Arabic – English Proverbs About “ Face “ By Fatimah
Jan
04
إذا قلّ ماء الوجه قلّ حياؤه
itha qall maa’ alwajh qall haiauoh
Literal meaning: If the dignity decreased, the modesty decreases.
English equivalent: Rudeness knows no bounds of shame
بِشْرُ الكريم في وجهه يلوح
Literal meaning: the person’s joy is visible in his face.
English Equivalent: Seeing a client is in itself a trade.
قول له في وشّه ولا تغشه
?ullu fwissu wala tyissu
Literal Meaning: Tell (the truth) to his face and do not cheat him (i.e. do not hide it from him).
English Equivalent: Tell the truth and shame the devil. Honesty is the best policy.
أيه تعمل المشطة في الوشّ العكر
?ih taemel almushta fi alwish alaker
Literal Meaning: What can a beautician do for an ugly mug.
Implied meaning: You cannot make a silk purse out for a sow’s ear.
جارك قدامك ووراك، إن ما شاف وشّك يشوف قفاك
Gaarak ?uddaamak wi waraak, in masaaf wissak yisuuf ?afaak.
Literal Meaning: Your neighbor is both in front of and behind you. If he is unable to see your face he will see your back.
Implied Meaning: You cannot hide your affairs from your neighbor.
اللي يكذب نهار الوقفة، يسود وشه نهار العيد
Illi yikdib nihaar ilwa?fa, yiswadd wissu nhaar il؟iid.
Literal Meaning: He is who on the eve of a feast day, his face will turn black on the feast day (=be embarrassed).
Implied Meaning: You may get away with a lie for a while, but you will always be found out.
في الوش مراية وفي القفا سلّاية
Filwiss mraaya wfil?afa sillaaya
Literal meaning: (to be like) a mirror in (your) face but a thorn in the back of the neck.
Implied meaning: a person who is nice to you in your presence but gossips about you behind your back.
اللي تكره وشه، يحوجك الزمان لقفاه.
Literal meaning: He whose face you hate (to see), time will make you need (even) the back of his neck.
Implied meaning: be discrete in showing your feelings towards others, for you never know what the future will bring.
على وشّك يبان، يا مدّاغ اللبان.
؟ala wissak yibaan, ya maddagy illibaan.
Literal meaning: On your face, it will become apparent, you who are chewing gum (i.e. one can tell if a person has chewing gum by the movement of his jaws).
Implied meaning: No matter how much you try to hide your actions, there will be indications that give them away.
الأصبع الواحد ما بيغطي الوجه
Literal meaning: One finger will not cover the face
Implied meaning: one cannot live without the help of others.
المال بيروح وتبقى الوجوه
Al-mal biroah’ watabqa al-wojoh
Literal meaning: Wealth will go and faces remain.
Implied meaning: fortune and money do not last long, but relationships between people remain.
زي المش، كل ساعة في الوش
zayy il-mishsh, kull is-saa3a fil-wishsh
Literal meaning: Like mish (mish is a milk-based liquid and like a fermented cheese), every hour in the face
Implied Meaning: Something that is always around
طالع وجه التيس واحلب لبن
Literal meaning: look at the goat’s face and get milk
Implied meaning: someone that is completely useless
الزين زين لو قام من النوم والشين شين لو غسل وجهه بالصابون
al-zain zain law qam min al-noom, wa alshain shain law gassal wajhah bil-saboon
Literal meaning: The beautiful is beautiful even he wakes up from sleeping and ugly is ugly even
he washes his face with soap.
Implied meaning: the beautiful face is beautiful in all cases and all time and the ugly
face is always ugly even all tries
to make it beautiful.
اغسل وجهك ما تدري مين يبوسه ونظف بيتك ما تدري مين يدوسه
Sel wajhak ma tedri meen ybousoh wa naddif baitak ma tedri meen yedousoh
Literal meaning: wash your face you don’t know who will kiss it and clean your house you don’t know who will trample it.
Implied meaning: prepare yourself for any possibilities.
العيب اللي في الوجه ما يتغطى ولا يندس
Literal meaning: the blemish in the face is impossible to cover and hide.
Implied meaning: when you try hard to hide your faults and they are very obvious for all people.
شعرها قمل وصيبان وصابغة وجهها ألوان
Literal meaning: her hair is full of lice and her face is colored.
Implied meaning: a person who contradicts himself.
قالوا للقردة اتبرقعي قالت وجهي متعود على الفضيحة
qalwo lilqerda itbargaei qalat wajhi metawid ala alfadeha
Literal meaning: The monkey has been asked to cover her face, she said it’s a face of scandal.
Implied meaning: The person who has a bad quality and cannot change it.
بلاد بني حسن: ماء وخضرة ووجه حسن
Literal meaning: the country of beauty has water, verdancy and a beautiful face.
Implied meaning: someone or something that has all the good qualities.
1 comments:
Perfe! Thank you.
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