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  3. Idioms / Maxims / Sayings

إن أنت أكرمت الكريم ملكته وإن أنت أكرمت اللئيم تمردا‏

English translation: Do not cast your pearls before swine

18:25 Feb 22, 2008
Arabic to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Idioms / Maxims / Sayings / أقوال مأثورة
Arabic term or phrase: إن أنت أكرمت الكريم ملكته وإن أنت أكرمت اللئيم تمردا‏
ما المقابل الإنجليزي؟
شكرا
ahmadwadan.com
Saudi Arabia
Local time: 23:10
English translation:Do not cast your pearls before swine
Explanation:
If you are looking for a close idiomatic expression. This one is taken from the bible, and applies to the second part of your quotation.
This link contains other similar expressions and phrases in other languages
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearls_Before_Swine
Selected response from:

randam
Local time: 22:10
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +4Do not cast your pearls before swine
randam
5 +1Be generous to a generous person and you'd win him, be generous to a mean person and he'd rebel on y
Hani Hassaan
3 +2A courtesy lent to an upright person wins you his favor forever but, to a lowly person, will only yi
Yasser El Helw
4If you are kind to a magnanimous man, your kindness puts him in your debt,...
Ahmad Batiran


  

Answers


3 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Be generous to a generous person and you'd win him, be generous to a mean person and he'd rebel on y


Explanation:
Be generous to a generous person and you'd win him, be generous to a mean person and he'd rebel on you.

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Note added at 4 mins (2008-02-22 18:29:15 GMT)
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Be generous to a generous person and you'd win him, be generous to a mean person and he'd rebel on you


    Reference: http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:VcAnjzM5ry8J:en.wikiquote...
Hani Hassaan
Egypt
Local time: 23:10
Native speaker of: Native in ArabicArabic
PRO pts in category: 20

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Ghada Samir
10 mins
neutral  Nesrin: The use of the conditional tense here is incorrect ("you'd win him"). I've checked other translations on that wiki page and there are several errors.
19 mins
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23 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +4
Do not cast your pearls before swine


Explanation:
If you are looking for a close idiomatic expression. This one is taken from the bible, and applies to the second part of your quotation.
This link contains other similar expressions and phrases in other languages
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearls_Before_Swine


    Reference: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cast_pearls_before_swine
randam
Local time: 22:10
Works in field
Native speaker of: Arabic
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Nesrin
0 min
agree  Assem Mazloum:
11 hrs
agree  Mohsin Alabdali
19 hrs
neutral  Ahmad Batiran: لا تُقلّد الخنازير اللؤلؤ -أو- لا تنثر اللؤلؤ على الخنازير...إلخ لا ينطبق على البيت. فرُغم أنّه يُشير إلى وضع الشيء في غير موضعه إلا أنّه لا ينقل جوانب هامّة أخرى من البيت عن الكريم و اللئيم و ردّة فعلهما
3 days 3 hrs
agree  Nadia Ayoub
4 days
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19 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
A courtesy lent to an upright person wins you his favor forever but, to a lowly person, will only yi


Explanation:
I hope someone can come along and improve on it!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 20 mins (2008-02-22 18:45:21 GMT)
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The full translation:
A courtesy lent to an upright person wins you his favor forever but, to a lowly person, will only yield ill-treatment

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 25 mins (2008-02-22 18:50:56 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

@@@ Two more possibilities: @@@

1- A courtesy lent to an upright person wins you his favor forever but a lowly soul will take it/you for granted.

2- A courtesy lent to an upright person wins you his favor forever but a lowly soul will only demand more.

Yasser El Helw
Egypt
Local time: 23:10
Native speaker of: Native in ArabicArabic, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Nesrin: Great!
4 mins
  -> I will try not to rebel on you ;-)
agree  sktrans
2 hrs
  -> Thank you :-)
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3 days 3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
...إذا أنت أكرمت الكريم ملكته
If you are kind to a magnanimous man, your kindness puts him in your debt,...


Explanation:
إذا أنتَ أكرمتَ الكريمَ ملكتهُ وإنْ أنتَ أكرمتَ اللئيمَ تمرّدا

If you are kind to a magnanimous man, your kindness puts him in your debt, while it makes the base more arrogant.

[هذه ترجمة: قسطنطين ثيودري]

Ahmad Batiran
Yemen
Local time: 23:10
Native speaker of: Native in ArabicArabic
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