Proverbs and sayings have long become an integral part of the culture of speech. And often we use folk aphorisms automatically, without thinking about their meaning and origin, or without even knowing that the phrase used is a proverb. One of the most popular catchphrases is the phrase “small spool, but expensive.” The meaning of this saying, although it lies on the surface, is not clear to the younger generation. Let's try to figure out where this came from folk wisdom and what meaning it makes.
What used to be called a spool?
To understand the meaning of the catchphrase, you first need to understand the unfamiliar word “spool”. This is an archaism, a word that has fallen out of use. It came from the “zlatnik” - a gold coin that was used in Kievan Rus and later.
In addition to the coin, this word also refers to a technical device in steam engines, but the proverb appeared much earlier than such devices were invented, so the word “spool” refers specifically to a monetary unit.
Origin of the catchphrase
The weight of a zolotnik (or zlatnik) was 4.2 grams and was often used as a measure of weight. Over time, a small weight, equal in weight to this gold coin and inheriting its name, became widely used. That is why, over time, the word “zolotnik” began to denote a unit of measurement and was actively used by pharmacists, jewelers and cooks until the twentieth century (in 1917, the International System of Units, or SI, was introduced in Russia and began to be used as the main international system of units).
Such a weight was used to find out the amount of pure silver, precious stones or gold coins, and since even a small gold pebble was of great value, over time this folk wisdom appeared.
“The spool is small, but expensive”: the meaning of the expression
It is used in a wide variety of situations, mainly to characterize not only a person, but also an object. indicates the exceptional characteristics and qualities of someone or something that has an ordinary appearance. And it is for these qualities that a person or object is valued.
By the way, like many others catchphrases, this folk aphorism also has a continuation. One of the options is considered to be “Fedora is great, but a fool, small, but expensive.” The meaning of this proverb is as follows: despite youth or small stature, a person has many advantages.
And in the book by V. I. Dahl, which contains a large number of Russian proverbs and sayings, several versions of the famous aphorism are indicated at once:
- “A spool is small, but it weighs gold; a camel is large, but it carries water.” Obviously, in this version of the famous proverb we are talking specifically about the measure of weight and value of an object.
- “The spool is small, but expensive. The stump is large, but the leaf is hollow.” And what is meant here is precisely the generally accepted meaning: even an unsightly or small-looking object can turn out to be very expensive and of high value.
- “The spool is small, but it is heavy. And the spool is small, but expensive.” This expression refers specifically to money. After all, in Rus' one could purchase many different goods with a small-weight spool.
Sayings similar in meaning
There are many expressions similar in meaning to “the spool is small, but expensive.” Also widely used are analogues such as “small, but distant” (or in the old Russian version, “small, but remote”) or “small nightingale, but great voice.”
A competent and self-respecting person is characterized by beautiful figurative speech, especially if he treats well native language and takes inspiration from Russian folklore. Such a speaker can always interest others, and you will want to listen to him more than once.
Classmates
People who have poor vocabulary On the contrary, it is much more difficult to gain the authority of the audience, so knowing the language you speak and understanding the wisdom of your ancestors, collected over centuries, is simply necessary for everyone. Often, to decorate speech, a person uses phraseological units, sometimes without even noticing it, in order to more accurately express his own feelings, sensations and thoughts.
Meaning of the expression
For the first time this stable expression was recorded in 1853 and entered into explanatory dictionary alive Great Russian language Vladimir Ivanovich Dahl. The phraseological unit was classified in one of the sections of the dictionary called “many - little.”
As a rule, this phrase refers to a modest, inconspicuous, rather unsightly person or a small object, which in fact may turn out to be very valuable, interesting, worthy of attention and respect. They also say this about people of small stature, but who have a lot of good qualities and special value for society.
What does the word "spool" mean?
IN Tsarist Russia this was the name of the standard (measure of weight) for weighing precious metals. It was equal to 4.26 grams, so the most common weights at that time for measuring the mass of silver and gold weighed exactly that much. At that time it was a very small measure of weight, but it had especially valuable qualities.
In addition, in Kievan Rus, a zolotnik was a small gold coin whose weight was 1/741 of a pound. But in recent years of its existence it reached 1/96 of a pound.
When the Great October Revolution took place, the new government rejected such weight measures and replaced them with new ones, which are still used to this day.
Explanation of the proverb
The meaning of this expression is precisely that you should not judge the character and value of an object by its outer shell, because first you need to look into it “ inner world" Often judged by “clothes” - It’s a very thankless task, and sometimes it’s even harmful.
It can be argued that the purpose of this saying is to emphasize the value and importance of the subject, not by its physical strength or large dimensions, but in its significance for others.
Synonyms sayings
It’s funny that as an ironic antonym of this phrase, the popular expression “Small bug, but stinking” is often used, meaning the opposite meaning of the proverb about the spool, which does not need to be explained.
For students
The school curriculum often offers tasks to describe such phraseological units as “Small spool but expensive”, it happens that you need to find synonyms, antonyms of this phrase or write an essay on the topic of folk sayings.
Then the student must present an incident from his own life or come up with a situation where the meaning of such an expression is revealed and convey his understanding of the phraseological unit.
It turns out that this wise proverb can be used in any area of human life and has not lost its relevance to this day!
Small and expensive - a seemingly unprepossessing, inconspicuous, modest person (phenomenon, action, expression) may in fact turn out to be very interesting, valuable, bright, important, worthy of attention and respect. Therefore, judging by appearance, by what is on the surface is a thankless and sometimes harmful task.
