One of the most interesting features of proverbs, and one that makes them especially appropriate for study in the context of meaning and the understanding of the language is that each item tends to have a specific social context in which it can properly be used. They’re used and understood by all members of a language group. We can gain access to the underlying network of non-literal meaning that serves as one of the most powerful tools of expression in any language. Each language’s cognitive framework is unique and is part of the native speaker’s understanding of the world as expressed through language.
Classical theories held that metaphor was an aspect of language, rather than thought. Modern study of this area indicates that metaphor is much more a product of thought. Metaphor is a means by which experience that is of an abstract and intangible nature can be conceptualised in terms of things that are more familiar. That is, those aspects of life that are difficult to express can be described with reference to other items, events actions and so forth. Metaphor then allows one experience to be perceived in terms of another.
Lakoff and Johnson (1980), working on English, showed that a large part of ordinary language describing everyday experience is expressed metaphorically. They referred to this as “conceptual metaphor” and suggest that there are universal, prelinguistic, cognitive structures that define metaphorical usage that include:
1. containment
2. journey
3. proximity and distance
4. linkage and separation
5. front-back orientation
6. part-whole relationships
7. linear order
8. up-down orientation
9. mass vs multiplex conceptualisations
makan angin: eat wind — go for a walk.
turun tangan: put one’s hand’s down — take action
Lakoff (1993) described metaphor as a conceptualisation of one mental domain in terms of another. He called this “cross-domain mapping” and felt that everyday metaphors, such as the dead metaphors discussed above, are based on a system of thousands of these mappings. To Lakoff, a metaphorical expression, then, is a linguistic expression that is a manifestation of one of these cross-domain mappings. The idea that metaphor is conceptual, conventional and part of everyday language use was first formulated by Reddy (1993). His work, The Conduit Of Metaphor, described some of these conventional metaphors in English, and many more have been elaborated upon in literature since then.
eg: Love is a journey, Time is money, Argument is war.
Domain relationships: Mappings of this kind are fixed, and are the factor that allows new metaphors to be understood. Little research has been done to date in non-European languages.
An understanding of the cognitive framework of a language is vital in mastering the language in question. This provides a powerful rationale for the teaching of proverbs and other kinds of traditional metaphorical expressions as part of language study. They serve to illustrate certain common connections that contribute to the cognitive framework of the language.
From Four Is Odd, Five Is Even: The Cognitive Framework Of Malay Proverbs.
*
1. Ada air adalah ikan, ada padang adalah belalang, ada batang cendawan tumbuh.
…if there is a fallen log, mushrooms will grow.
2. Ada bangkai adalah ulat.
If there is a corpse there’ll be maggots.
- Where there are loose women, there will be bad men.
3. Ada beras taruh dalam padi, ada ingat taruh dalam hati.
If there are grains of rice keep them in their husks, if you recall something keep it in your heart.
4. Ada gula adalah semut.
Goodnatured people are always surrounded by friends.
5. Ada hujan ada panas, ada hari boleh balas.
There is rain there is sun, if there is time you can respond.
6. Ada padang ada belalang.
7. Ada pun anjing itu, jikalau dipukul sekalipun, berulang juga ia ke tempat yang banyak tulang.
The dog, even if it is beaten, keeps returning to the place where there are lots of bones.
- Criminals return to the scenes of their crimes.
8. Ada pun buah peria itu, kalau ditanam di atas batas sakar dan dibaja dengan madu, lagi disiram dengan manisan serta dilektakkan di atas tebu sekali pun, apabila masak pahit juga.
(Bitter melon, even if it is planted on top of a layer of sugar and fertilised with honey, then watered with syrup and placed on top of sugarcane, is still bitter when you cook it.)
Bad people will be bad even if they have rank and status.
9. Ada pun kian yang diam tujuh lautan sekalipun termasuk di dalam pukat juga.
Even fish that live in the seven seas end up in the net.
10. Ada pun manikam itu, kalau jatuh ke dalam pelimbahan sekalipun, tiada akan hilang cahayanya.
A jewel, even if it falls into the mud under the eaves, will not lose its gleam.
11. Ada pun pipit itu sama pipit juga, dan yang enggang itu sama enggang juga.
Sparrows go with sparrows and the hornbill goes with hornbills.
The betrothed have to be of the same rank and status.
12. Ada wang abang sayang, tak ada wang abang melayang.
When there’s money, he loves me; when there’s no money he flies away.
13. Adakah air yang penuh dalam tong itu berkocak, melainkan air yang setengah itu juga yang berkocak.
A container full of water sloshes, one half-full sloshes too.
Smart people don’t brag about themselves, but stupid people do.
14. Adakah buaya menolak bangkai?
Does a crocodile refuse a corpse?
People so inclined will do bad things whenever the chance arises.
15. Adakah daripada telaga yang jernih itu mengalir air yang keruh? Demikian jua tiada boleh mengalir air yang jernih daripada telaga yang keruh?
Does muddy water run out of a clear lake? Does clear water ever run out of a muddy lake?
16. Adakah duri dipertajam?
Should a thorn be sharpened?
Don’t get involved in others’ quarrels.
17. Adakah hilang bisa ular menyusup di bawah akar?
Does a snake’s venom disappear because it slips under a root?
18. Adat batang mati, adalah cendawan tumbuh.
The way of a dead branch is to have mushrooms grow on it.
Every place has its customs.
19. Adat bernegeri memagar negeri, adat berkampung memagar kampung
The way to live in a country is to fence in the country, the way to live in a village is to fence in the village.
You have to think of your place and your people, not just of yourself.
20. Adat bersendi syarak, syarak bersendi Kitabullah.
Custom is based oh religious law, religious law is based on the Holy Book.
21. Adat diisi, lembaga dituang.
Custom is filled, conventions are poured into.
Do things the way they’re usually done.
22. Adat sepanjang jalan, cupak sepanjang betung.
Custom is as long as the road, a cupak is as long as the segment of bamboo.
Everything you do has its rules and ways.
(Cupak is a traditional measure for rice made form a segment of bamboo.)
23. Air cucuran atap jatuhnya ke pelimbahan juga.
The water that runs off hte roof falls under the eaves.
Children tend to be like their parents.
24. Air dalam ikan tak mati.
When the water is deep fish don’t die.
Safety in numbers.
25. Air dicencang tiada putus.
If you cut water, it doesn’t separate.
Blood’s thicker than water
26. Air laut hijau celup, duri di hutan siapa pertajam?
The sea is green, who dyed it? Thorns in the jungle, who sharpened them?
Don’t try to teach your grandmother to suck eggs.
27. Air sama kelak menjadi satu, sampah ke tepi juga.
Water will become one with other water and the trash will go to the edge.
Don’t go into others’ quarrels, once they solve them, you’ll be out.
28. Air tawar secawan, dituangkan ke dalam laut, bolehkah menjadi tawar air laut itu?
If a cup of fresh water is poured into the water, will it make the salt water fresh?
29. Air yang jernih, sayak yang landai.
The water is clear, the pond is shallow.
The law has to be fair and not favour one side.
30. Alah bisa oleh biasa.
Poison disappears when you’re used to it.
31. Alah membeli, menang memakai.
Lose when you buy it, win when you wear it.
Expensive things are worth the cost as they last a long time.
32. Alang-alang berdakwat biarlah hitam.
If you’re going to use ink, it may as well be really black.
33. Alang-alang menyeluk pekasam, biar sampai ke pangkal lengan.
If you’re going to stick your hands into a barrel of salted fish, it may as well be up to the shoulder.
34. Ambil patinya buangkan hampas.
Keep the contents and throw away the rind.
35. Amra jangan disangka kedondong.
Don’t think an amra (Sanskrit word for a kind of small mango) is a type of sour fruit.
Don’t think something is bad just because it resembles something else you know is bad.
36. Anak anjing itu bolehkah menjadi anak musang jebat?
Can a young dog become a civet cat?
37. Anak ikan kecil menjadi makanan ikan besar.
The fry of the little fish become the food of the big fish.
The majority are subject to the few in power.
38. Anak kunci jahat, peti durhaka.
The key is evil, the chest is treasonous.
A wife will defend her husband no matter what he does.
39. Anak sendiri disayang, anak tiri dibengkeng.
You love your own children, you scold your stepchildren.
40. Anjing diberi makan nasi bilakah kenyang?
If you feed a dog rice, when will it be full?
There’s no point giving advice to bad people.
41. Anjing menyalak bukit maukah runtuh?
A dog barks, will the hill fall?
42. Antan patah, lesung hilang.
The pestle is broken, the mortar is lost.
Troubles never come singly.
43. Apa digaduhkan pengayuh sama di tanga, perahu sama di air.
There’s nothing to worry about, we have an oar in our hand, the boats are all in the water.
Each person has his own aspirations. Those with many will be successful.
44. Apa guna merak mengigal di tengah hutan?
Why does the peacock display his tail in the jungle?
Don’t throw pearls before swine
45. Apa payahnya menautkan bibir atas bawah?
How hard is it to close your top lip on top of your bottom lip?
Easy to talk, hard to do.
46. Apa payahnya menggoyangkan lidah saja?
How hard is it to wag your tongue?
47. Apabilah air tenang jangan disangka tiada buaya.
If the water is calm, don’t think there are no crocodiles.
48. Apakah guna bulan terang dalam hutan, jikalau dalam negeri alangkah baiknya?
What use is a bright moon in the jungle when it would be so good in the community?
49. Apakah gunanya kemenyan disimpan sebesar tungku kalau tidak dibakar?
What’s the use of keeping incense as big as a stove if you don’t use it?
Doesn’t matter how much you know if you don’t use it for the good of the group.
50. Apakah gunanya memasang dian di tengah hari, jika malam alangkah baiknya?
What’s the use of lighting a lamp in the middle of the day when it would be better at night?
60. Apalagi sawa, ia berkehendak ayamlah.
A python surely wants chicken.
61. Ayam beroga itu, kalau diberi makan dalam pinggan emas sekalipun, ke hutan juga perginya.
A wild chicken, even if you feed it from a golden plate, will still return to the jungle.
62. Badan bersaudara, emas takkan bersaudara; kasih saudara sama berada, kasih bapak menokok harta; kasih emak sama rata, kasih sahabat sama binasa.
People have family, gold has no family; love between brothers makes their wealth equal, a father’s love adds wealth; a mother’s love is equally divided, love between friends makes them suffer the same fate.
- People who are too greedy sacrifice friends for profit, fathers put their kids’ interests first, mothers do not discriminate between children and true friends will stick by you.
63. Badan boleh dimilik, hati takkan dapat dimilik.
The body can be possessed, the heart cannot be possessed.
You cannot control another’s feelings.
64. Bagai kayu lampung, ditembok kumbang tembus-mengembus.
Like driftwood, beetles bore it all the way through.
The powerful can do what they want to the weak.
65. Bagaimana bunyi gendang begitulah tarinya.
How the drum beats sets the rhythm of the dance.
66. Bagaimana contohnya cetak begitulah kuehnya.
The shape of the pan determines the shape of the cake.
67. Bagaimana ditanam, begitulah dituai.
How it is planted is how it is reaped.
68. Bagaimana mengelakkan tikaman laki?
How do you avoid a husband’s stab?
