PERIBAHASA
A
A
- "Ada asap ada api."
- Where there is smoke, there is fire.
- Meaning: There's a cause for everything.
- "Ada gula ada semut."
- Where there is sugar, there are ants.
- Meaning: People tend to be attracted to what
most benefits them
- "Ada udang di balik batu."
- There is a shrimp behind the stone
- Meaning: There is a hidden motive behind an
act
- "Air beriak tanda tak dalam."
- Shallow water has ripples.
- Meaning: Overly boisterous/ loud-mouthed
people often don't know much. To be "all talk".
- "Air cucuran jatuhnya ke pelimbahan juga."
- Water dripping from the roof will eventually
go to the reservoir.
- Meaning similar to "Like father like
son" or "An apple never falls far from the tree"
- "Air dicincang tak putus."
- Water minced will not separate.
- Meaning: Like the seaweed that clings
together after each passing boat separates them, so too a family will
come together with the passing of each crisis.
- See also: "Biduk lalu kiambang
bertaut."
- "Air susu dibalas dengan air tuba."
- Milk is repaid with poison
- Meaning: A good deed that is repaid by a bad
deed
- "Air tenang menghanyutkan."
- Still water runs deep.
- Meaning: Never underestimate a quiet person,
for he may have qualities that belie his quiet nature.
- "Air tenang jangan disangka tiada buaya"
- Never think that still water doesn't have
crocodiles.
- Meaning: Never take for granted a peaceful
outlook since danger may lurk beneath.
- "Anak dipangku dilepaskan, beruk di rimba disusukan."
- A child on the lap is let go, a monkey from
the forest is nursed instead.
- Meaning: Changing priorities.
- "Alah bisa karena biasa."
- Practise makes perfect.
- Meaning: If we practice enough, we can do
really well.
- "Anjing menggonggong, kafilah tetap berlalu."
- The dogs are barking, the caravan moves on
- Meaning: Useless protest, criticism or sarcasm.
- "Asam di gunung, garam di laut bertemu dalam satu
belanga."
- Tamarind on the mountain, salt in the sea
meet in the one pot.
- Tamarind and salt are two of the most
important and frequently used spices in Indonesia.
- Meaning: Even things that are far apart can
meet as one. Usually used to settle differences between two rivalries or
to express a relationship from two very different entities. Or, in the
context of match-making, even two persons of different backgrounds / from
distant places can meet and eventually get married, etc.
B
- "Bagai air di daun talas."
- Like water on a taro leaf.
- Talas leaves have a thin waxy layer and
therefore are quite waterproof.
- Meaning: Two different things/people that do
not get along.
- Sometimes used for a person who does not have
a firm conviction.
- Bagai air dengan tebing
- Like bamboo and the river bank
- Meaning: Each is dependent on the other for
mutual survival.
- See also: "Bagai kuku dengan isi".
- "Bagai kerakap di atas batu, hidup segan mati tak mau."
- Like a kerakap leaf on a rock, unwilling to
live, unwilling to die.
- Kerakap is the wide leaf of sirih tree and is
extraordinarily resilient and long lasting. However, as with other
leaves, once plucked from the tree, it is bound to die.
- Meaning: Fighting a losing battle. Living
without a purpose.
- "Bagai kuku dengan isi."
- Like a fingernail and the flesh beneath.
- Meaning: Each is dependent on the other for mutual
survival.
- See also: "Bagai air dengan
tebing".
- "Bagai makan buah simalakama."
- As if eating Simalakama fruit.
- The story goes that if a person is presented
with the fruit of Simalakama and eats it, his father will die, if not,
his mother will die instead.
- Meaning: In a no-win situation where all the
possible solutions have a terrible or undesirable outcome.
- "Bagai mendapat durian runtuh."
- Like obtaining a fallen durian.
- Meaning: When a durian tree's fruit is ripe,
many of the durians will fall to the ground. This proverb refers to
someone who has suddenly gained much wealth/ good fortune.
- "Bagai menatang minyak yang penuh."
- Like carrying a cupful of oil.
- Meaning: A person who is extremely cautious
in doing something. Often used to describe one's love for a child.
- "Bagai pungguk merindukan bulan."
- Like an owl craving for the moon.
- Meaning: To wish for something impossible.
- "Bagai telur diujung tanduk."
- Like an egg on the tip of a horn.
