- English translation
Merchandise in the market says: patience, patience, someone will come along and buy me.
- Literal wording
The goods in the market say: 'nini nini' (easy, easy) until the one who will buy me comes.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying gives a voice to an unsold item sitting in the marketplace. The item calmly asks for patience, insisting that its day will come and a buyer will appear. It is meant to calm anyone who fears that merchandise will be left on the shelf for good.
Here 'al-haga' refers to a piece of merchandise offered for sale, not to a need or a personal errand, which are other common senses of the word. The repeated 'nini nini' is the item's own plea to take things slowly until its buyer arrives.
- When it is used
Say it to a seller, or to yourself, when unsold goods start to cause worry. It reassures the listener that there is still time for a buyer to come.
- Register
- Colloquial Arabic
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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