కుంపట్లో తామర మొలిచినట్టు

kumpatlo tamara molichinattu

Translation

Like a lotus springing up in a chafing dish. Utterly incredible.

Meaning

This expression refers to something precious, beautiful, or talented appearing in an unlikely, poor, or unfavorable environment. It is used to describe a brilliant person born into a poor family or a virtuous person found in a bad neighborhood.

Related Phrases

Like a drop of water on a lotus leaf. A very unsettled state.

This expression describes a state of detachment or instability. Just as water stays on a lotus leaf without getting absorbed or sticking to it, it represents a person who remains unaffected by worldly attachments or circumstances despite living among them. It can also describe something that is fleeting or precarious.

Giving her child her mother-in-law's name, she threw it into the fire.

This expression describes a situation where someone performs an act that appears respectful or honorable on the surface (like naming a child after an elder), but the actual result or intention is harmful or disastrous. It is used when a seemingly good gesture leads to someone's suffering or when someone uses a noble excuse to commit a cruel act.

Cutting off one's nose to spite one's face.

A brazier (hot coal stove) on one's chest

This expression is used to describe a heavy burden, a constant source of anxiety, or a troublesome person/situation that causes continuous mental agony and stress. It signifies a problem that is impossible to ignore and painful to endure.

It must be with the goldsmith, or in the chafing-dish. Said of gold made away with by a swindling goldsmith.

This proverb is used to describe things or situations that have no middle ground or compromise. It refers to gold, which must either be in the hands of the goldsmith to be shaped or in the furnace (brazier) to be purified. It implies that a person or a task should either be completely involved in the process or undergoing transformation, leaving no room for being idle or halfway done.

Like a hemp plant growing in a Tulasî garden. A black sheep in the family.

This expression is used to describe a wicked, bad, or unworthy person who is born into an illustrious family or found among a group of noble and virtuous people. It highlights a stark contrast where one negative element spoils the sanctity or reputation of its surroundings.

Like a lotus blooming in a brazier (charcoal stove)

This expression is used to describe something beautiful, noble, or extraordinary emerging from a harsh, poor, or unfavorable environment. Just as a lotus is unlikely to grow in a hot charcoal stove, it refers to a person of great merit or a positive outcome arising from unexpected and difficult circumstances.

Six chafing dishes and a fire of roots were the cause of the uproar.

This proverb describes a situation where there is a lot of pomp, show, or preparation, but the actual substance or result is zero. It is used to mock people who make grand arrangements or boast loudly without having the basic resources or achieving any real outcome.

Will that which is born in fire die from the sun's heat?

This proverb is used to describe a person who has endured extreme hardships or intense struggles early in life. It implies that someone who has survived 'fire' (severe adversity) will not be bothered or defeated by minor difficulties or 'sunlight' (smaller challenges). It highlights resilience and toughness.

As if grass grew exactly where the cows desired it.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where things happen perfectly according to one's wishes or needs without much effort. It signifies a stroke of good luck or a favorable coincidence where the environment provides exactly what is required at that moment.

A nail has grown on my finger, let us go and live separately— come, come, silly husband. Said by a cunning wife to her daft husband to persuade him to leave her father-in-law's house.

This proverb is used to describe someone who looks for the silliest or most trivial excuse to break away from a group or family. It highlights how a natural and insignificant event (like a nail growing) is used as a pretext to create unnecessary conflict or separation.