Proverbs and sayings

Proverbs and sayings are the generalization of human experiences and wisdom. They are noted for expressing the matter of things in just a few words. Their relevance has been everlasting and remains. Many proverbs refer to bread, wine and herbs which is always highly regarded in all (Danube) countries.

We created a collection of proverbs gathered by the participants about bread, wine and herbs in their countries to compare them and to find out what they have in common and what is different about them.

Click on one of the flags below in order to read the proverbs gathered by the partners of the respective countries!

  • There are in Germany many proverbs linked with “bread”. Seniors collected a lot, but they have the big task to research what is the meaning behind, in which time they had been performed in oder to discover the historical, social, cultural and religious context.

    Wenn nur Brot da wär zum Essen! Zähne würden sich schon finden! ( russ. Sprichwort)

    Brot ist der Stab des Lebens (Jo Swift aus dem Märchen v. d. Tonne)

    Den Brotkorb einem höher hängen.

    Brot für die Welt, aber die Wurst für uns!

    Panem et circenses ( Brot und Spiele).

    Brotzeit ist die schönste Zeit.

    Schwarzes Brot macht Wangen rot.

    Ich bin das Brot des Lebens. ( Jesus)

    Wes Brot ich esse, des Lied ich singe.

    Jemand einen Stein oder Steine statt Brot geben. (Matth. 7,9)

    Brot lindert jede Not.

    Im Schweiße deines Angesichts sollst du dein Brot essen.

    Altes Brot ist nicht hart, aber keines.

    Der ist dumm wie ein Brot.

    Brotlose Kunst.

    Wer das Brot nicht ehrt, ist das Leben nicht wert.

    Brot ist sehr hart zu verdienen.

    Wer nie sein Brot im Bette aß, weiß nicht wie Krümel pieksen.

    In Arbeit und Brot stehen.

    Broterwerb – Brotherr.

    Es ist ein hartes Brot.

    kleinere Brötchen backen.

    Wenn Brot zum Essen da ist, finden sich auch Zähne zum reinbeißen.

    Besser ein Stückle Brot im Frieden, als ein Laib im Hader.

    S’ isch überall gut Brot esse, wenn man’s hat.

    Ohne Brot und ohne Weck, hat das Leben keinen Zweck.

    Man kann nicht beides haben: das Brötli und das Fünferli!

    Milch und Brot macht Wangen rot.

    Wenn sie kein Brot haben, sollen sie Kuchen essen.

    Liaber en Laib Brot im Sack, als a Feder am Huat!

    Der besten Dinge bestes ist das Brot.

    Während des Krieges gab es Brotmarken, sogenannte Brotrationen.

    Die Bro(t)samen vom Tisch des Reichen.

    Ich habe Brot gekauft und rote Rosen geschenkt bekommen: wie glücklich bin ich beides in Händen zu halten. (chin. Sprichwort)

    Unser täglich Brot gib uns heute….

    Brot bricht Not.

    Melchisedek trug Brot und Wein hervor. (1. Mose 14.18)

    Abram: ich will einen Bissen Brot bringen. (1. Mose 18,5)

    Rebekka gibt ihrem Sohn das Essen mit Brot, wie sie es gemacht hatte. (1. Mose 27,17)

    …und die Raben brachten Elia Brot und Fleisch des Morgens und des Abends, und er trank vom Bach. (1. Könige 17,6)

    Martin Luther auf die Frage zur vierten Bitte im Vaterunser: “Was heißt

    denn täglich Brot?” Antwort: “Gute Freunde, getreue Nachbarn und

    desgleichen.”

     

    Glückwunschgedicht zum Einzug in ein neues Haus:

    Ein Kind überreicht Salz und Brot:

    Ich wünsche euch viele Glück und Frieden in eurer neuen Häuslichkeit,

    dazu sei Wohlstand euch beschieden, kurzum – nichts als Zufriedenheit!

    Die Mutter sagt:

    Zu neuen Wänden gehört vor allem Salz und Brot. Nehmt beides an aus meinen Händen, so gibt es niemals bei euch Not.

    Ich lege noch den Pfennig bei, er glänzt so blank und nagelneu, damit an Geld nie Mangel sei. Habt steht’s davon so viel wie Heu!

     

    collected from Rosemarie Müller:

     

    Trocken Brot macht Wangen rot!

    Dry Bread makes your scheeks red.

     

    Wes Brot ich ess, des Lied ich sing!

    The one who,s bread I eat, the one who,s song I sing.

     

    Der mensch lebt nicht vom Brot allein, es darf auch etwas Butter sein!

    Man doesn,t only live from bread, Butter is also an option.