69. Bagaimana pohon tiada akan tumbang dipanah halilintar sebab baluhan kulit ada di batangnya?
How can a tree not fall when struck by lightning when a layer of bark covers its trunk?
Associate with bad folk and you’ll come to a bad end.
70. Bahasa dan bangsa itu tiada dijual beli.
Language and breeding cannot be bought and sold.
Breeding shows. For this reason, the quality of a race cannot be evaluated by its wealth.
71. Baik berjagung-jagung sementara padi masak.
It’s better to eat corn while waiting for the rice to ripen.
Do what you can while waiting for better opportunities.
72. Baik jatuh terletak, jangan jatuh terentak terhempas.
It’s better to fall lightly than fall heavily.
It’s better to quit than be fired.
73. Baik mati dengan nama yang baik, jangan hidup dengan nama yang jahat.
It’s better to die with a good name than live with an evil name.
74. Baik membawa resam ayam betina.
It’s good to be like the hen.
Don’t show off, it’ll lead to trouble.
75. Baik membawa resam padi, jangan membawa resam lalang.
It’s good to be like rice, don’t be like lallang.
The more you know, the more humble you should be.
76. Bak nyiru bak tampian, bak guru bak anak sasian.
Like the woven tray used for winnowing rice is the (another name for the same item), students become like their teachers.
77. Bak tembilang bak penggali, bagai yang hilang begitulah pengganti.
pole-like tool for digging holes. like what is lost is the replacement.
78. Bangau, bangau, minta aku leher, badak, badak minta aku daging.
Stork, I want your neck, rhino, I want your muscle.
- Don’t envy what others have.
79. Bangkai gajah bolehkah ditutup dengan nyiru?
Can you cover the corpse of an elephant with a woven tray for winnowing rice?
80. Bangsa anjing, kalau biasa makan tahi, tak makan pun cium ada juga.
The nature of dogs is that they eat shit, if they don’t eat it, they at least smell it.
81. Banyak udang banyak garamnya, banyak orang banyak ragamnya.
A lot of shrimp, a lot of salt, a lot of people, a lot of ways.
82. Bapaknya borek, anaknya tentulah rintik.
If the father is spotted, the children will certainly be speckled.
83. Barang di mana pun pantat periuk itu hitam juga.
Anywhere at all, the bottom of the cooking pot is black.
No matter where they are, poor people have the same lives.
84. Barang siapa berani menghalang, tak dapat tiada berandi melawan juga.
Whoever dares to intercede can’t not dare to fight too.
85. Barang siapa menggali lubang, ia juga terperosok ke dalamnya.
Whoever digs a hole is the one who gets caught in it.
What goes around comes around
86. Barang siapa yang berketuk, ialah yang bertelur.
Whoever crows is the one to lay an egg.
Whoever the shoe fits will wear it.
87. Barang yang dikata itulah kota.
What you say is a city.
Keep your promises, finish what you start.
88. Baru hendak bertunas sudah dipetik, lama-lama matilah pokoknya.
If you pick the sprouting shoots, the tree will die after a while.
89. Batu kecil berguling naik, batu besar berguling turun.
Small stones roll up, big stones roll down.
Lowborn people improve their lot through wealth, the high-born lose status through poverty.
90. Batu pun empuk, jangankan hati manusia.
Even a stone can become soft, much less a person’s heart.
91. Belakang parang lagi jikalau diasah niscaya tajam juga.
Even the back of a machete can be sharp if honed.
Even a stupid person can learn.
92. Belum tuarang panjang, buah singkuang sebesar betis.
The long drought hasn’t come yet but the yams are as big as your calf.
Before it happens, you can’t anticipate trouble.
93. Beralih kain di bali rumah, beralih kata biar berhadapan (beralih cakap di balik lidah).
Clothes move behind the house; if words move it should be in front (talk moves behind the tongue).
Don’t break promises.
94. Berapa berat mata memandang berat juga bahu memikul.
However hard it is for the eyes to see it, it’s harder for the shoulder to bear it.
It’s always worse for the experiencer.
95. Berapa besar ikan paus, tempuling juga menghilang jiwa.
No matter how big the whale, a harpoon can kill it.
96. Berapa panjang lunjur begitulah selimut.
How long your body when stretched should be the length of your blanket.
Live within your means.
97. Berapa panjang sarung, begitulah panjang matanya.
How long your sarong is, the further will be your gaze.
Everything is according to its nature and situation.
98. Berapa pun anjing menyalak bukit takkan runtuh.
No matter how much a dog barks the hills won’t fall.
99. Berapa tinggi terbang bangau, akhirnya hinggap di berlakang kerbau juga.
No matter how high a stork flies, it always lands on a water buffal’s back.
Everyone will eventually die. The mighty will eventually fall.
100. Berapakah tajam pisau parang, tajamlah lagi mulut manusia.
No matter how sharp a parang, people’s mouths are sharper.
101. Bergalah hilir tertawa buaya, bersuluh di bulan terang tertawa harimau.
If you pole downstream the crocodile laughs, if you carry a torch in moonlight the tiger laughs.
If you do stupid things, people who know better will make fun of you.
102. Berguru kepalang ajar bagai bunga kembang tak jadi.
Studying halfheartedly is like a flower bud that fails to open.
103. Berjalan peliharakan kaki, berkata peliharakan lidah.
If you walk, take care of your feet, if you speak, take care of your tongue.
104. Berkata siang melihat-lihat, berkata malam dengardengarkan.
If you speak during the day, look around, if you speak at night, listen carefully.
Always be careful when you’ve to discuss something with others.
105. Berkaul kepada keramat.
Vow at a sacred place.
Ask favours from people who like you.
106. Berlayar bernakhoda, berjalan dengan yang tua, berkata dengan yang pandai.
If you sail, have a captain, walk with someone more experienced, speak with someone intelligent.
107. Bersukat darahlah baru kuberi.
I’ll measure it out in blood before I give in.
108. Bertangga naik, berjenjang turun.
Go up the stairs; come down the stairs.
109. Bertelingkah antan di lesung, ayam juga yang kenyang.
If the pestle acts up in the mortar, the chickens eat their fill.
If you quarrel with your workmates, someone else gets the benefit.
110. Bertepuk sebelah tangan, tiada akan berbunyi.
If you clap one hand, it’ll not make any noise.
111. Bertitah lalu, sembah berlaku.
The order goes through, the respect takes effect.
112. Besar kayu besar dahannya, kecil kayu kecil dahannya.
A big tree has big branches, a small tree has small branches.
The more you have, the more you spend.
113. Besar periuk besar keraknya.
The bigger the pot, the bigger the rice crust.
The better your lot, the more problems you have.
114. Biar badan penat asalkan hati suka.
It doesn’t matter if the body aches as long as the heart is happy.
115. Biar, biar naik ke mata.
Let it, let it rise to the eyes.
You don’t have to let bad things happen to you.
116. Biar buruk kain dipakai, asal pandai mengambil hati.
It doesn’t matter if you are poorly dressed as long as you can win hearts.
117. Biar ditelan oleh buaya janganlah dipagut olen ikan kecil-kecil.
You might as well be swallowed by a crocodile but don’t be nibbled to death by little fish.
118. Biar jatuh tertelak, jangan jatuh terhempas.
It’s better to fall lightly, don’t fall heavily.
119. Biar kena tampar dengan jari yang bercincin daripada kena jentik dengan tangan yang berkudis.
You’re better being slapped by ringed fingers than being flicked by a diseased hand.
It’s better to be punished by the authorities than by an angry mob.
120. Biar lambat asal selamat.
You’re better off being slow as long as you are safe.
121. Bair mati anak jangan mati adat.
Better for a child than for custom to die.
122. Biar miskin asal cerdik, terlawan juga orang kaya.
you’re better off poor as long as you are smart, you can still stand up to the rich.
123. Biar putih tulang jangan putih mata.
It’s better to be white bones than have white eyes.
Death is better than shame.
124. Biar terselar, jangan terbakar (hangus).
It’s better to be branded than be burnt.
A small loss is acceptable as long as it’s not too much.
125. Biar tersengat, jangan tertiarap.
It’s okay to be stung but don’t end up lying on your face.
126. Biar titik, jangan tumpah.
It’s okay if it drips but don’t spill it.
127. Biarlah alah sabung asal menang sorak.
It’s okay to lose the cockfight if you win the cheering.
128. Bicarakan rumput di halaman orang, di halaman sendiri rumput sampai ke kaki tangga.
You talk about the grass in someone else’s yard while the grass in your own yard is growing up to the foot of the steps.
129. Bingung makanan si cerdik, orang tidur makanan si jaga.
The confused feed the inteligent, the sleeping feed those who are awake.
130. Bintang di langit boleh dibilang, tetapi arang dimukanya tak sedar.
You can count the stars in the sky but you are not aware that your face is smudged with ash.
131. Buah membacang buruk kulitnya.
Embacang fruit has an ugly skin.
People who look mean can have good natures.
132. Buah yang manis berulat di dalamnya.
Sweet fruit can have worms inside.
133. Buat baik berpada-pada, buat jahat jangan sekali.
Do as much god as is necessary, don’t do evil even once.
134. Bubu duduk jiwaku hilang.
The fish trap is in place, I perish.
There’s no point resisting those in power.
135. Bukan tanah menjadi padi.
Land does not turn into rice.
136. Bukit jadi paya, paya jadi bukit.
A hill becomes a swamp, a swamp becomes a hill.
Feng shui lunliu juan.
137. Bulat air tegal dek gopong, bulat manusia tegal dek muafakat.
Water is made round by the bamboo pipe, people are made round through consensus.
138. Bumi mana yang tiada kena hujan?
Which land is not struck by rain?
139. Bunga pun gugur putik pun gugur, tua pun gugur masak pun gugur.
Flowers fall, buds fall, even the old fall, even the ripe fall.
140. Bunga yang harum itu ada juga durinya.
Fragrant flowers often have thorns.
141. Bunganya dipersunting, sudahnya akan layu juga.
The flower you wear in your hair will end up wilted too.
Novelty soons wear off.
142. Burung gagak itu, jikalau dimandikan dengan air mawar sekalipun, tidak akan menjadi putih bulunya.
The crow, even if bathed in rose water, will not have white feathers.
143. Burung yang liar jangan dilepaskan, khabar yang mustahil jangan didengarkan.
Don’t let a wild bird go, don’t listen to impossible news.
Don’t say things you aren’t sure of and don’t pay attention when you hear them either.
144. Busut juga ditimbun oleh anai-anai.
Termites build a hill.
The rich become richer.
145. Calak-calak batu asah, menanti tukang belum tiba.
Scrape away at the whetstone while waiting for the knife sharpener to arrive.
146. Cangkat sama didaki, lurah sama dituruni.
We go up the hill together, we go down into the valley together.
147. Cari umbut terkena buku.
Looking for the palm heart, you may end up with a joint of the trunk.
If you’re too choosy, you’ll end up getting cheated.
148. Carik-carik bulu ayam, lama-lama bercantum juga.
If you separate a chicken’s feathers, they’ll come together again after a while.
Family quarrels are patched up in the end.
149. Cerdik makan si bingung, tidur makanan si jaga.
The intelligent devour the confused, the sleeper feeds those who are awake.