- Meaning: In a very difficult/ tricky
situation. The egg will soon fall and break.
- "Bagaikan air dengan minyak."
- Like water and oil.
- Meaning: Opposite/ clash; do not go well
together.
- "Berakit-rakit ke hulu, berenang-renang ke tepian.
Bersakit-sakit dahulu, bersenang-senang kemudian."
- Paddle upstream, swim down to the edge. Go
through pain or hardship first, then experience fun and happiness."
- Often, both couplets are cited. Sometimes
just the first couplet. Rafting up the stream signifies arduous effort,
swimming (downhill) is the fun and easy part.
- Meaning: No pain, no gain.
- "Berat sama dipikul, ringan sama dijinjing."
- Heavy, we carry together, light, we carry
together.
- Meaning: Collaboration, sharing of burden
irrespective of the weight (through thick and thin).
- "Bermain air basah, bermain api hangus."
- Playing with water, wet. Playing with fire,
burned.
- Meaning: Every action has its consequences.
- "Bersakit-sakit dahulu bersenang-senang kemudian."
- The second couplet of "Berakit-rakit ke
hulu, berenang-renang ke tepian."
- Meaning: No pain no gain.
- "Bersatu kita teguh, bercerai kita runtuh."
- United we stand, divided we fall
- "Besar pasak dari pada tiang."
- The peg is greater than the stake
- In camping, pegs for the camp should be
smaller than the stakes. It would be a waste if we make the pegs greater
than the stakes.
- Meaning: Expense is bigger than income.
- "Biduk lalu kiambang bertaut."
- Hull gets past seaweed gets together again.
- Meaning: Like the seaweed that clings to each
other after each passing boat separates them, so too a family will come
together with the passing of each crisis.
- See also: "Air dicincang tak putus"
- "Buruk muka cermin dibelah."
- Ugly face, the mirror is split.
- Meaning: Blaming the wrong reason/cause or
creating a scapegoat.
D
- "Dimana ada kemauan, di situ ada jalan."
- Where there is a will, there is a way
- "Dimana bumi dipijak, disitu langit dijunjung."
- Wherever ground is stood on, the sky is hold
high
- Meaning: Wherever we live, we must observe
the local custom.
- "Dimana tak da lang, aku lah lang, kata belalang."
- Where there are no eagles, I am the one, said
the grasshopper.
- Here's a rhyming play in the proverb. The
first and second "lang" are Eagle = Elang, which rhymes with Grasshopper
= Belalang.
- Meaning: Where's no top dogs, underdogs will
be seen as one.
- "Duduk sama rendah, tegak sama tinggi."
- Sitting the same low, standing the same
height
- Meaning: Equality, emancipation.
- "Dunia tak selebar daun kelor."
- The world isn't as wide as kelor leaves.
- Meaning: The opposite of It's A Small World.
- Usually to comfort a broken heart, suggesting
"Hey, there are still plenty of girls/guys out there."
G
- "Gajah bertarung lawan gajah, pelanduk mati di
tengah-tengah."
- Elephants wage war against elephants, deer
die in the midst
- Meaning: When prominent persons fights,
commoners will suffer.
- "Gajah di pelupuk mata tak tampak, semut diseberang lautan
tampak."
- An elephant on the eyelid can't be seen, but
an ant on the other side of the sea can.
- Meaning: An egotistic person can't realize
his/her own mistakes, but can always find mistakes of others
- "Gajah mati meninggalkan gadingnya, harimau mati meninggalkan
belangnya, manusia mati meninggalkan namanya."
- An elephant dies leaves its tusk, a tiger
dies leaves its stripes, a person dies leaves his/her name.
- Meaning: Someone will be remembered by
his/her accolades.
- "Gugur satu, tumbuh seribu."
- One fallen, thousands blossoming.
- Meaning: Suggesting optimism in the face of
struggle, the same as: "There still plenty of fish in the sea".
- "Guru kencing berdiri, murid kencing berlari."
- The teacher urinates while standing, the pupil
urinates while running.
- Meaning: A junior will always mimic what the
senior does.
H
- "Habis manis sepah dibuang."
- Literally: Habis = Finished, Manis = Sweet,
Sepah = Tasteless, Dibuang = Thrown away.
- Illustrated when someone is enjoying sugar
canes: After the sweet part is finished and becomes tasteless, the cane
is thrown away.