     

    In der allergrößten Not schmeckt die Wurst auch ohne Brot!

    If you are really in need, Sausage is ok even without bread.

     

    Schwarze Erde gibt gutes Brot!

    Black soil will end up with good bread.

     

    Unter dem Wasser ist Hunger, unter dem Schnee ist Brot!

    Under the water there,s hunger, under the snow there,s bread.

     

    Überall wird das Brot im Ofen gebacken!

    Bread is being baken in the oven everywhere.

     

    Brot essen ist keine Kunst, aber Brot backen.

    Eating bread is not an act, but baking it is.

     

    Krümel sind auch Brot!

    Crumles are bread just as well.

     

    Brot essen lernt sich leichter, als Brot zu verdienen!

    It,s easyer to learn to eat bread, than to make end,s meet.

     

    Brot für die Welt – aber die Wurst bleibt hier!

    Bread for the world – the sausage will do it for us.

     

  • Austria

     

  • Hungary

    Bread

    Kenyértörésre került a dolog.
    It led to the breaking of bread (i. e. the breaking of former relations).

    Ha megdobnak kővel, dobd vissza kenyérrel.
    If a stone was thrown at you, throw back some bread in return.

    Kölcsön kenyér visszajár.
    Bread borrowed should be returned.

    Ki mint vet, úgy arat.

    They way you sow is the way your reap.

    Meaning: you will get what you deserve.

    Ha kalács nincs, kenyér is jó.

    If there are no cakes, bread is also good.

    Úgy kell valami, mint egy falat kenyér.

    It must be something like a piece of bread.

    Kenyérre lehet kenni.

    He can be greased on bread.

    Megette a kenyere javát.

    He ate most of his bread. (He is old)

    A kenyér is csak sülve jó.

    The bread is good if it is fried

    Egy fehér kenyérnél jobb kettő.

    Two white loaf is better than one.

    A pap is kenyérért prédikál.

    The priest too preaches for bread.

    Kenyeret keres. (Dolgozik.)

    ­Breadwinner. (Working).

    Egy kenyéren élnek. (Együtt élnek.)

    They live on common bread. They live together.

    Megosztották a kenyeret. (Elváltak.)

    Kenyértörésre került a sor.

    ­They shared the bread. They divorced.

    Egy szántás, egy kenyér, két szántás, két kenyér, három szántás,

    három kenyér. (Több munkával több a kereset is.)

    A plow, a loaf of bread, two plowing, two loaves of bread, three-plowing, three loaves of bread. With more work you earn more.

    Éhes gyomornak mézes falat a zabkenyér is.

    To the hungry stomach honey swallow is the oat bread too.

    Kenyere ez neki. (Nélküle nem élhet.)

    This is the bread for him. (He can’t live without it)

     

    Wine

    Mást beszél, mint Bodóné, mikor a bor árát kérik.

    • másra tereli a szót, mert neki kellemetlen dologról kellene beszélnie

    Like Mrs Bodó he talks about something else when asked to pay for the wine.

    Bor be, ész ki.

    Wine in, sense out.

    Jó bornak nem kell cégér.
    Good wine needs no signboard/bush.

    Borban az igazság.
    In wine there is truth.

    Vizet prédikál és bort iszik.
    He preaches water and drinks wine.

    Vén embernek bor az orvossága.
    Wine is the old mans medicine

     

    collected from Lajos Fenyvesi

    The sun shines but won’t cook the bread [süt a napfény, de a kenyeret mégsem sütheti meg]

    Many pieces of bread have to be eaten ’till men get to know each other [Sok darab kenyeret kell megenni, míg ember egymást megismeri.]

    Sunshine comes more often to his room than bread [Többször jön szobájába a’ napfény, mint a’ kenyér.]

    He sleeps with bread in his bed (he’s insatiate) [Kenyérrel hál az ágyban. (Telhetetlen.)]

    He ate the most of his bread [Kenyerének javát megette.]

    Without “Our Father” there’s no bread. [Miatyánk nélkül nincs kenyér.]

    White house, black bread (splendid outside, empty inside /the kitchen/) [Fehér ház, fekete kenyér. (Külső pompa, üres konyha.)]

    If you weren’t, and the bread! (means: I couldn’t subsist/get by, namely you’re a very important person to me) [Ha te nem volnál, meg a kenyér! (Értsd utána: el sem tudnék élni, azaz te igen fontos személy vagy nekem.)]

    My bread always overcomes his stone (I pay good for the bad) [Az én kenyerem mindig meggyőzi az ő kövét. (Rosszat jóval fizetek.)]

    ‘Till you can give bread to 32, you’re not old (‘Till you have 32 teeth) [Ha harminckettőnek kenyeret tudsz adni, nem vagy vén. (Ha megvan a 32 fogad.)]

