Floorboards and sayings are a stable pair of words often used together. And in the subconscious, these words are perceived as one and the same, as different names for the same phenomenon. Yes, of course, proverbs and sayings have common characteristics - nationality, brevity, accuracy, aphorism, even rhyme. But that's where their similarities end. It turns out that there is a fundamental difference between proverbs and sayings.
Proverb
is a logically complete expression that implies some kind of action. It usually consists of two parts. A proverb necessarily implies some kind of edification, teaching or morality. Some proverbs have authors. (I. Krylov, A. Griboyedov, Kozma Prutkov...)
Examples of proverbs:
- The quieter you go, the further you'll get.
- If you know a lot, you will soon grow old.
- Don't worry while it's quiet.
- I would be glad to serve - it’s sickening to be served!
- Money in the morning, chairs in the evening.
- Measure seven times, cut once.
- If you don't know the ford, don't go into the water.
- Don't sit in your own sleigh.
- Don't say hop until you jump over.
- Prepare a cart in winter, a sleigh in summer.
- You can't pull a fish out of a pond without difficulty.
- If you are afraid of wolves, do not go into the forest.
- Leopard change his spots.
- Don’t open your mouth to someone else’s loaf.
- Whoever remembers the old is out of sight.
- Better to see once than hear a hundred times.
- You can’t put a scarf over someone else’s mouth.
- A smart person won't get ahead!
- You can't wash a black dog white.
- Trust in God, and don’t make a mistake yourself.
Proverb
This is a laconic folk (or author’s passed down to the people) expression that aptly characterizes some phenomenon or pattern. A saying, unlike a proverb, does not imply action and does not carry edification or teaching. She is simply stating a fact. May also have an author. A.N. Ostrovsky often used sayings in the titles of his plays.
Examples of sayings
- Two of a Kind.
- There is no smoke without fire.
- What is the pop - such is the arrival.
- Don't have a hundred rubles, but have a hundred friends.
- The one who gets burned on milk also blows on water.
- The dog barks - the wind blows.
- They say in Moscow they milk chickens.
- Where the curve will take you.
- Brevity is the soul of wit.
- Paper will endure anything.
- The office writes.
- Not in the eyebrow, but in the eye.
- The first damn thing is lumpy.
- Repetition is the mother of learning.
- Meli Emelya, your week.
- It is not the place that makes the person, but the person the place.
- There is no law for fools.
- After the rain on Thursday.
Sayings in the titles of plays by A. N. Ostrovsky
- Simplicity is enough for every wise man.
Our people - we will be numbered.
Poverty is not a vice.
There's a hangover at someone else's feast.
An old friend is better than two new ones.
Truth is good, but happiness is better.
Quick to remember
Proverb
A short, logically complete expression that suggests action. It usually consists of two parts. Implies some kind of edification, teaching or morality.
Proverb
A laconic folk (or author’s gone-to-people) expression that aptly characterizes some phenomenon. Unlike a proverb, it does not imply action and does not have edification or teaching.
P.S.Sometimes it is difficult to draw a clear line between a proverb and a saying. For example, are the following expressions proverbs or sayings? Or something else?
- Everything has its time.
- For that fought for it and ran.
- The less you know the better you sleep.
- Teach your grandmother to suck eggs.
- A kopeck saves the ruble.
- It is impossible to embrace the immensity.
- Less is better. ...
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Now we move on to Russian proverbs, which it would also be nice for each of us to know.
Russian proverbs and sayings, as everyone knows, this is folk wisdom that came to us from life experience. Now let's look at the most frequently used among them among the people, as well as their interpretations, among other things. For convenience, Russian proverbs and sayings are presented alphabetically.
Russian proverbs and sayings and their meaning
Appetite comes with eating.
The deeper you delve into something, the more you learn about it.
A woman with a cart makes it easier for a mare.
About the departure of an unnecessary person who is not so useful to anything.
Trouble doesn’t walk through the forest, but through people.
Misfortunes with people are the real trouble, and not with what surrounds them.
Misfortunes never come alone.
She will definitely “take” at least one more with her.
Poverty is not a vice.
You should not judge people for poverty, since it is not their negative quality.
You can’t even catch a fish from a pond without difficulty.
Nothing can be achieved without persistence and effort.
Take care of your dress again, and take care of your honor from a young age.
About norms of behavior in society, etc. And if something is lost or torn, it will no longer be possible to restore it.
God saves man, who save himself.
It is easier for a person who is careful in his actions to avoid dangers and unjustified risks.
Free cheese only comes in a mousetrap.
