- English translation
You take my husband, then act jealous of me—don’t flatter yourself that it makes you look good.
- Literal wording
You take my husband and become jealous; do not imagine that you look good doing it.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying condemns someone who intrudes upon another person’s rightful concern or relationship and then behaves as though the injured party were the problem. It stresses the audacity of causing harm while showing resentment, possessiveness, or impatience toward the person wronged.
Its traditional marital scenario addresses a woman and is figurative; it should not be taken as endorsing stereotypes about women, marriage, or jealousy. More broadly, it reproaches someone who claims a share in another’s concern and then objects to that person’s presence or protest.
- When it is used
Use it as a sharp, confrontational rebuke for someone who oversteps into another’s affair and then acts jealous or annoyed with the affected person. Its marital image can sound personally accusatory and socially harsh; outside that setting, reserve it for pointed disputes over rights, roles, or shared interests.
- Register
- colloquial
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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