150. Cubit paha kanan, paha kiri pun sakit juga.
If you pinch the right thing, the left thigh feels the pain too.
151. Dahulu intan, sekarang jadi batu Belanda.
Once a jewel, now a “Dutch stone or imitation gemstone.
152. Dari jauh orang angkat telunjuk, kalau dekat dia angkat mata.
From afar, people raise their index finger, closeby they raise their eyes.
People will talk behind your back.
153. Daripada bersahabat dengan orang yang bodoh, baik berseteru dengan orang yang berakal.
Better to fight with a smart person than befriend an idiot.
154. Daripada cempedak baik nangka.
Both jackfruit. Something is better than nothing.
155. Daripada hidup bercermin bangkai, baik mati berkalang tanah.
Better to be dead and surrounded with eart than live and see a corpse in the mirror.
156. Daripada hidup berlumur tahi, baik mati bertimbun bunga.
Better be dead and covered with flowers than live smeared with shit.
157. Daripada sahabat dengan orang yang bodh, baik berseteru dengan orang yang berakal.
Better to quarrel with a smart person than befriend a stupid person.
158. Daun dapat dilayangkan, getah jauh ke perdu juga.
A leaf can fly away, the sap falls to the base of the tree.
Immediate family is closer than extended family.
159. Daunnya jatuh melayang, buahnya jatuh ke pangkal.
The leaves fall carried away by the wind, the fruit falls to the base of the tree.
160. Deras datang dalam kena.
Demand comes through interest.
Haste makes waste.
161. Di laut angkatan, di darat keparatan.
At sea, like an armada, on land, damned.
Being united and in agreement is important. (Image is of a fleet of sheeps)
162. Di luar bagai madu, di dalam bagai empedu.
Outside, sweet as honey, inside bitter as gall.
163. Di luar merah, di dalam pahit.
Outside red, inside bitter.
164. Di mana api padam, di sanalah puntung tercampak, di mana periuk pecah, di situlah tembikar tinggal.
Where the fire goes out that’s where the remains are thrown away, where the cooking pot breaks there’s where the shards remain.
Where someone dies is where he should be buried.
165. Di mana kapak jatuh, di situ baji makan.
Where the axe falls is where the wedge eats.
Where there’s a lapse in adat is where it has to be made up.
166. Di mana kayu bongkok, di sanalah musang meniti.
Where there’s a bent branch is where the civet cat crosses.
167. Di mana semut mati kalau tidak dalam gula?
Where do ants die if not in the sugar?
People risk ruin for pleasure.
168. Di mana tembilang terentak, di situ cendawan tumbuh.
Where the digging stick breaks to soil, that’s where the mushrooms grow.
169. Di mana tempat kutu hendak makan kalau tidak di atas kepala?
Where are lice going to eat if not on top of your head?
Those at the bottom feed off those on top.
170. Di tempat tiada helang, kata belalang akulah helang.
Where there are no eagles, the grasshopper says he’s an eagle.
171. Diam besi berkarat, diam ubi lagi kental.
If iron is not used rusts, if sweet potatoes are not touched they become big.
172. Diam ubi lagi kental, diam besi lagi suntal.
….if iron is left alone it corrodes.
- Rely on the meanings of diam. If you are quiet because you are always thinking, you will benefit but if you are quiet because you’re stupid, nothing will come out of it.
173. Dihela harimau gajah, tentu ada londarnya; dihela untung nasib, tak tentu londarnya.
If you are dragged along by a tiger or elephant, there’ll certainly be a track, if you’re tragged along by fate, there’s no trace.
You never know what someone’s lot is.
174. Dijual sayak, dibeli tempurung.
You sell coconut shells and buy coconut shells.
If you lose something, replace it with something of equal value.
175. Dikatakan berhuma, lebar sesapan di halaman.
They say they’ve a farm but the garden plot is bigger.
176. Dikerkah dia menampar pipi, dibakar dia melilit puntung.
If you bite him you’ll slap your cheek, if you burn him he’ll take up the burnt sticks.
People who feel hurt or slighted will try to get back even if that hurts them too.
177. Diperlelar timba ke perigi, sekali tak sekali pecah.
If it’s dropped often into the well enough, eventually the bucket will break.
178. Disangkakan langit rendah, dipandang dekat dicapai tak boleh.
You think the sky is low; it looks close but you can’t reach it.
179. Ditepuk air di dulang, terpercik muka sendiri juga.
If you slap the water in the basin, it will splash on your own face.
180. Ditepuk tangan sebelah takkan berbunyi.
Clapping one hand will not make noise.
181. Ditetak belah, dipalu belah, tembikar juga akan jadinya.
If you chop it it breaks in two, if you hammer it in breaks in two, everything ends in shards.
- Everything dies.
182. Diturutkan gatal tiba ke tulang.
If you follow an itch you end at the bone.
Following your desires you may come to a bad end.
183. Duduk meraut ranjau, berdiri mengintai jarah.
If you sit, sharpen the caltrops; if you stand, keep an eye on the loot.
Always be aware and do things that have value.
184. Ekor anjing berapa pun diurut akan dia, tiada juga akan betul.
No matter how much you massage a dog’s tail, it won’t become straight.
Bad people will always return to their bad ways.
185. Elok arak di hari panas, elok lenggang di tanah datar.
It’s good to break branches on a sunny day, it’s good to stroll in a flat place.
186. Elok kata dalam muafakat, buruk kata di luar muafakat.
Words are goo din consensus, words are bad outside of consensus.
187. Empat gasal lima genap, dikendur berdenting-denting, ditegang berjela-jela.
Four is odd, five is even; loss it thrums, taut it sags.
A wise person always speaks calmly and uses innuendo but, if it comes to it, can be firm in his softness.
188. Enggang apa kepada enggang, orang apa kepada orang.
What is a hornbill to other hornbills; what is a person to other people
Rely on your own opinions and views. Everyone has to bear their own lot.
189. Enggang sama enggang dan pipit sama pipit juga.
190. Gajah berak besar, kancil pun hendak berak besar, akhirnya mati kebebangan.
The elephant makes large droppings, the mousedeer wants this too but finally dies of constipation.
191. Gajah berkaki empat lagi terdorong.
The elephant with his four feet is still pressed.
192. Gajah lalu dibeli, kusa tidak terbeli.
You buy a passing elephant but can’t afford a goad.
193. Gajah masuk kampung, kalau tak tumbang pokok, rumput layu juga.
When elephants enter the kampung, if no trees are knocked down, the grass is certainly trampled.
When the powerful start to interfere in the lives of the ordinary folk, it always brings bad results for the public.
194. Gajah mati tulang setimbun.
…leave behind a mountain of bones
People in power always leave a large inheritance.
195. Gajah sama gajah berjuang, pelanduk mati di tengah-tengah.
When elephants fight, the mousedeer dies in the middle.
196. Gajah terdorong kerana gadingya, harimau terlompat kerana belangnya.
Elephants are pressed because of their tusks, tigers are forced to jump because of their stripes.
197. Gar-gar kata gelegar, rasuk juga yang menahannya.
The joists rumble, but the frame still holds them.
198. Garam di laut asam di gunung, dalam belanga bertemu juga.
Salt in the ocean assam on the hill, they meet in the pan.
If fated, lovers will meet no matter where they are.
199. Garam tumpah apakah tempatnya?
Spilled salt, what is its place?
People do not remember the ordinary folk after they die.
200. Gelagat pohon rambutan jantan, orang berbunga dia berbunga, orang berbuah dia tidak.
The behaviour of the male rambutan tree: when other trees flowers he flowers, when other trees bear fruit he doesn’t
Even if you do exactly like others, you won’t succeed if it isn’t your lot.
201. Gendang raya bunyi deras, tak tahu dirinya berongga.
Big drum makes a deep sound but has no idea it’s hollow inside.
Empty vessels..
202. Genggam bara api biar sampai jadi arang.
If you grab a burning ember, hold it till it becomes charcoal.
203. Getah meleleh ke pangkal, daun melayang jauh.
Sap drips to the base of the tree, leaves fly away far.
204. Gigi dengan lidah adakalanya tergigit juga.
Every so often the teeth accidentally bite the tongue.
205. Gulai lampau, serai tentu maung.
If the stew is overcooked, the lemongrass will smell bad.
206. Gulai sedap, nasi mentah.
The stew is good but the rice is undercooked.
Nothing is perfect.
207. Gunung juga yang dilejang panas.
The mountain also gets the sun.
Good people always prosper.
208. Guru kencing berdiri, anak murid kencing berlari.
The teacher urinates standing up, the students urinate while running.
Students become like their teachers and may even be more extreme.
209. Habis sepasu minyak, ekor anjing tiada akan lurus.
Even if you use up a container of oil, the dog’s tail won’t be straight.
210. Hancur badan dikandung tanah, budi baik terkenang juga.
The body dies surrounded by earth, goodness is remembered.
211. Harapkan anak buta mata sebelah, harapkan teman buta mata keduanya.
Place your hope in a child and you’re blind in one eye, place your hope on a friend and you’re blind in two eyes.
Make sure you supervise things yourself.
212. Harimau bertempek tak makan orang.
A muddy tiger doesn’t eat people.
No matter how angry someone is, they usually don’t resort to violence.
213. Harimau ditakuti sebab giginya.
Tigers are feared due to their teeth.
People in authority are feared because of their power, not because of who they are.
214. Harimau kena penjara, pelanduk menolak mara.
Tiger’s trapped in a cage while the mousedeer escapes harm.
215. Harimau mati tinggalkan belang, gajah mati meninggalkan gading (tulang).
Tiger leaves stripes when it dies, elephant leaves tusks or bones when it dies.
People are remembered for their deeds.
216. Harimau mengaum tak menangkap.
A roaring tiger does not pounce.
217. Harta dunia jangan ditamak, kalau mati tak mengikut.
Don’t lust after the wealth of the world, you can’t take it with you when you die.
218. Harum menghilangkan bau.
Fragrance eliminates a bad smell.
219. Hati gajah sama dilapah, hati kuman sama dicecah.
Elephant’s heart is divided into chunks, a flea’s heart is divided into pinches.
Share and share alike.
220. Hati kalau suka kepala pecah disimpai.
If your heart is happy you tie up a broken head.
If you really like something you’ll pay the cost.
221. Hendak kaya berdikit-dikit, hendak bertuah bertabur urai, hendak berani berlawan ramai.
If yu want to be rich be economical, if you want to be well-known give freely, if you want to be brave, stand up to your foes.
222. Hendak seribu daya, tak hendak seribu payah.
If you want to there are a thousand ways, if you don’t want to there are a thousand difficulties.
223. Hendaklah seperti tembikar, pecah satu pecah semuanya.
We should be like crockery, if one breaks, all break.
224. Hidup di dunia biar beradat, bahasa tidak berjual beli.
If you live in the world it should be with custom, breeding cannot be bought and sold.
225. Hidup dikandung adat, mati dikandung tanah.
Alive you’re surrounded by custom, …dirt.
Everyone has to obey social rules.
226. Hilang adat tegal dek muafakat.
Custom vanishes through consensus.
227. Hilang bahasa kerana mas, hilang budi kerana miskin.
Breeding disappears due to gold, character disappears due to poverty.
