«ضِحْكْ مِنْ غِيرْ سَبَبْ قِلِّةْ أَدَبْ»

The saying holds that laughter needs a visible reason. Someone who laughs when nothing amusing has occurred is seen as careless of the people around them and of the setting. Here أدب means manners and proper upbringing, not literature, and the lapse is judged socially, saying nothing about the laugher's health or state of mind.

In Arabic the two halves end in the rhyming words سبب and أدب, which gives the line a compact, sing-song quality that makes it easy to recall. This crisp rhythm suits its usual role as a ready-made rebuke delivered in a single breath.

Said to someone, often a child or younger person, who keeps laughing when nothing funny has happened, especially in serious company. It works as a quick reprimand or a half-joking nudge to behave, and can sound harsh if aimed at an adult or a stranger.