«قَدِّ الزِّبْلْه وِيْقَاوِحِ التَّيَّارْ»

The saying ridicules a trivial, insignificant person or thing that insists on resisting a force vastly greater than itself. The image is a tiny scrap of dung tossed in flowing water that still seems to push back against the stream. Its smallness makes the stubborn defiance look absurd rather than brave.

By extension, it criticizes people who overrate their own importance and quarrel with authority, popular opinion, or overwhelming circumstances when they plainly lack the weight to change anything. It suggests that such stubbornness is futile and slightly comic. The wiser course would be to recognize one's limits instead of struggling pointlessly.

Use it to mock someone of little weight or standing who stubbornly argues with, or tries to stand against, a far stronger person, group, or prevailing trend. The tone is scornful and can offend when aimed at a real person; it suits teasing or criticism, not neutral description.