«زَيِّ مَرْزُوقْ يِحِبِّ الْعُلُو وَلَوْ عَلَى خَازُوقْ»

The saying ridicules a person whose hunger for standing above others is so strong that they would accept elevation in any form, even one that kills them. Marzuq is a stock name for anyone, not a particular figure. The grim joke is that a man impaled on an execution stake is also raised up and displayed.

It therefore targets vanity that ignores consequences: chasing prominence, display, or a superior position while disregarding the ruin it brings. A variant keeps the stake but shifts the craving from height to showing off, so the barb leans slightly toward ostentation rather than rank.

Said mockingly of someone who insists on being seen above others even when the elevated position will clearly harm or destroy them. It suits sharp, informal rebuke of vanity or status-chasing; its gruesome execution image can jar, so it fits poorly in polite speech.