What is a spool?
Zolotnik is the oldest Russian smallest unit of weight, equal to 4.26 g. The weight used to measure the amount of gold and silver weighed exactly 4.26 grams. Zolotnik is also a small coin, known since the times. In treaty documents this was the designation for a gold coin weighing about 1/741 of a pound. The zolotnik, as a measure of weight, fell out of use in 1917 with the transition of Russia to the metric system of weights and measures, until the zolotnik was 1/96 of a pound
Synonyms of the proverb “small spool but dear”
- It's an ugly nag, but it's good to run
- The stump is big and hollow
- Rarely, but accurately.
- Once, yes much
- The pot is small, but it cooks the meat
- Small pot, yes pleaser
- The river is shallow, but the banks are steep
- The stream is not wide, but it holds
- The nightingale is small, but the voice is great
- The tongue is small, but it moves a person.
- It's a small bird, but its nail is sharp.
- Small marigold, but sharp
- Not a great beast, but a lapist
- The cricket is not big, but it sings loudly
- The spool is small, but heavy
- The jug is not big, but it is capacious
- The box is not big, but it is stackable
- A small ant digs mountains
The use of the saying “small spool but expensive”
-
“Any fool, Fedenka, has enough stupidity for the whole world. And the mind is like gold... Talent is not given to everyone. The spool is small, but expensive"(Gladkov “The Tale of Childhood”)
-
“And although the publication is miniature - all seven volumes fit in the palm of your hand - it turned out to be weighty and rich in content. It’s true what they say: the spool is small, but expensive!”(Pravda newspaper, 05.28.92)
-
“Even before that scene at the rector’s, my father called him, Sumaedova, only by his first name and patronymic. There was a lot mixed into this: irony, self-irony, respect (possibly), self-deprecation, there was probably direct ridicule, but there was also an emphasis on the leading, dominant role of the son in the family. The spool is small, but productive, but expensive"(Esin “The Spy”)
-
“Even better and sweeter is my younger brother Ivan Maly. The spool is truly small, but expensive. Even though Ivan Maly is not tall enough, he works for three people.”(Mordinov “Spring Time”)
Proverb: The spool is small, but expensive.
What is a "spool"?
Zolotnik is an ancient Russian unit of weight that was used to weigh gold, silver and precious stones. The spool was equal to 4.3 grams (more precisely 4.26 g). It is assumed that the word “zolotnik” comes from the name of the first ancient Russian gold coin “zlatnik”.
In 1917, after October Revolution, the old measures of length and weight were abolished, and a new system of measures was introduced, which we still use today. Thus, the word “zolotnik” fell out of everyday use and remained to live in proverbs.
How to understand the proverb “Small is the spool, but dear”:
In the old days, a spool was called a measure of weight equal to about 4.3 g. A weight weighing a spool was used to measure the mass of precious metals - gold and silver. The heavier the ingot, the more expensive it is. But even if a small “piece” of gold weighed only one spool, it was still of enormous value. Thus was born the proverb: “Small is the spool, but dear.”
The proverb is used in a wide variety of situations and can apply to both people and inanimate objects. When we talk about a person like this, we mean that despite his modest and very ordinary appearance, young age, not the highest position in society, etc., he has qualities for which he can be appreciated and respected.
There are many sayings that are similar in meaning: “Small, but distant”, “Small is the cricket, but sings loudly”, “Small bird, but sharp claw”, “Small nightingale, but big voice” and others. If we apply this proverb in relation to any thing, we emphasize that it has special value for us. For example, if it is a gift from a loved one, even if it is not the most expensive one.
The main meaning of the proverb: Even something small (in weight or size) can be very valuable.
Other proverbs with the word “spool”:
- Health (fame) comes in gold and goes away in pounds.
- Trouble (grief, misfortune, misfortune) comes in pounds, and goes away in gold.
Proverbs with similar meanings and analogues:
- Small, but remote.
- The cricket is small, but it sings loudly.
- The bird is small, but its claw is sharp.
- The nightingale is small, but the voice is great.
- Small ruff, but prickly.
- The spool is small, but it weighs gold; the camel is large, but it carries water.
- The pot is small, but it cooks the meat.
- Small and smart, old and stupid.
- The spool is small, but expensive, the figure is large, but stupid.
- The spool is small, but expensive; There is a big stump and a hollow leaf.
- Small, short, but strong.
- A small piece, but it feeds a century.
- The ant is small, but it digs mountains.
- Small initiative, but expensive.
- Small in body, but great in deed.
- The spool is small, but expensive, but the pile is large, but stinking.
A short story with the proverb “Small is the spool, but dear.” Essay writing help
At school they often ask composition on the topic: Write a short story based on the proverb “Small is the spool, but dear”. The task can cause misunderstanding not only among schoolchildren, but also among their parents. But this is why they go to school - to learn something new and develop their intellect. Therefore, let’s not give up, but let’s try to write an essay together. We have already figured out the meaning of the proverb. Now let’s try to find situations to which the proverb about the spool can be applied.
You can start the story like this:
- In the lives of each of us, situations occur every day to which one or another proverb can be chosen. Once an incident happened to me about which you can say “Small spool, but expensive.” (and tell a suitable story from your life).
- “Small is the spool, but dear” is a very wise proverb. Its meaning is that even something very small and insignificant can have enormous value. This could be an action, a thing dear to the heart, or the fruit of a person’s efforts.
