Russian sayings

Russian sayings

Russian sayings give an insight into many aspects of Russian history, culture, and national character. The Russian language is replete with many hundreds of proverbs ("пословица" IPA|/pʌˈslovitsʌ/) and sayings ("поговоркa" IPA|/pəgʌˈvorkʌ/). These were already tabulated by the seventeenth century, and collected and studied in the nineteenth and twentieth, with the folk-tales being an especially fertile source. Quite a few sayings are of literary origin.

Sample sayings

В тридевятом царстве. ("V tridevyátom tsárstve.")
IPA|/f trʲɪdʲɪˈvʲatʌm ˈtsarstvʲə/
"In the three-ninth kingdom", a typical beginning of a fairy tale; often used ironically in a reference to a place far away.

Со времён царя Гороха. ("So vremyón tsaryá Gorókha.")
IPA|/ˌsʌ vrʲɪˈmʲon tsʌˈrʲa gʌˈroxʌ/
"Since the times of Tsar Green-pea."; c.f. English, "since time immemorial."

Ни к селу, ни к городу. ("Ni k selú, ni k górodu.")
IPA|/ni k sʲɪˈlu, ni k ˈgorʌdu/
"Neither for a village nor for a city."; c.f. English, "of no use or relevance whatsoever."

Хоть кол на голове теши. ("Khot' kol na golové teshí.")
IPA|/ˌхʌtʲ ˈkol na gəlʌˈvʲe tʲɪˈʃi/
"Even if you whittled a spike on his head...", said of someone ultimately stubborn or recalcitrant.

Делать из мухи слона. ("Délat' iz múkhi sloná.")
IPA|/ˈdʲelatʲ iz ˈmuхi slʌˈna/
"To make an elephant from a fly."; c.f. English, "to make a mountain out of a mole-hill."

Палить из пушки по воробьям. ("Palít' iz púshki po vorob'yám.")
IPA|/pʌˈlitʲ is ˈpuʃki pʌ vʌrʌbˈjam/
"To shoot with a cannon at sparrows", c.f. English, "crack a nut with a sledgehammer."

Бить баклуши. ("bit' baklúshi")
IPA|/ˈbitʲ bʌkˈluʃi/
"To kick wooden chips", c.f. English, "to fool (away)."

Когда рак (на горе) свистнет. ("Kogdá rak (na goré) svístnet.")
IPA|/kʌˌgda ˈrak (na gʌˈre) ˈsvʲisnʲet/
"When the lobster will whistle (on the mountain)", c.f. English, "when pigs fly", meaning "never."

Показать, где раки зимуют. ("Pokazát', gde ráki zimúyut.")
IPA|/pəkʌˈzatʲ, gde ˈraki ziˈmujut/
"To show where the lobsters spend winter", c.f. English, "to punish; to give a piece of one's mind."

Показать Кузькину мать. ("Pokazát' Kuz'kinu mat'.")
IPA|/pʌkʌˈzatʲ kuzʲkinu matʲ/
"To show Kuzma's mother", see above.

Есть человек, есть проблема. Нет человека, нет проблемы. ("Yest' chelóvek, yest' probléma. Net chelovéka, net problémy.")
IPA|/jestʲ tʃʲɪlʌˈvʲek, jestʲ prʌbˈlʲemʌ. nʲet tʃʲɪlkˈvеkʌ, nʲet prʌˈblʲemɨ/
"If there is a person, there is a problem. If there is no person, then there is no problem."

This is commonly attributed to Joseph Stalin, the political leader of the Soviet Union from 1922 until his death in 1953.

Щи да каша — пища наша ("Shchi da kashá ― píshcha nashá.")
IPA|/ɕːi dʌ kʌˈʃa ― ˈpiɕːʌ nʌˈʃa/
"Shchi and kasha is our food.", c.f. English, "it doesn't matter who is in charge because we still starve anyway."

Related article

*Russian proverbs


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