User:AdrianTM/Sandbox

Romanian proverbs sandbox
Please feel free to edit this. Thanks. -- AdrianTM (talk) 17:36, 20 November 2007 (UTC)

Proposals:
 * have subsections for different type of proverbs: about character, about work, about friendship, love (there might be some overlap but that's unavoidable)
 * translation: provide a literally translation and an equivalent (if there's an appropriate equivalent), where appropriate provide etymology.

References:
 * We need to find references, I had a book of Equivalent Romanian-English proverbs, don't have it anymore. :-(

Friends and enemies

 * Apără-mă de găini, că de câini nu mă tem.
 * Translation: "Defend me from chickens, for dogs I'm not afraid of."
 * Note: it refers to people: the chicken are the mean people, the treacherous friends, the dogs are the known enemies


 * Fereşte-mǎ, Doamne, de prieteni, cǎ de duşmani mǎ apǎr singur.
 * Translation: "Defend me, Lord, from my friends, because from enemies I can defend myself."


 * Aruncă binele în dreapta şi în stânga, şi la nevoie o să-l găseşti."
 * Translation: "Throw the good to your left and right, and you'll find it when you'll need it."


 * Prietenu, la nevoie se cunoaşte!
 * Translation: "A friend in need is a friend indeed."

Relatives and family

 * Sângele, apă nu se face.
 * Literary translation: "Blood doesn't turn into water."
 * Equivalent: "Blood is thicker than water."

Love

 * Ochii care nu se văd se uită...
 * Literary translation: "The eyes which don't see each other, forget each other."
 * Equvalent: "Out of sight, out of mind."

Brevity of speech

 * Ascultă cu urechile, vezi cu ochii, dar taci cu gura.
 * Translation: "Use your ears to listen, use your eyes to see, but use your mouth to shut up."


 * Dacă tăceai filosof rămâneai.
 * Translation: "Had he kept silent he would have passed for a wise man."


 * Fiecare pasăre, pe limba ei piere.
 * Translation: "Every bird dies by its own tongue."


 * Vorba multă, săracia omului
 * Translation: "Too many words are the poverty of mankind"

Money and wealth

 * Banu-i ochiu' dracului"
 * Translation: "Money is the devil's eye."

Learning

 * Cine are carte, are parte!
 * Equivalent: "Knowledge is power."


 * "S-a dus bou... şi-a venit vacă!" (Ion Creangă—Amintiri din copilărie)
 * Translation: "He went as an ox and came back as a cow."
 * Meaning: Used for a person that spends a lot of time and money to study and gains nothing. (In Romanian, ox/cow is used for a person who lacks judgement, a fool)
 * Origin: Wealthy Romanians used to send their spoiled kids to Paris to study, but most of them came back unchanged or worse.

Industriousness

 * Nu lăsa pe mâine ce poţi face azi.
 * Translation: "Don't leave for tomorrow, what you can do today."


 * Treaba lăsată de azi pe mâine, baltă ramâne.
 * Translation: "Don't leave for tomorrow what you can do today."


 * Cine se scoală de dimineaţă, departe ajunge.
 * Translation: "Early risers travel far away."


 * Omul sfinţeşte locul.
 * Translation: "The man blesses the place."

Fools and foolish behaviours

 * Câinele moare de drum lung şi prostul de grija altuia.
 * Translation: "A dog dies from too much walking, a fool from worrying about other's business."


 * Nu te pune cu prostul că are mintea odihnită.
 * Translation: "Don't argue with a fool, he has a rested mind."


 * Nu-i prost destul dacă nu e şi fudul!
 * Translation: "The fool who's not conceited, is not fool enough!"


 * ''Un prost incurcă, şi zece înţelepţi nu pot descurca"
 * Translation: "One fool tangles and ten wise men cannot untangle."


 * Satu' arde şi baba se piaptănă.
 * Translation: "The village is burning while granny is combing her hair."


 * Leneşu' mai mult aleargă — scumpu' mai mult păgubeşte
 * Translation: "The lazy one runs more — the stingy one loses more."

Health

 * Unde nu intră soarele pe geam, intră doctorul pe uşă.
 * Translation: "If the sun doesn't come through the window, the doctor will come through the door."

Other subjects

 * Apa trece, pietrele rămân.
 * Translation: "Water flows, but rocks remain."


 * Azi fură un ou, mâine un bou!
 * Translation: "He who steals an egg today, will steal an ox tomorrow!"


 * Câinele bătrân nu latră degeaba.
 * Translation: "The old dog doesn't bark without reason."


 * Nu iese fum fără foc.
 * Translation: "There's no smoke without fire."


 * ''Copii cuminţi şi baba frumoasă, cine dracu' o mai vǎzut?!...
 * Translation: "Quiet/obedient children and beautiful old woman, who the hell ever saw?!"


 * Dacă doi spun că eşti beat, du-te şi te culcă.
 * Translation: "If two people say you're drunk, go to bed."


 * Drumul spre iad e pavat cu intenţii bune.
 * Translation: "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions."


 * Până ajungi la Dumnezeu te mănâncă sfinţii.
 * Translation:


 * Mâţa blândă zgârie rău.
 * Translation: "The gentle cat scratches the worst."


 * Nu da vrabia din mână pe cioara de pe gard.
 * Translation: "Don't give the sparrow in the hand for the crow on the fence."


 * Nu vinde pielea ursului din pădure.
 * Translation: "Don't sell the skin of the bear from the forest. [before you shot it] "


 * Ori te poartă cum ţi-e vorba, ori vorbeşte cum ţi-e portul.
 * Translation: "Either act as you speak, or speak as you act."


 * Râde ciob de oală spartă.
 * Literary translation: "The splinter laughs at the broken pot."
 * Equivalent: "Pot calling the kettle black"


 * ''Viaţa asta-i bun pierdut, de n-o trăieşti cum ai fi vrut!" (George Cosbuc-Poezii, "Decebal către popor")
 * Translation: "Life is a waste if you didn't live as you would have wanted to!"

These will be the categories in which the page will be listed:

Category:Adages Category:Language Category:Phrases