“Small spool, but expensive”: examples of situations
- The boy with his mother and father went to the sea. The trip turned out to be interesting, fun, with many impressions. On the seashore the boy found a small shell. Its edges were chipped, and a crack was even visible on one side. Despite this, the shell was very beautiful, and when you put it to your ear, you could even hear the sound of the sea. The boy took her with him. At home, in Russia, the boy showed the shell to his grandmother and friends and talked about his trip to the sea. His eyes shone with happiness. The spool is small, but expensive.
- Two brothers went for a walk in the yard. The older brother's name was Misha, and the younger brother's name was Vanya. The boys began to play tag and suddenly heard a dog barking. A small kitten was rushing across the entire yard, followed by a large dog. Misha got scared and climbed up the hill, and Vanya blocked the dog’s path and shielded the kitten. The dog did not expect such a turn of events and left. So Vanya’s brave act saved the kitten from inevitable death. The spool is small, but expensive.
- It took Varya a long time to learn to knit. My fingers didn’t obey me, the threads got tangled, the knitting needles hurt my fingers. The girl couldn’t knit even the simplest scarf, but she started again and again, even if it turned out crooked. She dismissed the row and started again. And finally, by the beginning of winter, Varya managed to knit a scarf. It was short and uneven in places, but bright and very warm. But the most important thing is that the scarf was made by hand! The spool is small, but expensive.
Before writing an essay, a student or parents can select examples of similar situations from their own life and compose their own story. And we hope that the article will help you with this 😉
“A fly in the ointment in a barrel of honey“
Tar is a dark, thick liquid with a pungent, unpleasant odor.
Meaning: even a small amount of tar will spoil the smell of a whole barrel of honey.
It is said with annoyance that an insignificant but unpleasant little thing has spoiled everything good (deed, mood, impression, etc.).
Examples from the literature:
1) There is nothing perfect on earth, and no matter how small a person’s demands, fate will never fully satisfy him, even ruin things, if possible... The fly in the ointment will end up in the ointment! (I. Turgenev, “Petushkov”);
2) “I wouldn’t want to spoil the festive mood of those gathered,” Rogov began. - So to speak, a fly in the ointment! - Drobot curled his lips warily (A. Voloshin, “Kuznetsk Land”).
“Better a bird in the hand than a pie in the sky" or " don't promise a pie in the sky, but give a bird in your hands“
The tit is a small songbird with motley plumage that does not fly to warmer regions for the winter.
The crane is a large wading bird with long legs and neck and a strong, straight beak. For the winter it flies to warmer regions.
The meaning: it is better to have at least a little, but now, than to wait for something better or more, which does not yet belong to you and you do not know whether it will belong to you.
It is said in response to a promise of something better or more, when they do not want to take risks and prefer to stay with what they have at the moment.
Examples from the literature:
1) It would be extremely stupid to exchange hearty dinners, soft down jackets for a hectic position, a manager, there is no better bird in the hand than a pie in the sky (D. Grigorovich, “Country Roads”);
2) The elder said: “And the proverb says: to seek great happiness is to lose little; and also: don’t promise a pie in the sky, but give a bird in your hands” (L. Tolstoy, “Two Brothers”);
3) - So, then, this is nothing - just hopes. No, Pavel Vasilyevich, you can’t look at life like that: life is a serious matter, the proverb says: “Don’t promise a pie in the sky, but give a bird in your hands” (A. Pisemsky, “The Mattress”).
“If you love to ride, you also love to carry sleds“
Skating down icy mountains has always been a favorite winter activity for children. The sled rolls quickly downhill, but you have to climb the mountain yourself and drag the sled along with you on a rope. Going down the mountain is fun and pleasant, but dragging the sled up is tiring.
The meaning: you have to pay for your pleasures (with your labor, time, money). It is said when troubles, worries, and sometimes troubles arise as a consequence of the pleasures that a person received without thinking about what awaits him later.
Example from the literature:
1) - What is my fault? - A! - If you love to ride, you also love to carry a sled... (F. Reshetnikov, “Where is better?”).
“The spool is small, but expensive“
Zolotnik is an old Russian unit of weight equal to 4.26 grams. It fell out of use after 1917, when the country introduced the metric system of measures, which was based on the meter (a measure of length) and the kilogram (a measure of mass). Before this, the main measures of weight were pood (16 kg) and pound (400 g), which had 96 spools. The spool was the smallest measure of weight and it was used mainly when weighing gold and silver.
Meaning: small in size, but valuable in its qualities.
It is said about one who is small in stature or young, but has many virtues, positive qualities, as well as about something small in size, but very important in essence.
Examples from the literature:
1) Even better and nicer is the younger brother Ivan Maly. The spool is truly small, but expensive. Even though Ivan Maly is not tall enough, he works for three people (N. Mordinov, “Spring Time”);
2) Our body contains only 20-30 milligrams of iodine. An insignificant amount, isn't it? But, as they say, small is the spool, but expensive. Without this microelement, life is impossible (Ya. Turakulov, “Big Troubles of a Small Gland”).
