చచ్చినవాడికి పిండివంటలు, బతికినవాడికి బండెడు అప్పులు.
chachchinavadiki pindivantalu, batikinavadiki bandedu appulu.
Delicacies for the dead, a cartload of debts for the living.
This proverb highlights the irony of human traditions where people spend extravagantly on funeral rituals and feasts for the deceased, often by borrowing money, which leaves the surviving family members in deep financial distress. It is used to criticize performative social customs that prioritize ritualistic honor over the practical welfare of the living.
Related Phrases
తిట్టి చచ్చినవాడూ లేడు, దీవించి బ్రతికినవాడూ లేడు.
titti chachchinavadu ledu, divinchi bratikinavadu ledu.
No man has ever died from cursing, or lived from blessing. No one dies of threats. ( Dutch. )
This proverb is used to suggest that words alone—whether insults or blessings—do not determine a person's fate or lifespan. It emphasizes that one should not take curses to heart or rely solely on blessings, but rather focus on reality and one's own actions.
* Van dreigen sterft man neit.
బడాయి బండెడు, బట్టలు సందెడు
badayi bandedu, battalu sandedu
A cartload of boasting, but only a handful of clothes.
This proverb is used to describe a person who boasts or brags excessively about their wealth, status, or abilities, but in reality, possesses very little or lives in poverty. It highlights the contrast between high-sounding words and a lowly reality.
ఏనుగులు తినేవాడికి పీనుగులు పిండివంటలట
enugulu tinevadiki pinugulu pindivantalata
To the man that eats elephants, corpses are as pastry.
This proverb is used to describe someone who has committed massive crimes or blunders and views smaller offenses as insignificant. It can also refer to people with extreme habits or capabilities for whom minor challenges are trivial.
A thoroughly bad man won't stick at trifles.
బక్కవానికి బలిసినవాడు బావ, బలిసినవాడికి బక్కవాడు బావ
bakkavaniki balisinavadu bava, balisinavadiki bakkavadu bava
To a lean man, a wealthy man is a brother-in-law; to a wealthy man, a lean man is also a brother-in-law.
This proverb highlights the reciprocity and equality inherent in kinship and relationships, regardless of economic status. In Telugu culture, 'Bava' (brother-in-law) denotes a close relative. The saying suggests that blood relations or social bonds remain the same regardless of one person being rich (balisinavadu) and the other being poor (bakkavadu). It is used to emphasize that status shouldn't change how family members treat or address one another.
ఆలు చచ్చినవాడికి ఆలు బంగారం
alu chachchinavadiki alu bangaram
To a man whose wife has died, she is like gold.
This proverb is used to describe how people tend to appreciate the value of someone or something only after they are lost. It highlights the human tendency to ignore virtues during a person's lifetime but praise them excessively once they are gone.
ఏనుగులు తినేవాడికి పీనుగలు పిండివంటలత్తా?
enugulu tinevadiki pinugalu pindivantalatta?
For one who eats elephants, are corpses considered delicacies?
This proverb is used to describe a person who handles massive tasks or challenges and finds small, trivial problems insignificant. It suggests that someone accustomed to grand or difficult things will not be bothered or satisfied by minor, petty matters. It is often used to mock someone trying to threaten or tempt a powerful person with something very small.
ఉన్నవాడు ఊరికి పెద్ద, చచ్చినవాడు కాటికి పెద్ద.
unnavadu uriki pedda, chachchinavadu katiki pedda.
He that is alive is the head man of the village, and he that is dead is the head man of the burial ground. A taunt used to one who tries to make out that he is very highly connected.
This proverb highlights the transient nature of power and social status. It suggests that authority and leadership are only relevant while a person is alive and present in society; once deceased, their worldly influence vanishes and they belong only to the graveyard.
ఇచ్చినవాడే నచ్చినవాడు, చచ్చినవాడే అచ్చినవాడు
ichchinavade nachchinavadu, chachchinavade achchinavadu
The one who gives is liked, the one who dies is free of debt.
This proverb reflects a pragmatic and somewhat cynical view of human nature. It suggests that people only like those who provide them with something or give them money. The second part implies that a person's debts are effectively canceled or their accounts are settled only when they pass away, often used to comment on the difficulty of recovering debts or the fleeting nature of social approval based on transactions.
పందిరి పడి చచ్చినవారు, ఇల్లు పడి బతికినవారు లేరు
pandiri padi chachchinavaru, illu padi batikinavaru leru
No one has died from a thatched awning falling, and no one has survived a house falling.
This proverb highlights the difference between minor and major calamities. It implies that people usually survive small setbacks (the awning), but a total collapse or major disaster (the house) is rarely something one can recover from. It is often used to emphasize the severity of a situation or the scale of risk involved.
ఇచ్చినవాడే మెచ్చినవాడు, చచ్చినవాడే అచ్చినవాడు.
ichchinavade mechchinavadu, chachchinavade achchinavadu.
The over liberal man is ruined ; when a man dies, his debts go with him.
This proverb highlights two harsh realities of life: people only appreciate those who are generous or provide help, and once a person dies, their debts and obligations often perish with them, making it impossible to recover what was owed. It is used to describe the nature of gratitude and the finality of death regarding liabilities.