228. Hilang bini boleh dicari, hilang budi badan celaka.
If you lose your wife you can look for her, if you lose your character you’ll come to a bad end.
229. Hilang sepuh nampak senam.
When the plating wears off the base metal is visible.
230. Hilir malam mudik tak singgah, daun nipah dikatakan daun labu.
You go downstream at night, you go upstream without stopping anywhere, then you say a palm lea fis a pumpkin leaf.
If you’re not cautious you’ll make mistakes.
231. Hitam-hitam gajah, putih-putih udang kepai.
Black like a crow, white like a small shrimp.
Bad things are bad even if they look nice and good things are good even if they look bad.
232. Hujan mas perak di negeri orang, hujan keris lembing di negeri sendiri, baik juga di negeri sendiri.
If it rains gold and silver in others’ lands and knives and spears in yours it’s still better to be in your own land.
233. Hujan menimpa bumi.
Rain falls on the earth.
Obey the laws of the land.
234. Hujan tak sekali jatuh, simpai tak sekali erat.
Rain doesn’t fall at once, knot won’t be tight immediately.
235. Hutan mas boleh dibayar, hutang budi dibawar mati.
You can pay a debt of gold but carry a debt of kindness to the grave.
236. Ia sepanjang hari, janji sepanjang jalan.
He is as long as the day, a promises is as long as the road.
It’s easy to make a promise but hard to keep it.
237. Ibarat burung, mulut manis jangan dipakai.
Like a bird, don’t use your sweet mouth.
238. Ibarat kutu boleh diselisik.
Like a louse, it can be combed out.
239. Ibarat telur sesangkak, pecah satu pecah semuanya.
like a nest of eggs, if one breaks, all will break.
240. Ikan biar dapat serampang jangan pokah.
You should get the fish but the spear shouldn’t break.
Don’t use more than necc to get something.
241. Ikan gantung kucing tunggu.
Where a fish hangs cats will wait.
Where there’re girls there will be boys.
242. Ikan kelumur dapat, air sudah keruh.
You get a catfish but the water is muddy.
Unwise behaviour leads to loss.
243. Ikan seekor rosakkan ikan setajau.
One fish spoils the whole basin.
One bad apple spoils the bunch.
244. Ikan terkilat jala pun tiba.
The fish glistens but the net is there
Clever people know what to say right away.
245. Ikat boleh diubah, takuk bagaimana mengubahnya?
You can change how a rope is tied but how do you change a scar?
246. Ikut hati mati, ikut rasa binasa, ikut mata leta.
If you follow your heart you die, if you follow your feelings you’ll be destroyed, if you follow your eyes you’ll be disgraced.
247. Ilmu dan akal dihalai-balai, itulah tanda orang yang lalai.
If knowledge and ideas are in disarray, that is the sign of a creless person.
248. Indah kabar dari rupa.
The news is more beautiful than the reality.
249. Ingat antara belum kena, jimat antara belum habis.
Think before it happens, save before it’s used up.
250. Intan dan berlian jangan dipijakkan.
Don’t tread on gems and precious stones.
Don’t reuse profit and happiness.
251. Intan itu jika keluar dari mulut anjing sekalipun tetap intan.
A jewel’s still a jewel even if it comes out of the mouth of a dog.
252. Jangan diajar anak harimau makan daging.
Don’t teach a tiger cub to eat meat.
253. Jangan diajar orang tua makan kerak.
Don’t teach an old person to eat rice crust.
254. Jangan didengar murai bercerita, kapal belayar dikatakan berhenti.
Don’t listen to the magpie’s tales, a ship sails and he says it’s standing still.
255. Jangan digenggam seperti bara, rasa hangat dilepaskan.
Don’t hold it like an ember, when it feels hot you let go.
256. Jangan diperlelar timba di perigi, kalau tak putus genting.
The bucket shouldn’t keep going to the well, if the rope doesn’t break it’ll fray.
Don’t keep doing bad things.
257. Jangan dipikir kalau tebu itu bengkok manisan itu bengkok juga.
Don’t think because a stalk of sugar cane is bent, its sweetness is bent too.
258. Jangan disangkakan ikan lais taidak menyengat.
Don’t think this lais fish doesn’t sting.
259. Jangan disangkakan kapal besi tak masuk guri.
Don’t think an iron ship never enters dry-dock.
260. Jangan disesar gunung berlari, hilang kabut tampaklah dia.
Don’t urge the mountain to run. when the fog raises there it is.
261. Jangan ditentang matahari condong.
Don’t oppose the sun setting.
262. Jangan membuat kerbau tanduk panjang.
Don’t make a water buffalo have long horns.
Mind your own business.
263. Jangan menumbuk di periuk, bertanak di lesung.
Don’t hull rice is the cooking pot, don’t cook rice in the mortar.
264. Jangan mengukur baju orang di badan sendiri.
Don’t measure others’ clothing on your own body.
265. Jangan sangat pemilih, takut terkena buku buluh.
Don’t be too choosy or you could end up with the bamboo joint.
266. Janganlah difikirkan kalau tebu itu bengkok manisannya pun bengkok juga.
Don’t think that if a stalk of sugarcane is bent, its sweetness is bent too.
Even bad people can do good once in a while
267. Janganlah sebagai babi merasa gulai.
Don’t be like a pig tasting stew.
The lowborn should not be considered the same as or married to people of higher birth.
268. Jaras dikatan raga jarang.
Don’t think a woven container with large openings between the strands used to hold fruit (jara) is the same as a basket made of rattan (raga).
It’s easy to assume that things that seem similar are in fact the same.
269. Jarum halus kelindan sutera.
The needle is fine, the thread is silk.
Ulterior motives are often invisible.
270. Jerat tiada lupa akan balam, tetapi balam lupa akan jerat.
The trap doesn’t forget about the pigeon but the pigeon forgets about the trap.
Pple forget about the dangers of a situation but this will not prevent them from happening.
271. Jika ada memelihara ayam, musang jangan dijinakkan.
If you keep chickens, don’t tame the civet cat.
If you have a daughter, don’t let the boys hang around.
272. Jika ada padi berhampalah, jika ada hati bersabarlah.
If you have rice, some might be empty of grains, if you have a heart, be patient.
If the shoe fits, wear it.
273. Jika benih yang baik, jatuh ke laut menjadi pulau.
If it is a good seed, it will fall into the ocean and become an island.
People with talent will succeed no matter where they are.
274. Jika di hulu airnya keruh, janganlah di hilir keruh juga.
If the water is muddy at the source, it mightn’t be muddy downstream.
275. Jika kerbau dipegang orang talinya, jika manusia dipegang orang mulutnya.
If it’s a water buffalo, people hold its rope, if it’s a human, people hold his mouth.
Don’t break promises.
276. Jika tiada bersapu arang di muka, dari hidup baiklah mati.
If you can’t wipe the charcoal off your face, it’s better to die instead of live.
It’s better to die than to live in shame.
277. Jika diturut hati yang geram, hilang takut timbul berani.
If you follow an angry heart, fear vanishes and courage appears.
Pushed by strong emotion…
278. Jikalau di hulu airnya keruh, tak dapat tiada di hilirnya pun keruh juga.
If the water is muddy at the source, it mightn’t be muddy downstream.
279. Jikalau kasih akan padi, buanglah rumput.
If you love your rice, remove the grass.
If you really love your family, you can’t be attached to other people.
280. Jikalau kita duduk di atas ciu emas sekalipun, namun hati tiada senang.
Even if we’re sitting on a thick mat with gold trim, the heart is still unhappy.
If someone is forced to do something, he’ll never like it. Ciu: thick mat woven of three layers and decorated with gold and silver.
281. Jikalau menampi, jangan tumpah padinya.
When you winnow, don’t spill the rice.
Don’t throw away things that might be useful.
282. Jikalau sepohon kayu banyak akarnya lagi teguh, apakah ditakutkan ribut?
If a tree has many roots and is sturdy, does it fear a typhoon?
283. Jikalau tiada dapat dibaiki, jangan dipecahkan.
If you can’t fix it, don’t break it.
If you can’t do better, don’t criticise.
284. Jikalau tiada rial di pinggang, saudara yang rapat menjadi renggang.
If you’ve no rial (old unit of currency) on your belt, close associates become scarce.
285. Jikalau ular menyusur akar tiada akan hilang bisanya.
If a snake crosses over a root, its venom won’t disappear.
When people relent or show leniency, they are still no less powerful.
286. Jong pecah, hiu kenyang.
The junk breaks into pieces, the sharks eat their fill.
It’s an ill wind that blows no one any good.
287. Kail sebentuk umpan seekor, sehari putus sehari berhanyut.
A fishing line, a single piece of bait, if the line breaks, you’ll float aimlessly all day.
If you don’t have enough capital you’ll fail.
288. Kain dalam acar, dikutip dicuci, dia hendak kelongkang juga.
A rag on the garbage heap, even if yo pick it up and wash it, will end up in a ditch anyway.
Bad people never reform.
289. Kain penutup miang, wang ringgit penutup malu.
Cloth protects you from bamboo fibres, money covers shame.
290. Kalau bunga bukan sekuntum.
There’s not only one flower.
There’re more fish in the sea.
291. Kalau gajah hendaklah dipandang gandingnya, kalau harimau hendaklah dipandang belangnya.
If it’s an elephant look for its tusks, if it’s a tiger look for its stripes.
Don’t believe everything you hear, make sure first.
292. Kalau getah meleleh, kalau daun melayang.
If it’s sap, it runs, if it’s a leaf, it flies away.
Friends may come and go but relatives stand by you.
293. Kalau hendak jahat tak sempat kapas dibakar, kalau hendak baik seribu tahun.
If you want to do evil there’s no time to burn a piece of cotton, if you want to do good it takes a thousand years.
294. Kalau kena tampar biar dengan tangan yang bercincin, kalau kena tendang biar dengan kaki yang berkasut.
If you’re going to be slapped it might as well be with a ringed hand, if you’re going to get kicked it might as well be by a shod foot.
Don’t fight with people of lower status than yourself.
295. Kalau kerbau sekawan dapat dikawal, manusia seorang tiada dapat dimaklumi.
A herd of buffalo can be controlled, a single person can’t be fathomed.
You can’t force people to do something if they don’t want to.
296. Kalau kucing tidak bermisai takkan ditakuti tikus lagi.
If cats had no whiskers mice would no longer fear them.
297. Kalau langit hendak menimpa bumi, bolehkah ditahankan dengan telunjuk?
If the sky were falling into the earth, could you hold it back with your index finger?
298. Kalau menyeberang sungai biarlah ditelan oleh buaya tapi janganlah dipagut oleh ikan kecil-kecil.
If you’re crossing the river it’s better to be swallowed by a crocodile but don’t get nibbled to death by small fish.
299. Kalau si tua menunjukkan belangnya, dah tentu kambing bertetanggungan.
If the Old One shows his stripes, it’s the goat that’s responsible.
The public has to accept whatever thhose in power do.
300. Kalau sudah dikatakan hendaklah dikotakan.
Once you’ve said it, make it happen.
301. Kalau sudah secupak tiada boleh jadi segantang.
If it’s a cupak’s worth, it cannot become a gantang’s worth.
