- English translation
If he can manage even a handspan, he may as well take ten.
- Literal wording
If he can reach a handspan, let him cut ten.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying dismisses a person's threats by challenging them to carry out even a small part of the harm they promise. It presents the speaker as unconvinced that the threatening person has the power to act.
It can be used in reply to bluster, intimidation, or repeated warnings from someone judged incapable of following through. Its escalating image of bodily harm heightens the contrast between loud menace and actual ability.
- When it is used
Use it when someone makes aggressive promises but appears unable to inflict the harm claimed. It is a defiant, confrontational retort for rejecting empty threats, not neutral discussion; its forceful imagery may sound provocative when aimed at a real opponent.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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