Lesson 43
Arabic Proverbs
الأمثال العربية
Classical Arabic proverbs distil centuries of wisdom into a few powerful words. This unit develops your understanding of kinaya (metonymy) and majāz (metaphor) the deepest layer of Arabic expression.
Selected Arabic Proverbs
ProverbTransliterationMeaning
الْعِلْمُ فِي الصِّغَرِ كَالنَّقْشِ عَلَى الْحَجَرal-ʿilmu fī ṣ-ṣighhari kan-naqshi ʿalā l-ḥajarKnowledge in youth is like carving in stone (lasts forever)
مَنْ طَلَبَ الْعُلَا سَهِرَ اللَّيَالِيman ṭalaba l-ʿulā sahira l-layālīWhoever seeks heights must stay up through the nights
الصَّبْرُ مِفْتَاحُ الْفَرَجaṣ-ṣabru miftāḥu l-farajPatience is the key to relief
اِطْلُبِ الْعِلْمَ مِنَ الْمَهْدِ إِلَى اللَّحْدuṭlub al-ʿilma min al-mahdi ilā l-laḥdSeek knowledge from the cradle to the grave
Kinaya الكناية
Kinaya means expressing something through its consequence or accompaniment rather than stating it directly. "He has a long hand" (طَوِيلُ الْيَد) means he is generous the long hand reaches further to give.
طَوِيلُ الْيَدِ / وَاسِعُ الصَّدْر / قَصِيرُ الْيَد
Ṭawīl al-yad / wāsiʿ aṣ-ṣadr / qaṣīr al-yad
Generous / broad-minded / miserly (literally: long-handed / wide-chested / short-handed)
- Tashbīh in proverbs: كَالنَّقْشِ عَلَى الْحَجَر the simile particle كَ connects the abstract (knowledge) to the concrete (carved stone).
- Kinaya: The indirect meaning is the intended meaning طَوِيلُ الْيَد does not describe a physical trait but a character virtue.
- Proverbs and grammar: Proverbs preserve archaic grammatical forms a window into classical Arabic.
- Islamic wisdom tradition: Many proverbs echo Quranic themes الصَّبْرُ مِفْتَاحُ الْفَرَج echoes the Quranic مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرٌ (with difficulty comes ease).