ఒక చెంప కొట్టితే పాలు, ఒక చెంప కొట్టితే నీళ్లు

oka chempa kottite palu, oka chempa kottite nillu

Translation

If you slap one cheek, milk [comes ]; if you slap the other cheek, water [comes ]. Said of a very tender, delicate boy.

Meaning

This expression is used to describe someone who is extremely innocent, tender, or young. It signifies a person who is so soft and fragile that they haven't yet experienced the harshness of the world, often referring to infants or very naive individuals.

Related Phrases

When the man received a blow on his back, he cried out that he had lost his teeth.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where there is no logical connection between a cause and its effect, or when someone gives an irrelevant or illogical response to a situation. It highlights absurdity and a lack of correlation.

Applied to inappropriate actions or words.

A slap in the face for knocking one's head against the wall.

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone faces double trouble or a series of unfortunate events simultaneously. It conveys the idea of being hit by problems from multiple directions at once, leaving the person overwhelmed.

Misfortunes seldom come alone.

Striking and striking, but striking in the side.

This expression describes a situation where someone waits for a long time to act, or makes a great effort, only to make a critical mistake or perform the action at the wrong time/place. It is used to highlight a significant failure or a blunder after much anticipation or effort.

Like the daughter-in-law crying when the mother-in-law is beaten.

This proverb describes a situation where someone feigns sympathy or performs a fake reaction out of obligation or fear, rather than genuine emotion. It refers to hypocritical behavior where a person pretends to be upset about something that actually benefits them or that they are secretly indifferent to, similar to 'crocodile tears'.

After the cheeks have turned gray, the woman became virtuous.

This proverb is used to mock someone who pretends to be disciplined, moral, or pious only after they have grown old or lost the ability/opportunity to indulge in vices. It is similar to the English expression 'The devil grew old and turned monk.'

It is not about the husband's beating, but the joy that the nasal mucus is gone.

This expression is used sarcastically to describe a situation where someone tries to find a trivial or absurd silver lining in a bad or humiliating situation. It points out the irony of ignoring a major problem (being beaten) while focusing on a minor, irrelevant benefit (clearing a stuffy nose).

When hit on the hip, it is said that the teeth fell out.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where the cause and the effect are completely unrelated or illogical. It highlights a scenario where a punishment or action is misdirected, or when someone gives an absurd excuse that defies common sense.

If you cut fire it will be divided, but if you cut water will it divide ?

This proverb emphasizes the unbreakable bond of family or blood relations. It suggests that while some things can be easily divided or destroyed (like fire scattering), certain relationships (like water) are cohesive and cannot be permanently separated by outside force or internal conflict. It is used to express that family members will eventually reunite regardless of disputes.

Inseparable friendship. They are finger and thumb.

In one hand turmeric, in the other hand a hood. Turmeric is much used on auspicious occasions such as marriages. Every woman, except she be a widow, also rubs it daily on her body before bathing. Musuku is the skirt of a woman's cloth thrown over the head ( by widows ) as a hood.

This expression is used to describe an extremely critical or dangerous situation where life and death are equally possible. It is often used in the context of high-risk medical procedures, difficult childbirths, or precarious battles, signifying that while one hand prepares for a celebration or recovery (turmeric), the other prepares for a funeral (shroud).

If you abuse—anger; if you beat—pain.

This expression is used to describe a person who is extremely sensitive or lacks resilience. It highlights that they react negatively to even the smallest forms of criticism or physical hardship. It can also be used to point out obvious cause-and-effect reactions in human emotions and physical sensations.