- English translation
They rowed for him only as hard as his beans were worth.
- Literal wording
In proportion to his fava beans, they rowed for him.
- Meaning and lesson
The picture is of rowing done on someone's behalf and measured against his fava beans: the effort put in rises or falls with what he has handed over. The two halves sound almost alike in Arabic, a playful wordplay that cannot be carried over into English.
Applied more generally, it says that the service a person receives tracks what that person offers in return. It can rebuke someone who wants generous help after giving little, or defend a helper whose effort simply matches what was given.
- When it is used
Say it when someone is disappointed by the help or work they received after giving only a small reward. It frames the outcome as a fair proportion: effort was matched to what was offered, so the complaint has little ground.
- Register
- Colloquial Arabic
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: They rowed for him only as hard as his beans were worth.