Related pages:
1. Having given your word, hold on, and having not given, be strong
2. For one beaten they give two unbeaten
3. If I knew where to fall, I would spread straws
4. And the Swede, and the reaper, and the dudu player
5. You can’t spoil porridge with oil.
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The spool is small and expensive
In the section Linguistics to the question of how to explain the proverb, small is the spool, but dear is given by the author Mironova* the best answer is GOLDEN IS SMALL, YES DEAR. Approved It is said to emphasize the merits of something. small in size, seemingly insignificant, but important in essence, or smb. young but promising. The zolotnik in the proverb is an old Russian measure of weight, equal to approximately '/|00 pounds, i.e. 4.266 g. The zolotnik was also called a tiiKoro weight weight. The zolotnik was the smallest measure of weight - it was used (1OR, mainly for weighing gold and silver. Hence, there is another meaning of the word - 'small measure of the weight of gold' (cf. the weight of gold). The word zolotnik is found in monuments writings already in the 10th-11th centuries. In contract documents it also denoted J a gold coin of a certain denomination and weight - about 1/741 of a pound. Other versions of this proverb are also known: A spool is small, but a spool is heavy; Yes, the gold weighs; The spool is small, and the pound is great; Fedora is small, and the fool is great, also some equivalents in other languages: Small chervshchik, ta dear; Polish DukatA maty, ale wazny; appeared later. Sh Any fool, Fedenka, has enough stupidity for the whole world, and the mind is like gold... Not everyone is given a small spool, but expensive. (F. Gladkov. A Tale of Childhood). And although the publication is considered miniature - all seven volumes fit in the palm of your hand - it turned out to be weighty and rich in content. It is true what they say: the spool is small, but expensive! (True. 05.28.92). * Even before that scene at the rector’s, his father called him, Sumaedov, only by his first name and patronymic. There was a lot mixed into this: irony, self-irony, respect (possibly), self-deprecation, there was probably direct ridicule, but there was also an emphasis on the leading, dominant role of the son in the family. The spool is small, but productive, and expensive. (S. Esin. So-L spy). Wed. : The stump is large and hollow; Fedora is great and a fool; A small bird, but a little nail; The nightingale is small, but the voice is great; The ant is small and digs mountains; The marigold is small, but sharp; The filly is small, but the cart is great; Small pot, but a saint.
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2 answers
Hello! Here is a selection of topics with answers to your question: how to explain the proverb, small is the spool, but dear
Reply from Shewsky
Reply from Vladimir Egorov
not a very valuable gift, but from a very close, dear person.
Reply from Alla Andreeva
there is also a continuation: Great figure, but stupid)
Reply from ^Nika^
only in this saying there is an indication of the measure of weight
Reply from Lena1891 ********
What are we talking about in the saying “the spool is small, but expensive.” The word zolotnik in modern Russian has two direct meanings. In addition to the technical device used in steam engines or similar mechanisms, the spool is a Russian unit of weight equal to approximately 4 grams, which, however, was abolished along with poods and pounds after the introduction of the metric system. The name of this unit came from another zolotnik (or zlatnik) - a small gold coin that was in circulation in Kievan Rus. It is on the example of this small amount of money that folk wisdom says that you should not judge the value of anything by its size.
By the way, as often happens, at first the saying was somewhat longer. Writers of the 19th century have its full version: the spool is small, but expensive, Fedora is large, but a fool. In Dahl's dictionary there is a similar proverb: a spool is small, but it weighs gold, a camel is large, but it carries water - this still implies a measure of weight.
Reply from Yita Chan-Zhu-Tin
the point is that it's not about the size, but about its value, no matter how big or expensive the item is, but how important it is
Reply from Alina
Is this a proverb?...
Reply from Diana Love
this is not a proverb. And it's a bitch
Reply from Jonathan Mabre
This is a proverb!
Reply from Katya KOZYREVSKAYA
It's not always expensive in terms of size. Gold may be scarce, but it will still be very expensive
Reply from Nastya Klass
Small and expensive - a seemingly unprepossessing, inconspicuous, modest person (phenomenon, action, expression) may in fact turn out to be very interesting, valuable, bright, important, worthy of attention and respect. Therefore, judging by appearance, by what is on the surface is a thankless and sometimes harmful task.
2 answers
Hello! Here are more topics with the answers you need:
This term has other meanings, see
Spool
Zolotnik- unit of measurement of mass in the Russian system of measures.
One spool is equal to 96 shares, 0.333 lots, 4.266 grams.
Story
The name “zolotnik” probably comes from the gold coin zolotnik, which was in circulation in Kievan Rus and later. Zolotnik (“zlatnik”) was a small gold coin.
This word originally meant a gold coin, and it is in this sense that it appears in the treaty of 911. Prince of Kyiv Oleg with Byzantium. In a purely metrological sense, the spool is used only in the agreement concluded in 1229 by the Smolensk Prince Mstislav with Riga and Gotland. The amount of pure silver or gold in coins was measured in spools (the so-called spool sample system).
The term "spool" was also used to denote the purity of gold. If, for example, in a gold coin weighing 1 spool (equal to 96 shares) there were 21 shares of impurities from the weight of the gold-containing alloy, and gold - 75 shares, then this coin was considered to be made of 75-carat gold or “75-spool gold” .
Relation to other units
- 1 pood = 40 pounds
- 1 pound = 32 lots = 96 spools
- 1 lot = 3 spools
Since 1899, according to the Weights and Measures Regulations 1899, 1 lb = 0.4095124 kg, therefore 1 spool = 1/96 lb ≈ 4.26575417 g.
Proverbs and sayings
- The disease enters in pounds and comes out in spools.
- The spool is small, but expensive.- the appearance of the expression is associated with the release of gold coins during the monetary reform of Peter I, weighing a spool
- The spool is small, but heavy.