Goods and services given for free are usually given to us with a catch, unpleasant consequences.
God marks the rogue.
Evil deeds and other negative qualities do not go unpunished.
A chatterbox is a godsend for a spy.
If you brag to people about your success, about the elevation of your deeds, then there will be envious people trying to drag you back down. Like a proverb What you boast about, you will be left without.
For a big ship, a long voyage.
A person with great abilities gets great opportunities.
If you suffer for a long time, something will work out.
If you really try in a difficult matter, you can achieve at least something.
Paper will endure anything.
Paper, unlike people, will tolerate any lie, any mistake written on it.
Being a guest is good, but being at home is better.
Home comfort, created with your own hands or the hands of a loved one, cannot be replaced by any visit.
In a healthy body healthy mind.
By keeping the body healthy, a person also maintains mental well-being.
Every family has its black sheep.
In any family or team there will always be a person with negative qualities.
In the dark all cats are gray.
A person's appearance can be deceiving if one does not know his spiritual quality.
In crowded but not mad.
A little inconvenience for everyone is better than a more serious problem for just one.
Still waters run deep.
Quiet and calm-looking people often hide a complex nature.
They don’t go to someone else’s monastery with their own rules.
In a foreign team or society, you should not behave only according to your own rules and procedures.
We see the speck in someone else's eye, but we don't notice the log in our own.
The mistakes and shortcomings of other people are more noticeable than your own.
Live forever, learn forever, but you will die a fool.
About the impossibility of knowing everything, even with a constant and persistent acquisition of knowledge.
I picked up the tug - don’t say it’s not strong.
Once you take up a task, bring it to the end, despite the difficulties.
A bird is visible in flight, and a man is visible in business.
About people who, through their deeds and their appearance, show others their nature.
Water wears away stones.
Even minor work, manifested long and persistently, gives good results.
Pound water in a mortar and there will be water.
About doing a stupid thing that does not bring anything useful.
The wolf's legs feed him.
To earn a living, you need to move, be active, and not sit still.
If you are afraid of wolves, do not go into the forest.
If you are afraid of difficulties or dangerous consequences, then you should not start any business.
All diseases are caused by nerves.
Anger, resentment and resentment weaken the immune system, which leads to the formation of diseases. Avoid anything that makes you nervous. Be patient.
Everything will be ground - there will be flour.
Any problem sooner or later turns into a good result.
All is well that ends well.
If the ending of something is good, then there is nothing to worry about.
Everything has its time.
Everything happens at the appointed time, not earlier and not later.
Everyone goes crazy in their own way.
Each person has their own advantages and disadvantages.
Every cricket knows its nest.
Everyone should know their place and not interfere with someone else’s.
Every bast in line.
Everything can be useful, everything can be used, any mistake is blamed.
Where there is anger, there is mercy.
Not everything can be done with just anger; over time, mercy comes.
Where wood is cut, chips fly.
In any business there are always losses and costs.
Needed where was born.
About a place of birth that would not be worth leaving forever.
Where it's thin, that's where it breaks.
A strong link remains strong, but a weak link cracks.
The eyes are afraid, but the hands are doing.
It's scary to take on a task until you finally take it on.
The need for invention is cunning.
The need and poverty of a person make him more intelligent and inventive.
Mountain does not converge with mountain, but man does not converge with man.
About people, despite the mountains, who are capable by nature of understanding each other and meeting each other halfway.
One grave will correct a hunchback, but a club will correct a stubborn one.
It is difficult, and sometimes impossible, for a person to get rid of his bad habits.
Prepare a sleigh in the summer and a cart in the winter.
Before you start anything, you must first prepare in advance.
They do not look at a given horse's teeth.
For any gift you are supposed to thank and rejoice at it, they say, take what you give.
Two bears do not live in the same den.
About two rivals vying for leadership. There is no room for two owners in one house.
The master's work is afraid.
The work carried out by the master is completed efficiently and quickly.
Time for business, time for fun.
Most of the time should be spent on study and work, and only partly on rest and entertainment.
For a dear friend and an earring.
For a good friend or loved one, you don’t feel sorry for even the most valuable.
Debt good turn deserves another.
A good attitude towards people will definitely return in kind.
Expensive egg for Easter day.
It's always nice to get what you expect at the right time, in the right place.
Friendship is friendship, and service is service.
Friendly relationships should not affect work relationships, however, and vice versa.
A friend in need is a friend indeed.
Only a friend will do everything possible for you to save you in a difficult situation.
There is no law for fools.
Only an intelligent person succumbs to rules and laws; fools have no time for them.