  • Slovakia

  • Croatia

    I nakon loše žetve treba sijati. – Even after a bad harvest, the field should be sown.

    Ono što učini kruh, ne učini ni mač. – What bread does, a sword cannot do.

    Kruh bez kore, kao pivo bez pjene. – Bread without crust is like beer without foam.

    Sa svojim kruhom uvijek ćeš naći klupu za stolom. – With your bread, you will always find a seat at the table.

    Na kruh treba misliti prije nego što sjednemo za stol. – We need to think about bread before we sit at the table.

    Bolje dobar zemljoradnik nego dobro polje. – It is better to be a good farmer than to have a good field.

    Žali Bože pšenice, kad su loše ženice. – God regret a lot of wheat if the little wives are no good.

    Gdje nedostaje kruha, sve je na prodaju. – Where there is no bread, everything is on sale.

    Ako kruh dobro zamijesiš, a loše ispečeš, daj ga psu; ako ga loše zamijesiš, a dobro spečeš, daj ga kome hoćeš. – If you knead bread dough well, but bake it poorly, give it to a dog; if you knead it poorly, but bake it well, give it to whomever you want.

    Dug je dan kad kruha nema. – Day is too long when there is no bread.

    I bolest s kruhom je dobra. – Even illness is good with bread.

    Ljubili se kao kruh i vino. – They loved each other like bread and wine.

    Pred kruhom se i pas smiruje. – Even dog calms down before the bread.

     Lakše se nauči kruh jesti, nego ga zaraditi. – It is easier to learn how to eat bread than to earn it.

    Ako svoj kruh zaradiš poštenim radom, jest ćeš ga i nasred ulice. – If you earn your bread working honestly, you shall eat it in even the middle of the road.

     Na ovom svijetu ništa nije nužno osim kruha. – There is nothing in this world as important as bread

     Kruh izvan kuće ili je preslan ili je prepečen. – Out of home bread is either too salty or over baked.

     Tuđi kruh teško je probaviti. – Someone else’s bread is hard to swallow.

     

    Poslovice su preuzete iz knjige Kruh – tradicija i običaji (POUZ) – Proverbs were taken from the book Kruh – tradicija i običaji (POUZ)

  •  Serbia

    U hlebu Bog prebiva.

    Nema hleba bez motike.

    Dobar kao ’lebac.

    Zrno po zrno pogača, kamen po kamen palača.

    Gde hleba ima, tu se i nož nađe.

    Nogom u blatu, glavom u zlatu.

    U crnoj zemlji belo žito.

    U ratara crne ruke a bela pogača.

    Lezi lebe da te jedem.

    Bez kože uđe, sa kožom izađe.

    Ne traži preko hleba pogače.

    Hleb naš nasušni…

    Seljak jede hleb sa devet kora.

    Hleb siromaha slađi je od hleba bogataša, jer glad mu daje slatkoću.

    Nožem me seku, tako se radi, a ja ceo narod spašavam od gladi.

    Bez orača i zdrava kopača, ne bi bilo hleba ni kolača.

    Ja utjerah moga Belonju bez kože, a istjerah ga s kožom.

    Hleb se od duše pravi.

    Kad imaš zube – nemaš hleba; kad dobiješ hleba – nema zuba!

    Mali klas, malo i zrna.

    Duboka brazda, povelik hleb.

    Bez drva gore nego bez hleba.

    Ko ima kolač, taj i družbu nađe.

    Ko ima mira, zdravlja i hleba – ima se što mu treba.

    Dobar je i hleb kad nema kolača.

    Hleba se nikada ne nasitiš.

    Kolača se prejedeš a hleba ne.

    Sa vodom i hlebom čovek ima sve što mu treba.

    Ko tebe kamenom ti njega hlebom.

    Bolji je hleb ako je srce zadovoljno, nego bogatstvo sa tugom.

     

    ***

    International proverbs and saying about BREAD

    Bez hleba sto je samo daska. (Russian)

    Ako ima hleba glas miruje. (France)

    Hleba i igara. (Panem et circenses) (Latin)

    Jedino siromahu hleb ne pada na stranu sa puterom. (German)

     About bread…

    There is not a thing which is more positive than bread. (Dostojevski)

    Kosa fijuče, klas pada. (Theodor Storm)

     Hleba i igara. (Juvenal)

    Učini sebe potrebnim svetu i ljudi će ti dati hleba. (Emerson)

    Najlepše pesme sveta su bile sredstva da se dodje do hleba. (Emerson)

    Kad ima hleba i tuga je lakša. (Servantes)

    Hleb jesti nije majstorija, hleb ispeći je mala majstorija, hleb zaraditi je najveća majstorija. (Rolan)

    Ko prezire hleb, kupi mrvice sa stola. (Šekspir)

    Pojeden hleb je zaboravljen. (T. Fuler)

    Hleb naš nasušni daj nam danas. (Biblija)

    Časno seli, hleba jeli,

    pošteno ustali: dobar glas doneli,

    bolji poneli, Bože daj!

