- English translation
Don't weep for your broken crockery; it had its years to live, just as you have yours.
- Literal wording
Don't cry over your pottery; this has a lifespan like your lifespans.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying discourages grief over a lost or broken possession by pointing out that objects, like people, have a natural span. An ordinary earthenware pot or jar was always going to crack one day, so its breaking is simply the expected end of its time rather than a real misfortune.
More broadly, it expresses the view that everything in existence is temporary. By setting the fragile clay vessel beside the listener's own limited years, it turns a small household loss into a calm reminder that endings are universal and should be met with acceptance rather than lament.
- When it is used
A colloquial spoken saying for comforting someone upset over a broken household item or noting that nothing lasts. Its blunt comparison with human mortality can seem tactless, so avoid it around people who are grieving.
- Register
- colloquial
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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