A bad example is contagious.
About imitation of a bad example, a bad deed of another person.
Living life is not a field to cross.
Life is a complicated thing, living it is not very easy.
If you chase two hares, you won’t catch either.
It is impossible to achieve two goals at the same time; it is better to do everything sequentially.
You can't see the forest for the trees.
By focusing on little things or on the same thing, it is impossible to see the main thing.
The Forbidden fruit is sweet.
Taking someone else’s or forbidden things is much more pleasant than taking your own.
Make a fool pray to God, and he’ll bruise his forehead.
An overly zealous person can harm the business.
You can't erase a word from a song.
It is impossible to change or hide something with words without distorting reality.
If only I knew where to fall, I would have laid out straws.
About caution, forethought, so that there is no trouble.
Each sandpiper praises its swamp.
Every person praises the place in which he lives, but everything else is foreign and unusual.
Everyone judges according to the extent of their depravity.
The more corrupt a person himself is, the more corrupt the people around him seem to be.
Everyone judges for himself.
The way a person is, the people around him seem to be the same.
As it comes back, so will it respond.
Any actions towards people around you, good or bad, eventually turn out to be the same.
Whatever you name the ship, that’s how it will sail.
What you set out for is what you get.
You can't spoil porridge with oil.
What is useful and pleasant cannot cause harm, even if there is too much of it.
Fight fire with fire.
The results of any action should be eliminated by the same means that caused this action.
The end is the crown of the whole thing.
It is important to complete any task.
Finished the job - go for a walk safely.
Once you finish your work, you can rest peacefully without thinking about it.
The horse has four legs and even then stumbles.
Even the most intelligent, dexterous and skillful people can sometimes make mistakes.
A penny saves the ruble.
To accumulate a lot, you must not neglect the little.
The hut is red not in its corners, but in its pies.
The owner of the house is valued not by wealth, but by hospitality.
Beauty requires sacrifice.
To look beautiful, you have to endure inconvenience.
Who seeks will always find.
When a person really tries to look, he actually finds what he was looking for.
Whoever gets up early, God gives him.
He who is not lazy to get up early will have a longer day and a more luxuriant harvest.
Where the needle goes, so goes the thread.
About a person dependent on someone or about close attachment to each other.
Strike while the iron is hot.
While the opportunity allows, it is better to act, otherwise it may not exist later.
The chicken pecks one grain at a time, but is full.
By doing something regularly, even if only a little at a time, you can achieve results.
You can't break through walls with your forehead.
It is useless to achieve something without having enough strength for it.
They don't hit someone who is lying down.
It is not customary to finish off someone who is injured or in trouble.
A fly in the ointment.
When everything is good, any, even minor, dirty trick can ruin everything.
Better the bitter truth than a sweet lie.
You won't get far with a lie, unlike the truth, no matter what it is.
Better to see once than hear a hundred times.
You should not believe words, you should only look at actions.
Better late than never.
It is better to do something at least someday than not to do it at all.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
It is better to have something small and quite accessible than something large and difficult to achieve.
Love for all ages.
A person has the ability to fall in love at absolutely any age.
If you like to ride, you also like to carry a sled.
To achieve something in your life, make an effort.
The less you know the better you sleep.
The more you know, the more excitement and worry there is.
The world is not without good people.
There will always be generous people with a desire to help in someone else's troubles.
Young is green.
Adolescents and young people, unlike adults, are not mature enough in their knowledge.
Silent means consent.
Silence is like an assumption of an affirmative answer.
Moscow was not built in a day.
Everything complex and perfect is never given at once, only with a gain of experience.
In the absence of fish, cancer is a fish.
If you don't have what you want, at least something can be useful.
Trust in God, and don’t make a mistake yourself.
You should not rely solely on God when doing something. It’s better to do everything yourself, and just ask God for support.
Every man to his own taste.
Tastes and preferences of different people may differ from each other.
You can't please everyone.
You can't please everyone, no matter what you do. Even if you are an angel, someone may not like the rustling of your wings.
Simplicity is enough for every wise man.
No matter how wise and perspicacious a person is, he can be deceived.
The animal runs towards the catcher.
It is easier for those who are brave, persistent, and stubborn to achieve anything they want.
There is no trial.
About the humble acceptance of the absence of something or the refusal of a request.
They carry water to the offended.
A person must be able to forgive. And an offended person looks of no interest to anyone.
Hope dies last.
Even with disappointment or complete failure, there is still hope for the best.
Gruzdev called himself get in the body.
If you boast or promise to do something, do it.
You won't be nice by force.
