- English translation
A nail won't pull free of its flesh, and blood never turns to water.
- Literal wording
The fingernail does not come out of the flesh, and the blood does not become water.
- Meaning and lesson
Kinship is a bond that cannot truly be cut. Just as a fingernail stays rooted in the flesh of the finger and cannot be torn away without pain, relatives remain joined to one another, however bitter their arguments become. The image concerns this bond, not injury or grooming.
The second image makes the same point through blood. Shared blood will never thin into water, so a family united by it cannot finally break apart. It stresses kin staying bound despite quarrels, not family outranking other ties.
- When it is used
Use it when relatives have fallen out and someone wants to say the rift is temporary, or to urge reconciliation by pointing to the lasting tie of kinship. It suits family disputes, not friendships or business partnerships, and does not rank family above other loyalties.
- Register
- Colloquial Arabic
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: A nail won't pull free of its flesh, and blood never turns to water.