ఆలి అలుక అరవై ఏళ్లు, మగని అలుక ముప్పయి ఏళ్లు, బాలప్రాయం పదేళ్లు.

ali aluka aravai ellu, magani aluka muppayi ellu, balaprayam padellu.

Translation

A wife's sulking lasts sixty years, a husband's sulking lasts thirty years, and childhood lasts ten years.

Meaning

This proverb humorously highlights the typical durations of different life stages and domestic behaviors. It suggests that a wife's resentment or anger can be long-lasting (metaphorically sixty years), a husband's is relatively shorter (thirty years), and childhood is fleeting (only ten years). It is often used to comment on the enduring nature of domestic friction versus the shortness of youth.

Related Phrases

Instead of living for ten years as a pig, it is enough to live for four years as a Nandi (sacred bull).

Quality of life is more important than quantity. It is better to live a short, dignified, and honorable life than to live a long life in disgrace or without any purpose.

Like corks sinking and stones floating.

This expression describes an unnatural, illogical, or topsy-turvy situation where things happen contrary to their nature. It is used to point out a state of injustice, corruption, or chaos where the deserving are neglected and the unworthy are elevated.

Thirty years without a husband, sixty years without a wife, and ten years of childhood.

This proverb is used to comment on how time is wasted in life due to indecisiveness, avoidance of responsibilities, or unfavorable circumstances. It highlights a life spent in loneliness or procrastination, where the prime years pass away without fulfillment or purpose.

Sixty years passed as the wife was unwilling, thirty years passed as the husband was unwilling, and ten years passed as childhood.

This proverb describes a wasted life or a failed relationship where time is squandered on mutual dislikes, disagreements, and hesitation. It is used to mock people who spend their entire lives complaining or avoiding responsibilities until it is too late.

A sister-in-law's sulking is like a rat in a trap.

This proverb is used to describe someone whose anger or resentment is harmless or ineffective. Just as a rat trapped in a cage can squeak and run around but cannot cause any real damage or escape, the sulking of a person with no power or influence (traditionally referring to certain household dynamics) doesn't result in any significant consequence for others.

Like heavy boulders floating and light corks sinking

This expression describes an unnatural or chaotic situation where things are happening contrary to their nature or the established order. It is used when merit is ignored while incompetence is rewarded, or when the impossible happens while the obvious fails.

Like corks sinking and stones floating.

This expression describes a situation where the natural order of things is reversed, or where something completely illogical and impossible is happening. It is often used to refer to a state of chaos, injustice, or a scenario where incompetent people succeed while capable ones fail.

Bullets floating, Bendu sinking.

This expression is used to describe a topsy-turvy situation where things are happening contrary to their natural order or common sense. It refers to a scenario where heavy, solid things (boulders) are treated lightly or succeed, while light, buoyant things (corks) fail or are suppressed. It is often used to critique injustice, poor management, or illogical outcomes in society.

Bendu is the Eschynomene Indica from which pith hats, models, &c. are made. The order of nature reversed. * El abad de Bamba, lo que no puede comer, dalo por su alma,

For ten years they were children, for thirty years the husband disliked the wife, and for sixty years the wife disliked the husband. Applied to an unprofitable and unhappy life.

This proverb is used to describe a wasted life or a long period of time spent in procrastination and excuses. It humorously illustrates how an entire century (100 years) can pass by blaming others or circumstances—60 years blaming the wife, 30 years blaming the husband, and 10 years in childhood—without ever achieving anything meaningful.

Do not ask for advice from a man over sixty, and do not give authority to a man under twenty.

This proverb highlights traditional views on age and capability. It suggests that those who are very old may sometimes lose their mental clarity or become outdated in their thinking, while those who are too young lack the maturity and experience required to handle administrative or household responsibilities effectively.