No one can be forced to love against their will.
It is not God who burns the pots.
Man is doomed to cope with his tasks himself, and not rely only on God alone.
Don't sit in your own sleigh.
Equivalent to the expression “Mind your own business.”
Not everything is Maslenitsa, there is also Lent.
Life is not always a holiday. It comes in changeable stripes.
All that glitters is not gold.
Any thing or entity, no matter how beautiful it looks, is not determined only by external signs. The internal signs are more important.
If you don't know the ford, don't go into the water.
Before you do anything, you should know how it is done.
Don't have a hundred rubles, but have a hundred friends.
Money disappears the first time you go to the store, but friends remain forever.
It is not the place that makes the person, but the person the place.
It is more important in a person to know his character, spiritual qualities, and not his status.
Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
While there is an opportunity, it is better to carry out your plans right away, in order to avoid acquiring laziness and regret in the future.
Don't spit in the well - you'll need some water to drink.
You should not spoil your relationship with a person, no matter what he is. After all, in the future it can turn out to be very useful, and even save lives.
Not caught - not a thief, not caught - not cheated.
A person is not guilty of an offense until proven guilty.
Don't dig a hole for someone else - you yourself will fall into it.
A person who does bad things to others suffers himself, having encountered the consequences of his own actions.
Don't cut the branch you're sitting on.
Don’t do stupid things and evil, because you yourself can choke on the same thing.
The devil is not as scary as he is painted.
An indication of exaggeration of the significance of any negative phenomenon.
Man does not live by bread alone.
A person has not only material qualities, but also spiritual ones.
There is no smoke without fire.
Nothing happens just like that, for example, there is no gossip without reason.
Every cloud has a silver lining.
In any difficult situation, you can always extract something pleasant and useful.
Having burned yourself on milk, you blow on the water.
Having made a mistake once, in the future you become more careful and prudent.
There is safety in numbers.
It is more difficult to withstand something alone, to win a fight, than with someone else.
One head is good, but two are even better.
Two people will be able to solve any problem better and faster, unlike one.
One swallow does not make spring.
The very first and only sign of a phenomenon is not the phenomenon itself.
From love to hate one step.
It won't be difficult to anger a person and make him hate you.
No one is immune from the event.
No matter how hard you try to prevent trouble, it can still happen.
It's a double-edged sword.
For every desired action there is a reaction.
The first pancake is lumpy.
Anything doesn't always work out really well the first time.
Stretch your legs along the clothes.
About living according to your means, income, in accordance with your capabilities.
They meet you by their clothes, they see them off by their intelligence.
A meeting with a person is valued according to external signs, and parting - according to internal, mental ones.
Even a sword does not cut a guilty head.
You should not seriously punish a person who voluntarily admitted his guilt.
Repetition is the mother of learning.
The more you repeat, the better you know.
A rolling stone gathers no moss.
If you do nothing, nothing will come of it.
Until the thunder strikes, the man will not cross himself.
About a person’s ability to drag out his illness or other problem until the last moment, until it finally resolves itself.
Trying is not torture, demand is not a problem.
There is nothing stopping you from at least trying to do something rather than not doing it at all.
After a fight they don’t wave their fists.
It is unacceptable to change anything when it is too late.
If you hurry, you will make people laugh.
Any task should be done calmly, slowly, in order to avoid a funny situation.
Forewarned is forearmed.
What a person is warned about, he is ready for.
When trouble comes, open the gate.
Misfortune never comes alone. Therefore, you need to be more careful and prepared for anything.
The frightened crow is afraid of the bush.
If a person is truly scared, he will be afraid of everything that surrounds him.
For a drunk, the sea is knee-deep, and the puddle is up to his ears.
A drunk person is drawn to actions that, being sober, he would never dare to do.
Once a year the stick shoots.
Very rarely, but still the impossible may well become possible.
One born to crawl cannot fly.
If a person is born a fool, then he will die a fool.
Fish looks for where it is deeper, and man looks for where it is better.
About people who want better devices for their lives.
The fish rots from the head.
If the government is bad, so will its subordinates.
Birds of a feather flock together.
Close people easily find a common language.
To live with wolves is to howl like a wolf.
When joining any community, life according to their principles is not excluded.
Out of sight, out of mind.
It is human nature to forget someone with whom you do not see or communicate.
Whoever you hang out with, that's how you'll gain.
Whom you communicate with, make friends with, you adopt his views, habits, etc.
With your loved one and in the hut is paradise.
It’s good to be with your loved one anywhere and under any conditions.
The light did not converge like a wedge.
