బిచ్చం బిడబిడ - కుండలు రొడరొడ

bichcham bidabida - kundalu rodaroda

Translation

Alms are meager, but the pots are making a loud noise.

Meaning

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone has very little or no resources (alms) but makes a lot of noise or a grand show of things. It highlights the irony of having high pretension or commotion despite having low substance or poverty.

Related Phrases

The pot broken by the mother-in-law was a cracked pot, the pot broken by the daughter-in-law was a new pot.

This proverb highlights double standards and hypocrisy in judgment. It describes a situation where the same mistake is viewed differently depending on who committed it. If someone in a superior position (like a mother-in-law) makes a mistake, it is dismissed as insignificant, but if a subordinate (like a daughter-in-law) makes the same mistake, it is exaggerated and treated as a major offense.

The food in the pot should remain untouched, but the children must grow.

This proverb describes a situation where someone wants to achieve a result without any expenditure or effort. It is used to criticize unrealistic expectations or stinginess, highlighting that you cannot expect growth or progress if you are unwilling to use the necessary resources.

When one asked for alms loudly, the stacked pots rattled emptily.

This proverb describes a situation where a person asks for help from someone who is in an even worse or more impoverished state than themselves. It highlights the irony of seeking resources from a source that is completely empty or bankrupt.

The pot the daughter-in-law broke was a new one; the pot the mother-in-law broke was a patched-up one.

This proverb highlights human hypocrisy and double standards in judging mistakes. It describes a situation where people exaggerate the mistakes of others (the daughter-in-law's mistake is seen as destroying something brand new) while making excuses for their own or their favorites' mistakes (the mother-in-law's broken pot is dismissed as having been old and already broken). It is used to point out unfair bias and blame-shifting.

The sight of a beggar rouses a poor man's anger.

This expression describes the envy or resentment felt between people in similar unfortunate circumstances. It is often used when someone who is struggling themselves looks down upon or feels competitive towards another person who is also in need, rather than showing empathy.

Said impertinently by a beggar when he gets nothing.

The farmer may be poor, but the field is not poor.

This proverb highlights the inherent richness and potential of agricultural land. Even if a farmer lacks financial resources, a fertile and well-maintained field has the capacity to produce wealth and sustain life. It emphasizes that nature's productivity is a form of true wealth that transcends a person's current economic status.

The pot broken by the daughter-in-law is a new pot, while the pot broken by the mother-in-law is a worthless pot.

This proverb highlights double standards and hypocrisy in judging actions. It refers to how people often exaggerate the mistakes of others (the daughter-in-law) while minimizing or making excuses for their own or their favorites' mistakes (the mother-in-law).

If the ox is poor, the field is poor.

This proverb highlights the importance of the tools or workers behind any endeavor. Just as an unhealthy or weak ox cannot plow a field effectively, leading to a poor harvest, the quality of a result depends directly on the quality of the resources and effort invested.

A miser is worse than a poor person.

While a poor person lacks resources to spend, a miser has resources but refuses to use them for their own comfort or for the benefit of others. Therefore, a miser's life is compared to a barren land (beedu) that is useless despite its existence. It is used to criticize extreme stinginess.

A poor man is even lower than a beggar.

This proverb describes the harsh reality of social hierarchies, implying that someone who is down on their luck or lacks resources is often looked down upon or disrespected even by those who are considered to be at the bottom of society. It is used to highlight how vulnerability invites mistreatment from everyone.