- Your own spool is more expensive than someone else's.
- Glory comes in gold coins and goes away in pounds.
- The spool is small, but the gold weighs; the camel is great and carries water.
Notes
Links
- Kamentseva E. I., Ustyugov N. V. Russian metrology. - Ed. 2nd. - M.: graduate School, 1975. - 328 p. - Chapter IV: Measures and monetary account of the period Russian Empire(XVIII century - beginning of XX century). // Yakov Krotov Library
- Russian measure. M.: Publishing House"Economic Newspaper", 2009. -ISBN 978-5-900792-49-1
About proverbs and sayings
How rich our language is! And how little we listen to our speech, the speech of our interlocutors... And language is like air, water, sky, sun, something that we cannot live without, but which we have become accustomed to and thereby, obviously, devalued. Many of us speak in a standard, inexpressive, dull manner, forgetting that there is living and beautiful, powerful and flexible, kind and evil speech! And not only in fiction...
Here is one evidence of the picturesqueness and expressiveness of our oral speech. The situation is the most ordinary - a meeting of two acquaintances, already elderly women. One came to visit the other. “Fathers, is it possible that Fedosya is godfather? - Nastasya Demyanovna exclaims joyfully, dropping the grip from her hands. “Aren’t you enough, don’t we need you?” - the unexpected guest answers cheerfully, hugging the hostess. “Great, Nastasyushka!” “Hello, hello! Come on in and brag!” - Nastasya responds, beaming with a smile.
This is not an excerpt from work of art, and a recording of a conversation witnessed by a famous collector folk art N. P. Kolpakova. Instead of the usual “Hello!” - “Hello!” - Which wonderful dialogue! And these non-standard expressions: “Aren’t you enough, aren’t we needed?” and “Hello, hello! Come on in and brag!”
We speak not only to convey information to the interlocutor, but we express our attitude to what we are talking about: we are happy and indignant, we convince and doubt, and all this - with the help of words, words, the combination of which gives rise to new shades of thoughts and feelings , composes artistic phrases, poetic miniatures... At school we are usually introduced to only two types of eloquence: proverbs And sayings.
But there is also jokes. These are rhymed expressions, most often of a humorous nature, used to decorate speech. For example, “We are close people: let’s eat from the same bowl”, “Legs are dancing, arms are waving, the tongue is singing songs” and others.
Jokes include numerous comic invitations to enter, sit at the table, responses to them, and greetings. Jokes are also expressions that characterize occupations, trades, properties of people, expressions containing humorous assessments of cities, towns, hamlets, and their inhabitants.
Parents, for example, can say about their daughter: “Masha is our joy!” or “Olyushka is one little thing.” They used to like to joke about the inhabitants of a certain area. Residents of Ryazan, for example, were teased for their “yak” speech in the following way: “In Ryazan we have big eyes: they are bullied - they are bullied, their poison is - they look.”
Among the jokes one can highlight, as they were popularly called, empty talk, usually rhymed, obscure expressions or sets of words that have no meaning. For example, they said, when consolidating some kind of agreement: “If it’s like this, it’s like that, there’s nothing to change, so it will be.”
Eat sentences. These are rhyming sayings, but, unlike jokes, they talk about something serious in life; sentences are often associated with some action, often instructive in nature. For example, they said, teaching careless farmers: “If you throw oats into the mud, you will be a prince, and if you love rye, it will fall into ashes.”
Fables- poetic miniatures, for edification, for teaching, reproducing any life situation. Fables are often dialogues. This is how a lazy person is portrayed in one of them: “Titus, go and thresh!” - “My belly hurts!” - “Titus, go and slurp some jelly!” - “Where is my big spoon?”
Fables are ironic and funny; unlike jokes and sayings, they are more or less detailed text, consisting of several phrases. For example, a fable that makes us involuntarily smile: “Fedul, why are you pouting your lips?” - “The caftan burned.” - “We can sew it up”... - “Yes, there is no needle.” - “Is the hole big?” - “One gate left.”
Folk eloquence is rich: jokes, sayings, sentences, fables, proverbs... These are all genres of oral folk art (together with riddles, soon and pure sayings), poetic creativity, belonging to the group of small folklore genres.
Proverbs and sayings are often confused in practice. And the two terms themselves are perceived by the majority as synonymous, denoting the same linguistic, poetic phenomenon. However, despite some controversial, complex cases of defining a particular statement as a proverb or saying, for the most part their entire fund can be easily divided into two parts.
When distinguishing between proverbs and sayings, it is necessary to take into account: 1) their common mandatory features that distinguish proverbs and sayings from other works of folk art; 2) common, but not mandatory features that bring them together and separate them at the same time; 3) features that differentiate them.
The general mandatory characteristics of proverbs and sayings include: a) brevity (conciseness) b) stability (ability to reproduce) c) connection with speech (proverbs and sayings in natural existence exist only in speech) d) belonging to the art of words e) broad usability.
These are such obvious signs!
Proverbs And sayings- these are poetic, widely used in speech, stable, brief expressions.
In the history of the study of proverbs and sayings, there have been attempts to identify any single feature that distinguishes them.
It was believed that proverbs, unlike sayings, always have a figurative meaning; they are polysemantic. However, among the proverbs there are also those that we always use in their literal sense, for example: “There is time for work, an hour for fun,” “When you’ve finished your work, go for a walk boldly,” and so on. On the other hand, sayings can be ambiguous and have a figurative meaning. We say: “He poundes water in a mortar,” but the meaning of this phrase is far from direct meaning its constituent words.
