గడ్డం కాలి ఒకడు ఏడుస్తుంటే, చుట్టకు నిప్పు ఇమ్మని ఒకడు వెంబడించినట్టు

gaddam kali okadu edustunte, chuttaku nippu immani okadu vembadinchinattu

Translation

While one person is crying because his beard is on fire, another is chasing him asking for a light for his cigar.

Meaning

This proverb describes a situation where someone is incredibly insensitive or selfish, focusing on their own trivial needs while another person is facing a serious crisis or suffering. It is used to criticize people who lack empathy or timing.

Related Phrases

When someone is crying because their hair is on fire, another person asks them for a light for their cigar.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone is insensitive or indifferent to another person's severe distress. It highlights the contrast between one person's major crisis and another person's trivial or selfish needs.

One who earns is one person, the one who enjoys it is another.

This expression refers to situations where the fruits of one person's hard work, labor, or wealth are enjoyed by someone else who did not put in the effort. It is often used to describe inheritance, unfair distribution of benefits, or when someone works tirelessly for the sake of others who take it for granted.

If one person pulls the trunk, another pulls the branch.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where multiple people are working at cross-purposes or interfering with each other's work. It highlights a lack of coordination where one person's actions are countered or complicated by another's unnecessary involvement, leading to inefficiency or failure.

While one person was crying because his house was on fire, another was crying because his body was burning.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where two people are experiencing different levels of distress, or when someone brings up a personal grievance that seems trivial or misplaced in the context of a much larger disaster. It highlights the irony of individual suffering and the lack of mutual understanding during a crisis.

When one is crying because his house is on fire, another is crying because his body is burning.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where two people are experiencing suffering, but their problems are of completely different scales or natures, making it impossible for them to console each other. It can also refer to a situation where someone is bothered by a trivial personal matter while another person is facing a major catastrophe, highlighting a lack of shared perspective or misplaced priorities during a crisis.

While one's beard was on fire and they were crying, another person chased them for a light for their cigar.

This proverb describes a situation where a person is incredibly insensitive or selfish, seeking a trivial favor from someone who is already in the midst of a major crisis or personal tragedy. It highlights a lack of empathy and the absurdity of prioritizing small needs over someone else's dire situation.

While one is looking at the wedding ceremony, another is looking at the bride.

This proverb highlights how different people have different priorities or intentions in the same situation. While one person may be focused on the event or the process (the wedding), another may be focused on personal gain or a specific attraction (the wife). It is used to describe situations where people's motives are not aligned despite being in the same environment.

Like asking for fire to light a cigar while the house is burning down and someone is crying.

This proverb describes a situation where someone is being extremely insensitive, selfish, or opportunistic during another person's tragedy. It is used when a person focuses on their own trivial needs or petty desires while ignoring a major crisis happening right in front of them.

When one man was crying out that his beard was on fire another followed him asking him for a light for his cigar. If my beard is burnt, others try to light their pipes at it. (Turkish.)

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone is being extremely insensitive or selfish. It highlights the contrast between one person's serious crisis and another person's trivial, self-centered request, showing a complete lack of empathy for someone else's suffering.

Like saying 'Narayana' while following the tail

This expression describes a situation where someone blindly follows or agrees with someone else without thinking for themselves. It refers to a person who lacks an original opinion and simply mimics or supports whatever a more dominant person says or does, often in a submissive or sycophantic manner.