned in youth is carved in stone.
- أعزب دهر ولا أرمل شهر
- Literal meaning: Better be single all your life than be a widow for a month.
- أكلوا خيري وعصوا أمري
- Literal meaning:
- إلى حتفي مَشَتْ قدمي
- Literal meaning: My feet took me to my death.
- إذا أنت أمير و أنا أمير مين بيسوق الحمير
- أكل الهدية وكسر الزبدية
- الباب الذي يأتيك بالريح سده واسترح
- Close the door from which the wind blows and relax.
- حط راسك بين هالروس و قول يا قطاع الروس
- put your head between these heads and shout cut our heads off.
- Meaning "Would you do whatever anyone else is doing even if it means your life?" (like the English proverb if your friend jumped from a bridge would you).
- حظ في السحاب وعقل في التراب
- Luck in the sky and brains in the ground.
- عند الامتحان يكرم المرء أو يهان
- غاب حولين وجاء بِخُفَّيْ حنين
- غابت السباع ولعبت الضباع
- زرع آباؤنا فأكلنا ونزرع ليأكل أبناؤنا
- Our parents planted so we ate, and we plant for our children to eat.
- السيف يقطع بحده المرء يسعى بجده
- شعيرنا ولا قمح غيرنا
- العلم في الصِّغَرِ كالنقش على الحجر
- في التأني السلامة وفي العجلة الندامة
- كلام كالعسل ووغزٌ كالأسل
- لا تطلقن القول في غير بصر إن اللسان غير مأمون الضرر
- لا تكن رطبا فَتُعْصَرَ ولا يابسا فتكسر
- لا في العير ولا في النفير
- لسانك حصانك إن صنته صانك، وإن هنته هانك
- Your tongue is your horse— if you take care of it, it takes care of you; if you betray it, betray it will.
- ما طار طير وارتفع إلا كما طار وقع
- Meaning: The higher the bird flies, lower it will fall. Also, What goes up must come down.
- من تَدَخَّلَ فيما لا يعنيه لقي ما لا يرضيه
- غيري يأكل الدجاج وأنا أقع في السياج
- الضحك بلا سبب من قلة الأدب
- Laughing for no reason is rude.
- سكت دهرا ونطق كفرا
- الجنة بدون ناس لا تُداس
- Paradise without people is not worth living in.
- آخر العنقود سكر معقود
- Literal meaning: The end of the grape cluster. (Youngest child in a family)
- إذا عُرِفَ السبب بطل العجب
- Literal meaning: When the reason is known, there will be no more wonder. (Said when you are wondering why something happened and then find out.)
- إذا فرغ الفؤاد ذهب الرقاد
- Literal meaning: If the heart is empty, the rest will soon abandon you too.
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- The following is a list of Parallelism in the Arabic language
- اجلس حيث يُؤْخَذُ بيدك وَتُبَرُّ ولا تجلس حيث يؤخذ برجلك وتُجَرُّ
- Literal meaning: Sit where your hand is taken and good is done to you, and don't sit where you are held by your leg and dragged.
- Metaphoric meaning: Be where you are welcome and avoid where you are not welcome.
- احذروا من لا يرجى خيره ولا يؤمن شره
- Literal meaning: Beware of him whose goodness you don't hope for and whose evil you can't be safe from.
- Metaphoric meaning: none.
- إذا كان الكلام من فضة فالسكوت من ذهب
- Literal meaning: If talk is made of silver then silence is made of gold.
- Metaphoric meaning: listen more than you talk.
- إذا كنت سنداناً فاصبر وإذا كنت مطرقة فأوجع
- Literal meaning: If you were an anvil be patient, if you were a hammer be hard.
- Metaphoric meaning: if you are unlucky and there is nothing you can do about it, don't complain; if you are lucky, don't hold back.
- أسد عليَّ وفي الحروب نعامة
- Literal meaning: A lion on me and an ostrich in war.
- Metaphoric meaning: He pretends to be brave when there is no danger but he is a coward when there is.
- Use: to express that someone is pretending to be what he is not.
- إصلاح الموجود خير من انتظار المفقود
- Literal meaning: Fixing what you have is better than waiting to get what you don't have.
- Metaphoric meaning: none.
- الإمارة حلوة الرضاع مُرَّةُ الفطام
- Literal meaning: Lordship/command is sweet in nursing and bitter in weaning.
- Metaphoric meaning: when someone becomes in charge, he does not want to quit.
- ابنك على ما ربيتيه و جوزك على ما عودتيه
- Literal meaning: you son is the way you raised him and your husband is the way you accustomed him.
- Metaphoric meaning: it's your fault really because you didn't change what you could have changed.
- Use: to encourage someone not to allow people to "walk all over them".
- القرش الأبيض ينفع في اليوم الأسود
- The white penny will become useful in your dark days.
- قليل في الجيب خير من كثير في الغيب
- لا تمازح الشريف فيحنق عليك ولا الدنيء فيتجرأ عليك
- اخطب لابنتك ولا تخطب لابنك
- Literal meaning: Work for the engagement of your daughter, but don't work for the engagement of your son.
- إذا تكلمت بالكلمة ملكتك وإذا لم تتكلم بها ملكتها
- Literal meaning: If you speak the word it shall own you, and if you don't you shall own it.
