proverb · Words worth keeping
Cold hands, warm heart.
Cold hands, warm heart.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying contrasts cold hands with a warm heart. It imagines outward coldness alongside inward kindness rather than making appearance and character identical.
What the words are saying
The repeated temperature language gives physical and emotional warmth different roles. A qualified application can question a quick judgment about someone’s friendliness. It should not imply that hand temperature diagnoses personality or proves a person caring. The contrast is useful as a metaphor for looking beyond an outward sign, while actual conduct remains the evidence of kindness.
Everyday example
Someone judges a new acquaintance by considerate actions rather than a single outward impression.
When to use it
Use it as a metaphor about outward signs and inward qualities.
What it does not mean
Hand temperature is not verified evidence of kindness or character.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 33; PDF page 8
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.