ProverbPedia

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചുട്ടുതല്ലുമ്പോൾ കൊല്ലനുംകൊല്ലത്തിയും ഒന്നു”
— English Translation:
When hammering red-hot iron, the blacksmith and his wife are one. (In moments of intense labor, emergency, or trial, partners work in absolute unison and mutual support.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചിരച്ചുമിഞ്ചിയതു കുടുമ”
— English Translation:
What is left after shaving the scalp bare is only the topknot. (Stripping away everything until only the bare, irreducible minimum remains.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചുണ്ടങ്ങാ കാല്പണം, ചുമടുകൂലി മുക്കാൽപണം”
— English Translation:
The wild berries cost a quarter-penny, but the porterage fee costs three-quarters of a penny. (The incidental freight and maintenance costs vastly exceed the intrinsic value of the asset itself.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചിരട്ടയിൽവെള്ളം ഉറുമ്പിനു സമുദ്രം”
— English Translation:
A spoonful of water in a coconut shell is an ocean to an ant. (What is a petty trifle to the mighty is a life-threatening, monumental crisis to the weak.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചുമക്കുന്നകഴുത ചെനെക്കയില്ല”
— English Translation:
A donkey broken by heavy pack-loads does not conceive. (Relentless, crushing toil and exhaustion leave no vitality for creative growth, prosperity, or flourishing.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചിറമുറിഞ്ഞിട്ടു അണകെട്ടിയാൽ ഫലമെന്തു”
— English Translation:
What is the point of building a dam after the embankment has already burst? (Locking the stable door after the horse has bolted; useless precautions taken long after the catastrophe has struck.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചുണ്ടണങ്ങാകൊടുത്തു വഴുതിനങ്ങാവാങ്ങൊല്ല”
— English Translation:
Do not part with hardy wild berries just to purchase fragile eggplants. (Do not exchange a dependable, low-maintenance asset for a fragile, troublesome commodity.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചിരിച്ചോളം ദുഃഖം”
— English Translation:
In equal measure to the laughter comes the grief. (Unrestrained, excessive mirth is inevitably followed by sorrow; every high brings its corresponding low.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചുമടുകുറെച്ചു ചുമ്മാടു”
— English Translation:
Lightening the actual burden is better than padding the head-ring. (It is far wiser to reduce the core problem than to invent elaborate temporary cushions to endure it.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചിറിമേൽ കരിമ്പുനടുക”
— English Translation:
Planting sweet sugarcane upon the lips. (Making honeyed, seductive promises while delivering nothing of practical substance.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചുമടൊഴിച്ചാൽ ചുങ്കംവീട്ടെണ്ടാ”
— English Translation:
If you shed the cargo, you don't have to pay the toll. (Relinquishing excessive property and entanglements frees one from heavy taxes, disputes, and anxieties.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചിരിക്കാതെ മുണ്ടുമടക്കണം, മരിക്കാതെ കഞ്ഞിയുംകുടിക്കണം”
— English Translation:
Fold your cloth without smirking, and drink your gruel without dying. (Carry out essential duties with quiet decorum and sober discipline, avoiding both frivolous vanity and premature despair.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചുമലിൽ ഇരുന്നു ചെവി തിന്നരുതു”
— English Translation:
Do not sit perched on someone's shoulders and gnaw at their ears. (Never abuse, insult, or exploit the patron who is actively carrying and supporting you.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചിറ്റമ്മമക്കളും ചെറ്റയിൽപല്ലിയും തേനിൽകുഴച്ചാലും കച്ചെ ഇരിക്കു”
— English Translation:
Step-siblings and thatch lizards remain bitter even if soaked in honey. (Deep-seated, natural malice and friction cannot be sweetened by outward indulgences or forced affection.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചീങ്കണ്ണനു കോങ്കണ്ണി”
— English Translation:
For a bleary-eyed man, a squint-eyed bride. (A match made in heaven; two flawed individuals who suit each other's shortcomings.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചമ്പ = പീറ്റത്തെങ്ങു”
— English Translation:
[Linguistic gloss from source text: Clarifies that "Champa" refers to a stunted, barren, or blighted coconut palm.]