«خُدْ مِنِ الْحُمَارْ الْمُوَلِّي قِيدُهْ»

When the main thing is already slipping away beyond recovery, the sensible response is to hold on to whatever small piece of it can still be kept. The donkey stands for the lost asset or opportunity, and its hobble for a modest remnant that has real value.

The saying also discourages an all-or-nothing attitude after a setback. Rather than abandoning everything out of frustration, a person should salvage what remains, since keeping even the hobble is better than ending up with neither the animal nor its gear.

Use it when a loss can no longer be prevented and someone hesitates over a small leftover benefit, such as partial payment or recoverable materials. Because the donkey stands for the lost asset, applying it to a departing person could sound insulting.