If it’s not your lot you won’t be rich. Cupak and gantang: one gantang is equivalent to four cupak. Measure of rice.
302. Kalau tak ada angin bertiup, takkan pokok bergoyang.
If the wind’s not blowing the trees won’t be moving.
303. Kalau tak ada api, masakan ada asap.
If there’s no fire, there would be no smoke.
304. Kalau tak ada emas di pinggang, sanak jadi orang lain.
If you’ve no gold at your belt, relatives become strangers.
305. Kalau tak berada-ada, masakan tempua bersarang rendah.
If there were no reason for it, the weaverbird would not nest low.
306. Kalau tak bersenapang baik beri jalan lapang.
If you don’t have a rifle it’s good to give a wide berth.
307. Kalau tak sir berdegap, sir melayang.
If your desires are not firm, they fly away.
If pple don’t get what they want they tend to lose their will.
308. Kalau tiada angin tak akan pokok bergoyang.
If there were no wind the trees would not move.
309. Kalau tiada padi, sebarang kerja tak jadi.
If you’ve no rice, nothing works out.
You need capital to get things done.
310. Kalau tiada rial di pinggang, sahabat yang rapat menjadi renggang.
If you’ve no rial at your belt, close friends become scarce.
311. Karam di darat ada juga tinggal tungku lekarnya, karam di laut habis sekali.
If you founder on land, at least the stove and its wooden cover remains, if you founder at sea, everything is gone.
At home, you’ve family to help out. In the rantau, you’ve to fend for yourself.
312. Kasih ibu sepanjang jalan, kasih anak sepanjang pengalan.
A mother’s love is as long as the road, the love of a child is as long as a pole for picking fruit.
313. Kasihkan anak tangan-tangankan; kasihkan isteri tinggal-tinggalkan.
If you love your child, take your hand to him; if you love your wife, leave her from time to time.
314. Kasihkan bini tinggal-tinggalkan.
If you love your wife, leave her from time to time.
315. Kata dahulu ditepati, kata kemudian bercarian.
What’s been said must be kept, what’s said later must be discussed.
Keep promises and be in agreement. Kata dahulu = promise. Kata kemudian = consensus.
316. Ke mana hendak pergi layang-layang itu, talinya ada di tangan kita.
Where is a kite going to go, its string is in our hand.
The public can’t escape what those in power do.
317. Ke mana tumpah hujan dari bubungan kalau tidak ke cucuran atap?
Where does the rainwater from the roof go if not under the eaves?
Children tend to be like their parents.
318. Ke mana tumpah kuah kalau tidak ke nasi?
Where does the gravy spill if not onto the rice?
Children tend to be like their parents.
319. Kecil tak boleh disangkakan anak, besar tak boleh disangkakan bapak.
Small should not be assumed to be the child, big shouldn’t been assumed to be the father.
Don’t think that a young person don’t have something important to teach you. Don’t think that an elder is always right.
320. Kecil-kecil anak, sudah besar menjadi onak.
When they’re small they’re children, when they’re grown they become thorns.
Adult children are often worrisome.
321. Kemenyan sebesar lutut, jika tiada dibakar manakan berbau?
A piece of incense as big as your knee, if you don’t burn it, how will you make it smell?
If you’re smart, use it for the benefit of the group.
322. Kena-kena seperti santan bergula, tak kena-kena bagai antan pukul kepala.
When it’s right it’s like coconut cream and sugar, when it’s not right it’s like hitting your head with a pestle.
323. Kepala sama berbulu, hati lain-lain.
Each head has hair but hearts are all different.
Even if ppl seem to live in the same way they have their own thoughts and feelings.
324. Kera lotong sedap makan, tupai dijulai timpa perasaan.
The black monkey (kera lotong) eats heartily but the squirrel hanging off the branch’s end is overcome by feeling.
When the rich have a function, the poor watch with envy.
325. Kerana mata buta, kerana hati mati.
You go blind due to your eyes, you die because of your heart.
Beware of your desires.
326. Kerana pijat-pijat mati tuma.
The flea dies due to the bedbug.
If you associate with bad people you’ll come to a bad end.
327. Kerbau punya susu, sapi punya nama.
The water buffalo has the milk but the cow gets the name.
The credit for the work done by regular people is often taken by superiors.
328. Keris lembing tiada tajam, tajam lagi lidah manusia.
Keris knives and spears are not sharp, a person’s tongue is sharper.
329. Keris pedang tiada tajam, lebih tajam mulut manusia.
Keris knives and swords …a person’s mouth is …
330. Kerja raja dijunjing, kerja kita dikelek.
Carry the raja’s work on your head, carry your own work under your arm.
It’s good to try to help those who need it while doing your own work.
331. Kesat daun pimping, kalau kesat daun labu boleh dicelur.
Pimping leaves are rough, if pumpkin leaves are rough, they can be blanched in boiling water.
If poor people are not cultured and not educated, they don’t contribute much, but if they are, they do.
332. Kicang kecoh bertambung ciak.
Trickery has a cheep.
Don’t decided without all the facts and evidence. Ciak here means a false bird noise used as a lure. Wrongdoing will result in indication of some kind that it has taken place.
333. Kilat beliung ke kaki, kilat pisau ke tangan, kilat cermin sudah ke muka.
In a flash, the axe goes to the foot, in a flash, the knife goes to the hand, in a flash, the mirror is already at the face.
Smart people know what you mean from just a word or two.
334. Kilat beliung nak ke kaki, kilat si riwak nak ke telunjuk.
…in a flash the knife goes to the index finger.
Si riwak: small-bladed traditional knife.
335. Kilat di dalam kilau, guruh (kabus) mengandung hujan.
There is lightning in flickering light; thunder (mist) contains rain.
336. Kita semua mati, tapi kubur masing-masing.
We all die but each have our own grave.
No matter how close people are, each has his own responsibilities.
337. Kokok kata ayam, kicau kata murai, bongkok dek mengayam sesat mengelarai.
The rooster crows, the magpie chitters, the edge of the mat is warped because of the weaving, the thread is wrong because of the weaving.
It’s surprising if someone who’s an expert makes a mistake.
338. Kuat burung kerana sayap, kuat ketam kerana sepit.
The bird’s strong due to its wings, the crab’s strong due to its claws.
Every person has strengths and talents.
339. Kuat ikan kerana radai.
..fins.
see above
340. Kuat ketam kerana sepit, kuat sepit kerana ketam, kuat ketam dan sepit kerana wujud.
…the crab and the claws are strong because of each other.
The power of the leader comes from others in power, the power of these supporters comes from the leader, but the power of all of them is from the public.
341. Kukur apa kepada kukur, nyiur juga yang binasa.
What is a grater to a grater, it’s the coconut that suffers.
342. Kumbang tidak seekor, bunga tidak sekaki.
There’s more than one bee, there’s more than one flower.
343. Kundur tak menjalar ke hulu, labu tak menjalar ke hilir.
Kundur vines don’t spread upstream, squash vines don’t spread downstream.
If you don’t behave nicely towards others, they won’t behave nicely towards you.
344. Kundur tiada melata pergi, labu tiada melata mari.
Kundur vines don’t grow away from here, …don’t grow towards here.
345. Lagi jatuh ditimpa tangga.
You fall and the ladder falls on top of you.
Troubles don’t come singly.
346. Lagi kecil tak mau diubat, sudah terbebang baru mau diubat.
When it’s minor, you don’t want to treat it, you only try to deal with it when it’s serious.
A stitch in time saves nine.
347. Lain dulang lain kaki, lain orang lain hati.
A different tray, different feet, a different person, a different heart.
Each has his own character.
348. Lain lubuk, lain ikannya.
Different fishing hole, different fish.
349. Laksana bunga dedap, sungguh merah berbau tidak.
Like the dedap flower, it’s very red but has no smell.
Attractiveness doesn’t matter if he doesn’t have a good character.
350. Laksana kedidi, di mana pantai terjungkit-jungkit.
Like the kedidi bird, where there’s a beach its teail is in the air.
Badly behaved people behave badly no matter where they are.
351. Laksana nyiur mumbang, dibuat picuk hendak menghindarkan kelat.
Like the immature coconut, you make picuk to deal with the bitterness.
Someone who’s not highborn shouldn’t deal with the elite at functions.
352. Langit berkelikir bumi bertemberang, salah-salah pikir menjadi hamba orang.
The sky is ringed the earth has a mooring line, if you suppose wrong, you’ll end up a slave.
353. Lalar makan di upih, lagi putih lagi diderok.
A worm eats at the basal of a palm frond, when the leave is young, the worm bores into it.
If you follow your desires once, you’ll do it again and again.
354. Laut mana tak berombak (bumi mana tak ditimpa hujan)
What sea has no waves, what land is not struck by rain.
No person is without faults.
355. Lemah liat kayu akar, dilentur boleh, dipatah tak dapat.
Roots are flexible: you can bend but not break them.
356. Lembu dogol jangan dibalun.
Don’t beat a hornless cow.
357. Lembu punya susu, sapi punya nama.
Cattle have the milk, cows get the name.
Ppl don’t always get the credit for what they do.
358. Lembu tanduk panjang, tiada menanduk pun dikata orang juga ia menanduk.
The long horned cow, even if it didn’t gore anyone, others say it did.
359. Lengkuas di tepi kandang, kelak puas badan menyandang.
Lengkuas at the edge of the pen, carry on your shoulder as much as you like.
Lengkuas: cooking spice, looks like ginger. Whoever does bad things will have to take responsibility.
360. Lidah tidak (tiada) bertulung (salah petik jiwa hilang).
The tongue has no bones, if you choose wrong, you’ll lose your life.
Fair words butter no parsnips.
361. Lopak menjadi perigi.
A puddle can become a well.
The poor may become rich through hard work.
362. Lubuk menjadi pantai, pantai menjadi lubuk.
A fishing hole can become a beach and vice versa.
Feng shui lun liu zhuan.
363. Luka itu sembuh, parutnya ada (tinggal) juga.
The wound heals, but the scar remains.
Even when quarrels are made up, they aren’t forgotten.
364. Luka sudah hilang, parut adakah hilang?
Wound is better but will the scar disappear?
365. Lulus jarum, lulus kelindan.
The needle goes through, the thread goes through.
Once you get what you want, it is easier to get future requests. Difficult things will work out if done little by little.
366. Lurah juga diturut air.
Water flows into the valley.
Good people will become successful.
367. Mahal imam murahlah khatib, mahal demam murahlah sakit.
An imam is expensive a khatib is cheap, a fever is expensive illness is cheap.
Nobody wants to be sick but you can’t avoid it.
368. Majlis di tepi air, merdesa di perut kenyang.
Courteous at the water’s edge, polite on a full stomach.
People with good breeding can’t be drawn into bad behaviour.
369. Makin banyak orang, makin banyak niat.
The more people, the more intentions.
370. Makin murah, makin menawar.
The cheaper it is, the more you bargain.
The more you give in, the more you have to give up.
371. Malang tak dapat ditolak, mujur tak dapat diraih.
Misfortune can’t be refused, good fortune can’t be grasped.
