«عِزَالْ يُومْ خَرَابْ سَنَهْ»

Relocating a household takes only a day, yet the toll it takes lasts much longer. Shifting furniture and belongings between homes almost always leaves things scratched, broken or lost, even with great care, so the damage from one move can rival what a whole year of ordinary use would cause.

The 'year' is a figure for disproportionate, lasting loss, not a literal measure of time. Spoken before a move, the saying warns that the household will pay a price. Spoken afterward, it becomes a resigned comment on chipped furniture and missing items.

Suited to talk about changing homes: cautioning someone who is planning a move, or commiserating with a person whose belongings came through a recent relocation damaged or incomplete. It carries a tone of practical, somewhat weary household wisdom.