A proverb says: "Wisdom alighted on three things: the brain of the Franks, the hand of the Chinese and the tongue of the Arabs." The love of Arabic speakers for language is indeed outstanding, and they take more pleasure in it for its own sake than Westerners are accustomed to. In Lebanon as in the rest of the Middle East, daily conversation is strewn with ancient proverbs, quotes from poetry or literature, and extracts from holy books.

The proverbs and expressions presented, some in Arabic, some in Lebanese, come from folk wisdom and modern speech. Browse them below or navigate the categories. If you know foreign equivalents to any of these sayings, I'd love to hear about them.

Calendar proverbs

بكانون كن وعالفقير حن
In December and January have mercy on the poor.

شباط غيمه وهواه خير من شمسه وشتاه
February, its clouds and wind are better than its sun and rains.

بآذار بعشّش الدوري وبتورّق الأشجار
In March the swallow nests and the trees grow leaves

بآذار بتساوي الليل بالنهار
In March the night is worth the day.
March is the time of the spring equinox, where night and day are the same length.

بنيسان إطفي نارك، وافتح شبابيك دارك، واسبح بالشمس لزنّارك
In April put out your fire, and open the windows of your home, and swim in sunlight up to your belt.

بتمّوز بتغلي الميّ بالكوز
In July the water boils in the jar.

جحش البيض ما بيدفأ ذنبها إلا بعشرين تمّوز
White asses, their tails do not warm up before July 20.
At the end of July we step into the hottest time of the year -- even the donkeys' tails start getting real hot.

أيلول طرفه بالشتي مبلول
September, its edge is wet.
Towards the end of September the dry season draws to an end and a few rains can occur.

Religious proverbs

ألله منيح، ما متل مار مارون
God is good, but not as good as St Maroun.	French: Dieu, c'est bien, mais il ne vaut pas saint.
This saying reflects how close people feel to their saints.

إن كان هالمارون مارونكن، يا دلّكن يا موارنه!
If this was your St Maroun, you would be pitiable, O Maronites!
Originates in a pun made by St Ephrem about a horrid lord called Maroun.

حيّرتنا يا مار مارون، وين بدّنا نحطّك؟
You put us in a spot, Maroun, what are we going to do with you?
Thinking out loud by one who is criticized for not doing enough for the great saint; by extension, used when befuddled.

متل مار لورانس
Like St Lawrence.
Said of someone who is angry or aggressive, like St Lawrence on his gril.

متل ألّي تحت إجرين مار مخايل
Like what is underneath St Michael's feet.
Said of someone ugly or disfigured.

مثل أولاد العازار
Like the children of Lazarus.
Originates in the celebration of "Lazarus' Saturday", that occurs the day before Palms' Day: schoolmasters with their students enact the resurrection of Lazarus.

في عيد مار إلياس حطّ العنب بالجلاس
On St Elias' feast, put the basket on the stool.
It's time to pick the grape.

مار شلّيطا عينه ضيقة
St Challita's eye is narrow.
Meaning that saint is stingy.

متل حكاية مار بولس والعسل
Like the story of St Paul and the honey.
Legend has it that a new convert came to see St Paul to ask his advice on a legal business. He laid at the feet of the saint a jar of honey; St Paul having a weakness for honey was not able to focus on what the man was saying. Finally he asked St Barnaby to buy the honey from th eman, and then he was able to perform his duty properly. The proverb is used when someone tries to get on a judge's good side.

بعيد البربارا بياخد النهار من الليل نطّة فاره
On St Barbara's gains on night a mouse's leap.
St Barbara's day is December 3 and is traditionally celebrated very much like Halloween, with disguises to evoke the saint's escape through the mountains.

متل مار متانيوس: حاضر نادر
Like St Anthony: always present, always alert.
Said of someone who is always there when needed. It is a reference to the devotion of women who invoke the saint when for instance a child is about to fall, so confident are they that he'll intervene.

بعيد مار يوحانّا بيرفع ألله غضبه
On st John's feast God lifts his anger from us.

عيد مار يوحانّا حرّاق الدواليب
St John's day burns the wheels.
The wheels referred to are those used to spin silk threads -- they are no longer needed that time of the year.

أمّنت يا توما؟
Do you believe now, Thomas?
Reproach to someone who is long in believing in something evident.

