కంచుగోడలు కాలిపోతుంటే మైనపుగోడలు ఏడ్చాయట.
kanchugodalu kalipotunte mainapugodalu edchayata.
When the bronze walls were burning, the wax walls wept.
This proverb is used to describe a situation where even the strongest or most powerful entities are suffering or failing, making the concerns or complaints of the weak or fragile seem insignificant or inevitable. It highlights a scale of disaster where if the indestructible is perishing, the destruction of the delicate is a foregone conclusion.
Related Phrases
తలవంచుకొంటే ఏడు గోడల చాటు.
talavanchukonte edu godala chatu.
If you bow your head, you are behind seven walls.
This expression describes the power of humility and modesty. It suggests that by keeping one's head down and minding one's own business, a person can remain protected, private, and safe from external conflicts or public scrutiny, as if shielded by seven layers of walls.
ఊరించి ఊరించి ఉగాదినాడు బూరె ఇచ్చెనట.
urinchi urinchi ugadinadu bure ichchenata.
After teasing and tempting for a long time, a sweet (boore) was given on Ugadi festival day.
This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone makes a lot of promises or creates great anticipation over a long period, only to deliver something very small or basic that would have been expected anyway. It highlights the mismatch between the hype created and the eventual meager result.
గాలికిపోయిన కంపను కాలికి తగిలించుకొన్నట్లు
galikipoyina kampanu kaliki tagilinchukonnatlu
Like hooking a thorn bush blowing in the wind to one's own leg.
This expression is used to describe a situation where someone unnecessarily gets involved in a problem that has nothing to do with them, thereby creating trouble for themselves. It is similar to the English idiom 'to look for trouble'.
కొంచెమైనను పంచి కుడువ మేలు
konchemainanu panchi kuduva melu
Even if it is a little, sharing and eating is better.
This proverb emphasizes the value of generosity and communal sharing. It suggests that sharing even a small amount of what one has with others is more virtuous and fulfilling than eating or enjoying a large amount alone.
కంచిలో దొంగిలించడానికి కాళహస్తి నుంచి వంగినట్లు
kanchilo dongilinchadaniki kalahasti nunchi vanginatlu
Like bending over from Kalahasti to steal in Kanchipuram
This expression is used to describe someone who makes unnecessarily elaborate, indirect, or extreme preparations for a simple task, or someone who tries to hide their intentions through a highly impractical and absurd display of effort. It mocks the lack of proportion between the action and the preparation.
కలిగినవారి కోడలు కులుకుమానదు.
kaliginavari kodalu kulukumanadu.
The daughter-in-law of a wealthy family will not stop being proud.
This proverb describes a person who shows off or displays pride because of their wealth, status, or influential background. It is used to point out that those with abundant resources or support often act with a certain level of confidence, elegance, or arrogance that they find difficult to hide.
ఒళ్లు వంగనమ్మకు కాలి మెట్టెలు కందిపోయాయట
ollu vanganammaku kali mettelu kandipoyayata
The lazy woman complained that her toe-rings pinched her.
This proverb is used to describe a lazy person who makes up trivial or absurd excuses to avoid doing work. It highlights how people shift blame to insignificant things instead of admitting their own lack of effort.
Idle folks lack no excuses.
మంచి కాలానికి మామిళ్ళు, చెడు కాలానికి చింతలు కాస్తాయట.
manchi kalaniki mamillu, chedu kalaniki chintalu kastayata.
Mangoes bloom during good times, tamarinds bloom during bad times.
This proverb suggests that positive and sweet experiences (symbolized by mangoes) arrive during prosperous or favorable periods, whereas sour struggles and worries (symbolized by tamarinds/worries, as 'chinta' means both tamarind and worry in Telugu) are prevalent during difficult times. It is used to describe the cyclic nature of fortune and misfortune.
ఉత్తమమైన ఇల్లాలు ఊరేగి వెళితే, ఉత్తరేణి కాలి ఊళ్ళన్నీ కాలిపోయినవట
uttamamaina illalu uregi velite, uttareni kali ullanni kalipoyinavata
When a 'virtuous' housewife went out in a procession, the entire village was burnt down by a single prickly chaff flower plant.
This is a sarcastic proverb used to describe incompetent or unlucky people who cause massive disasters while claiming to be perfect or auspicious. It is often used to mock someone's self-proclaimed greatness when their actions lead to unintended, widespread chaos.
పడుకోవడము పాడుగోడల్లో, కలవరింతలు మిద్దెటిండ్లల్లో
padukovadamu padugodallo, kalavarintalu middetindlallo
Sleeping within ruined walls, but talking in his sleep of upper storied houses.
This proverb describes a person who lives in miserable or poor conditions but boasts or dreams of grand, unattainable things. It is used to mock someone who talks beyond their actual status or means, highlighting the gap between their reality and their pretensions.
* Montes veen, paredes oyen.