«مِنْ كَانْ عَشَاهْ مِنْ دَارْ أَخَاهْ يَا عَشَا الشُّومْ عَلِيهْ»

Food that someone cannot provide for himself brings no real pleasure, even from the closest relative. The meal is not harmful; the 'ill omen' is joylessness, a quiet weight of obligation that spoils it. The brother is the sharpest case of a close helper, so the point covers dependence on anyone.

The saying sets a brother's house, the most natural place to seek help, against the bitterness of needing that help at all. Its halves rhyme on ʿashāh and akhāh; akhāh is bent from the usual spoken akhūh for the rhyme, without changing the meaning.

Suitable when talking about the discomfort of relying on others for basic needs, or when urging someone to earn their own keep. Its tone is rueful rather than insulting, though aiming it at a person currently being supported could sting.