«زَيِّ السَّمَكْ إِنْ طِلِعْ مِنِ الْمَيَّهْ مَاتْ»

The saying describes someone who stays bound to a thing and never leaves it. The bond is pictured as so total that separation would feel like losing what keeps them alive, just as a fish depends on water.

The comparison points to constancy and dependence rather than discomfort. It suggests that the person's attachment is part of their nature, and that pulling them away would leave them unable to function.

Use it for someone constantly close to a person, place, habit, or thing, seemingly unable to manage without it. The fish image frames the bond as a near-vital need.