ఆలు వల్లక అరవై యేండ్లు, మొగుడు వల్లక ముప్ఫయి యేండ్లు, బాలప్రాయము పది యేండ్లు.

alu vallaka aravai yendlu, mogudu vallaka mupphayi yendlu, balaprayamu padi yendlu.

Translation

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.

Meaning

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.

Related Phrases

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

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.

Sixty years have passed; am I to do without learning? An ironical speech. An old dog will learn no tricks.

This is a sarcastic expression used to describe people who use their age or seniority to pretend they are knowledgeable or wise, even when they are clearly ignorant. It highlights the irony of someone claiming that their advanced age is proof of their education or competence, despite showing no actual skill.

* Bha pueri senes.

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.

When sixty years have passed, dotage.

This proverb is used to describe the onset of senility or behavioral changes in old age. It suggests that when a person reaches sixty, they may lose their mental clarity, become forgetful, or act in an eccentric and unpredictable manner due to their aging mind.

Non-current cash will never pass [in currency ]; an unloving husband will never love [his wife ].

This proverb suggests that certain things are inherently flawed or incompatible and cannot be changed or fixed. Just as a fake coin will always be rejected in trade, a person or relationship for which there is deep-seated aversion or fundamental incompatibility will never truly be accepted or successful.

After sixty years had passed, he cried Ammâ (mother). Second childhood. Old men are twice children. (Latin.)

This expression is used to describe someone who starts learning the basics or realizes their responsibilities far too late in life. It highlights an action that is extremely delayed or untimely, suggesting that the time to do something has already passed.

There is no one who has suffered thirty years of trouble, there is no one who has enjoyed thirty years of happiness.

This proverb highlights the cyclical nature of life. It suggests that neither sorrow nor joy is permanent. Just as seasons change, a person's circumstances will inevitably shift over a long period. It is used to offer hope during difficult times or to encourage humility during prosperous times, reminding us that 'this too shall pass.'

How long will you have the cow's milk, and how long will you have your fortune? How long will your buffaloe's milk last, and how long will your riches endure?

This proverb highlights the transient nature of wealth and resources. Just as a cow or buffalo gives milk only for a certain period and then goes dry, material riches and good fortune are also temporary and subject to change. It serves as a reminder to be humble and prepared for the cycles of life.

Said to a man proud of his good fortune. Riches have wings.

A woman thirty years old and a man three years old are one [ in strength ].

This proverb highlights a traditional observation regarding maturity and knowledge. It suggests that by the age of thirty, a woman typically attains a level of worldly wisdom, patience, and household management skills that makes her as sharp and capable in her sphere as a three-year-old boy is in his peak stage of rapid learning, curiosity, and observation. It is often used to emphasize the intelligence and practical sense of women.