ProverbHub
Arabic · Arabic scriptProverb: Verified

«تَعَالُمْ نِتْقَابِحْ وِبُكْرَهْ نِصَّالِحْ»

Meanings

Each meaning is reviewed on its own.

Meaning: Verified
English translation

Let's trade insults today and make up tomorrow.

Literal wording

Come, let us insult one another, and tomorrow let us reconcile.

Meaning and lesson

The saying describes a recurring pattern of hostile exchanges followed by reconciliation. It points to someone whose dealings with others repeatedly move from mutual insults to making peace, rather than treating each quarrel as a final break.

The invitation to quarrel expresses that pattern, not advice to start a dispute. The contrast between insults today and reconciliation tomorrow highlights how readily the person returns to friendly relations after an ugly exchange.

When it is used

Use it when describing someone who habitually trades insults with others and then makes up with them. It fits a repeated pattern of quarrelling and reconciliation, rather than a single disagreement or a general appeal to forgive.

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