What is a proverb? ضرب المثل چيست؟
A "proverb" is a short, traditional saying in general use. It usually expresses some obvious truth or familiar experience. The difference between proverb and idiom is that ; in proverb there is some sort of moral lessons; but in idiom there isn’t. Here are some proverbs that are well known in English, though some of them come from other languages.
1. "The best things in life are free."
We don't have to pay for the things that are really valuable, like love, friendship and good health.
2. "A stitch in time saves nine."
Repair something as soon as it is damaged. That's a small repair job. If not, you will have a much bigger and more expensive repair job later. Do it now and you'll need one stitch. Do it later and you'll need 9 stitches! (Why nine and not eight or ten? Because "nine" rhymes,approximately. with "time".)
· stitch (noun) = a link made with thread in sewing
· in time = not late
علاج واقعه قبل از وقوع بايد كرد!
سر چشمه شايد گرفتن به بيل چو پر شد نشايد گذشتن به پيل
3. "Still waters run deep."
Some rivers have rough surfaces with waves. That's usually because the water is shallow and there are rocks near the surface. But deep rivers have no rocks near the surface and the water is smooth and still. "Still waters run deep" means that people who are calm and tranquil on the outside, often have a strong, "deep" personality.
· still (adjective) = calm, motionless
· deep (adjective) = going far down
فلفل نبين چه ريزه بشكن ببين چه تيزه
شاخ بي ميوه كشد سر به قيام
شاخ پر ميوه شود خم به سلام
4. "He teaches ill, who teaches all."
The unusual structure of this proverb may make it difficult to understand. It becomes easier if we change the structure to "He who teaches all teaches ill." The word "ill" here means "badly". So it means that the teacher who teaches students everything, does not teach well. A good teacher lets students discover some things for themselves.
· ill (adverb) = badly
5. "You can't take it with you when you die."
When we die we leave everything on earth. We don't take anything with us. Even the richest people cannot take their money with them after death. This proverb reminds us that some material things are not really so valuable as we think.
6. You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
به لقمان حكمت آموزي چه باشد؟
پيش لوطي و معلق بازي؟
· Teach one's grandmother to suck eggs : ضرب المثل مشابه
7. "Better untaught than ill taught."
This proverb drops the verb "to be". But we understand: "It is better not to be taught at all than to be taught badly." It's better not to learn something than to learn it badly. This idea is echoed in Pope's famous line: "A little learning is a dang'rous thing;".
· taught = past participle of verb "teach" (here used in passive voice)
· ill taught = badly taught
8. "Don't cross your bridges before you come to them."
Don't worry about problems before they arrive.
از دي كه گذشت هيچ از او ياد مكن فردا كه نيامده است فرياد مكن
بر نامده و گذشته بنياد مكن حالي خوش باش و عمر بر باد مكن ( خيام )
غم فردا نشايد خوردن امروز ( سعدي )
تا كي غم نارسيده خوردن ( نظامي )
ضرب المثلهاي مشابه:
9. "Soon learnt, soon forgotten."
Something that is easy to learn is easy to forget.
10. "Even a worm will turn."
Everybody will revolt if driven too far. Even the lowest of people, or animals, will revolt and hit back at some stage. Even a worm, the simplest of animals, will defend itself.
· worm (noun) = small thin animal with soft body and no bones or legs
· turn (verb) = revolt, fight back
توضيح: در اين ضرب المثل كرم استعارهاي براي انسانهاي ضعيف است.
انسان هر قدر هم كه ضعيف باشد بر اثر فشار زياد سر به طغيان برمي دارد
و به مقابله بر مي خيزد.
حذر كن ز درد درونهاي ريش كه ريش درون عاقبت سر كند
بهم بر مكن تا تواني دلي كه آهي جهاني بهم بر كند. (سعدي )
11. "It was the last straw that broke the camel's back."
There is a limit to everything. We can load the camel with lots of straw, but finally it will be too much and the camel's back will break. And it is only a single straw that breaks its back - the last straw. This can be applied to many things in life. People often say "That's the last straw!" when they will not accept any more of something.
· straw (noun) = dried stalk of grain (like dry piece of grass)
· camel (noun) = large long-necked animal used for riding and carrying goods in the desert
كاسه صبر كسي را لبريز كردن
ضرب المثلهاي مشابه:
· To break the camel's back
· To go to the dogs
· The last drop
12. "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach."
Many women have won a man's love by cooking delicious meals for him. They fed his stomach and found love in his heart.
· way (noun) = path; route
13. "If the stone fall upon the egg, alas for the egg! If the egg fall upon the stone, alas for the egg!"
Life just isn't fair, and this realistic Arabic proverb recognizes that. The stone will always break the egg. Life's like that!
· alas = bad luck; pity; tough; regrettable
14. "Where there's a will there's a way."
If we have the determination to do something, we can always find the path or method to do it.
· will (noun) = strong determination, desire.
· way (noun) = path, method
خواستن توانستن است.
جوينده يابنده است .
15. "Marry in haste, and repent at leisure."
If we get married quickly, without thinking carefully, we may be sorry later. And we will have plenty of time to be sorry.
· in haste = quickly
· repent (verb) = feel sorry, regret
· at leisure = slowly, over time
ضرب المثلهاي مشابه: Marriage is a lottery .
