Hungarian proverbs

Hungarian proverbs are short expressions of popular wisdom from Hungary. '''

A, Á

 * A pokolba vezető út jóindulattal van kikövezve.
 * English equivalent: The road to hell is paved with good intentions.


 * A türelem rózsát terem.
 * English equivalent: Patience is a virtue, and a little will not hurt you.


 * Addig nyújtózkodj, amíg a takaród ér.
 * English equivalent: Don't have too many irons in the fire.


 * Aki megégette magát, fél a tűztől.
 * English equivalent: Once bitten, twice shy.


 * Amilyen az anya, olyan a lánya.
 * English equivalent: Like mother, like daughter.
 * "Daughters may look and behave like their mothers. This is due to inheritance and the example observed closely and daily."
 * Source for meaning:


 * Amilyen az apa, olyan a fia.
 * English equivalent: Like father, like son.
 * "Sons may look and behave like their fathers. This is due to inheritance and the example observed closely and daily."
 * Source for meaning:


 * Amit ma megtehetsz, ne halaszd holnapra.
 * English equivalent: Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today.


 * A falnak is füle van.
 * English equivalent: The walls have ears.
 * "What you say may be overheard; used as a warning."
 * Source for meaning of English equivalent:


 * A fösvény anélkül is szűkölködik, amije van, anélkül is, amije nincs.
 * English equivalent: The covetous man is good to none and worst to himself.


 * A nagy hal megeszi a kis halat.
 * English equivalent: Men are like fish; the great ones devour the small.
 * "Small organizations or insignificant people tend to be swallowed up or destroyed by those that are greater and more powerful."
 * Source for meaning:


 * A nyavalya lóháton jön, gyalog megy el.
 * English equivalent: Misfortune comes on horseback and goes away on foot.


 * A hazug embert hamarabb utolérik, mint a sánta kutyát.
 * English equivalent: A lie has short legs.


 * A szép almákban is vannak savanyuk.
 * English equivalent: A fair face and a foul heart.


 * A tiltott gyümölcs a legédesebb.
 * English equivalent: Forbidden fruit is sweet.
 * "Things that you must not have or do are always the most desirable."


 * Ajándék lónak ne nézd a fogát.
 * English equivalent: Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
 * "Gifts and donations in general, whether their value be more or less, should be accounted tokens of kindness and received with promptness and cordiality."


 * Akinek vaj van a fején, ne menjen a napra.
 * English equivalent: He that hath a head of wax must not walk in the sun.


 * Ki korán kel, aranyat lel.
 * English equivalent: Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
 * "A lifestyle that involves neither staying up late nor sleeping late is good for body and mind and leads to financial success."
 * Source for meaning:


 * A legjobb védekezés a támadás.
 * English equivalent The best defense is a good offense.
 * "You are more likely to win if you take the initiative and make an attack rather than preparing to defend yourself."


 * Amelyik kutya ugat, az nem harap.
 * English equivalent: Barking dogs seldom bite.
 * "People who make the most or the loudest threats are the least likely to take action."


 * Amilyen az adjonisten, olyan a fogadjisten.
 * English equivalent: As one hollows in the woods, so it echoes back.


 * Amit ma megtehetsz, ne halaszd holnapra!
 * English equivalent: What you can do today don't put off to tomorrow.


 * Aki két nyulat hajt, egyet se ver.
 * English equivalent: Grasp all, lose all


 * Aki másnak vermet ás, maga esik bele.
 * English equivalent: Whoever digs a hole for someone else, will fall in it themselves.


 * Addig üsd a vasat, amíg meleg.
 * English equivalent: Strike while the iron is hot


 * A baj nem jár egyedül.
 * English equivalent: Misery loves company.


 * Aki kíváncsi, hamar megöregszik.
 * English equivalent: Curiosity killed the cat.
 * "Inquisitiveness – or a desire to find about something – can lead you into trouble."


 * Az alma nem esik messze a fájától.
 * English equivalent: The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.


 * Az idő pénz.
 * English equivalent: Time is money.

B

 * Bagoly mondja a verébnek, hogy nagyfejű.
 * Translation:
 * The owl tells the sparrow that it's big-headed.
 * English analogy:
 * The pot calls the kettle black.


 * Borban az igazság.
 * English equivalent: In wine there is truth.
 * "Alcohol consumed removes the inhibition against telling the truth that occasionally one would like to keep secret."
 * Source for meaning and proverbs:

C

 * Csöbörből vödörbe / Cseberből vederbe.
 * English equivalent: Out of the frying pan into the fire.

D

 * Sokat hallgass keveset szólj.
 * English equivalent: Nature has given us two ears and one tongue.
 * “People think that intimacy is about sex. But intimacy is about truth. When you realize you can tell someone your truth, when you can show yourself to them, when you stand in front of them bare and their response is 'you're safe with me'- that's intimacy.”
 * Taylor Jenkins Reid, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (2017)
 * "Many people today believe that cynicism requires courage. Actually, cynicism is the height of cowardice. It is innocence and open-heartedness that requires the true courage -- however often we are hurt as a result of it."
 * Erica Jong, How To Save Your Own Life (1977)

E

 * Egy fecske nem csinál nyárat.
 * English equivalent: One swallow does not make a summer.
 * Meaning: "One person alone is too little to change things."
 * Source for meaning: Hungarian sayings retrieved 2013-07-10


 * Elássa a csatabárdot.
 * English equivalent: Forgive and forget.