372. Malu berdayung perahu hanyut. (Malu makan perut lapar, malu berkayuh perahu hanyut.)
If you are ashamed to paddle, you’ll be washed away. If you are ashamed to eat, your stomach will be empty. If you are ashamed to row, the boat will be washed away.
If you don’t do something that will benefit you, the situation will get worse.
373. Malu bertanya sesat jalan.
If you’re ashamed to ask, you’ll lose your way.
374. Malu kalau anak harimau menjadi anak kambing.
It’s embarrassing for a cub to turn into a kid.
Don’t act stupid if you’re smart.
375. Mana busuk yang tiada berbau?
What rotten thing doesn’t smell?
376. Manis mulutnya bercakap seperti santan manisan, di dalamnya pahit bagai hempedu.
A sweet mouth talks like sweetened coconut cream, but inside it’s as bitter as gall.
377. Mara jangan dipukat, rezeki jangan ditolak.
Don’t fish for danger, don’t refuse good fortune.
378. Mara hinggap mara terbang, enggang lalu ranting patah.
Danger alights, danger flies away, the horbill passes, a branch breaks.
If you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, you might get blamed for whatever happens.
379. Marahkan tikus, lengkiang dibakar.
Burning the ricebarn as you’re angry with the mice.
380. Masuk kandang kambing mengembek, masuk kandang kerbau menguak.
When you enter the goat’s pen, bleat. When you enter the buffalo’s pen, low.
381. Masuk negeri orang bawa resmi ayam betina.
When you go to a foreign place, take the manner of the hen
382. Matahari itu bolehkah ditutup dengan nyiru?
Can the sun be covered with a woven tray?
383. Mati anak berkalang bapak, mati bapak berkalang anak.
If the child dies the father buries him and vice versa.
Family members must support one another.
384. Mati enau tinggal di rimba.
The date palm dies and is left behind in the jungle.
385. Mati ikan kerana umpan.
Fish die because of the bait.
People run risk for pleasure.
386. Mati-mati berdakwat biar hitam.
If you’re going to use ink, let it be black.
387. Mati-mati berminyak biar licin.
If you’re going to use oil, let it be slippery.
388. Mati-mati mandi biar basah.
If you’re going to bathe, might as well get wet.
389. Mati rusa kerana jejak, mati kua kerana bunyi.
The deer dies due to its tracks, the kua (bird) dies because of its sound.
Man’s downfall is because of his habits: his appearance, his tongue and his nature.
390. Maukah orang menghujankan garam?
Do people want their salt to get rained on?
People will not tell their shameful secrets.
391. Melentur buluh, biarlah daripada rebungnya.
If you want to bend bamboo, do it when it’s a shoot.
392. Meludah naik ke langit, menimpa ke muka sendiri.
If you spit into air, it falls into your own face.
393. Memahat dalam baris, berkata dalam pusaka.
Chisel inside the line, speak within the bounds of tradition.
394. Memakai dunia berganti-ganti, yang hidup sesarkan mati, yang mati itu bernanti-nanti.
Use the world in turn, the living will replace the dead, the dead are waiting.
395. Memakan habis-habis, menyorok hilang-hilang.
If you eat, do it so that nothing is left. If you hide, do it so you are completely concealed.
396. Membuhul jangan membuku, mengulas jangan mengesan.
If you tie a knot, don’t make a lump, if you join two things together don’t leave a mark.
If you’ve to keep a secret, make sure you keep it hidden.
397. Meminta pada yang ada.
Ask those who have.
398. Mendaki bukit berkaki dua, menurunnya berkaki seribu.
You go uphill on two feet, you come downhill on a thousand feet.
399. Mendapat sama berlaba, kehilangan sama rugi.
If we gain, everyone profits, if we lose, everyone shares the loss.
400. Mengata dulang paku serpih, mengata orang aku yang lebih.
Talk about the tray, the nail is broken, talk about other people, “I am better”.
401. Merajukkan air di ruang, hendak karam ditimba juga.
You don’t like the water that comes in but when the boat is coming you bail it out anyway.
You don’t stay mad at the people you love.
402. mercun buluh senapang bambu, kepada saya jangan dituju.
Bamboo rockets, bamboo rifles, don’t point them at me.
Smart people don’t waste time on useless talk.
403. Minyak dengan air adakah bercampur?
Does oil mix with water?
404. Mulut hang lebih daripada gedembai.
Your mouth is worse than a specter.
(gedembai: a kind of ghost that turns its victims to stone.)
405. Mulut manis mematahkan tulang.
A sweet mouth breaks bones.
Sweet talk can melt the hardest heart.
406. Mulut tempayan bagaimana menjahitnya?
How do you seal the mouth of a water jug?
If you do bad things, there will be gossip.
407. Musang terjun, lantai terjungkit.
The civet cat jumps down and the end of the floorboard rises.
There’s always evidence of a crime.
408. Orang berdendang di pentasnya, orang beraja di hatinya.
People dance on a stage, people rule in their herat.
You can’t control what people think and feel.
409. Orang bini-binian beranak tak boleh disuruh.
You can’t tell your mistress to bear children.
410. Orang buta dapat tongkat, dipukulkan buta tuli.
A blind person gets a stick and hits people woh are blind and deaf.
Giving a weapon to someone who can’t use it endangers everyone.
411. Orang kaya baru jangan dihutangi, orang lepas nikah jangan ditandangi (didatangi).
Don’t borrow money from the newly rich, don’t visit the newly weds.
Don’t pester those who’ve just found pleasure and happiness.
412. Orang kaya jangan diangan-angan, orang miskin jangan dihina.
Don’t envy the rich, don’t demean the poor.
413. Orang kaya sama kaya, orang miskin membawa untung.
The rich go with the rich, the poor take their chances.
414. Orang kaya suka dimakan, orang elok selendang dunia.
The rich like to be used, the beautiful are the world’s scarf.
The rich should always be generous.
415. Orang memegang kerbau pada talinya, memegang manusia pada katanya.
Men hold a buffalo by its rope and others by their words.
Keep your promises.
416. Orang menebus berpandang senang, orang diberi beroleh saja.
People who redeem a debt are well regarded, people who are given things own them.
417. Orang penggamang mati jatuh, orang pendingin mati hanyut.
People who are afraid of heights die by falling, people who are easily chilled are washed away.
If you’re afraid you won’t succeed.
418. Orang pindah-pindahan bertanam tak boleh dimakan.
People who keep changing the land they cultivate don’t end up with something to eat.
419. Orang tempang jangan dicacat, ingat-ingat hari belakang.
Don’t insult the lame, remember the days to come.
420. Orang yang kenyang (kalau dijamu), lauk yang sedap (sekalipun) dikata tawar.
People who are full when you serve them will say even a delicious dish is bland
421. Orang yang menunggu perigi itu, bilakah ia mati dahaga?
The person who minds the well, when will he die of thirst?
If you’re always around smart people, you’ll eventually learn something.
422. Padam nyala tarik puntung.
When the flames go out you can pull out the charred sticks.
People can only control you when you’re dead.
423. Padang perahu di laut, padang hati di fikiran.
The ship’s field is the ocean, the heart’s field is thought.
The heart and mind will never be full no matter how much you know.
424. Panas setahun dihapus oleh hujan sehari.
A year of sun is erased by a day of rain.
One bad deed can undo all the good you’ve done.
425. Pangsa menunjukkan bangsa, umpama durian.
The sections show breeding, like durian.
The way a person speaks and acts shows their upbringing.
426. Pantang lang dengan ayam, lambat-laun disambar juga.
The eagle must not be kept with the chicken, after a while it will pounce.
427. Pantang si tegang dibawa mengetul.
You can’t flex a cramped limb.
People who’re stubborn won’t do what you say.
428. Patah sayap bertongkat paruh.
If your wing is broken support yourself with your beak.
If you oppose someone do it with all your might.
429. Patah tongkat bertelekan, habis hulubalang bersiak-siak.
If your stick is broken lean on your elbows, if there’s no one in authority behave religiously.
430. Patah tumbuh hilang berganti.
What’s broken regrows what’s lost is replaced.
431. Pecah buyung tempayan ada.
If the jug breaks there’s always the basin.
432. Pecah kapal putus suai, terlayang-layang bagai bulu sehelai.
The ship is smashed into pieces, the rigging is broken and bobs on water like a single hair.
Troubles don’t come singly.
433. Pejatian awak kepantangan orang.
Our truth is abhorrent to others.
434. Pelanduk melupakan jerat, tetapi jerat tiada melupakan pelanduk.
The mousedeer forgets the trap, the trap does not forget the mousedeer.
435. Pelapah bawah luruh, pelapah atas janga ketawa (gelak).
When the lower leaf falls, the upper leaf should not laugh.
436. Penyu itu bertelur beribu-ribu seorang pun tak tahu, ayam bertelur sebiji saja pecah sebuah negeri.
The turtle lays thousands of eggs and noone knows, the hen lays one egg and it’s heard all over.
437. Perahu bertambatan, dagang bertepatan.
A boat must be moored, business must be at the right place.
438. Perut buncit, lama-lama menjadi busung.
A bulging stomach after a while becomes a disease.
439. Pesan berturut, harap ada percaya tidak.
Do what you are told, you can hope but don’t believe.
Even if you trust someone, don’t expect too much from them.
440. Pesan dituruti, petaruh dimaklumi, berserah berkehendak hati.
Obey orders, pay attention to advice, people give in when they want to.
Even if you trust someone, don’t expect too much from them.
441. Peti yang berisi emas perak itu, tiada dilelehkan orang.
People will not let a chest filled with gold and silver get away from them.
It’s hard to find someone genuinely smart or good.
442. Pilih-pilih ruas terpilih kepada buku.
If you keep looking for a culm, you’ll end up with a joint.
Ruas: segment of stalk between the joints. buku: hard joing between the segments.
443. Pipit yang makan padi, merbah terbawa rendung.
It’s the sparrow that eats the rice but the merbah is dragged into it.
Implicated in something you didn’t do.
444. Pulai berpangkat naik, manusia berpangkat turun.
The pulai grows upwards in segments, man descends in generations.
To get what they want, people are willing to step on others and even abandon adat.
445. Punggung lading pun, jikalau diasah lama-lama tajam juga.
Even the back of a machete will become sharp if it’s honed enough.
446. Punggur rebah (tumbang) belatok menumpang mati.
When the dead tree falls, the woodpecker dies as well.
447. Putih tulang dikandung tanah, budi baik dikenang jua.
White bones are surrounded by earth, good character is still remembered.
448. Putus benang boleh diikat (boleh disambung), patah arang sudah sekali (bercerai lalu).
If a thread breaks, you can tie the ends together, if the charcoal breaks, it is done for good.
Lovers’ quarrels are not significant but if love is dead it’s over.
449. Raja adil raja disembah, raja tak adil raja disangkak.
A just king is respected, a cruel king is hated.
450. Ramai beragam, rimbun menyelara.
Crowded is varied, leafy (tree) becomes dry (in drought).
To each his own.
451. Rambut sama hitam, hati masing-masing.
Hair is black, while hearts are different.
452. Rebut merampas bertanda beti.
Robbery leaves visible evidence.
Don’t decide anything without all the facts and evidence.
453. Ringan sama dijinjing, berat sama dipikul.
If it’s light, we carry it in the hand together, if it’s heavy, we carry it on our shoulder together.
