Harry Terhanian.com

katchouteeahn baiymahnuh dahsehn eh, eennuh paghcheel, meghuhn ahl yehrpehk chee yehrehvnahl

There is anoher Armenian saying that resembles the above.

paghchogheen maiyruh cheh latzehr - the mother of the one that ran away will not cry.

Does this mean that Armenians are cowards? Not really. There is saying in French, il faut reculer pour mieux sauter - it is good to go backward in order to better jump forward. Sometimes in life we may retreat in order to regroup and advance more effectively. What may seem to be cowardly may be a good plan to be more prepared to win a battle.

The above implies cowardly behavior. But, it can also point to a plan to regroup one’s strength and prepare for a better way to get something done.

sahn ahghpuh khohrung guh tagheh

This saying is used when it is apparent that someone is very dissatisfied or unhappy.
Their dissatisfaction or hurt is deep in the heart.

kehz chem seerehr, ahratz kehzee chem uhlahr

Literally, this saying reads, “I don’t like you. Without you, I can’t exist.

Members of the same family or loved ones sometimes say this to each other. It implies that I may not like what you do or say, but I cannot live without you either because I love you or I need your material support.

kahruh nehdtetz, tehvuh hohnehtzahv?

This saying is used to indicate that inexperienced (or ignorant) people do not appreciate the value of hard work. The irony of saying, “After throwing a rock, he says his arm hurts.” implies the person is lazy. By doing such a small effort, it seems improbable that his arm hurts. Therefore, the person lacks a good work ethic and does not understand the effort required to perform a task successfully.

kahruh dzotzehn eh

When a person prepares a statement or retort beforehand and comes prepared to answer questions.

ohr muh cheh, ohr muh

oureesheen lolo, eendzee lolo?

lolo in Armenian means trying to persuade someone. lolozehl (to persuade) means ahnoush khoskohv hahmozehl portzehl - to persuade someone with sweet talk.

keentehn hohd ahrehr eh

A person has a premonition that something is going to happen or that he is waiting for some event to take place. This saying is used also for persons who engage in guesswork or judgments based on inconclusive or incomplete evidence.

keentehn tzoghuh goudeh

keentehn lou mee eennee, hahzahr guhdohr gullee

The symptom of a self-conceited person is that he always exagerates his self-importance by
making an insignificant thing that he does into an event of worldwide importance.

chaghatzkuh hohrtzahnkuh dahrehr eh, chaghchaghuh guh puhnduhreh

chaghatz means the watermill which was a good sized building for grinding grain. The stone grinder was powered by a water wheel or turbine with a mechanical process.

chaghchagh means a door knob or a hammer-like iron door knocker.

This is a classical humorous Armenian saying. The entire watermill was swept away indicating a very expensive loss of an essential grain grinding facility. Yet, a foolish person is looking for the iron door knob of the windmill.Looking for the door knob of the valuable windmill rather than thinking about finding the windmill shows the pettiness of the seeker’s mind. Instead of looking for something of value, he seeks an object of little worth.

There is a story about a rich man who earned his wealth by regularly purchasing shares of Calcutta Steel Corporation over a long period. As he approached his death, he was surround by his family members. His four sons were at his bedside on a Friday night. The large extended family was praying for his recovery.
Suddenly, the rich man motioned slightly that he wanted to speak. His sons raised him gently and everyone perched their heads to hear what would perhaps be his last words. In a soft voice the rich man said, “Monday morning buy Calcutta Steel shares.” He died right after uttering his last words.

Obviously, the dying rich man’s consciousness was more concerned with the temporary gain on the stock market than saving his own soul at the time of death. Instead of thinking about God, he was focused on Calcutta Steel Stock. This is a sad testimony about how so many people waste their lives thinking about mundane things that have little value. The eternal soul is the precious asset a human being has. It is the source of his consciousness by which he perceives and understands the universe. If he wastes his time seeking a door knob instead of the watermill, he becomes a pathetic example of a person who meditates on the chafe but loses sight of the valuable grain.

There are many other examples of Armenian sayings and proverbs that contrast the significant with the ridiculously mundane or something ordinary with the extraordinary or impossible. The following are examples.

hahtzuh kahrehn guh hahneh - he can make bread from a rock - he is an ingenious, hard worker

mehrehluh guh khuhntahtzuheh - he makes a dead man laugh

mahzehruh yehrgaiyn, khelkuh gahrdz, she has long hair and a short brain (implying very little brain)

yehteh khohsgohv peelahv gehpvee, dzohvou chahp youghuh eentzmeh - if you can cook rice with words alone, I’ll donate an ocean of cooking oil (for the task)

bohrdut deghuh eengahv?

Literally this saying means, “Did it fall on your belly button?” It conveys the sense
“Did you get what you wanted?” “Are you happy?”

In the folklore of many countries, the belly button is symbolic of satisfaction because it is the remains of the tube that nourished the child in the mother’s womb.

The navel is considered as a skin area of heightened sensitivity. When gently touched it may result in sensations of pleasure. In the Song of Solomon, a book in the Hebrew Bible, there are allusions to exotic things in nature, with frequent interweaving of nature with erotic imagery. In Solomon’s lavish praise of his love – the country girl, Sulaimi – the navel is mentioned as follows: “thy navel is like a round goblet, which wanteth not liquor”

mahd khadznehl duhvahv

He suprised us (by his unexpected bravery, work,or sacrifice)

mahduh mahdeen chee zahrgahv

When someone doesn’t work as he is supposed to, this saying is used to indicate the person did very little or no work at all.

puhjeeskuh puhjeesk cheh, kuhloughuhn yehgoghuhn eh puhjeesk

Literally this proverb says, the doctor is not a doctor, one whose reaches the right conclusion
(kuhloughuhn yehgoghehn - one who comes to the head or understands the solution) is the real doctor.

The doctor is not the doctor, the one who understands (and cures) is the doctor