«اِللِّي مَا تِقْدَرْ عَلِيهْ فَارْقُهْ وَإِلَّا بُوسْ إِيدُهْ»

The proverb sets out a blunt, practical choice for someone facing a person whose strength is beyond their own. It offers two courses: break away from that person completely, or show open deference, pictured as kissing their hand in a gesture of submission.

It expresses a hard-headed view of unequal power: prolonged resistance to someone beyond one’s reach may bring cost without result. Separation or accommodation is presented as ending the strain, but the saying can sound severe or resigned, especially if applied to injustice or harm; it does not endorse such conditions.

Use when advising someone caught in a losing conflict with a stronger rival or power-holder to withdraw or accept that person’s upper hand rather than prolong a futile struggle. Because it favors accommodation to power, use it cautiously in situations involving injustice, coercion, or harm.