Some scientists put forward the features of their syntactic structure as the main feature of the distinction between proverbs and sayings. A proverb, they believe, is always a complete sentence, and a saying is only a part of it. There is a reason for this sign. Indeed, proverbs are always a sentence, but sayings, for the most part, outside the context of speech, are only part of a sentence. But among the sayings there are also expressed by sentence, and in speech, sayings are always used either as a sentence or within a sentence. For example, the sayings “Which way the wind blows”, “Ears wither”, “The tongue doesn’t knit” are framed as sentences.
And two more features that are usually considered characteristic only of proverbs. There is an opinion that a proverb is characterized by two parts, two parts, while a saying is always one-part, indivisible into parts. Indeed, many proverbs are binary, but not all. “Take care of your dress again, but take care of your honor from a young age” is a two-part proverb, and the proverb “Eggs don’t teach a hen” is a one-part proverb. Proverbs can be either three- or four-particular.
It is often said that proverbs, unlike sayings, are rhythmically organized. But there are also those in which there is no rhythm. For example, “The need for invention is cunning,” “Horseradish is not sweeter than radishes,” “In the wrong hands the hunk is big.” But here are rhythmically organized sayings: “Neither fish, nor meat, neither caftan, nor cassock,” “Both ours, and yours,” and others.
So, a whole series of features on the basis of which they sometimes try to distinguish between proverbs and sayings (figurative meaning, syntactic structure, division into parts, rhythm) are not obligatory for all proverbs, and especially for sayings. At the same time, characterizing proverbs, they are not at all alien to sayings.
By what criteria can we distinguish between proverbs and sayings? This is the generalizing nature of the content of proverbs and their instructiveness and edification.
“These sayings of people, among a people of excellent intelligence and long-term experience, affirmed by general consent, constitute a worldly verdict, a general opinion, one of the secret, but powerful, ancient means akin to humanity for the formation and connection of corners and hearts.”
first half of the 19th century, Professor I. M. Snegirev
“A proverb is a short parable. This is a judgment, a sentence, a lesson.”
second half of the 19th century V. I. Dal
The saying is devoid of general meaning and instructiveness. Sayings do not generalize anything, they do not teach anyone. They, as V.I. Dahl quite rightly wrote, “a roundabout expression, figurative speech, a simple allegory, a circumlocution, a way of expression, but without a parable, without judgment, without conclusion, application... A saying replaces only direct speech with a roundabout one, does not finish the sentence, sometimes and does not name things, but conditionally, very clearly hints.”
Proverbs- these are poetic, widely used in speech, stable, brief, often figurative, polysemantic, having a figurative meaning, sayings, syntactically designed as sentences, often organized rhythmically, summarizing the socio-historical experience of the people and having an instructive, didactic character.
Sayings- these are poetic, widely used in speech, stable, brief, often figurative, sometimes ambiguous, having a figurative meaning, expressions, as a rule, formed in speech as part of a sentence, sometimes being rhythmically organized, not having the ability to teach and generalize the socio-historical experience of the people .
A proverb is a judgment; it contains a certain conclusion, a generalization. The purpose of the saying is to characterize this or that phenomenon or object of reality as clearly and figuratively as possible, to decorate speech. “A saying is a flower, a proverb is a berry” - folk wisdom.
Sayings are used to figuratively and emotionally characterize people, their behavior, and some everyday situations. The saying is that a flower is most needed to express emotions - indignation, hatred, admiration, contempt... “Thin as a horsetail,” “Stupid as a donkey, like an Indian rooster, like a sturgeon head,” “Fat as a barrel.” We hate two-faced people and say: “The face is white, but the soul is black.” About the unscrupulous: “His conscience is a leaky sieve,” about the soulless: “Not a soul, but only the handle of a ladle.”
Sayings help to express emotional state, dissatisfaction (or vice versa) in connection with some actions, deeds of people: “He should be told to stick peas to the wall”, “Hises like knee iron”, “Looks like a wolf at a body”, “Turns around like a magpie on a stake” , “Sitting like on pins and needles”, “Puffed up like a turkey”, “Noisy like the wind through an empty chimney”, “He said it like he tied it in a knot”, “He said he was giving it in rubles”, “Like cheese rolling in butter.”
The difference between proverbs and sayings is especially noticeable in the example of similar phrases. When assessing someone as a lover of other people’s work, we say: “He loves to rake in the heat with someone else’s hands.” This phrase uses the proverb “to rake in the heat with someone else’s hands”; there is no generalization or teaching in it. However, when talking about the same thing, we can both teach and generalize: “It’s easy to rake in the heat with someone else’s hands.” And this will no longer be a flower-decoration, but a berry-judgment.
We say: “Both ours and yours”, “Miracles in a sieve”, “Sewn-covered”, “What caused the fuss to flare up?”, “Pound water in a mortar” - these are sayings.
However, the same phrases with some, but very important changes, easily turn into proverbs: “Both yours and ours will dance for a penny”, “Miracles: there are many holes in the sieve, but nowhere to get out”, “It’s sewn and covered, but the knot is here "," "The fuss flared up because of the pine tree," "Pound water in a mortar and there will be water."