- Meaning: We only call our friends if we need
help, and we don't help our friends in need.
- "Hati gajah sama dilapah, hati tungau sama dicecah"
- Translation: An elephant is still an elephant
when flayed; a flea is still a flea if you poke at it.
- Meaning: You get what you get - if you get a
lot of something, then you have a lot, if you get a small amount of
something, you only have a small amount.
I
- "Ingin hati memeluk gunung, apa daya tangan tak sampai."
- Translation: The will of the heart is to hug
the mountain, but the arm is not long enough.
- Meaning: This proverb is often used to
illustrate a person who does not have enough resources to accomplish his
goal.
J
- "Jadilah kumbang, hidup sekali di taman bunga, jangan jadi
lalat, hidup sekali di bukit sampah."
- Be a bee, living in a flowery garden, not a
fly, living in heaps of garbage.
- Meaning: Try to live a useful life.
- "Jadilah orang pandai bagai padi yang merunduk."
- Be a smart man, like drooping rice.
- Rice droops more as it matures since its
kernel is getting heavier.
- Meaning: To be a smart man you need to be
humble. Or: A smart man is usually humble. See Tong kosong nyaring
bunyinya.
K
- "Kacang lupa kulitnya."
- Translation: A nut who forgets its shell
- This proverb is often used to illustrate a
person who forgets where he/she comes from (e.g. hometown, family,
heritage, etc.)
- "Kalah jadi abu, menang jadi arang."
- Translation: Loser becomes ashes, winner
becomes coal.
- This proverb is often used to illustrate a
lose/lose situation, where both winner and loser gain nothing from the
conflict.
- "Kalau tak ingin terlimbur pasang, jangan berumah di tepi
laut."
- If you don't want to get flooded, don't build
a house next to the sea.
- "Kalau di hutan tak ada singa, beruk rabun bisa menjadi
raja."
- If there were no lions in the jungle, a blind
monkey could be king.
- "Karena mulut badan binasa."
- Because of the mouth the body is destroyed.
- "Karena nila setitik, rusak susu sebelanga."
- One drop of indigo stains the whole cauldron
of milk.
- The word "indigo" here means
something like ink.
- Meaning: one ill behaviour may cause others
to forget the kindness we've done.
- "Kasih anak sepanjang galah, kasih ibu sepanjang jalan."
- The love from a child is as long as a stick,
the love from a mother is as long as a road
- Meaning: A mother's love is neverending
- "Kasih hati, minta jantung."
- If you give your liver, they ask for your
heart.
- Meaning: If someone did a favor, they will
request a bigger one in the future; taking advantage of kindness.
- "Ke gunung sama mendaki, ke lurah sama menurun."
- Together we climb the mountain, together we
climb down the hill
- Meaning: Together in good and bad times
- "Keluar mulut harimau, masuk mulut buaya."
- Out from the tiger's mouth, into the
crocodile's mouth.
- Comparable to "Out of the frying pan
into the fire."
- Meaning: To describe a person who has just
gotten out from a precarious situation just to get into another
precarious situation.
- "Kemarau dicecah dihapuskan hujan sehari."
- A year of drought is erased by a day of rain
- Meaning: A long dispute has been forgoten by
love, or sometimes a long time of goodness has been forgotten by one
badness.
- "Kepala boleh panas, tetapi hati harus tetap dingin."
- Head can be heated but heart must stay cool.
- Meaning: No matter how stressed or angry we
are, we have to solve a problem with rationale.
- Meaning: A dispute can only be resolved by
discussing the problem openly and coolly.
- "Kepala sama hitam, isi hati siapa tahu."
- The hair is all colored the same (black in
this case), but no one will know the inside of one's heart
- Meaning: A different way of thinking in every
person
- "Kura-kura dalam perahu, pura-pura tidak tahu."
- Literally means the turtle in the boat,
pretending not to know.
- Meaning: People say it to imply that somebody
knows more than he or she is letting on.
L
- "Lain ladang lain belalang, lain lubuk lain ikannya."
- Different fields have different insect,
different ponds have different fish.
- Meaning: Different people have different
personality.
- Meaning: Different background means different
thinking.
- Meaning: Different culture means different
custom.
- "Lancar kaji karena diulang, lancar jalan karena
ditempuh."
