- English translation
If only my mouth smiles, that is just my bashfulness; but if my heart laughs, I hold it to blame.
- Literal wording
If my tooth laughs, it is bashfulness from me; and if my heart laughs, my reproach is upon it.
- Meaning and lesson
Two kinds of laughter are set side by side, and only one carries moral weight. If the speaker's heart itself were to laugh, that would be a fault worth rebuking, because it would show real pleasure. Responsibility is placed on what is felt inside, not on the face.
A grin that merely shows the teeth is excused as modesty or courtesy shown to others. The speaker asks to be judged by inner feeling rather than display, guarding against the charge of callousness when a smile slips out at a painful time.
- When it is used
Fitting for someone who smiled during a sorrowful occasion and wants to make clear the smile was a polite face, not real pleasure. It can also remind listeners not to judge a grieving person by a passing expression.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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