The document contains a collection of Arabic proverbs about faces and appearances. It includes 3 sentences or less summaries of each proverb in both Arabic and English. Some key themes are the importance of honesty, humility, and discretion, as well as the idea that appearances can be deceiving but true character will eventually show through.

1. Arabic – English
Proverbs
About “ Face “
By:
Fatima Amer Al-Saiari

2. ‫إذا قل ّ ماء الوجه قل ّ حٌاؤه‬
itha qall maa’ alwajh qall haiauoh
Literal meaning: If the dignity
decreased, the modesty decreases.
English equivalent: Rudeness knows
no bounds of shame

3. ‫بِشر الكريم في وجهه يلىح‬
ُ ْ
bishro alkareem fi wajhaho yalooh
Literal meaning: the person’s joy is visible
in his face.
English Equivalent: Seeing a client is in
itself a trade

4. ّ
‫قول له فً وشه وال تغشه‬
?ullu fwissu wala tyissu
Literal Meaning: Tell (the truth) to his
face and do not cheat him (i.e. do not
hide it from him).
English Equivalent: Tell the truth and
shame the devil. Honesty is the best
policy.

5. ‫أٌه تعمل المشطة فً الوش العكر‬
ّ
?ih taemel almushta fi alwish alaker
Literal Meaning: What can a
beautician do for an ugly mug.
Implied meaning: You cannot make a
silk purse out for a sow’s ear.

6. ّ
‫جارك قدامك ووراك، إن ما شاف وشك ٌشوف قفاك‬
Gaarak ?uddaamak wi waraak, in masaaf
wissak yisuuf ?afaak.
Literal Meaning: Your neighbor is both in
front of and behind you. If he is unable to
see your face he will see your back.
Implied Meaning: You cannot hide your
affairs from your neighbor.

7. ‫اللً ٌكذب نهار الوقفة، ٌسود وشه نهار العٌد‬
Illi yikdib nihaar ilwa?fa, yiswadd wissu
nhaar il‫؟‬iid.
Literal Meaning: He is who on the eve
of a feast day, his face will turn black
on the feast day (=be embarrassed).
Implied Meaning: You may get away
with a lie for a while, but you will
always be found out.

8. ّ
‫فً الوش مراٌة وفً القفا سّلٌة‬
Filwiss mraaya wfil?afa sillaaya
Literal meaning: (to be like) a mirror in (your)
face but a thorn in the back of the neck.
Implied meaning: a person who is nice to you
in your presence but gossips about you
behind your back.

9. .‫اللً تكره وشه، ٌحوجك الزمان لقفاه‬
Illi tikrah wissu yihugak izzamaan li?afaah.
Literal meaning: He whose face you hate
(to see), time will make you need (even)
the back of his neck.
Implied meaning: be discrete in showing
your feelings towards others, for you
never know what the future will bring.

10. ّ
.‫على وشك ٌبان، ٌا مداغ اللبان‬
ّ
‫؟‬ala wissak yibaan, ya maddagy illibaan.
Literal meaning: On your face, it will become
apparent, you who are chewing gum (i.e.
one can tell if a person has chewing gum by
the movement of his jaws).
Implied meaning: No matter how much you
try to hide your actions, there will be
indications that give them away.

11. ‫األصبع الواحد ما بٌغطً الوجه‬
Al-as’bba’ al-wah’id ma bighati al-wajh
Literal meaning: One finger will not cover the
face
Implied meaning: one cannot live without the
help of others.

12. ‫المال بٌروح وتبقى الوجوه‬
al-mal biroah’ watabqa al-wojoh
Literal meaning: Wealth will go and faces
remain.
Implied meaning: fortune and money do not
last long, but relationships between people
remain.

13. ‫زي المش، كل ساعة فً الوش‬
zayy il-mishsh, kull is-saa3a fil-wishsh
Literal meaning: Like mish (mish is a
milk-based liquid and like a fermented
cheese), every hour in the face.
Implied Meaning: Something that is
always around.

14. ‫طالع وجه التٌس واحلب لبن‬
talea waja altais wa ahleb laban
Literal meaning: look at the goat’s face
and get milk
Implied meaning: someone who is
completely useless

15. ‫الزٌن زٌن لو قام من النوم والشٌن شٌن لو غسل وجهه‬
‫بالصابون‬
al-zain zain law qam min al-noom, wa alshain
shain law gassal wajhah bil-saboon
Literal meaning: The beautiful is beautiful even
he wakes up from sleeping and ugly is ugly
even he washes his face with soap.
Implied meaning: the beautiful face is beautiful
in all cases and all time and the ugly
face is always ugly even all tries
to make it beautiful.

16. ‫اغسل وجهك ما تدري مٌن ٌبوسه ونظف بٌتك ما تدري‬
‫مٌن ٌدوسه‬
igsel wajhak ma tedri meen ybousoh wa
naddif baitak ma tedri meen yedousoh
Literal meaning: wash your face you don’t
know who will kiss it and clean your house
you don’t know who will trample it.
Implied meaning: prepare yourself for any
possibilities.

17. ‫العٌب اللً فً الوجه ما ٌتغطى وال ٌندس‬
alaieb illi fi alwajh ma yetqatta wa la
yendass
Literal meaning: the blemish in the face is
impossible to cover and hide.
Implied meaning: when you try hard to
hide your faults and they are very
obvious for all people.

18. ‫شعرها قمل وصٌبان وصابغة وجهها ألوان‬
shaaraha qamel wa seiban wa sabqa
wajhha alwan
Literal meaning: her hair is full of lice and
her face is colored.
Implied meaning: a person who contradicts
himself.

19. ‫قالوا للقردة اتبرقعً قالت وجهً متعود على الفضٌحة‬
qalwo lilqerda itbargaei qalat wajhi metawid ala
alfadeha
Literal meaning: The monkey has been asked to
cover her face, she said it’s a face of scandal.
Implied meaning: The person who has a bad
quality and cannot change it.

20. ‫انحرق الوجه والقفا والعدو لسع ما شتفى‬
Inharaq alwajh wa alqafa, wa aladow lessa ma
eshtafa
Literal meaning: His face and back are burned
and his enemy still doesn’t feel this enough to
take his revenge.
Implied meaning: It’s hard to satisfy people.

21. ‫بّلد بنً حسن: ماء وخضرة ووجه حسن‬
Bilad bani hasan: maa’ wa qudrah wa wajh
hasan
Literal meaning: the country of beauty has
water, verdancy and a beautiful face.
Implied meaning: someone or something
that has all the good qualities.

22. The End