Syrian Proverbs

by Admin Fri Dec 28, 2007 8:35 pm

Syrian Proverbs

إذا كان صاحبك عسل لا تلحسه كله
If your friend is honey, don't lick him all

عرج الجمل من شفته
The camel limped from its split lip
A bad workman blames his tools

الجار قبل الدار
Chose the neighbour before the house
We can live without friends, but not without neighbours

أنا وأخي على ابن عمي وأنا وابن عمي على الغريب
My brother and I against my cousin, My cousin and I against a stranger
Blood is thicker than water

اللي فات مات
What is past is dead
Let bygones be bygones

يا رايح كثر الملايح
O departing one, leave behind good deeds!
A good deed is never lost

حبل الكذب قصير
The rope of a lie is short
The liar is sooner caught from the cripple

العجلة من الشيطان والتأني من الرحمن
Haste is the devil's work and patience is from God the Merciful
Patience is a virtue

فرخ البط عوام
The son of a duck is a floater
Like father, like son

علمناهم الشحدة سبقونا على الأبواب
We taught them how to beg, they raced us to the gates
to beat someone at his own game

شحاد ومشارط!
A beggar and he bargains!
Beggars cannot be choosers

القرد في عين أمه غزال
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!!
In the eye of his mother, a monkey is a gazelle
All her geese are swans

من قلة الخيل .. ركّبنا على الكلاب سروج!
With the lack of horses, we saddle the dogs!
There's nothing suitable, so they come with a useless alternative

الديك الفصيح من البيضة بيصيح
The eloquent cock crows from the egg
It early pricks that will be a thorn

الصبر مفتاح الفرج
Patience is the key to relief

ضربني وبكى.. وسبقني واشتكى
He hit me and cried, he raced me to complain!
It's all his fault, yet he pretends to be the victim

على قد لحافك مد رجليك
Stretch your legs according to your quilt
Cut your coat according to your cloth

عصفور باليد أحسن من عشرة على الشجرة
A bird in the hand is better than ten on the tree
A bird in the hand is worth ten in the bush

اسأل مجرب ولا تسأل حكيم
Ask one who has experience rather than a physician
Experience without learning is better than learning without experience

مثل الأطرش في الزفة
He is like a deaf man at a wedding procession
A fish out of water

مو كل مرة بتسلم الجرة
It is not every time that the clay pot survives
You cannot tempt providence and always triumph

اللي ايده بالمي مو متل ياللي ايده بالنار
He who has his hand in the water is not like him who has his hand in the fire
Attitudes are formed by circumstances

بيطعمي اللوز للي ما إلو اسنان
God sends almonds to those without teeth!
Good things sometimes come to those who do not deserve them

خيرها بغيرها
A better one in another one
Better luck next time

كل عقدة لها حلال
Every knot has someone to undo it
Every problem has a solution

إبعد عن الشر وغنيله
Keep away from trouble and sing to it
Never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you

تيتي تيتي، مثل ما رحتي متل ما إجيتي
As you went, so you came back
So what else is new!

إصرف ما في الجيب، يأتيك ما في الغيب
Spend what is in your pocket, you will get more from the unknown
Spend and God will send

بطيخ يكسر بعضه
Let the water melons break each other!
Let them stew in their own juice

يا آخذ القرد على ماله، راح المال وبقي القرد على حاله
He married the monkey for its money, the money went and the monkey stayed a monkey
As you make your bed, so you must lie on it

يا داخل بين البصلة وقشرتها .. ما بينوبك غير ريحتها
Whoever gets between the onion and its skin will get nothing but its stink
Never get between a man and his wife

متل الحية من تحت التبن
Like a snake under the hay
Like a snake in the grass

يا مسترخص اللحم، عند المرق تندم!!
If you buy cheap meat you'll be sorry when you come to the gravy
Beware of false economy

غابت السباع، لعبت الضباع
غاب القط، العب يا فار
When the lions are away, the hyenas play
When the cat is away, the mice will play

طب الجرة على تمها، بتطلع البنت لإمها
Turn the pot upside down, the girl will still be like her mother
Like mother, like daughter

تاجرنا بالأكفان ، بطلت الناس تموت
When we decided to trade coffins, people decided not to die!

هين فلوسك، ولا تهين نفوسك
Let your money be insulted but not yourself
Rather than ask favors, do the thing yourself

يا مآمنة بالرجال، متل المي بالغربال
Having faith in men is like having faith that water will remain in a sieve
Don't trust men!

خليها بالقلب تفضح.. ولا تطلع لبرا تفضح
Let it wound your heart rather than go out and cause a scandal
Keep it to yourself if you don't want others to know

إذا بدك تحيّره خيره
If you want to cause him confusion, give him a choice
Make things easier by defining the right way