ముంతెడు నీళ్ళకు ఉలిక్కిపడితే, బానెడు నీళ్ళు నీ బావ పోసుకుంటాడా?
muntedu nillaku ulikkipadite, banedu nillu ni bava posukuntada?
If you get startled by a small pot of water, will your brother-in-law pour a large cauldron of water for you?
This proverb is used to criticize someone who overreacts to small challenges or trivial tasks while expecting to handle much larger responsibilities later. It highlights that if one cannot handle a minor difficulty, they are certainly not prepared for the bigger hardships or commitments that follow. It is often used to mock unnecessary hesitation or cowardice in the face of small obstacles.
Related Phrases
నేను నీళ్లకు పోతే, బావి లోతుకు పోయినది.
nenu nillaku pote, bavi lotuku poyinadi.
When the jade went to the well, the water was too low. Said of a lazy person glad of any excuse to get off work.
This proverb describes a streak of bad luck or extreme misfortune. It refers to a situation where even a simple, routine task becomes impossible or complicated the moment a particular person attempts to do it. It is often used to express frustration when circumstances seem to turn unfavorable exactly when one needs them to work.
పొరుగు పచ్చగా ఉంటే పొయ్యిలో నీళ్ళు పోసుకున్నట్లు
porugu pachchaga unte poyyilo nillu posukunnatlu
Like pouring water into one's own stove when the neighbor is flourishing.
This proverb describes the height of envy and spite. It refers to people who are so jealous of others' success (greenery/prosperity) that they self-destruct or stop their own progress out of sheer malice or depression caused by seeing others thrive.
వేడినీళ్లకు చన్నీళ్లు, చన్నీళ్లకు వేడినీళ్లు.
vedinillaku channillu, channillaku vedinillu.
Cold water to hot water, hot water to cold water. The beneficial union of different dispositions.
This expression is used to describe mutual assistance or small contributions that complement each other. Just as mixing hot and cold water brings them to a comfortable temperature, it signifies how people help one another according to their capacity, or how small favors are returned to maintain balance in relationships.
నీళ్ళు నీళ్ళ వంకను పారుతాయిగాని మిట్టలెక్కిపారతాయా?
nillu nilla vankanu parutayigani mittalekkiparataya?
Water flows towards water (downwards), does it flow uphill?
This proverb is used to illustrate that things naturally follow their inherent nature or predetermined path. It is often used in social contexts to suggest that people gravitate towards their own kind (wealthy towards wealthy, or relatives towards relatives) and that natural tendencies are difficult to reverse.
నంగనాచి నీళ్లకు పోతే, నీళ్ళన్నీ ఒక రేవుకు వచ్చాయట.
nanganachi nillaku pote, nillanni oka revuku vachchayata.
When a pretentious woman went to fetch water, it's said all the water gathered at one bank.
This proverb is used to mock someone who pretends to be extremely innocent, delicate, or slow to the point of being useless or overly dramatic. It describes a situation where a person acts so 'special' or 'helpless' that they expect nature or others to conform specifically to their slow pace or behavior.
ముంతెడు నీళ్లకే జడిస్తే, బానెడు నీళ్లు ఎవరు పోసుకొంటారు?
muntedu nillake jadiste, banedu nillu evaru posukontaru?
If you take fright at a cupful of water, who will bathe with a boilful?
This proverb is used to mock someone who is hesitant or fearful of a small, minor challenge. It suggests that if a person cannot handle a trivial difficulty, they will never be able to manage much larger responsibilities or hardships.
పొరుగు పచ్చగా ఉంటే, పొయ్యిలో నీళ్లు పోసుకున్నట్టు
porugu pachchaga unte, poyyilo nillu posukunnattu
When his neighbour prospered he poured water on his own hearth.
This proverb describes the toxic nature of extreme envy. It refers to people who are so jealous of others' success or prosperity (being 'green') that they self-destruct or extinguish their own progress and happiness (extinguishing their own cooking fire) out of spite or misery.
An envious act. To lose one eye that you may deprive another of two. (Spanish.)!
మానెడు మట్టిలో పోసుకుంటే ఇద్దుము ఇంటిలో పోసుకుంటారు
manedu mattilo posukunte iddumu intilo posukuntaru
If you pour a mana in the soil, they will pour an idumu in the house.
This proverb highlights the abundance of nature and the rewards of hard work in farming. A 'mana' and 'idumu' are traditional measures of volume, with an idumu being significantly larger. It means that if a farmer sows even a small measure of seeds into the earth, nature returns a much larger harvest into their home. It is used to encourage investment and labor.
బట్టవిప్పి నీళ్ళు పోసుకుంటూ బావగారు వచ్చారని నిటారున నిల్చుందట
battavippi nillu posukuntu bavagaru vachcharani nitaruna nilchundata
While bathing without clothes, she stood up straight because her brother-in-law arrived.
This proverb is used to describe a person who, in an attempt to show respect or follow social etiquette, ends up doing something even more foolish or shameful. It highlights a lack of common sense where the 'remedy' or reaction is worse than the initial situation.
చెట్టు పెట్టిన వాడు నీళ్లు పొయ్యడా?
chettu pettina vadu nillu poyyada?
Will he who planted the tree not water it?
This proverb expresses faith in providence or destiny. It implies that the creator or the person who initiated a task will also take responsibility for its sustenance and well-being. It is often used to reassure someone that their basic needs will be met by the divine or by those who brought them into a certain situation.
Will God not support the creatures of his hand? Said by a man who has lost his means of support. God never sends mouths but he sends meat.