«زَيِّ النُّجُومْ قُرَيِّبِينْ وِبْعَادْ»

The saying compares certain people to the stars, which shine in plain view yet stay beyond reach. Its nearness is not emotional closeness: such people are visible and easy to meet, but when sympathy is needed, they prove as remote as the sky. The distance meant is one of support, not literal physical space.

The Arabic sets two plural opposites side by side, qurayyibīn (near) and biʿād (far), showing that it describes people. The diminutive qurayyib is simply a colloquial form of 'near' and does not soften the contrast. The pairing captures the gap between someone's accessibility and their willingness to share another's troubles.

Use it of relatives or acquaintances whom one meets easily but who offer no comfort or sympathy in hard times. It voices disappointment or mild reproach and suits remarks about people whose presence brings no real support.