ProverbPedia

“Malayalam Proverb:
കണ്ടപ്പോൾ കരിമ്പ്, പിടിച്ചപ്പോൾ ഇരുമ്പ്”
— English Translation:
Appeared as sweet sugarcane when seen, but turned out to be cold iron when grasped. (A deceptive exterior; what looked alluring and soft proved rigid, harsh, and painful upon closer contact.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കണ്ണുകാണാത്തവൻ കണ്ണാടിയിൽ നോക്കുമ്പോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like a blind man staring into a mirror. (An utterly futile, absurd endeavor that yields neither insight nor purpose.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കണ്ടതെല്ലാം പറഞ്ഞാൽ കണ്ണിനു ദോഷം”
— English Translation:
If you blabber about everything your eyes witness, harm will fall upon your eyes. (A warning that unrestrained gossiping and lack of discretion invite dangerous retaliation.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കണ്ണുചിമ്മി ഇരുട്ടാക്കി”
— English Translation:
Shutting one's own eyes to claim the world has gone dark. (Willful denial of reality; pretending a problem does not exist by refusing to face it.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കണ്ടമീനെല്ലം കറിക്കാകാ”
— English Translation:
Not every fish that swims into view is fit for a curry. (Not every passing opportunity or acquaintance is suited for your venture; exercise careful selection.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കണ്ണുപോയാൽ അറിയാം കണ്ണിന്റെ കാഴ്ച”
— English Translation:
Only when eyesight is lost is the true blessing of vision appreciated. (You never miss the water until the well runs dry; blessings are valued only after they are gone.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കണ്ടറിയാഞ്ഞാൽ കൊണ്ടറിയും”
— English Translation:
What you fail to learn by observing others, you will learn the hard way by suffering the blow yourself. (Those who refuse wise counsel must learn through painful personal experience.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കണ്ണെത്താക്കുളം, ചെന്നെത്താവയൽ, നഞ്ഞും നായാട്ടും മറുമരുന്നില്ലാത്ത ആന്തയും”
— English Translation:
A pond whose opposite shore the eye cannot fathom, a paddy field too vast to cross on foot, lethal poison, hazardous hunting, and an incurable blight. (A vivid catalog of uncontrollable perils and colossal burdens that exceed human remedy.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കണ്ടശ്ശാർക്കുമുറിഞ്ഞാൽ കോരശ്ശാർക്കു ധാരയൊ”
— English Translation:
If Kandassari gets wounded, should Korassari receive the healing medicated oil pour? (Absurdly misdirecting treatment, compensation, or penalty to someone who has no connection to the affliction.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കതിരുകണ്ട പഞ്ഞം”
— English Translation:
Famine witnessed while standing amidst the grain stalks. (Deprivation and starvation occurring right in the midst of potential abundance due to heavy exploitation or unpayable debt.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കണ്ടം കൊണ്ടവനേ പിണ്ടം വെക്കൂ”
— English Translation:
Only the one who inherited the paddy field will offer the ancestral rice cakes. (Obligations and solemn duties fall upon whoever reaps the inheritance and property.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കണ്ണൊടുകൊള്ളേണ്ടത് പുരികത്തോടായിപ്പോയി”
— English Translation:
What was destined to strike the eyeball ended up merely grazing the brow. (Suffering only a slight injury where catastrophic, crippling damage was imminent.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കണ്ടാലറിയാം കൊണ്ടാൽ കൊടുക്കുന്നതു”
— English Translation:
A single look reveals whether he will return what he borrows. (A person’s character and reliability are plainly evident in their demeanor.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കണ്ടാൽ ചന്തം വായില്പോകയില്ല”
— English Translation:
Gorgeous to the eye, but impossible to swallow. (Superficial, dazzling charm that offers zero substance, practical utility, or nourishment.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കണ്ടാൽ നല്ലത് കാര്യത്തിന്നാകാ”
— English Translation:
Splendid to behold, but useless for actual work. (Purely ornamental; pleasing on display, but failing utterly when put to a functional test.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കണക്കപ്പിള്ളയുടെ വീട്ടിൽ കരിക്കലും പൊരിക്കലും ധൃതി; കണക്കെടുത്തു നോക്കുമ്പോൾ കരച്ചിലും വിളിച്ചിലും ധൃതി”
— English Translation:
In the clerk’s kitchen, frantic roasting and frying; but when the accounts are audited, frantic wailing and weeping. (Living lavishly on illicit or unmonitored funds leads straight to ruin when the inevitable day of reckoning arrives.)