If everything is good at a certain facility, you shouldn’t make do with it alone.
Our people - we will be numbered.
Close people are doomed to help each other without asking for anything in return.
I can't bear my own burden.
What you personally receive is easier to bear, unlike the tolerability of someone else’s.
Your shirt is closer to your body.
Your own interests are more important than the interests of other people.
A holy place is never empty.
If a person leaves a good place, someone else immediately takes it.
Seven do not wait for one.
They won’t wait for one latecomer when everyone is already gathered and ready for business.
Seven times measure cut once.
Before you do anything, you must first think carefully, provide for everything, in order to avoid an accident.
Lawless Heart.
About the inability to control your feelings.
No matter how much you feed the wolf, he still looks into the forest.
It is impossible to change the natural instincts and inclinations of another person.
Soon the fairy tale is told, but not soon the deed is done.
About foreshadowing something, like in a fairy tale, it’s quick and easy, but in reality it’s more complicated.
Miser pays twice.
It is better to buy things that are more expensive, as opposed to cheap ones that break quickly and easily.
Tears of sorrow will not help.
Don't be discouraged if you can get rid of grief. And if the problem is inevitable, there is no use crying.
The word is not a sparrow; if it flies out, you won’t catch it.
Once you find yourself in an awkward situation and say a bad word, it is impossible to go back.
The word is silver, silence is gold.
It is a matter of honor to say something useful, but it is better to remain silent about useless and empty chatter.
The earth is full of rumors.
A person knows secret information thanks to rumors.
A dog can be a biter from a dog's life.
An unkind, aggressive person often becomes like this due to the conditions of his life: from the lack of love and care of the people around him, frequent misfortunes, etc.
He ate the dog and choked on his tail.
It is impossible to do anything big without tripping over a small thing.
There are no boundaries for perfection.
No matter how hard you try to improve the situation, you can always do better.
Nightingales are not fed fables.
Talking cannot feed those who are hungry. He should be offered food.
An old bird is not caught with chaff.
It is difficult to outwit an experienced person with anything, to lead him into a dead end.
An old friend is better than two new ones.
An old, proven, long-known friend is more reliable, as opposed to new, unfamiliar ones who have not yet been tested by everyday situations.
The well-fed cannot understand the hungry.
The difficulty of one is incomprehensible to another until he stoops to this difficulty himself.
Patience and a little effort.
Patience and perseverance in work will overcome all obstacles.
Be patient, Cossack - you will become an ataman!
Suggestion to a person to be patient, with him any difficulty is nothing.
Three doctors are no better than one.
Similar to the proverb Too many cooks spoil the broth.
Too many cooks spoil the broth.
The more people take on one task, the less attention is paid to it.
Fear has big eyes.
About fearful people who perceive everything small and insignificant as large and terrible.
An agreement (agreement) is more valuable than money.
A respectful contract, unlike money, can be lost forever. Its terms and conditions must be strictly adhered to.
A drowning man clutches at a straw.
A person in trouble is ready to do anything to save himself. Even if it doesn't give much results.
The morning is wiser than the evening.
Decisions are made more effectively in the morning, as opposed to a tired evening.
Learning is light and ignorance is darkness.
Learning is the path to knowledge and success. And lack of learning is the cause of developmental retardation and lack of culture.
Well, where we do not.
A person underestimates the area in which he is located, preferring places where he has not yet been.
The bad (bad) grass is out of the field.
You should get rid of anything harmful or unnecessary so that things go faster.
Do not count your chickens before they are hatched.
The success of any business can only be said if it has a visible result.
Man is the architect of his own happiness.
To be happy, you need to do something, and not wait for it to come on its own.
Man proposes, but God disposes.
You should not be completely confident in the success of an action or enterprise that has not yet taken place.
Whatever you boast about, you will be left without.
A person who talks a lot about his happiness may be left without it.
What the hell is not joking (while God sleeps).
Anything can happen, anything can happen.
What we have, we don’t keep, and when we lose it, we cry.
The true value of something or someone is noticed when we are deprived of it.
What is written with a pen cannot be cut down with an axe.
What is written, once it has become known, cannot be changed.
What goes around comes around.
Perfect good or evil returns over time like a boomerang.
To get to know a person, you have to eat a ton of salt with him.
To get to know a person well, you need to live with him for a long time, overcoming various difficulties in life with him.
Someone else's soul is darkness.
No matter how well we know a person, his thoughts will always be a mystery. And a person’s external appearance is not always a reflection of his soul.
I’ll take away someone else’s trouble with my hands, but I won’t apply my mind to mine.
