- English translation
If your ancestors left you no wealth, you are left slapping your cheeks in grief.
- Literal wording
Whoever does not receive his good fortune from his ancestors—oh, the slapping of his cheeks!
- Meaning and lesson
The saying presents inherited wealth as the basis of prosperity. Someone whose forebears leave no money or property is pictured as remaining poor and distressed. Here, good fortune refers specifically to material wealth, rather than luck in every part of life.
Its outlook is pessimistic: family resources appear to determine whether a person can escape poverty. The image of slapping the cheeks expresses grief over that disadvantage. This is a lament about lacking an inheritance, not encouragement to persevere or a literal instruction to harm oneself.
- When it is used
It fits a resigned comment about poverty or the advantage enjoyed by someone who inherits wealth. Applied to a person without family resources, it conveys a bleak assessment of their prospects rather than practical advice for improving them.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: If your ancestors left you no wealth, you are left slapping your cheeks in grief.