All for one.
454. Ringan tulang, berat perut.
Light bones, heavy stomach.
455. Rugi menentang laba, jerih menentang boleh.
Loss opposes profit, hard work opposes ability.
Pleasure only comes through hard work.
456. Rumah terbakar, tikus habis keluar.
A house burns down and all the mice run outside.
Fortune seekers go home when they meet trouble.
457. Rupa boleh diubah, tabiat dibawa mati.
Appearance can be changed, habit is with you till death.
458. Rupa yang tak dapat diubah, tabiat dapat diubah.
If it is appearance that cannot be changed, habit can be changed.
459. Rosak badan kerana penyakit, rosak bangsa kerana laku.
The body is damaged by disease, breeding is damaged by behaviour.
A bad person will ruin the family name.
460. Sabar penghilang penat, tekun pembawa dekat.
Patience removes weariness, concentration brings things close.
461. Salah bunuh memberi balas, salah cencang memberi pampas.
If you kill by mistake you make restitution, if you chop by mistake you make amendment.
462. Salangkan bah kapal tak hanyut, inikan pula kemarau panjang.
Even in a flood, the boat is not washed away, what more can you expect in a long drought.
Someone who’s always been lazy’s not going to suddenly become a good worker.
463. Sama juga kain basahan sehelai, timah sesuku kalau tak ada pun tak menjadi keberatan.
Just like a piece of rag, if people don’t have a quarter worth of tin nobody cares.
Pple don’t worry about things that aren’t valuable.
464. Samun sakal berdarah tangan.
Mugging makes for bloody hands.
Don’t decide anything without all the facts and figures.
465. Sambil menyelam sambil minum air, menyerodok galas lalu.
Drink while you dive, while going under, bring your stick through.
Kill two birds with one stone. Galas is a long stick used for carrying things.
466. Santan di pasu, ampas ke tanah.
Coconut milk goes into a container, the dregs go to the ground.
467. Sarang tabuan jangan dijolok.
Don’t poke the hornet’s nest.
468. Satu pintu kalau tertutup, sepuluh pintu lagi terbuka.
If one door is closed, ten more are open.
469. Sebab bahasa menunjukkan bangsa.
Language shows breeding.
470. Sebab berkelahi dengan perigi, akhirnya mati dahaga.
If you quarrel by the well, you’ll die of thirst.
Don’t make problems with your source of livelihood.
471. Sebab buah kenalkan pohonnya.
By the fruit you know the tree.
472. Sebab nila setitik, rosak susu sebelanga.
Because of a drop of indigo, the whole container of milk is spoiled.
473. Sebab pulut santan binasa, sebab mulut badan merasa.
Because of the glutinous rice, the coconut milk is done for, because of the mouth, the body suffers.
474. Sebab tiada tahu menari dikatakan tanah lembap.
You don’t know how to dance so you say the ground is wet.
A bad workman blames his tools.
475. Sebagai orang berjudi, menang mau, alah hendak berbela.
Like a gambler, you like to win and, when you’re losing, you want to be defended.
476. Sebusuk-busuk daging, dikincah dimakan pula, seharam-haram tulang dibuang.
As rotten as meat may be, you chop and eat it, bones are always thrown away.
No matter what a family member does, they are still our relatives.
477. Sedangkan gajah yang besar berkaki empat lagi terkadang-kadang tersandung.
Even an elephant with his four big feet sometimes trips.
478. Sedap dulu dakit kemudian.
Pleasure leads to pain.
479. Sedikit hujan banyak yang basah (becek).
A little rain makes everything wet (muddy).
480. Sedikit-sedikit lama-lama menjadi bukit.
A little over time becomes a hill.
If you work hard even for very little money, you’ll be successful in the end.
481. Seduit dibelah tujuh.
Divide a duit into seven.
Divide it equally among the group.
482. Seekor ayam tak berkokok, hari tak siangkah?
If a rooster doesn’t crow, does it mean there’s no daylight?
There’s never only just one person who can do things.
483. Seekor kerbau membawa lumpur, semuanya terpalit.
One buffalo brings in the mud and all becomes dirty.
484. Seekor kuman di negeri Cina dapat dilihat, tetapi gajah bertenggek di batang hidung tiada sedar.
You can see a germ in China but not the elephant perching on your nose.
485. Segan berdayung prahu hanyut.
If you’re unwilling to paddle the boat drifts away.
486. Segan bertanya sesat jalan.
If you’re unwilling to ask you’ll lose your way.
487. Sehari sehelai benang, lama-lama menjadi kain.
One thread a day, after a time it becomes a piece of cloth.
488. Sekali jalan terkena, dua kali jalan tahu (tiga kali baru jera/tiga kali jalan mengena).
The first time you do it, you’re caught, the second time you do it you know, the third time you become fed up/it strikes.
Once burnt twice shy.
489. Selemau-lemau puntung di dapur, ditiup bernyala juga.
As weak as the embers in the kitchen may be, if you blow on them they light into flame.
No matter how old someone is they still have strong emotions.
490. Sekali air dalam, sekali pasir berubah.
Each time the water deepens, that’s when the sand changes.
A new broom sweeps clean.
491. Semalap-malap puntung di dapur, ditiup bernyala juga.
As faint…
Even a stupid person can learn.
492. Semanis-manis gula berpasir juga, sepahit-pahit jadam menjadi ubat.
As sweet as sugar is, it might have sand in it. As bitter as jadam is, it’s used as medicine.
Sweet talk may hide something, hard words can teach you something.
493. Sembelih ayam dengan pisau, sembelih orang dengan kapas.
You kill chicken with a knife, you kill a person with cotton.
If you want poeple to do what you want, do it gently and carefully.
494. Seorang makan cempedak, semua kena getahnya.
When one eats jackfruit, everyone is smeared with sap.
495. Sepatah kata terhutang.
A single word is a debt.
496. Seperti buah padi, makin berisi makin rendah, seperti lalang makin lama makin tinggi.
Like rice, the fuller it is, the lower it hangs, like long grass, it gets taller over time.
Be humble.
497. Seperti dedalu api hinggap ke pohon kayu, hinggap ke batang, batangnya mati, hinggap ke ranting, rantingnya patah.
Like a type of parasitic plant (dedalu) on a tree, when it reaches the branch the branch dies, when it reaches a twig the twig breaks.
Influence of bad people.
498. Seperti menarik rambut dalam tepung, rambut jangan putus, tepung jangan berserak.
Like pulling a hair through a pile of flour, the hair shouldn’t break, the flour shouldn’t be scattered.
As long as you get the desired result, it doesn’t matter that it’s hard to do.
499. Seperti mentimun dengan durian, menggolek rosak, kena golek binasa.
Like a cucumber and a durian, if the cucumber rolls onto it, it will be damaged, if the durian rolls onto it it will be destoryed.
When you go against someone with power, you lose whether you attack or are attacked.
500. Seperti pasir di tepi pantai, tatkala timpas air bolehlah dibagi.
Like sand at the beach, when it gets wet, can you divide it?
Complain to someone when they’re in a good mood.
501. Seperti pisau raut, bongkok orang dibetulkan, bongkok sendiri tak boleh betul.
Like a sharp knife, it can correct the edges of many things, but its own crookedness can’t be fixed.
You may help others but no one may want otto help you when you need it. pisau raut - small knife used to smooth rattan.
502. Seperti tebu lepas ke dalam mulut gajah, payah akan dikeluarkannya.
Like sugar cane in an elephant’s mouth, it’s hard to get it out.
503. Sepuluh batang bertindih, satu juga pelandasnya.
Ten sticks crisscross, one is still the base.
The truth is always at the heart of the matter. Image is of sticks used to start a fire.
504. Sepuluh bintang bertabur, bolehkah sama dengan yang satu?
Ten stars are sprinkled across the sky, are they the same as the one?
No matter how many other people you meet, they are not the same as the original spouse/lover.
505. Sepuluh jong masuk pun, anjing bercawat ekor juga.
Ten junks come into port but the dog still has his tail between his legs.
No matter what happens the general public tends not to pay attention to it.
506. Serta lalu kucing, tikus tak berdecit lagi.
When the cat is passing the mice don’t squeak.
507. Sesal dulu pendapatan, sesal kemudian apa gunanya (tiada berguna).
Regretting in advance brings gain; regretting after the fact is useless.
Look before you leap.
508. Sesat di hujung jalan balik ke pangkal jalan.
If you get lost at the end of the road, go back at the beginning of the road.
509. Sesat surut terlangkah kembali.
If you’re stuck go back, if you overstep, return.
510. Setinggi-tinggi batu melambung, ke tanah juga jatuhnya.
No matter how high you throw a stone into the air, it always falls back to the ground.
511. Si buta membilang bintang di langit.
The blind man counts the stars in the sky.
There’s no ont worrying about things that don’t relate to you.
512. Siapa berani menangkap harimau?
Who dares to capture the tiger?
513. Siapa gatal dialah garu.
Whoever itches he or she is the one to scratch.
If the shoe fits, wear it.
514. Siapa makan cabai ialah merasa pedas.
Siapa makan lada ialah kena pedasnya.
Whoever eats chilli is the one who feels the heat.
515. Siapa makan nangka, maka kenalah getahnya.
Whoever eats jackfruit is the one to get covered in sap.
516. Siapa melelah siapa patah.
Whoever chases is the one to get hurt.
517. Siapa mengaku berak di tengah jalan?
Who admits to defecating in the middle of the road?
518. Siar bakar berpuntung suluh.
Arsonists will use a burning brand as a torch.
Don’t decide without having all the facts and evidence.
519. Silap cakap kena radak, hilang jiwa percuma saja, bercakap memandang-mandang.
If you misspoke, you’ll get speared and lose your life for nothing, when you speak, look around you.
520. Silap mata pecah kepala.
If your eyes are wrong you break your head.
521. Siapa melejang siapa patah.
Whoever kicks is the one who ends up with broken bones.
522. Sudah jatuh dihimpit jenjang, sudah basah kehujanan.
You fall and the ladder falls on top of you, you’re wet and you get rained on.
523. Sudah jatuh ditimpa tangga.
You fall and the ladder falls on you.
524. Sudah terpijak benang arang, hitam tapak kaki.
If you step on a blackened sting your sole will be black.
Wrongdoers have to be punished. Benang arang is a piece of string blackened with charcoal and used to mark lines.
525. Sudah tidak tersudu oleh angsa, baru diberikan kepada itik.
It’s only when the goose can’t scoop it up with its beak that you give it to the duck.
When the rich no longer need something, only then does it go to the poor.
526. Sungguh diuja dipegang ekor.
Egg him on fully but hold on to his tail.
Even if you trust someone, you still have to supervise them.
527. Sungguhpun lemak santan, akhirnya basi juga.
Even though coconut cream is tasty, it’ll eventually spoil.
528. Suruh kerja golok keling, suruh makan parang puting.
You’re told to work but the machete is broken down to the screw, you’re told to eat but the knife is broken down to the tang.
Stupid and lazy people will never have success.
529. Susu di dada tak dapat dielakkan.
Breasts on the chest cannot be avoided.
You can’t escape your fate. (????)