- We spell fluently because we keep repeating
it. We know the route because we pass it often.
- Meaning: Be dilligent in learning.
- "Lebih baik satu burung ditangan dari pada sepuluh burung
dipohon."
- Better one bird in the hand than 10 birds on
the tree.
- Meaning: Better something than nothing.
- "Lempar batu sembunyi tangan."
- Throw a stone but hide the hand.
- Meaning: Someone who doesn't want to be
responsible for his/her doing.
- "Luka di kaki, sakit seluruh badan."
- A pain in the feet, the whole body feels it.
- Meaning: To describe a unity of a society.
M
- "Malu bertanya, sesat di jalan."
- Embarrassed to ask will result in getting
lost.
- Meaning: Asking questions is the only way to
learn
- "Mati satu tumbuh seribu."
- One dead replaced by one thousand.
- Used to describe the undying spirit of a
movement (for instance during the struggle for independence)
- Also: "Gugur satu tumbuh seribu."
The word 'gugur' means similar to 'mati' (die), but it usually relates to
dead leaves (when a leaf dries it will fall from its tree.) Adds a
poetic/romantic feel to the description of the death those percived to be
honourable or heroic. Thus, "Gugur satu tumbuh seribu" sounds
more patriotic than "Mati satu tumbuh seribu."
- "Memancing di air keruh."
- Fishing in a murky water.
- Meaning: Taking advantage of a
murky/confusing situation.
- "Memang lidah tidak bertulang."
- The tongue indeed has no bone.
- Meaning: To describe, with disgust, a person
who has no principles, who keeps changing what he/she says, who is a
liar.
- "Menang jadi arang, kalah jadi abu."
- Meaning: To describe a no win situation
- Same as: Bagai makan buah simalakama.
- See: Kalah jadi abu, menang jadi arang
- "Mengharap burung terbang tinggi, punai di tangan
dilepaskan."
- Meaning: Expecting something bigger, and we
let go what we already have.
- Example: A gamble who gamble away his
paycheck expecting to win big but ends up with nothing.
- "Mengharapkan hujan turun, air di tempayan ditumpahkan."
- Eager for the rain to fall, water already
stored is thrown away.
- Same as: Mengharap burung terbang tinggi,
punai di tangan dilepaskan
- "Menuhuk kawan seiring menggunting dalam lipatan."
- To punch a comrade, to cut inside a fold.
- Meaning: To describe a traitor (or traitorous
acts)
- "Merdeka atau mati."
- Freedom or death.
- Meaning: We have to fight for our freedom as
long as it takes, and we shall not mind the death following our struggle
for independence.
- That is a very common motto in Indonesian
wars against the Dutch colonialisation, usually written "Merdeka
ataoe mati", because at that time, 'u' was still written as 'oe',
just like the current 'y' was 'j', the 'j' was 'dj', and the 'c' was
'tj'.
N
- "Nasi telah menjadi bubur."
- The rice has become porridge
- Meaning: Describe, usually with regret,
something that has already happenned and is irreversible.
- Comparable to "It's no use crying over
spilled milk"
P
- "Panas mentari di kepala orang banyak, panas hati dirasa
sendiri."
- The heat of the sun is felt by everybody, the
heat in the heart can only be felt by oneself.
- Meaning: There is no point of nurturing a
contempt/hate/anger inside us. Just let it go!
- "Patah tumbuh hilang berganti."
- Whatever broken will grow back, whatever lost
will be replaced.
- Meaning: There will be a replacement for
everything.
- Usually is used to describe the undying
spirit of a movement (for instance, during the struggle for
independence.)
- Similar to: Mati satu tumbuh seribu.
- "Pikir dahulu pendapatan, sesal kemudian tidak berguna."
- Thinking first is an asset, regret later is
useless.
- Meaning: Think everything carefully before
committing yourself because there is no point for regretting it later.
- "Pikir itu pelita hati."
- Thought is the light of the heart
- Meaning: Think!
- "Pucuk dicinta ulam tiba."
- Meaning: To get something one silently
expects/wishes for.
R
- "Rajin pangkal pandai."
- Meaning: diligence is the beginning of
brilliance
- "Rumput tetangga selalu lebih hijau."
- The neighbour's lawn/grass is always greener.
- Meaning: we are never satisfied with our
posessions.
S
- "Sambil menyelam minum air."
