Explore Arabic traditional proverbsReviewed 2026-10-12
Meaning: Verified- English translation
Do not celebrate someone’s departure until you see who comes to replace them.
- Literal wording
Do not rejoice over the one who has gone until you see the one who comes.
- Meaning and lesson
Do not treat a departure as good news before you know what will take its place. The replacement may prove no better, or even worse.
The proverb urges restraint in relief or celebration when circumstances change. Judge the change by its eventual substitute and consequences, rather than by what has merely disappeared.
- When it is used
Use it when someone celebrates the removal of a person, arrangement, or difficulty before knowing what will replace it or what consequences the change will bring.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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