530. Tabur bijan ke dalam tasik, tiada akan tumbuh.
If you sprinkle sesame seeds on the pond they won’t grow.
531. Tahan racik burung tak kena, burung biasa makan di tangan.
The trap is strong but doesn’t get the bird, birds are accustomed to eating from your hand.
It’s hard to trick smart people.
532. Tahu makan tahu simpan.
Know how to eat, know how to save.
If you do something bad, keep it a secret.
533. Tak ada gading yang tak retak.
There’s no ivory without cracks.
534. Tak bertepat janji, tak berteban taruh, tak bertangkap menggamang-gamang, alah didaulat saja.
If you don’t keep promises, if you can’t cover your bets, if you can’t threaten your opponent in a fight, you lose by default.
535. Tak boleh dibaiki, jangan dipecahkan.
If you can’t fix it, don’t break it.
536. Tak sama getah daun dengan getah batang.
The sap from the leaves is not the same as the sap from the trunk.
You always view your children differently from those of your relations.
537. Tak sebab kerana angin, pokok kayu maukah bergoyang?
If there were no wind, would the trees shake?
538. Tak serek luka dimakan tajak, esok lusa ke bendang juga.
The wound from the hoe is not healed, but tomorrow or the next day, you go to the ricefield anyway.
No matter how hard it is, you have to keep striving.
539. Tak sungguh getah daun, yang sebenarnya getah batang juga.
Sap from the leaves is not genuine, the real sap is from the trunk.
540. Tak sungguh seluang melaut, akhirnya balik ke tepi juga.
The seluang freshwater fish doesn’t really go to sea, it returns to the shallows in the end.
Despite quarrels families stick together.
541. Tak tumbuh tak melata, tak sungguh orang tak kata.
If it doesn’t grow it won’t crawl, if it isn’t serious, people don’t talk.
Your actions give people fodder for gossip.
542. Tak usah bimbang gula di dalam mulut, bila hendak telan, telanlah.
You don’t need to worry about sugar in your mouth, swallow when you’re ready to.
What’s yours you’re free to use as you see fit.
543. Tak usahlah diajar anak buaya berenang, ia sudah sedia pandai.
No need to teach a crocodile to swim, it already knows how.
544. Takkan harimau makan anaknya.
A tiger will not eat its own cubs.
545. Takkan pasang selalu atau surut senantiasa.
The tide will not be high forever or eternally low.
546. Takkan pisang berbuah dua kali.
The banana won’t bear fruit twice.
Lost chances don’t reoccur.
547. Takkan rintang kerbau oleh tenduknya.
The water buffalo is not inconvenienced by its horns.
Ppl in authority are not .. by their power.
548. Takut titik lalu tumpah.
If you fear a drip, it will tip over.
549. Takutkan hantu lari ke pandam.
If you’re afraid of ghosts you’ll end up running into the graveyard.
550. Takutkan lecah lari ke duri.
If you’re afraid of becoming muddy you’ll run into a patch of thorns.
551. Takutkan tuma dibuangkan kain.
If you’re afraid of fleas, you’ll end up throwing away the clothes.
552. Tali jangan putus, kaitan jangan sekah.
The rope shouldn’t break; the hook shouldn’t break.
Kaitan: hook for a rope. If you’ve to settle a dispute make sure it’s fair to both sides.
553. Tali tiga lembar itu, tak suang-suang putus.
The three-stranded rope doesn’t break easily.
554. Tamak hilang malu, loba dapat kebinasaan.
Selfishness eliminates shame, greed brings destruction.
555. Tanah lembah kandungan air, kayu bengkok titian kera.
A valley is where water collects, a bent branch is where monkeys cross.
Everything that happens will lead to other things.
556. Tanam lalang takkan tumbuh padi.
If you plant long grass, rice won’t grow.
You reap what you sow.
557. Tangan memetik, bahu memikul.
The hand picks, the shoulder carries.
You make your own problems.
558. Tarik puntung padamlah bara.
If you remove the brands, the embers go out.
559. Tatkala rebung tiada dilentur, ketika sudah menjadi aur apa gunanya lagi?
If you don’t bend the bamboo when it is still a shoot, is there any point trying when it has become a stand?
560. Takkan sebab ayam seekor mengetahui hari siang.
It’s not because of a rooster that you know it is day.
561. Telinga lembut yang kerap dipulas orang.
Soft ears are often twisted by people.
Sensitive people are often hurt.
562. Tempat makan jangan diberaki.
Don’t defecate where you eat.
563. Tepuk dada tanya selera.
Pat your chest and ask your taste.
Make sure you are doing the right thing before you do it.
564. Terbakar kampung kelihatan asap, terbakar hati siapa (akan) tahu.
If a village is burning, you can see the smoke, if a heart is burning, no one knows.
565. Terbang bertumpu, hinggap mencekan.
If you fly, push off from the perch, if you alight, hold on with your claws.
Find friends or relatives in the rantau to help you.
566. Terdorong kaki badan merasa, terdorong lidah emas padahnya.
If the foot oversteps the body suffers, if the tongue misspeaks gold is remedy.
The punishment must fit the crime.
567. Terendam sama basah, terampai sama kering.
If soaked in water, we all get wet, if on the clothesline, we all stay dry.
568. Tergesel kena miangnya, terlanngar kena rebasnya.
If you brush against it, you’ll touch the fibres, if you knock it, water drips on you.
Even a small slight against a powerful person will mean trouble. Image is bamboo: miang are tiny fibres that cause itch and irritation.
569. Terkilat ikan di air, sudah tahu jantan betinanya.
A flash of a fish glitter in the water and it’s clear if it’s male or female.
A smart person can tell what someone is like by how they speak or act.
570. Terlangsung perahu boleh balik, terlangsung cakap tak boleh balik.
If your boat goes too far, you can take it back. If you speak without speaking, you can’t take it back.
571. Terlungkup sama makan pasir, terlentang sama minum air.
If we like face down we all eat sand, if we lie on our backs we all drink water.
572. Tertangguk pada ikan dikeruntungkan, tertangguk pada ular dikeruntungkan juga.
If you catch a fish put it in your basket….a snake…basket too.
You have to take the good with the bad.
573. Tiada akan licin katak puru, jika senantiasa berhujan sekali pun.
The toad skin will never smooth even if it’s always out in the rain.
Ugly people remain ugly no matter what.
574. Tiada dapat tanduk, telinga dipulaskan.
If you can’t get back at the horns, you twist the ears.
575. Tiada rotan akar pun berguna.
If there’s no rattan, roots will do.
576. Tiada tertikam tuah oleh berani.
Fortune is not stabbed by daring.
Courage can’t beat someone else’s luck.
577. Tiap-tiap batu selalu bergolek di dalam sungai itu, tiadalah dihinggap oleh lumut.
No stone that rolls around in the river ever has moss growing on it.
People who don’t develop a single profession will have difficulty becoming successful.
578. Tiap-tiap yang busuk itu meraup juga.
Everything rotten collects.
Bad deeds will be found out.
579. Tiba di perut jangan dikempiskan, tiba di mata jangan dilelapkan, tiba di dada jangan dibusungkan.
If it’s the stomach, don’t hold it in, if it’s the eyes don’t close them,…chest…expand it out.
If you have power etc don’t overlook the misdeeds of your own family.
580. Tidakkah gajah dapat ke tangan manusia?
Doesn’t the elephant end up in people’s hands?
Don’t depend too much on wealth as someone can challenge you eventually.
581. Tiga sudah berdiri habis.
If you’ve the three, you can stand alone
knowledge, thought, skill
582. Tinggi disigai, besar ditebang.
If it’s high, put a ladder up against it, if it’s big, chop it down.
If you plan to oppose someone, know the situation first.
583. Tinggi disusupi, rendah dilangkahi.
..crawl under it, if it’s low step over it.
584. Tujuh kali pindah jadi papa.
Move seven times and you become destitute.
If people don’t want to do it, things will not turn out right.
585. Tumbuk rusuk biar senak.
If you pound someone’s ribs, do it till they’re short of breath.
A bribe should be of consequence.
586. Tunggul kayu, kalau ditarah licin diikut juga, jangankan manusia.
Even a tree stump, if you pull it down flat, it obeys, much less a person.
Good advice can change someone.
587. Turut hati yang geram, hilang takut timbul berani.
If you follow an angry heart, fear vanishes and courage appears.
Even the mildest person can be pushed to show harsh behaviour.
588. Ubur-ubur airnya hitam.
The jellyfish has black ink.
You can tell bad people by words and actions.
589. Udang tak sadarkan dirinya bongkok.
The shrimp doesn’t know its body is crooked.
Easier to see others’ faults.
590. Ukur baju di badan sendiri.
Measure your clothes on your own body.
591. Ular biar mati, tanah jangan lekok, buluh jangan pukah.
The snake should die, the ground shouldn’t be dented, the bamboo stick should not be dented.
Make sure a settlement is fair to both sides.
592. Umpama batik lansum, makin dibasuh bertambah bau.
Like fine bati, the more it’s washed, the more it smells.
593. Umpama burung, tumpang beramai kawan yan banyak.
Like birds, they alight where their friends are.
Fortune seekers don’t have real feeling for the place where they live.
594. Umpama kasturi, kerana baunya hilang nyawanya.
Like a kind of fragrant flower, you die because of your smell.
If you let ppl know you’ve sthg valuable, you may become their victim.
595. Umpama kayu kampung, belum ditolak sudah condong.
Like village trees, nothing has pushed them but they’re already leaning.
Stupid and fearful people are easily controlled.
596. Umpama kijang, dirantai dengan rantai emas pun, jika ia lepas, lari juga ia ke hutan.
Like the deer, if you chain it with a golden chain and it gets loose it’ll still escape to the jungle.
No matter how they’ve fared fortune seekers always return to their homeland.
597. Umpama memerah myiur, santan diambil hampas dubuang.
Like squeezing the coconut flesh, you keep the cream and throw away the dregs.
Follow good advice, not the bad.
598. Umpama pucuk daun umbut, tidak lauk baru dibaham.
Like the shoot of the palm, when there’s no meat, only them you eat them.
If you don’t have what you really need you have to use something inferior.
599. Untung sabut timbul, untung batu tenggelam.
It’s the lot of the coconut husk to float, the …stone to sink.
Success and failure are a matter of luck.
600. Usahlah teman dimandikan pagi.
Don’t give your friends a morning bath.
Don’t praise someone with the intention of making fun of them.
601. Usul menunjukkan asal.
Inspection shows the origin.
Breeding tells the origin.
602. Usul-usul, asal-asal, asal jangan ditinggalkan.
The beginning, the origin, don’t overlook where things come from.
603. Walau sejengkal lautan.
Even if it’s only a handspan deep it’s still the ocean.
Be careful of anything that can be dangerous.
604. Yang enggang itu sama enggang, dan yang pipit itu sama pipit juga.
The hornbill goes with the hornbill…
605. Yang sejengkal tiada dapat menjadi sedepa.
What’s a handspan won’t become an armspan.
If it isn’t your lot you won’t make it rich.
606. Yang teguh disokong, yang rebah ditindih.
The strong should be supported, the leaning should be pushed down.
Good aspects of the law etc should be maintained, while bad ones should be gotten rid of. The rich become richer, the poor become poorer.