- Drink water while diving
- Meaning: Do two things at one go
- "Sedia payung sebelum hujan."
- Have an umbrella ready before the rain
- Meaning: Always be prepared
- "Sejelek-jelek pemimpin pasti punya anak buah, sebaik-baik
pemimpin pasti punya musuh."
- No matter how bad a leader is he/she will
have followers, no matter how good a leader is he/she will have enemies.
- Meaning: There is always someone who loves
you, and someone who hates you.
- "Sekali lancung ke ujian, seumur hidup orang tak
percaya."
- Once a person cheats in an exam, forever
people will distrust him.
- Meaning: Once you lost the trust of someone,
it is almost impossible to gain it back.
- "Sekali merengkuh dayung, dua tiga pulau terlampaui."
- One stroke at the paddle, two and three
islands have passed.
- Meaning: Do multiple tasks at one go.
- "Sekali bah, sekali pantai berubah"
- Once there is a flood, the beach will change
- Meaning: A change of event such as the death
of a leader, will lead to other changes.
- Same as: Sambil menyelam minum air.
- "Sepandai-pandai tupai meloncat, akhirnya jatuh juga."
- No matter how good a squirrel can jump, it
will fall eventually.
- Meaning: No matter how smart a person is,
eventually he/she will make a mistake.
- "Seperti katak dalam tempurung."
- Like a frog trapped inside a coconut shell
- Meaning: No experience, narrow minded (but
acts as if he knows everything)
- "Seperti katak hendak jadi lembu."
- The story says of a frog that wants to be as
big as a cow by inflating itself. In the end, its body bursts open and
the frog dies.
- Meaning: Someone who expect to become someone
that beyond him.
- Meaning: Someone who wish/expect something
impossible.
- Similar with: Bagai pungguk merindukan bulan
- "Seperti pinang dibelah dua."
- Like a halved pinang.
- Pinang is a tree with very straight up trunk,
similar to the palm tree or also commonly called as beetle nut tree.
- Meaning: Like a twin, very similar (in
appearance)
- Humorous: "Seperti pinang dibelah dua
dengan kapak". The literal meaning is like pinang halved with an
axe. Idiomatically, it means two things that are quite different (because
you can never halve a pinang with an axe neatly).
- "Setajam-tajam pisau, masih lebih tajam lidah."
- No matter how sharp a knife is, a tongue is
even sharper.
- Meaning: Be careful of what you say as it can
hurt more (feelings) than a knife
- "Setinggi-tingginya bangau terbang, akhirnya ke pelimbahan
juga."
- No matter how high a crane flies, it will
fall into the pit eventually.
- Meaning: No matter how successful a person
is, he/she will experience some bad things too.
- "Sudah jatuh, tertimpa tangga pula."
- A person slips, and a ladder falls on him.
- Meaning: All the bad things seems to happen
at the same time.
- Comparable to "When it rains, it
pours".
- To describe a very unlucky person who has
been having an unlucky streak.
- "Surga di telapak kaki ibu."
- Heaven is on the bottom of mother's foot.
- Meaning: A person who loves/cares about their
mother is doing the best deed.
- This is also a reference to the saying of
Prophet Mohammad of the same meaning, explaining the position of Mother
in Islamic belief.
- "Siapa menabur angin, akan menuai badai."
- Whoever sows the wind reaps the storm.
- Meaning: Your actions all have consequences.
You are responsible for the bad consequences of your bad actions.
T
- "Tak ada gading yang tak retak."
- There is no ivory that is not cracked.
- Meaning: Nothing is perfect in this world.
- "Tak ada rotan, akar pun jadi."
- No rattans, roots will do.
- Meaning: If you are desperate, you must not
be choosy. In positive ways, it usually means: using the available resources.
- "Tak bisa menari dikatakan lantai yang berjungkit."
- Cannot dance but blame the floor as uneven.
- Meaning: Blaming the wrong reason. Looking
for a scapegoat.
- Same as: Buruk rupa cermin dibelah.
- "Tong kosong nyaring bunyinya."
- An empty drum gives loud sound.
- Meaning: A person who talks a lot usually is
empty inside (of knowledge).
- "Tua-tua keladi, makin tua makin menjadi nakal."
- The Older, The Worse
- Meaning: Older but instead of getting wiser,
one gets naughtier.