«مَا يِعْجِبُه الْبَشْنِينْ وِمِنْ زَرَعُهْ»

The saying describes someone who cannot be satisfied. Even the water lily, a flowering plant of still water admired for its blossoms, fails to win their approval. On the likely reading of the second phrase, their disapproval also spreads to whoever took the trouble to grow it. Either way, the fault lies with the critic, not with what is offered.

It mocks the habitual fault-finder whose displeasure is automatic rather than reasoned. By rejecting the thing and, on that reading, the person who provided it, the critic shows that no effort or quality could please them. It belongs to the same family of sayings about people who are unmoved even by marvels.

Use it, usually with a teasing or exasperated tone, about a person who greets every offering with a complaint, such as a guest who criticizes a carefully prepared meal or a relative who finds fault with every suggestion and every helper.