• طَبِّل لي تَ زمِّر لك (AF 406)

Beat the drum for me, and I shall blow the trumpet for you.

–  زمّر، يزمّر  = lit.: to honk

 

• طرشا عَ الباب بْتِتْنصَّت (AF 407)

 

She is deaf, but stands by the door eavesdropping.

– أَطرَش، طَرشا ج طُرش / طُرشَان = deaf

– تنصّت  = to eavesdrop

 

• ظن العاقل أصَح مِن يقين الجاهل (AF 417)

 

The guess of a wise man is nearer to the fact than the certainty of a fool.

– ظنّ ج ظُنون  = assumption, guess, thought

– ظَنّ، يظِنّ  = to assume, think, suspect

– يَقِين  = certainty

 

• العاقل يعقل (AF 423)

 

(Let him who) understands understand.

– عِقِل، يعْقَل  = to become intelligent, reasonable; to gain insight, to understand

 

• العتاب صابون القلوب (AF 424)

 

Reprimanding is soap for the hearts.

– عاتب، يعاتب، العِتاب  = to scold, to reproach

 

• عدم الجواب جواب (AF 426)

 

No reply is a reply.

 

• عصفورين بحجر (AF 432)

 

(To hit) two birds with one stone.

 

• العَقْل زِينة لكل رَزِينة (AF 434)

 

Intelligence is a decoration for every serious woman.

– رَزِيْن  = grave, serious, self-possessed

 

• عَقْل الكبير كبير (AF 434)

 

The mind of a great man is great.

 

• عند البطون ضاعت العقول (AF 443)

 

When it concerns the stomach, the mind is lost.

– بَطِن، ج بطون  = stomach, belly; pregnancy

– باطِني  = internal

 

• الغَرْقان ما بخاف من زَخِّة مطر (AF 456)

 

The drowned man does not fear a shower.

– غَرْقان  = drowning

– زَخّة  = downpour, sudden shower

 

• الغَضْبان خَيَ المجنون (AF 458)

 

An angry man is a brother of the madman.

– غَضْبان  = angry

– غِضِب، يغضَب  = to be angry, furious

 

• غَلْطَة الشاطر بألف غَلْطَة (AF 459)

 

A mistake committed by a smart person is equivalent to one thousand (other) mistakes.

– شاطر  = intelligent, smart 

– fun fact: شاطر  in Persian means “baker” (probably from the original meaning of the word “to divide” (like a baker who divides bread)

– شَطَارة  = intelligence, cleverness

 

• غِيب عن العَيْن تِحلا (AF 461)

 

Stay out of sight and you shall be liked.

– غاب، يغيب  = to be absent

– غَايِب  = absent

– حِلِي، يحْلا  = to become sweet

– حلّى، يحَلّي  = to sweeten

– حِلْو  = sweet, good, nice, beautiful

– استَحلَى، يِستَحلي  = to find sweet

– حَلَوِيَّات  = sweets

 

• فقير ما عليه دَيْن، غني (AF 473)

 

A poor man who is not in debt is rich.

– دَيْن ج ديون  = loan, credit, debt

– ديّن، يدَيّن  = to lend money

 – تدَيَّن، يِتدَيَّن  = to borrow

– مَديُوْن  = in debt

 

• الفلوس بتجيب العروس (AF 475)

 

Money gets the bride.

– فلوس  = money

– أَفلَس، يِفلِس  = to go bankrupt

– جَاب، يْجِيْب  = to bring

 

• قالوا للجُعان: تنين وتنين؟ قال: أربعة أَرْغْفِة (AF 489)

 

They asked a hungry man, “How much are 2 + 2?” He answered: “Four loaves.”

– رغِيف ج أَرغِفة  = loaf of bread

 

• الفقر بيِعْمي القلب (AF 471)

 

Poverty blinds one’s heart.

– عَمَى، يعْمِي  = to blind

 

• قرد موافق ولا غزال مخالف (AF 497)

 

Better an agreeable ape than a disagreeable gazelle.

– قِرد ج قرود  = monkey

– تْقَرْدَن  = to behave like a monkey

– وافَق، يوافِق  = to agree

– اْتَّفَق، يِتَّفِق  = to come to an agreement 

– غَزال ج غُزلان  = gazelle

– غَزَل، يِغزِل  = to spin

– غَازَل، يْغَازِل  = to flirt, to court

– خَالَف، يْخَالِف  = to violate, break (a law, etc); to disagree, go against

– مْخَالَفِة، ج مْخَالَفَات  = ticket, offense, infringement

– خَلْف  = behind

– خَلفِيِّة  = background

– اْختَلَف، يِختْلِف  = to differ, to disagree

 

 

Source:

AF = Anis Frayha. Modern Lebanese Proverbs; Collected at Ras Al-matn. American Uninversity of Beirut, Beirut (1953)