     

  •  Bulgaria 

  • Romania

  • Moldova

    Proverbs reflect the spirit of the people. The Moldovan people has accumulated numerous proverbs about bread. Reading them, one understands the values of the people and their history-long struggle for a better life. When bread is mentioned in a proverb, there is always a deeper meaning guiding one towards better behaviour and attitudes.

    The collection of selected proverbs below (translated almost literally to reflect their spirit) are valuable instruments for education and guidance of children and adults. They come as a precious quintessence of Moldovan people’s beliefs. They point to everyone who can read the deeper meaning a recipe for success and prosperity, a path to sound health, happy relationships and spiritual growth.

    • Omul bun e ca painea cea de grau – A kind man is like wheat bread,
    • Nimic nu e mai scump decat painea – Nothing is more precious than bread,
    • Omul harnic, muncitor, de paine nu duce dor – The diligent and industrious will not go without bread,
    • Mamaliga-i stalpul casei, painea-i cinstea mesei – The mamaliga (corn mash) is the pillar of the home, while the bread is the honour of the table,
    • In pamantul negru se face painea alba – The white bread comes from the black land,
    • Mai bine sa mori de foame decat sa iei painea saracului – It is better to die of hunger than to take away the bread of the poor,
    • Fiecare paine are faramiturile ei – Each bread has its own crumbs,
    • Dusmanul cel mai rau cu paine ti-l castigi – You’ll win away any foe by offering him bread,
    • De colac te saturi, dar de paine niciodata – You get easily satiated with cake, but never with bread,
    • De la paine – putere, de la spirt – durere – Bread gives one strength, while spirits – pain,
    • De vrei sa mananci paine, nu-ti bate joc de tarate – If you want to always have bread, never throw away the bran,
    • Cine la seceris nu se leneveste, painea din gura nu-i lipseste – Who works well, never lacks bread,
    • Cu vorbe dulci mai multa paine mananci – One wins more bread with nice talk,
    • Buruienile din semanatura iti iau painea de la gura – The bitter weeds steal away our bread,
    • Buna e si mamaliga cand ne lipseste painea – When bread is lacking, mamaliga tastes good too,
    • Mai bine paine neagra cu dragoste curata decat alba ca zapada si plina de sudalma – Better eat the dark bread in love than the white one in enmity,
    • Fie painea cat de rea tot mai buna in tara mea – Even the poorest bread is tastier in your own country,
    • La placinte inainte, la razboi inapoi – When you see placinte (wheat flour pie with filling) ahead – walk straight rapidly, when you see war ahead – run back quickly,
    • Pasarea se prinde cu graunte, omul cu vorbe frumoase – A hen is drawn by corn, while a man – by sweet talk,
    • Orzul il ara boii, si il mananca caii – The oxen plough the oats, while the horses eat it,
    • Vai, vai, vai, de cine nu are malai – It is pain and bitterness when bread is amiss,
    • Fiecare graunte are faina dar are si tarata – Each grain gives out both flour and bran,
    • Cine se amesteca in tarate, porcii il mananca – The one who longs for bran is eaten by the hogs,
    • Decat sa mananc paine cu unt si sa ma uit in pamant, mai bine mananc paine cu sare si ma uit la soare – Instead of eating bread and butter and keeping eyes down, better eat bread and salt but walk proudly,
    • E scump la tarate si ieftin la faina – The one who sells bran dearly and flour cheaply
    • Fiecare trage foc spre turta lui – Each man is seeking more fire for his own hearth and bread,
    • Si-a trait traiul, si-a mancat malaiul – When life has come to an end, the bread has finished as well,
    • Aluatul cat de mic, toata framantatura o dospeste – You need to knead the dough well to get the best of bread,
    • Seara, de arunci farimiturile afara, vin lupii la casa, si e saracie – If you throw away the crumbs, you court poverty,
    • Si cainii mananca din faramiturile ce cad de la masa Domnului – The God’s bread feeds both man and dog,
    • Celui flamand painea ii este in gand – The one who is hungry longs first for bread,
    • Cand esti satul lasa cateva firimituri si la vrabii – The one that is satiated, throws bread to the birds.

     

  •  Slovenia

     

  • Ukraine

  • Bosnia and Herzegowina