Other people's troubles seem more solvable, easier, unlike your own.
Murder will out.
The secret always becomes clear. And the lie will definitely come out over time.
Cabbage soup and porridge are our food.
About the habit of eating simple food.
The apple never falls far from the tree.
The character of parents is not very different from the character of their children.
The language will take you to Kyiv.
By asking people you can get anywhere.
Teach your grandmother to suck eggs.
An inexperienced person can teach little to an experienced one.
Proverbs and sayings are a treasure trove of the Russian language. Surely, many in childhood heard from their grandparents phrases such as: “You can’t catch a fish out of a pond without difficulty,” “If you drive more quietly, you will keep moving,” etc. Sometimes we did not understand the meaning of these words and expressions. Gradually we learned the meaning of each proverb, aphorism and saying, but now we will ask one of the most difficult questions, which only a few will answer: what is the difference between a proverb and a saying? Let's try to find out and remember this difference forever.
About proverbs
If you hear the word proverb, then know that this is a short sentence containing folk wisdom. A proverb is often written in simple folk language and has rhyme and rhythm. Proverbs came to us from ancient times and were previously called parables. Initially, proverbs were part of some stories, then, having vivid language and memorability, they began to stand out from works and have an independent character. Proverbs reflect the life, culture, way of life of the Russian people, as well as beliefs, religion and customs. Proverbs can be called an encyclopedia of the Russian people. The proverb, as a phenomenon of language, has its own characteristics, expressed in the mentality and way of life of the Russian people.
Signs of a proverb
1. Since the proverb performs an educational function, it must contain moral teaching or morality;
2."Brevity is the soul of wit"- this phrase belongs to A.P. Chekhov. This property can also be attributed to a proverb. It is as short and understandable as possible;
3. Proverbs are written in simple and understandable language without the use of scientific terms.
4. A unique property of a proverb can be considered to be that it is truth in its purest form: there is no desire to challenge it. An illusion arises that the proverb does not and cannot have an author. Many proverbs are written in rhyme:
For example, “If you don’t know the ford, don’t poke your nose into the water.”
Sometimes people confuse proverbs and aphoristic sayings.
The difference between proverbs and aphorisms
1. Often an aphorism is written in complex language, but a proverb is written in simple and popular language.
2. An aphorism is often more difficult to understand than a proverb.
For example, there are aphorisms from A.S. Griboedov’s work “Woe from Wit”: “Houses are new, but prejudices are old,” “Who are the judges?”, “Evil tongues are worse than a gun.”
4. A proverb is easier to imagine in an ordinary person, but an aphorism can most often be heard in the speech of an intellectual.
Examples of proverbs on various topics
Examples of proverbs reflecting historical events:
“Here’s to you, grandma, Yuryev’s Day” (meaning the prohibition under Boris for peasants to move to other landowners even on Yuryev’s Day).
“At one veche, but not only speeches” (the proverb developed during the veche rule).
Proverbs reflecting pagan beliefs and rituals:
A wedding ceremony without a church: “We got married around spruce trees, but only devils sang.”
About the overthrow of idols: “I took God by the leg and on the floor.”
Proverbs related to economic activities:
in particular agricultural labor, fishing and beekeeping
“It is not the field that feeds, but the cornfield”
“Fish is water, berries are grass, and bread is the head of everything.”
Proverbs that reflected family life and family life:
“As God is before men, so is a father before his children,”
“The master of the house is like the khan in Crimea.”
Proverbs characterizing the traits of people:
about a hot, irritable person: “Hises like hot iron,”
about the stubborn: “You can’t beat him with a mortar and pestle.”
about the cunning one: “He walks in boots, but the trail is barefoot.”
Sayings
Proverb is an established phrase or phrase, figurative expression or metaphor. Usually the proverb is not used independently. They are used for brightness and to give artistic color to speech. Often they can be replaced with one synonymous word.
Examples of sayings:
“to put a pig” - to do a mischief,
“disservice” - help to harm,
“when the cancer whistles on the mountain” - never,
“to stay on the nose” - to be deceived.
Proverbs and sayings are often confused. Sometimes you see a book and it says “Proverbs and Sayings,” often this book contains only proverbs.
How to distinguish?
To distinguish a proverb from a saying, you need:
Firstly , determine whether it carries any moral or teaching.
Secondly , you need to pay attention to the structure of the statement: the first part of the proverb should contain the starting point, the second contains teaching, edifying meaning or morality, application in a life situation.
