చేదు తింటారా? చెట్లు కొట్టుతారా?
chedu tintara? chetlu kottutara?
Are you eating bitter or cutting down trees ? Said of anything easy, or profitable.
This expression is used to question someone's priorities or logic when they complain about a process but still want the end result. It highlights the contradiction between wanting the benefits (like fruit) while being unwilling to endure the necessary hardships (the bitterness or hard work). It is often used to mock someone who makes unnecessary fusses or avoids hard work while expecting rewards.
Related Phrases
భాగ్యం ఉంటే బంగారాన్ని తింటారా?
bhagyam unte bangaranni tintara?
If you are rich, will you eat your gold ? A man, however rich, can only live by food, like other men.
This proverb is used to emphasize that basic necessities like food are the same for everyone, regardless of their wealth. It suggests that money cannot buy everything and that even the richest person must eat simple grains to survive, reminding people to remain humble and practical about the value of wealth.
తాత కట్టిన చెరువని దూకుతారా?
tata kattina cheruvani dukutara?
Will you jump into a lake just because your grandfather built it?
This proverb is used to warn against blind following or making dangerous decisions based solely on tradition or heritage. It implies that even if an ancestor or elder did something, one must still evaluate the current risks and exercise common sense before acting. It is often used to discourage foolish risks taken in the name of family pride.
చెడు చెడు అనగానే, చెడేవారు లేరు.
chedu chedu anagane, chedevaru leru.
Just because someone says 'perish perish', nobody will actually perish.
This expression means that people do not face ruin or downfall simply because others wish it upon them or speak ill of them. It is used to suggest that ill wishes, curses, or malicious talk from others lack the power to cause real harm to a person's life or destiny.
తల్లికి పెట్టరా వసంతము
talliki pettara vasantamu
Throw scarlet water over your mother.
This expression is used to advise someone against trying to trick or outsmart the very person who taught them everything. It emphasizes that one should not use their cleverness or pranks on their elders or mentors, particularly their own mother, who knows them best.
చెడు అనకు, చెడు వినకు, చెడు కనకు
chedu anaku, chedu vinaku, chedu kanaku
Speak no evil, hear no evil, see no evil
This is the Telugu version of the famous 'Three Wise Monkeys' principle. It serves as an ethical maxim advising people to lead a virtuous life by avoiding participation in, or exposure to, bad influences, gossip, and negativity.
భాగ్యముంటే, బంగారం తింటారా?
bhagyamunte, bangaram tintara?
If one is wealthy, do they eat gold?
This proverb highlights the essential nature of basic necessities over luxury. It implies that no matter how rich a person is, they still need food to survive just like anyone else. It is used to humble those who are arrogant about their wealth or to remind people that money cannot satisfy every human need.
ఆకలి అని రెండు చేతులతో తింటారా?
akali ani rendu chetulato tintara?
Do you eat with both hands just because you are hungry?
This expression is used to advise patience and decorum, regardless of how urgent a need might be. It suggests that even in desperate situations, one must maintain their dignity, follow proper etiquette, and not act greedily or impulsively.
నా నెత్తురు నా చేతనే తాగించుతాడు
na netturu na chetane taginchutadu
He casts my blood into my mouth. i. e. He harasses and annoys me exceedingly.
This expression is used to describe a person who causes extreme distress, suffering, or mental agony to someone close to them. It characterizes a situation where someone's actions are so hurtful or demanding that the victim feels they are being self-destructed or bled dry by the perpetrator's behavior.
ఉత్తర చూచి ఎత్తర గంప
uttara chuchi ettara gampa
Take up your basket [of seed ] when you see [the sun in] Uttara. Uttara is one of the twenty-seven lunar mansions. When the sun is in Uttara there is invariably rain, and seed is then sown. Make hay while the sun shines. Know your opportunity. (Latin.)
Uttara is a specific Vedic rain star (Nakshatra). This proverb is used in an agricultural context, suggesting that when the Uttara rain arrives, it is time to harvest and pack the produce in baskets. It signifies being ready to reap the rewards of one's hard work at the right moment.
ఎందుకు ఏడుస్తావురా పిల్లవాడా అంటే, ఎల్లుండి మావాళ్ళు కొడతారన్నాడట.
enduku edustavura pillavada ante, ellundi mavallu kodatarannadata.
A lad when asked " Why are you crying my boy ?" answered " They say my people are going to beat me the day after tomorrow."
This proverb is used to describe a person who worries or grieves unnecessarily about hypothetical future problems that haven't even happened yet. It highlights the absurdity of being anxious about potential future events while ignoring the present.
Anticipating evils. You cry out before you are hurt.