مار روكس وكلبه
St Roch and his dog.
According to the story, a dog stole bread every morning to feed the saint in his prison. The above is said of two friends that are inseparable.

متل غراب نوح
Like Noah's crow.
Said of someone who was asked to fetch something and is taking a long time.

بيوعى نوح
It wakes up Noah.
Said of a very outdated object or custom.

متل سفينة نوح
Like Noah's ship.
Said of an ill-assorted group of people, a total mess.

نوح، مخلّص روح من روح
Noah, save a soul from a soul.
Said of someone smart who manages to separate people who are fighting. Muslim women use it when a woman is in labor, so that he'll safely deliver the baby.

بتضلّ الدنيا تشاهد لعيد الأربعين شاهد
Nature remains unleashed until the feast of Forty Martyrs.
The Forty Martyrs were 40 Christian soldiers in the Roman army, whose martyr was to be exposed a whole night in a freezing river. On their day, March 9th, it is traditional to prepare kebbeh (meatless as it is during Lent). It is shaped into 40 balls that are poured in a soup called 3adass bihamod, where they have to float as did the martyrs. They are known by Armenians as Karasoun Mangants.

بالأربعين شاهد عكرمك جاهد
On the day of Forty Martyrs take care of your grapevine.

لمّا بيحضروا الملائك بفلّوا الشياطين
When the angels arrive the demons leave.
Druze saying used when someone arrives right when someone else is leaving.

أش ما راح من الشياطين بخفّ عالملائكة
No matter how many demons leave, it lightens the work of the angels.
The reverse proverb is also used: No matter how many angels leave, it lightens the work of the demons.

Virtues and vices

حبّ الصدق ولو ضرّك وابغض الكذب ولو سرّك
Love truth even if it harms you, and hate lie even if it serves you.

أسعد إيّامك تنفيذ كلامك
The happiest of your days is the keeping of your word.

ألّي بشوفني بعين بشوفه بالتنتين
The one who sees me with one eye, I see him with both.
This proverb actually means: When someone does me a favor or is good to me, I return his kindness twofold.

ظلّ الكريم فسيح
The shadow of the generous man is vast.
Meaning: A generous man can help a large number of people.

الصبر مفتاح الفرح
Patience is the key to life's problems.

الحركة فيها بركة والرزقة بدّه نطّة
Movement has good fortune in it and good luck need a jump.	French: Aide-toi et le ciel t'aidera. English: Heaven helps those who help themselves.
This could be rephrased as: Action brings good fortune, and inversely, if you want good luck you need to give the jumpstart.

طولة البال بتشيل من الحامض حلو
Patience extracts sugar from a lemon.

العقل جوهرة
The mind is a jewel.

الحبّ ستّار العيوب
Love conceals the shames.	English: Love is blind.

أمّ القاتل بتنسى، أمّ المقطول ما بتنسى
The mother of the killer forgets, the mother of the killed does not forget.

ألّي بيحفر حفرة بيوقع فيا
One who digs a hole (=a trick) falls in it.	French: Tel est pris qui croyait prendre.

الساكت بالحقّ متل الناطق بالباتل
The one who is quiet about the truth is like the one who lies (who speaks during a vow of silence?)

السكوت أخو الرادة
Silence is the brother of agreement	French: Qui ne dit mot consent.
Similar to the one above.

البشاشة خير من القرى
Joviality is better than hospitality.

الشغل مش عيب، عيب ع الّي بيعملو عيب
Labor is not a shame, the shame is on those who make it a shame.	French: Il n'y a pas de sot métier.

الطمع ضرّ ما نفع
Greed harmed instead of profiting.	English: By wanting all we lose all.

People

القرد بعيون إمّه غزال
The ape is in his mother's eyes a gazelle.	English: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

الأخ جنح
The brother is a wing.
The wing implies, "to seek refuge under".

الجار قبل الدار، والرفيق قبل الطريق
The neighbour before the house, and the companion before the road.
Choose your company wisely before you embark on anything.

ألّي ما عنده كبير يشتريله كبير
The one who has no elder, let him buy himself an elder.
The reference is to how precious the wisdom of old people is.

كل متل ما بتشتذي نفسك، والبس متل ما بيعجب الناس
Eat the way you like, and dress the way people like.

إنّ الطيور على أشكالها تقع
Birds fall together according to their kind.	English: Birds of a feather flock together.

بيت رجال ما بيت مال
A house of men not a house of money.
Having many sons is better than being rich.

وراه كلّ رجل عظيم إمرأة
Behind every great man is a woman.	English: Behind every great man is a woman.

قاضي الولعد شنق حاله
The children's judge hanged himself.
This refers to the fact that it's impossible to understand the minds of children.

الولد ولد ولو حكم بلد
The child is a child even if he rules a country
The original sentence is a rhyme: Alwalad walad walaw 7akam balad.

راسه كبير وعقله صغير
His head is big and his spirit is small.
Said of someone vain and narrow-minded.

متل الجرس عدنب بغل
Like the bell on the mule's tail
Said of someone who never stops talking.

بيبني علالي وقصور في الهوا
He builds high chambers and castles in the air.	French: Bâtir des châteaux en Espagne. English: Build castles in Spain.

بيمسك الحبل من الطرفين
He's holding the rope from both ends
He's working for two sides or wants to be on everybody's good side.

متل الخروف، لا بعضّ ولا بخرمش
Like a sheep, he doesn't bite and doesn't scratch.
Said of someone very easy going.

جاية من التنّور
She's returning from the tannour.
The tannour is a structure to bake bread. It is difficult and exhausting to use, so that a woman or a man who returned from a day's work at the tannour was very likely in a bad mood. This expression is said of someone waspish or gruff.

بفصّل للبرغوت قميص
He makes a shirt for the flea.
Said of someone very minute.

يا جبل عالي ما بهزّك ريح
O high mountain, no wind moves you.
Said of someone who always remains calm and stoic.

حامل السلّم بالعرض
He carries the ladder sideways.
Said of someone who makes things more complicated than they have to be.

لا حياة لمين تنادي
No life to call to.	English: It's like talking to a brick wall.
Said of someone apathetic or dense.

بتحكي في الشرق، بجاوبك في الغرب
You speak to him in the East, he replies in the West.
Said of someone unfocused who's just not there when you talk to them.

شمّام هوا قطّاف ورد
A smeller of air, a picker of roses.
Said of someone dreamy and poetic.

نفسها طيّب على الأكل
Her breath is good for food.
Said of someone who has a gift for cooking, like the French "avoir les pouces verts" for someone good at gardening.

براسه موّال غنّاه
In his head a song; he sang it.
Said of someone who placed something he'd been wanting to say forever.

فقير با عليه دين غني
The pauper who has no debts is rich.

الفقر بيعمي القلب
Poverty blinds the heart.

عالم بلا عمل متل الغيم بلا مطر
The scholar without doings is like a cloud without rain.

Advice

إبعد عن الشرّ وغنّيله
Move away from evil and sing to it.
I love this one, it's very Lebanese. It conveys to me the image of someone stepping away from danger and then taking advantage of the safe position to deafen it with serenades.

أخفد صوتك وقوّي حجتك
Lower your voice and strengthen your argument.

اذكر الذيب وهيئ القضيب
Remember the wolf and prepare your stick.	Scouts: be Prepared.

جوّع هرّك ياكل فارك، شبّع كلبك يحرس دارك
Starve your cat so he'll eat your mice, satiate your dog so he'll protect your house.

الساقية الجارية ولا النهر المقطوع
The flowing brook, not the dry river.
Meaning: A small but constant source of income is better than a large yet unreliable one.

ما تقول فول قبل ما يصير بالمكيول
Don't say "bean" until it is in the dish.	French: Ne vends pas la peau de l'ours avant de l'avoir tuŽ. Ne mets pas la charrue avant les bÏufs. English: Don't put the cart before the horses.
"Bean" and "dish" rhyme (fool, makyool) and it's probably why this proverb was put together like this.

خبّ قرشك الأبيض ليومك الأسود
Hide your white money for your black day.	English: Saving for a rainy day.

عطي خبزك للخبّاز ولو أكل نصّه
Give your bread to the baker, even if he eats half of it.
Meaning: Always go to the expert, even if it costs you more.

مش كلّ الحجارة بتوافق للعمارة
Not every rock is suitable for construction.

ألّي ما بيوقع ما بيقوم
The one who doesn't fall, doesn't get up.

الإنسان ما بيتعلّم إلا من كيسه
The human being learns solely from his own bag.

Food

نام بكّير، قوم بكّير، شوف الصحّة كيف بتصير
Sleep early, rise early, see what becomes of your health!	English: Early to bed and early to rise make a man healthy, wealthy and wise. French: L'avenir appartient à ceux qui se lèvent tôt.
The original wording has a catchy jingle to it, as it is made of three short sentences that rhyme ("bakkeer" and "seer").

كلّ شي مع العافية طيّب
Everything is good when the health is good.
I wonder if this one is at the origin of the عافية (3afia) brand of cooking oil, as the reading is literally: "Everything is tasty with the 3afia!"

الأكل على قدر المحبّة
The eating is proportionate to the love.
In Lebanon, when visiting someone, the best way to make your host happy is to eat heartily of anything offered to you -- this demonstrates your love for them.

البلد ألّي بتوصلها كل بصلها
The country that you reach, eat of its onion.
Every village gets its drinking water from a different source or well, and the change was considered risky as one could get sick. Onion was reputed antibiotic and prevented disagreeable experiences..

الحريري عالحصيري والرشته لباب الدار
May the cups of velvety cream be spread on the mat and the plates of lentils and pasta line up all the way to the house's door.
This illustrates how generous a household should be: these dishes should alway be ready in abundance in case of visits.

العزّ للرزّ، والبرغل شنق حاله
The rice is honoured, and the burghoul (cracked wheat) hanged itself.
This obscure expression records a revolution in the Lebanese eating habits. Burghoul used to be the country's staple food, present at all meals, but just before World War 1 rice replaced it almost completely. Now rice is is omnipresent in Lebanese cuisine, and burghoul has almost nothing left!

Miscellaneous

روح بلّط البحر
Go pave the sea.	English: Get lost. French: Va voir ailleurs si j'y suis. Armenian: Put a bar of soap under your foot and slide out.
The saying itself is not as aggressive as its foreign equivalents. It's difficult to use it without being hit by how funny it is.

روح كنّس الصحرا
Go sweep the desert
Said to someone who's just sitting there not doing anything.

خلّفتك ونسيتك؟
Did I give birth to you and forget you?
Said to someone who's being harrassing. It means something like "Do I owe you something, that you're not leaving me alone?"

الحقّ عالطليان
It's the Italians' fault.
This saying originates in WW2, when the Italians were held responsible for any blackout that happened in the Lebanese cities.

العنقود العالي حصرم
The grape that is high is 7osrom.
7osrom is what we call grape when it is still very green and sour. The proverb implies a situation where someone wasn't able to reach the fruit to pick it, and so decided it is too green and he doesn't want it after all. This very idea is the subject of a story of La Fontaine.

كلّ الدروم بتودّي عالطاحون
All paths lead to the miller.	French: Tous les chemins m?nent ? Rome.

جواب تحت باطه/center>
An answer from under his sleeve.
A well-placed, witty answer.

العادة خامس طبيعة
Habit is a fifth nature.
Westerners would say "second nature".

ألّي سبق شمّ الحبق
The one who arrived first smelled the basil.	English: First come, first serve. French: Les premiers arrivés seront les premiers servis.
The saying sounds odd until you know that "arrived first" (sabaq) rhymes with "basil" (habaq), hence the sentence.

حطّ إيدك بميّ بارد
Put your hand in cold water.	English: Chill out.
Said to someone angry or unnerved.

إتّفق القطّ والفار على خربان الدار
The cat and the mice agreed to wreak havoc in the house.
Describes a situation where enemies have allied themselves against a third party.

نطر يا كديش تينبت الحشيش
Wait, O horse, for the grass to grow.	English: When pigs fly. French: Quand les poules auront des dents. Aux Calendes grecques.
Said of something that's not likely to happen anytime soon.

تيتي تيتي، متل ما رحت متل ما جيت
As you went, so you return.	French: Grosjean comme devant. English: Empty-handed.

كلّ ما تدقّ الكوز بالجرّة
Everytime the jug hits the bowl.	French: A tout bout de champ.
This is used in the beginning of a sentence in the meaning of "every two minutes".

العصا بتخلّي الدبّ يرقص
The stick makes the bear dance
Meaning: Threats can achieve anything.

ألّي ما بأثّر فيه الكلام ما بأثّر فيه العصا
One who is not moved by words is not moved by the stick.
Contradicts the above!

حكّلي تحكّلك
Scratch me so I can scratch you	English: You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours.
An exchange of favors.