- English translation
If you lack family support, form ties with good people through marriage.
- Literal wording
If you have no kin, marry into a suitable family.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying advises a person without close relatives or a dependable clan to build supportive bonds by marrying into an honorable, compatible family. Marriage is presented not only as a private union but also as a way of gaining belonging and protection.
More broadly, it values deliberately chosen relationships when inherited support is absent. Within its traditional social setting, it offers practical counsel about mutual care and assistance, not a universal instruction to marry for status or protection alone.
- When it is used
Used when discussing marriage alliances and social support, especially for someone lacking a strong network of relatives. It may also praise building dependable ties with trustworthy people, while reflecting traditional assumptions about kinship rather than prescribing a model for everyone.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: If you lack family support, form ties with good people through marriage.