«اِلشِّحَاتَهْ كِمْيَا»

The proverb claims that living off handouts can make a person rich in a way that seems almost magical. The image is alchemy, not chemistry as a science: alchemists dreamed of turning cheap metal into gold or silver, and the beggar likewise turns simple requests, which cost nothing, into money.

The comparison also implies that the profit stays out of view. Onlookers notice only a humble figure asking for coins, while the takings may quietly add up to real wealth. The image highlights a surprising gap between how poor begging looks and how lucrative it can turn out to be.

Fits remarks about someone who appears needy yet collects surprising sums by asking others for alms, rather than through trade or labor, or comments on how profitable soliciting charity can be compared with its modest appearance.