Proverbs are folk wisdom, a set of rules of life, practical philosophy, historical memory. What areas of life and situations they don’t talk about, what they don’t teach! First of all, they enshrine the socio-historical experience of the people. Proverbs instill in a person patriotism, a high sense of love for his native land, an understanding of work as the basis of life; they judge historical events, about social relations in society, about the defense of the Fatherland, about culture. They generalize the everyday experience of the people, form their moral code, which determines the relationships between people in the region. family relations, love, friendship. Proverbs condemn stupidity, laziness, negligence, boasting, drunkenness, gluttony, and praise intelligence, hard work, modesty, sobriety and others necessary for happy life human qualities. Finally, in proverbs there is a philosophical experience of understanding life. “A crow cannot be a falcon” - after all, this is not about a crow and a falcon, but about the immutability of the essence of phenomena. “Stinging nettle, but it’s useful in cabbage soup” - this is not about nettles, from which you can really make delicious cabbage soup, but about the dialectics of life, about the unity of opposites, about the relationship between negative and positive. Proverbs emphasize the mutual dependence and conditionality of phenomena (“A bad hen gives bad eggs”), the objective sequence of events (“Moscow was not built suddenly”) and much more.
The people very accurately characterized proverbs, noting their connection with speech (“Speech is red with a proverb”), brevity (“There is a parable shorter than a bird’s nose”), special style (“Not every speech is a proverb”), accuracy (“A proverb is not spoken in passing”). , truthfulness (“A proverb tells the truth to everyone”), wisdom (“Foolish speech is not a proverb”). It was also noted that they expressed a general, national opinion, from which no one can hide (“You can’t escape a proverb”), it was explained that “there is no trial or punishment for a proverb,” even if it speaks of something unpleasant, indicates social ulcers, family and household vices.
Proverbs and sayings are the oldest genres of oral folk art. They are known to all peoples of the world, including those who lived a long time ago, BC - the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans.
The earliest ancient Russian literary monuments conveyed information about the existence of proverbs and sayings among our ancestors. In the “Tale of Bygone Years,” an ancient chronicle, a number of proverbs are recorded: “The place does not go to the head, but the head to the place,” “The world stands before the army, and the army comes before the world,” and others.
Some proverbs and sayings, bearing the stamp of time, are now perceived outside the historical context in which they arose, and we often modernize them without thinking about the ancient meaning. We say: “He planted a pig,” that is, he did something unpleasant to someone, interfered with him... But why is “a pig” perceived as something negative? Researchers associate the origin of this saying with the military tactics of the ancient Slavs. The squad, like a wedge, like a “boar’s” or “pig’s” head, crashed into the enemy’s formation, cut it into 2 parts and destroyed it.
We say: “He likes to put things on the back burner,” and the “long box” is a special box where our ancestors could put requests and complaints to the king, but which were sorted out extremely slowly, for a long time, hence the “long box.” When our affairs are bad, we say “Business is tobacco.” And the saying comes from the custom of barge haulers hanging a pouch of tobacco from their necks. And when the water reached the barge haulers’ necks, that is, it became bad, it was difficult to walk, they shouted: “Tobacco!”
But, of course, there are many proverbs and sayings, the historical signs of which are visible even without special comments, for example, “It’s empty, as if Mamai had passed,” “Here’s to you, grandma, and St. George’s Day,” and others.
Scientists believe that the first proverbs were associated with the need to consolidate in the consciousness of a person and society some unwritten advice, rules, customs, and laws. For example, “The boundary is both yours and mine” - about the ownership of land, “Dry March, and wet May make good bread” - a noted folk sign for farmers, and others.
The overwhelming number of proverbs were created for educational purposes.
New proverbs are created in place of old ones. This process is especially noticeable in the example of proverbs that arose in Soviet era. So, for example, “Trust in the tractor, but don’t abandon the horse” is modeled on the proverb “Trust in God, but don’t make a mistake yourself” or “Study, fighter, you will become a commander” - “Be patient, Cossack, you will become an ataman” and so on.
The presence of variants and versions among them speaks about the creative processes occurring within the proverbs and sayings themselves. For example, “It’s not a wolf - it won’t run into the forest” has options: “It’s not a bear - it won’t go into the forest”, “It’s not a pigeon - it won’t fly away”, and so on.
The same proverb can be varied this way and that, and as a result get a version with a different meaning. For example, “If you drive more quietly, you will get further” and versions: “If you drive more quietly, you will be further away from where you are going,” “If you drive more quietly, you will never get there.”
Some sayings owe their birth to proverbs themselves and other genres of oral folk art. Proverb: “Hunger is not a aunt”, proverb: “Hunger is not a aunt - he won’t slip a pie” and so on.
But most of all, proverbs owe to literary fables, especially the fables of I. A. Krylov. Who doesn't know his proverbs! “And the little chest just opened,” “And Vaska listens and eats,” and others.
In general, the literary sources of proverbs and sayings are significant: “Happy people don’t watch the clock” - A.S. Griboedov “Woe from Wit” or “We all look at Napoleons”, “What passes will be nice”, “Soldiers remember days gone by” - A.S. Pushkin. “One swallow does not make spring” - from Aesop’s fable, “Habit is second nature” - Aristotle and Cicero, the aphorism “Know thyself” is attributed to Plato. We say: “He laughs best who laughs last,” without even suspecting that this proverb is from the fable “Two Peasants and a Cloud” by J. P. Florian, a French writer of the 18th century.
