«اِلطَّاحُونَه الْخَرْبَانَهْ وَلَا الرَّحَايَه الْعَمْرَانَهْ»

The proverb sets a grand mill put out of service by damage or decay against a humble hand-quern that still grinds grain, and it claims to prefer the idle mill. It captures the attitude of someone drawn to the look of importance even when that importance has stopped yielding any real benefit.

Because the stated preference is plainly unreasonable, the saying works as ironic commentary. It points to a vanity that values hollow prestige above modest usefulness. This reverses the more common folk advice that a small, productive thing is worth more than a large, idle one. The contrast is between broken and working things, not rich and poor owners.

Use it critically when someone chooses an impressive but broken or useless thing, post, or partner over a modest one that actually works. It fits a tone of gentle mockery or a warning against status-seeking, not sincere advice.