- English translation
A fig is not some fig-like imitation, a canal is not the open sea, and a servant is not the master: the difference shows at a glance.
- Literal wording
“What has the fig to do with tantīn, the canal with the great sea, or the servant with his master?” He replied, “This one has one appearance, and that one another.”
- Meaning and lesson
The saying rebukes someone for placing themself on the same level as a person regarded as clearly superior. It emphasizes a disparity so plain that, in the speaker’s view, the comparison itself is misplaced.
Its sequence of unequal pairings extends the point beyond social rank to people, things, or positions. The historically hierarchical servant-and-master image reflects an older social order and may now sound demeaning; the fig-like term tantīn has no independent lexical meaning.
- When it is used
Use it to reject a boastful or implausible comparison between people or things seen as plainly unequal in standing, quality, scale, or distinction. Because its historical servant-and-master image can sound harsh or insulting, a neutral alternative may be preferable in sensitive settings.
- Register
- colloquial proverbial expression
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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