- English translation
If your chance at marriage is within reach, seize it—even if it means taking your sister’s husband.
- Literal wording
If you find your fortune in your sister’s lap, take it and run.
- Meaning and lesson
In this traditional saying, “fortune” means a husband or marriage prospect rather than luck in general. It urges a woman to seize a marital opportunity quickly rather than let it pass her by.
The image places personal advantage above a sister’s claim, even imagining taking the man she holds. It reflects a harsh view of marriage as rivalry and should not be read as endorsing betrayal or stereotypes about women’s relations.
- When it is used
Use only when discussing a forceful, self-interested attitude toward securing a marriage opportunity, particularly where rivalry between sisters is implied. It is not a neutral maxim about pursuing opportunities: the saying’s image centers on taking a husband from a sister and may offend.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: If your chance at marriage is within reach, seize it—even if it means taking your sister’s husband.