Interesting
Proverbs and sayings are used to teach preschoolers to observe nature and when studying the folk calendar. “In April the earth melts,” “Everyone is young in the winter cold.” Based on small folklore forms, entire diagnostics have been developed to determine a person’s life values.
Proverbs and sayings are a decoration of a person’s thoughts and speech.
Both proverbs and sayings are valuable to us because they convey the vast experience accumulated by people. This is folk wisdom, dressed in short, succinct phrases. Moreover, this wisdom does not depend on fashion, on the political system, or on the era. This is knowledge for all times.
The themes of folk expressions are diverse. We can say that there are proverbs and sayings for all occasions.
We often use these expressions in our speech, but we don’t always know what exactly we said at the moment. What is the difference between a proverb and a saying? There are those who think that these concepts mean the same thing. Meanwhile, these are not synonyms at all. Let's try to understand this issue.
Proverb
The Large Encyclopedic Dictionary tells us that a proverb is a figurative expression compressed to the size of an aphorism. It usually contains an instructive meaning or some kind of worldly wisdom. What is the difference between a proverb and a saying? In the grammatical and logical completeness of the phrase and in the rhythmic component.
You can’t even catch a fish from a pond without difficulty.
To live with wolves is to howl like a wolf.
Pay attention to the syntactic integrity of the expression. So here's another difference. What is the difference between a proverb and a saying? The first, unlike the second, is a complete sentence, a complete syntactic construction.
Proverb
What is a saying? When determining the main distinctive features of a saying, they speak of greater brevity of the phrase compared to a proverb. The saying, as a rule, is often syntactically incomplete. In addition, it is devoid of didactic (instructive) overtones. The meaning of the saying is in figurative decoration, enlivening speech, conveying the mood and feelings of the speaker.
Sayings are otherwise called idioms - indivisible expressions that have taken root in speech. For example:
Like water off a duck's back.
Easy to remember.
When the cancer on the mountain whistles.
Wait by the sea for weather.
Like cheese in butter.
When explaining the difference between a proverb and a saying, you should note that a saying can sometimes look like a sentence or it is not the shortest phrase. Here, for example, is a fairytale beginning as a saying:
It cannot be said in a fairy tale, nor can it be described with a pen.
Sayings and proverbs - how to distinguish?
It is not always easy to understand, even with a specific example, what the difference is between a proverb and a saying. Moreover, if a saying is not only a short statement consisting of a small number of words. Although quite rare, they also occur in the form of completely complete sentences.
However, as already mentioned, the main difference between a proverb and a saying is the presence of a complete thought. This is a statement that most often has a didactic orientation, that is, it wants to teach the interlocutor something or mark some important moments in life. Here are examples:
You can't catch a fish from a pond without difficulty.
The apple never falls far from the tree.
No matter how much you feed the wolf, he looks into the forest.
On someone else's side, I'm happy with my little crow.
Birds of a feather flock together.
The chicken pecks at the grain.
Now let’s compare it with the sayings:
A week without a year.
Out of the frying pan into the fire.
They got me married without me.
Fool around.
Step on the same rake twice.
We hope that the above examples have made the difference between a proverb and a saying clear.
Examples of proverbs with similar meanings
Let us remember that synonyms are words that differ in sound but are similar in meaning. The same definition can easily be applied to expressions.
For example, consider the proverb:
If you love to ride, you also love to carry a sled.
It’s about how getting pleasure always involves some kind of work. And in order to receive a reward, you must first work. Or in other words: the holiday is preceded by everyday life.
Here's another proverb:
Not everything is Maslenitsa, there is also Lent.
But if you think about it, it’s practically on the same topic. It’s just that this expression is dressed in the form of a humorous saying.
As you know, one of the most nourishing and tasty periods for peasants and domestic animals was Maslenitsa week. At this time, not only the owners indulged in sour cream and butter. It also happened to the cat. But this revelry did not last long, followed by Lent. This is a rather harsh and long period. The food veto was already imposed on all meat and dairy products. The poor cat had to hunt mice in the basements and haylofts to provide his food.
Thus, the main meaning of both proverbs is that after cheerful and satisfying holidays, difficult everyday life will definitely come.
True, the intonation of the first proverb is very didactic: they say, if you want to go for a ride, you will have to tinker with transport.
Sayings and their synonyms
Most often it is very easy to find synonyms for sayings. Sometimes it can be one word or a short expression on the same topic.
For example, “it doesn’t knit” - drunk; “You can’t take your eyes off it” - very beautiful; (wait) “until the carrot’s plot” - a very long time and, most likely, will not wait; - unknown when, etc.
Proverb or not?
