Words worth understanding
Start with the thought in plain English. Then explore the imagery, a practical example, when to use it, and what the saying does not mean.
4,000 entries with editorial explanations. The wider collection also contains entries still awaiting an individual interpretation.
proverb · Traditional
The saying puts a single first step at the beginning of a thousand-mile journey. It makes a large undertaking approachable through an initial action.
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Five steps taken to avoid one exaggerate extra work created by avoiding a small task. The saying questions effort that defeats its own purpose.
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An impressive outer covering can conceal something poorly suited to its purpose. The sword and scabbard contrast practical effectiveness with attractive presentation, encouraging attention to what an object or proposal can actually do.
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A loose tooth not resting until removed gives a persistent problem an image of demanding attention. The saying favours addressing a continuing source of trouble.
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Several major commitments can compete for time and resources. The saying exaggerates that tension by claiming marriage and prosperity cannot occur within one year.
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Good intentions or empty promises do not supply the practical necessities of life. Living by the air pictures trying to manage without real support, drawing attention to resources rather than blaming someone who lacks them.
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Some activities make incompatible demands at the same moment. The saying suggests choosing an order for them instead of assuming that simultaneous effort will preserve the attention or conditions each requires.
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Endurance has limits. A person may keep accepting burdens until the strain becomes more than they can carry, so willingness should not be mistaken for unlimited capacity.
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Failing to ask for something that is due or needed can mean not receiving it. The saying encourages a clear request instead of relying on silent expectation.
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A person may need to begin with the resources actually available, rather than wait for an ideal set. The farming image encourages practical adaptation without saying that unsuitable or unsafe resources must be accepted.
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Words that are not supported by action can leave a responsibility neglected. The weed-filled garden makes that neglect visible, without assuming that every statement requires a physical task or that discussion cannot itself be useful.
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A person without a trade compared with a fruitless tree gives an acquired occupation a productive value. The saying measures contribution through a livelihood image.
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The saying gives a man’s work a daily boundary while making a mother’s work endless. It draws attention to continuing care responsibilities.
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Learning confined to books can leave a person poorly prepared for a practical situation. The saying’s insult should be replaced by a fair question about application.
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When a result depends on meeting a definite target, narrowly missing it still leaves that target unmet. The saying distinguishes success from closeness, while allowing partial progress and effort to have value for other purposes.
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Small repeated efforts can gradually overcome a larger obstacle. Notice cumulative progress rather than assuming that an action is useless because one attempt has little visible effect.
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Someone newly taking on a role may begin with energy and a wish to improve things. The new broom pictures that fresh effort, without guaranteeing lasting results or making an established worker inherently less effective.
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The saying values a saved penny like an earned penny. It gives retaining a small amount the same rhetorical importance as gaining it.
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A masquerader revealing himself while trying too hard to surpass others gives competitive display an embarrassing unintended outcome. The coarse image questions overreaching in performance.
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The person declaring a task impossible is asked not to interrupt someone attempting it. The saying favours practical initiative over dismissive commentary.
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Give things a clear, usable location and return them there when appropriate. The saying encourages an organised arrangement, without requiring a rigid system that ignores how people actually use the space or materials.
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Repeated disruption can make it harder for something to establish itself. The transplanted plant gives continuity a vivid image.
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Worry alone does not discharge an obligation. The heavy weight of care is contrasted with the small weight of debt to distinguish emotional burden from the practical steps that can address what is owed.
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A promise as cloud and fulfilment as rain contrast a sign of possibility with its realised effect. The saying values completion over assurance alone.
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