- English translation
Even as it dies, the ox still longs to rub itself against the water-wheel post.
- Literal wording
The ox dies, and his heart is still set on rubbing against the post.
- Meaning and lesson
An ox that spends its days circling a water wheel has nothing to scratch against except one of the upright wooden posts flanking the machinery. Rubbing against it becomes so ingrained in that narrow routine that the animal still craves it at the very end of its life.
Applied to people, the saying holds that a habit picked up early and repeated for years stays with a person until death. It stresses persistence, not mere existence: long familiarity turns into a lasting desire that age and changed circumstances do not wear away.
- When it is used
Use this when someone clings to a habit or craving formed long ago, especially one rooted in a cramped, repetitive daily routine. It can sound wry or mildly teasing, implying the person will never really change.
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- Colloquial Arabic
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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