- English translation
When luck turns its back, no chain is strong enough to hold on to anything.
- Literal wording
The one turning away snaps the chains.
- Meaning and lesson
The unnamed feminine subject is understood as worldly fortune, or life's favor, not a woman. Once it starts to leave, it carries everything off with it. Wealth, standing, or security that seemed firmly bound in place slips away anyway, as if iron links were simply torn apart.
The chains are figurative, standing for any protection meant to keep possessions or status secure, not literal restraints. The saying stresses how powerless people are against decline once it begins. A related, complementary saying contrasts fortune arriving drawn by a single hair with fortune departing by breaking chains.
- When it is used
Fits moments of sudden loss or steady decline despite every safeguard, such as a business collapsing or a protected position vanishing. It voices resignation or sober reflection about fortune's reversals rather than blame for anyone's carelessness.
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- Colloquial
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How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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