డంబము ఎప్పుడూ పూవులు పూయుచుండునేగాని కాయలు కాయదు.
dambamu eppudu puvulu puyuchundunegani kayalu kayadu.
Boasting always produces flowers, but never yields fruit.
This proverb highlights that empty boasting or showing off might look impressive (like flowers), but it leads to no real results or achievements (like fruit). It is used to describe people who talk big but fail to deliver substance or fulfill their promises.
Related Phrases
అప్పయినా కాయవచ్చునుగాని, పుప్పిమాటలు ఎవడు పడతాడు?
appayina kayavachchunugani, puppimatalu evadu padatadu?
One can bear the burden of a debt, but who can bear the burden of harsh or rotten words?
This proverb highlights that financial debt is easier to manage or tolerate than enduring insults or hurtful, rotten speech. It emphasizes that emotional damage caused by words is often more painful and harder to stomach than material or financial hardship. It is used to caution against using abusive language or to express how unbearable disrespect is.
జీలుగు పెరిగినంత మాత్రాన కంబం కాదు.
jilugu periginanta matrana kambam kadu.
Just because a Jeelugu tree grows tall, it doesn't become a pillar.
This proverb highlights that size or outward appearance does not equate to strength or utility. The Jeelugu (Sago Palm) tree is soft and lacks the structural integrity required for construction, no matter how tall it grows. It is used to describe people who may look impressive or have high status but lack the necessary character, skill, or substance to be truly useful.
చచ్చిన వాడి కళ్లు పత్తికాయలంత
chachchina vadi kallu pattikayalanta
The eyes of a dead man are as large as cotton bolls.
This proverb is used to describe how people tend to exaggerate the virtues, qualities, or features of someone or something only after they are gone or no longer available. It refers to the human tendency to overstate the importance of a lost opportunity or a deceased person.
వంకర టింకర కాయలు ఏమిటివి అంటే, చిన్ననాడు అమ్మిన చింతకాయలు అన్నాడట
vankara tinkara kayalu emitivi ante, chinnanadu ammina chintakayalu annadata
When she asked "What are those crooked pods?" they re- plied "The unripe tamarinds you sold in your youth." The story goes that the daughter of very poor parents who in her youth had to go about selling the unripe tamarinds she was able to gather from under the trees, afterwards became the wife of a rich man. Passing through the streets one day in her grand palankin, she superciliously enquired what a tamarind girl was selling, when her bearers replied as above, "These are the tamarinds Madam, which you sold in your youth." To take one a peg lower. You used to be a baker though now you wear gloves. (Spanish.)
This proverb is used to describe someone who tries to justify their current mistakes or poor behavior by linking them to past habits or experiences. It also mocks people who give obvious or silly explanations for things that are common knowledge, pretending as if they have discovered something unique.
దేవుడిచ్చునేగాని తినిపించునా?
devudichchunegani tinipinchuna?
God will give, but will He put the food in your mouth ? God helps those who help themselves.
This proverb emphasizes the importance of personal effort. While divine grace or luck might provide an opportunity, the individual must still do the work to benefit from it. It is used to tell someone that they cannot be lazy just because they have resources or potential; they must take action to utilize them.
జిల్లేళ్ళకు మల్లెలు పూయునా?
jillellaku mallelu puyuna?
Will jasmine flowers bloom on Calotropis plants?
This proverb is used to emphasize that one's inherent nature or upbringing cannot be changed. It suggests that good qualities or noble results cannot be expected from something that is fundamentally bad or inferior, just as a fragrant jasmine cannot grow on a bitter Calotropis (Jilledu) shrub.
చమురున్న పెంకు ఎప్పుడూ పేలదు
chamurunna penku eppudu peladu
A tile with oil on it will never explode.
This proverb suggests that as long as there is some substance or value (oil) remaining in a person or situation, it will not crumble or face immediate disaster. It is often used to imply that someone with inner strength or resources will not break under pressure, or that a situation with potential still has hope.
కానిచోట కందయినా కాయదు
kanichota kandayina kayadu
In an unfavorable place, even a yam will not grow.
This proverb suggests that if the environment, timing, or circumstances are not conducive, even the most resilient or easiest tasks will fail to yield results. It is used to emphasize that success depends heavily on being in the right place or situation.
కాని కాలానికి కంది అయినా కాయదు
kani kalaniki kandi ayina kayadu
In bad times, even a pigeon pea plant will not bear fruit
This proverb describes a period of misfortune where even the simplest or most reliable tasks fail to yield results. It is used to express that when luck is against someone, even their best efforts and usually dependable resources will let them down.
ఉడుత ఊపులకు కాయలు రాలునా?
uduta upulaku kayalu raluna?
Will fruits fall just because a squirrel shakes the tree?
This proverb is used to describe a situation where a weak person's threats or empty actions have no effect on a strong person or a stable situation. It implies that insignificant efforts or petty intimidation cannot bring down something substantial or well-established.