Of course, what was close in spirit was adopted, remembered and used. And since proverbs and sayings were created by all peoples and the works are similar both in content and form, the process of borrowing was not difficult.
Everything in proverbs and sayings is expedient, economical, every word is in place, and combinations of words give rise to new turns of thought and unexpected images.
Proverbs are noticeable in their manner and structure. They say: “A good proverb goes well.” “In harmony” means accuracy, and “in suit” means neatly, in accordance with the laws of beauty. They said: “It’s been said okay, although it’s not neat.”
When used in speech, proverbs and sayings were built according to its laws, without going beyond the boundaries of the sentence.
A proverb, since it expressed a thought, a judgment, was always a sentence, while a saying in most cases was part of a sentence. A proverb always had a subject and a predicate, and the saying most often acted as one of the members of a sentence - subject, predicate, definition, circumstance. For example, by the circumstance of place: “to hell with the middle of nowhere.”
Sayings, as a rule, are not divided into parts intonationally; Among the proverbs, the majority are 2 quotients; quite a few 3 and 4 private ones. For example,
The sun is setting -
the farmhand is having fun,
the sun rises -
the farmhand is going crazy.
The relationship between the parts of the proverb is varied in meaning. Some proverbs are based on opposition, antithesis: “A man and a dog are always in the yard, but a woman and a cat are always in the hut.”
There is an explanation according to the principle: first it is told about something, then an explanation is given. For example, “The matchmaker had to sit on the stove: winter caught him in a light dress.”
There is according to the principle of stringing: “Walk - don’t stagger, talk - don’t stutter, eat - don’t overeat, stand - don’t sway.”
Poetic miniatures should quickly, instantly influence the minds and feelings of people, and therefore they actively use a wide variety of artistic media. Proverbs have found a successful way of conveying complex concepts, ideas, feelings - through specific, visible images, through their comparison. Comparisons are widely used in proverbs and sayings. This is how, for example, with their help such abstract concepts as “good” and “evil” are expressed: “The bad is in armfuls, the good is in a pinch,” “The good is like a treasure being sought, but the bad is at hand.” Or “happiness” and “misfortune”: “Happiness is a free bird: where it wants, it will settle”, “Happiness is on wings, misfortune is on crutches.”
Favorite artistic means of proverbs and sayings are metaphor, personification: “The hops are noisy - the mind is silent”, “Killed two birds with one stone”, “Puts a spoke in the wheels”, “Adds fuel to the fire” and others.
Along with comparison, allegory is one of the favorite artistic means of proverbs and sayings, many of which are entirely constructed as allegories.
With this in mind, proverbs and sayings are clearly divided into 3 groups:
- having no allegorical, figurative meaning. For example, “All for one, one for all”, “Don’t praise yourself - there are people smarter than you”, “A smart person blames himself, but a stupid person blames his comrade”, “It’s a boring day until the evening if there is nothing to do” and others.
- those proverbs and sayings that can be used both literally and figuratively. For example, “If you like to ride, you also like to carry sleds” you can say to your friend who is sledding, but more often in other cases. Or “Strike while the iron is hot” and so on.
- having only an allegorical, figurative meaning. “To live with wolves is to howl like a wolf,” “A pig puts on a collar and thinks it’s a horse,” “No matter how much a duck cheers up, it won’t be a swan,” “Camels always dream of horses as humpbacked” are used only in a figurative sense.
Like no other genre of folklore, proverbs gravitate towards metonymy, synecdoche, which help to see much in common in one single object or phenomenon, or even in part of them: “One with a fry, seven with a spoon,” “A full belly is deaf to learning.”
Hyperbole and litotes contribute to strengthening the impression, and as a result, fantastic, incredible pictures often appear: “Whoever is lucky will have a rooster in flight,” “They are bending over backwards,” “Cheaper than a steamed turnip,” “I got lost in three pines.”
Such artistic devices as tautology are often used (“Everything is healthy for the healthy,” “They don’t look for good from good,” “Unheard of, unseen”), synonymy (“And crooked, and askew, and ran to the side,” “ All people, all people”, “Not a thief, not a thief, but to become the same”).
Proverbs and sayings love to play with names. Often names are used for “storehouse”, rhyme, but there are a number of names behind which an image or character is recognized. The name Emelya is associated with the idea of a person - a talker (“Emelya is a chatterbox”, “Shallow, Emelya: your week”), Makar is a loser (“They will send calves where Makar did not drive”, “All the troubles fall on poor Makar”), and Ivanushka, a fool, is a man on his own mind (“Ivanushka, a fool, looks like a simpleton, on his own mind”).
All artistic means in proverbs and sayings “work” to create their apt, sparkling poetic content. They help create an emotional mood in a person, causing laughter, irony, or, conversely, a very serious attitude towards what they are talking about.
Proverbs and sayings do not know narrative intonations. They are, as a rule, exclamatory, often arising from the convergence of incompatible objects, phenomena, concepts (“Ask the dead for health!”, “Wider, mud, manure is coming!”, “God grant our calf and kill the wolf!”)
The need to clearly, clearly express a judgment, a sentence, and to make it edifying and based on broad experience, explains the choice of certain types of sentences for proverbs. These are often generalized personal sentences with the active use of verbs in the 2nd person singular (“Don’t teach a pike to swim”); We often see verbs in the infinitive form in proverbs (“Living life is not a field to cross”). For the sake of brevity, conjunctions are often avoided, and therefore the form of proverbs is most often either a simple sentence, or non-union complex.