Malay proverbs

From Wikiquote

The Malay archipelago consists of several groups of different Malays, therefore proverbs will differ from place to place (Indonesian proverbs may be slightly, or variedly different from Malaysian proverbs). Here they are in no particular order:

• Setinggi-tinggi tupai melompat, akhirnya jatuh ke tanah juga.
  • Literal translation: No matter how high the squirrel jumps, it will eventually fall onto the ground.
  • Smart people do make mistakes at times.
  • Further explanation: Sometimes, setinggi-tinggi is substituted with sepandai-pandai. Although both have different meanings - tinggi means high while pandai means clever - it carries the same meaning. Most of the time, though, this particular proverb has always been associated with criminals, in a way that no matter how clever they try to avoid getting caught, they will not be able to stay that way forever.

• Jangan disangka air yang tenang tiada buaya.
  • Literal translation: Do not think that placid water is without crocodiles.
  • A serene façade can hide many secrets. Compare to still waters run deep.
• Sudah jatuh, ditimpa tangga
  • Literal translation: After falling, the ladder falls upon you.
  • After one bad thing another follows.
• Harimau mati meninggalkan belang, manusia mati meninggalkan nama
  • Literal translation: Tigers die leaving their stripes (of their fur), but humans die leaving their names (reputation).
  • A person dies but his deeds live on.
• Sesal dahulu pendapatan, Sesal kemudian tiada gunanya
  • Literal translation: Being regretful early will be advantageous, being regretful later is of no use.
  • Compare: Think before you leap
• Sedikit-sedikit,lama-lama menjadi bukit
  • Literal translation: Bit by bit, in the end it becomes a hill.
  • To do something big, you start with something small.
• Bagaikan kacang lupakan kulit
  • Literal translation: Like the peanut, who forgets its shell.
  • A person who forgets/denies his roots
• Lembu punya susu, sapi dapat nama
  • Literal translation: Milk belongs to the cow, but the bull cow gets the name.
  • Plagiarism in its essence; one man's sweat becomes another man's glory.
• Diam-diam ubi berisi, diam-diam besi berkarat
  • Literal translation: Casava (Manihot esculenta) grows abundant in silence, but iron corrodes in silence.
  • Explanation: Casava is a plant whose leaves and root are used mostly in Malay dishes. Unlike potatoes, casava continues to grow even when its roots are ripe for the picking, hence the proverb casava grows abundant in silence. Iron of course refers to daily tools, that are, if left inert (silence) will become rusty and useless. The gist of this is when someone goes into hiding, goes away for some time, or simply becomes silent, he could either be thinking about/doing something important, or nothing at all, and this differs from one person to the next.
• Alang-alang menyeluk pekasam, biar sampai ke pangkal lengan
  • Literal translation: Since you happen to put your hand in a container full of pickles, might as well dip your whole arm in the container.
  • If you are going to do something, you might as well go all the way. This comes from the fact that the ripest pickles sink to the bottom, thus if a person is putting their hand in the jar, they might as well go all the way and take the best from the bottom of the jar. Compare to in for a penny, in for a pound.
• Bagai beruk kena belacan
  • Literal translation: Like a monkey who eats belacan (a Malay traditional foodstuff; chilli paste which is pungent and spicy ala chili con carne).
  • Describing a person who is in a state of panic or hyperactivity, as a monkey would be shouting and screaming after eating said food.
• Berat sama dipikul, ringan sama dijinjing
  • A heavy load should be borne together as well as a light load. Compare also a trouble shared is a trouble halved.
• Sediakan payung sebelum hujan
  • Prepare the umbrella before it rains. The Malay variant to scout's motto Be Prepared.
• Marahkan nyamuk, kelambu dibakar
  • Literal translation: Just because you are irritated by a mosquito, you burn the mosquito net.
  • Creating so much ado over so small a matter/problem.
• Tak tahu menari, dikatakan lantai jongkang-jongket
  • Literal translation: Because of lack of talent in dancing, the floor is blamed. (i.e. uneven, bumpy etc.etc.) i.e A bad workman often blames his tools.
• Hendak seribu daya,tak hendak seribu dalih
  • Literal translation: If you want something, you'll do absolutely anything to obtain it. But if you don't want something, you'll give a thousand excuses to refrain from it.
• Bersatu kita teguh, bercerai kita roboh
  • Literal translation: United we stand, divided we fall
• Sebab nila setitik, rosak susu sebelanga
  • Literal translation: Because of a drop of blue dye,a whole pot of milk is contaminated
  • Just because of a person's fault,the whole community/group related to the person gets a bad reputation.
• Hujan emas di negeri orang, hujan batu di negeri sendiri, lebih baik negeri sendiri
  • Literal translation: Gold rains in foreign countries, while hailstone drops on own country, still one's own country is better.
  • Anywhere is always lesser than one's homeland, no matter how lacking it can be.
• Seperti Belanda meminta tanah
  • Literal translation: Like Dutch asking for land (note: the Dutch used to colonise Indonesia and Malacca, now a state in west Malaysia)
  • A greedy person will always ask for more.
• Beri betis,hendak paha
  • Literal translation: When a calf is given, a thigh is requested.
  • A greedy person will always ask for more.
• Seperti bumi dengan langit
  • Literal translation: The earth compared to the sky .
  • Different in every conceivable way.
• Melentur buluh biarlah dari rebungnya
  • Literal translation: To bend a bamboo, start when it's still a shoot.
  • Start cultivating good values in a very early age. An English equivalent is "Strike the iron while it's hot."
• Di mana bumi dipijak, di situ langit dijunjung
  • Literal translation: On which soil we stand on, that is where we carry the weight of the sky.
  • We should follow the local customs and way of life, or respect it. Also, we should be loyal to the land in whose soil we gain profit. Somewhat similar to 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do'.
• Di mana ada kemahuan, di situ ada jalan
  • Where there's a will, there's a way.
• Nasi sudah menjadi bubur
  • Literal translation: Rice has become porridge.
  • Once a change occurred, it is irreversible, as porridge cannot change to rice again.
• Mendengar guruh di langit, air di tempayan dicurahkan
  • Literal translation: Emptying water out of its tank at the sound of thunder.
  • Describing an action in which the person throws away his belongings/riches/fortunes at the first sign of a greater fortune/riches/belongings, although it is still uncertain.
• Sudah terhantuk baru nak tengadah
  • Literal translation: You look up after you already hit your head.
  • An action deemed too late as the incident has already happened.
• Sekali air bah, sekali pasir berubah
  • Literal translation: When a flood hits, the surroundings change with it.
  • After a change, everything is never the same again.

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