 * Ember tervez, Isten végez.
 * English equivalent: Man proposes, God disposes.

F

 * Fejétől bűzlik a hal.
 * English equivalent: A fish rots from the head down.
 * Meaning: A fault in an organization exists because of the leaderboard.
 * "A man's enemies have no power to harm him, if he is true to himself and loyal to God."
 * John Bartholomew Gough, reported in Josiah Hotchkiss Gilbert, Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers (1895), p. 208.


 * Ne fesd az ördögöt a falra!
 * English equivalent: "Don't bring the devil aboard!"

G

 * Gyermek, részeg, bolond mondják az igazat.
 * English equivalent: Children, fools and drunken men tell the truth.
 * Meaning: Children and fools have no inhibition, and alcohol consumed removes the inhibition against telling the truth that occasionally one would like to keep secret.
 * Source for proverbs and meaning:


 * Gyümölcséről lëhet megismerni a fát.
 * English equivalent: The apple does not fall far from the tree.
 * Meaning: Children observe daily and — in their behaviour — often follow the example of their parents.
 * Source for meaning:
 * Source for meaning:

H

 * Ha a hegy nem megy Mohamedhez, Mohamed megy a hegyhez.
 * English equivalent: If the mountain will not come to Mohammed, Mohammed must go to the mountain.
 * Meaning: "If you cannot get what you want, you must adapt yourself to the circumstances or adopt a different approach."
 * Source for meaning of English equivalent:


 * A hazug embert hamarabb utolérik, mint a sánta kutyát.
 * English equivalent: A lie has short legs.

I

 * Ismétlés a tudás anyja.
 * English equivalent: Practice makes perfect.
 * Translation: Repetition is the mother of knowledge.

J

 * Jó a vén eb ugatására kitekinteni.
 * English equivalent: An old dog barks not in vain.


 * Jó bornak nem kell cégér.
 * Translation: Good wine needs no label.
 * Note: Originally It was customary since early times to hang a grapevine, ivy or other greenery over the door of a tavern or way stop to advertise the availability of drink within.
 * English equivalent: Good wine needs no bush.
 * "This planet has — or rather had — a problem, which was this: most of the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were largely concerned with the movement of small green pieces of paper, which was odd because on the whole it wasn't the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy."
 * Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1979)
 * Source for meaning of English equivalent:


 * Jobb ma egy veréb, mint holnap egy túzok.
 * Translation: Rather today a sparrow than a bustard tomorrow.
 * English equivalent: A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
 * Meaning: "Something you have for certain now is of more value than something better you may get, especially if you risk losing what you have in order to get it."
 * Source for meaning of English equivalent:

K

 * Késő bánat, eb gondolat.
 * English equivalent: It is no use crying over spilt milk.


 * Ki a kicsit nem becsüli, a nagyot nem érdemli
 * Translation: Who doesn't appreciate the litte does not deserve the big.


 * Ki korán kel, aranyat lel.
 * Translation: Who wakes early finds gold.
 * English equivalent: It is the early bird that gets the worm.
 * Meaning: "Those who are late to act, arrive, or get up tend to miss opportunities already seized by those who came earlier."
 * Source for meaning:


 * Ki mint vet, úgy arat. also "Amit vetsz, azt aratsz"
 * Translation: They way you sow is the way your reap.
 * English equivalent: As you sow, so shall you reap.


 * Kivétel erősíti a szabályt.
 * Translation: Exception strenghtens the rule.
 * English equivalent: The exception proves the rule.

L

 * Lónak négy a lába, még-is mëgbotlik.
 * English equivalent: It is a good horse that never stumbles.

M

 * Madarat tolláról, embert barátjáról.
 * Translation: Birds (are known/recognized) from their feather, humans (are known/recognized) from their friend.
 * English equivalent: A man is known by the company he keeps..
 * Meaning: If you want to know someone, look at the friends they have.


 * Más kárán tanul az okos.
 * Translation: The smart one will learn from the mistakes of others.
 * English equivalent: Wise men learn by other men's mistakes, fools by their own.


 * Mikor az isten nyulat teremtett, a bokorról is gondoskodott.
 * English equivalent: Each day brings it own bread.
 * "Remember, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday."
 * Dale Carnegie, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living (1948), Part 8 : How I Conquered Worry, p. 237.