Very often, fixed expressions and fragments of phrases from folklore and literary works penetrate into Russian speech. Sometimes the speaker does not realize why this or that expression suddenly escaped his tongue. After any work of verbal authorship becomes known among readers (listeners), it leaves an imprint on people’s speech. In such cases they say “parsed into quotes.”
A quote is, of course, not a saying. But, you see, a little more time passed, and only a fragment remained of the once-known sentence, became established in the language and turned into an idiom. Often it implies a continuation that is well known to everyone.
“Ay Moska! I know she’s strong...” - when they talk about a small but overly brave person.
Or: “What feathers, what a sock!..” - and this part of the sentence from I. A. Krylov’s fable is used when they want to jokingly praise someone.
But the phrase, picked up by the people from the monologue of Cheburashka - the character of the famous cartoon: “We drove and drove and finally arrived!..” - this is what they will say about the ending of the journey, often unexpected.
You yourself can easily remember many similar expressions that have become sayings thanks to the accuracy of the phrase and the depth of meaning contained in it. These are, of course, not only fables, but also songs, very famous poetic texts, and even prose.
In the article we explained what the main difference between a proverb and a saying is, and gave examples.
In everyday life we often get confused, calling sayings proverbs and vice versa. There's a lot between them similarities, but there is also differences. Short, apt sayings arose in colloquial speech, which in itself implies some freedom. Therefore, mixing these two concepts is not considered strict. And yet, in this article we will try to find out what is the difference between proverbs and sayings. This will be shown more clearly in the table.
similarities and differences
|
Proverbs |
Sayings |
|
A neat, short, apt saying. But sayings are usually shorter than proverbs. |
|
|
They arose among the people, in colloquial speech. |
|
|
Widely used. |
|
|
Belong to the art of words. |
|
|
Stable (reproducible unchanged). |
|
| A figurative saying (this kind of wording is often used in definitions). | Figurative expression. |
| A genre of oral folk art. | Turn of speech. |
| A complete sentence, a complete statement. | A phrase or phrase that does not form a complete statement. |
| An instructive, edifying saying. | It has no edifying meaning, but conveys an emotional attitude to what is being said. |
| Morality, morality, instruction | An eloquent expression that can be easily replaced with other words. |
| Independent offer. | They can be used as part of a sentence to give a bright emotional coloring. |
| A proverb contains a complete thought. | A saying is part of a judgment without a conclusion. |
| Rhythmic in form, sometimes rhymed. | The rhyme is not typical. |
| A saying that summarizes various phenomena of life. A proverb conveys a generalized idea. | Accurately defines any phenomenon of life. |
| If we draw a parallel with music, proverbs are complex, classical music, sayings are a light pop genre. | Well-known, common, accepted expression |
Examples
Proverbs act as an independent sentence:
Don't have a hundred rubles, but have a hundred friends.
Whoever you hang out with, that's how you'll gain.
There is safety in numbers.
Not the father-mother who gave birth, but the one who gave him water, fed him and taught him goodness.
Speak, but don't talk.
The whole family is together, and the soul is in place.
Harmony in the family is wealth.
Proverbs are often used as part of sentences:
Will return the money when the cancer whistles on the mountain.
The boss is throwing up and rants today.
We've got a ball rolling in our refrigerator today.
I'm not good at mathematics.
Sayings can easily be replaced with other words:
“to be left with nothing” (to be left with nothing)
“not in the slightest” (doesn’t understand anything about this)
“tears and rushes” (angry, angry)
“at least roll a ball” (empty)
“when the cancer whistles on the mountain” (never)
Difference between proverbs and sayings:
Proverb: “Small is the spool, but dear.”; proverb: “Small, but bold.”
Proverb - “An empty barrel rattles louder.”, saying - “Like a dog in a manger”
Proverb - “If you don’t know the ford, don’t stick your nose into the water.”, proverb - “Stay with your nose.”
Who cares?
Thus, both in content, and in form, and in the features of application, proverbs and sayings differ greatly. Philological science clearly draws a line between a proverb and a saying, but recognizes that in living speech proverbs can transform into sayings, and a saying can grow into a proverb. Confusion of concepts occurs especially often on the Internet, where websites post sayings and proverbs under the heading “Proverbs” or only proverbs under the heading “Proverbs and Sayings,” thereby confusing honest people. Here, on the website “About Proverbs” you will find proverbs. And if there are sayings related to the topic, they will be indicated by a subtitle.
Phew, now it has finally become clear to both us and you, what is the difference between proverbs and sayings. We hope the article was useful to you, leave your feedback in the comments 😉