 * Mindenki a maga szerencséjének kovácsa.
 * Translation: Everyone's the blacksmith of their own fate.
 * "Don't avoid the clichés - they are clichés because they work!"
 * George Lucas to Marty Sklar, quoted in "The Imagineering Way: Ideas to Ignite your Creativity" (Disney Editions, 2003)


 * Mindent lehet, csupán akarni kell.
 * Translation: Everything is possible, you just need to want it!
 * English equivalent: Where there is a will, there is a way.
 * Meaning: "If you are sufficiently determined to achieve something, then you will find a way of doing so."
 * Source for meaning of English equivalent:


 * Mindig Valami
 * Translation: Always something
 * Meaning: Something always goes wrong.

N

 * Ne csinálj szúnyogból elefántot.
 * Translation: Don't make an elephant out of a mosquito.
 * English equivalent: Don't make a mountain out of a molehill.
 * Meaning: Don't make something momentous out of a trifle.


 * Ne igyál előre a medve bőrére.
 * Translation: Don't drink ahead to the bear's hide
 * English equivalent: Don't count your chickens before they are hatched.
 * Alternate translation: Don't waste your favours before you get them (also works with money)


 * Néha a vak is patkóra talál.
 * Translation: Sometimes the blind can see horseshoes.
 * English equivalent: Even a blind pig may occasionally pick up an acorn.
 * Meaning: "An incompetent person or an unsystematic approach is bound to succeed every now and then by chance."
 * Source for meaning of English equivalent:


 * Nem esik messze az alma a fájától.
 * English equivalent: The apple does not fall far from the tree.
 * Meaning: Children observe daily and — in their behaviour — often follow the example of their parents.
 * Source for proverbs and meaning:


 * Nem látja a fától az erdőt.
 * Translation: Can't see the forest from the trees.
 * Meaning: A minor detail blinds him to see the big picture. / He misses the point.
 * English equivalent: Cannot see the wood for the trees.


 * Nem kell belesírni a kiömlött tejbe
 * Translation: Don't cry over the spilled milk.


 * Nëm këll a tűzre olajat önteni.
 * Translation: You should not add oil to the fire.
 * English equivalent: Don't add fuel to the fire.
 * Meaning: One should not make a bad situation even worse by an improper remark.
 * Source for meaning and proverbs:


 * Nem mind arany, ami fénylik.
 * Translation: Not all that glitters is gold.
 * English equivalent: All that glitters is not gold.
 * Meaning: An attractive appearance may be deceptive. It may cover or hide a much less favourable content.
 * Source for meaning:


 * Nem zörög a haraszt, ha a szél nem fújja.
 * Translation: The bushes don't rattle if there's no wind.
 * English equivalent: There's no smoke without fire.
 * Meaning: There is a reason for everything that happens.
 * Other meaning: A rumour contains some truth.


 * Nem repül a sült galamb a szádba.
 * Translation: The fried dove/pigeon (or chicken) will not fly into your mouth
 * Meaning: Very few major problems are going to solve themselves. The only thing you can do is to work yourself to get rid of them.


 * Nesze semmi, fogd meg jól!
 * English equivalent: Here's nothing, hold it well!
 * Meaning: It is an ironic proverb, used when someone gets something high-sounding, but useless or meaningless.


 * Nincs drágább az idönél.
 * Translation: There is nothing more precious than time.
 * English equivalent: Time is precious.

O, Ó, Ö

 * Olcsó húsnak híg a leve.
 * Translation: Cheap meat produces thin broth.
 * Meaning: Usually the price of an item predicts its quality (cheap means worse materials were used)
 * English equivalent: "If you buy quality you only cry once." and "If you buy cheaply you pay dearly."

S

 * Segíts magadon, (és) az Isten is megsegít.
 * Translation: Help yourself and God will help you also.
 * English equivalent: God helps those who help themselves.
 * Meaning: When in trouble first of all every one himself should do his best to improve his condition.
 * Source for meaning:


 * Szëgény egér, melynek csak egy lyuka van.
 * English equivalent: It is a poor mouse that has only one hole.
 * Meaning: It is dangerous to always depend on just one thing, because if it fails you, you will not have any alternatives.

U,Ú

 * Új seprű jól seper.
 * Translation: A new broom sweeps well.
 * Meaning: Newcomers are the most ambitious.


 * Üres hasnak nem elég a szép szó, hanem a czipó.
 * Translation: Fine words are not enough for the empty stomach, it needs bread.
 * English equivalent: Fine words butter no parsnips.
 * Meaning: Merely talking about a problem will not solve it.

V

 * Vak tyúk is talál szemet.
 * Translation: Even the blind chicken finds grains.
 * English equivalent: A stopped clock is right twice a day.
 * Meaning: Even an incompetent person will eventually be right about something.


 * Várja, míg szájába repül a sült galamb.
 * English equivalent: Birds fly not into our mouth ready roasted.
 * Meaning: One cannot (or should not) expect to benefit without making some effort.
 * Source for meaning:


 * Vizet hord a Dunába.
 * Translation: He is taking water to the Danube.
 * English equivalent: It's like bringing coal to Newcastle.
 * Meaning: He is doing something pointless or superfluous; Don't do things in a needlessly laborious way.

Ö

 * Ökörtül tanulá a tinó.
 * Translation: What kind of parents, such children.
 * Source: