Proverbs and sayings. An invaluable gift of folk wisdom, a collection of proverbs and

Proverbs and sayings are a real storehouse of wisdom of the Russian people, which has been tested not only by many centuries, history, but also by ordinary life through the experience of our ancestors, passed down from generation to generation. One proverb or saying can simultaneously express sadness with joy, anger with grief, hatred with love, and, of course, humor with sarcasm. Proverbs and sayings were able to summarize a wide range of phenomena of reality surrounding us, helping to understand the history of the people. That is why a literate person who loves his country always listens and reads... After all, what is in the texts, what is in colloquial speech, these linguistic phenomena play a special role: They enhance expressiveness, Make the content deeper, Give spice, At the same time, they help to find the way to the reader’s heart.

Proverb, is that you?
People don’t like terms, but they are the ones that help us understand a phenomenon and look inside it!

Proverb is a rhythmic and short figurative saying that is stable in speech. This is a national treasure that contains judgment or advice on a certain situation.

Indeed, a proverb is one of the most curious folklore genres, which, although studied by linguists, linguists, and philologists, remains a mystery, since it is not a saying of one person, but a folk assessment that can best reflect spiritual image, human aspirations with ideals, to demonstrate clearly judgments about all phenomena. What is not accepted by the majority simply will not take root. The proverb lives and can live only in speech, acquiring completeness and clear meaning in it. It can be said with absolute certainty that sayings and proverbs have supported lifestyle, strengthened faith in the future, becoming a kind of commandments, on the basis of which life was regulated ordinary people. A proverb may not always be edifying, but it is always instructive! It is necessary to draw a conclusion from them, regardless of how old you are, what social status We are currently occupying.

Proverb, sister of the proverb?
Sometimes we simply don’t understand what the differences are between proverbs and sayings, since they are traditionally put on the same page. To figure it out, and this is necessary, we suggest that you get to know the proverb better and understand what it is.

Proverb - This figurative expression, which is also widespread, and it aptly and succinctly defines a phenomenon in life.

If you compare a saying with a proverb, then there is no teaching in it. Only a figurative, sometimes metaphorical expression. For example, “easy on the face” or “careless.” No complete judgments, but what a great opportunity for language to have a means of conveying an emotionally expressive assessment. In other words, the proverb was “born” to express the feelings of the person who uses it. Of course, we cannot say that proverbs and sayings are the same, since they have obvious differences. The proverb has two important features: Completeness, Didactic content.

As for the saying, its properties that you will definitely notice after studying the content in this section: Inferences are incomplete, Emotional, Lack of instructiveness.

However, sometimes it is quite difficult to distinguish “who is who”, since the genres are still adjacent, and sayings border on proverbs. There are often cases when, by adding a word to a saying, a proverb is obtained, and sometimes an ordinary inversion (rearrangement of words) is sufficient. As for oral speech, then here quite often sayings are transformed into proverbs, and proverbs - on the contrary, into sayings. The people themselves say: “A saying is a flower, a proverb is a berry” (this, by the way, is a proverb), demonstrating that the saying has some incompleteness. Therefore, the proverb, having formalized the thought completely, becomes a berry.

Where did proverbs and sayings come to us from?
Oh, how difficult it is to say, since when did sayings and proverbs begin to circulate among the people, when did these short sayings and apt definitions that make speech richer and simpler at the same time. With all this, we can say with absolute confidence that this happened a long time ago, in ancient times, accompanying the people throughout their entire development since then. A saying could develop into a proverb or saying only when it was 100% consistent with the way of life and thoughts of the mass of people, and then exist for thousands of years. Behind every phrase stands the centuries-old authority of generations of our ancestors. You need to understand that the people who created proverbs and sayings for the most part were illiterate; they simply did not have another method to summarize their experience and knowledge. As a result, proverbs and sayings very accurately characterize the mentality, clearly demonstrating such parameters as: Folk features, As already noted, way of life, Moral standards.

Is it any wonder that they are often contradictory? After the baptism of Rus', proverbs and sayings began to amazingly intertwine pagan elements with phenomena new faith. Proverbs and sayings that describe interaction with feudal lords also very clearly confirm the stated idea. peasant labor, dependence on the weather, the patriarchal way of life, and so on.

Studying proverbs and sayings means understanding life
In no case should we neglect the “world” of these linguistic phenomena, because it reflects not only reflections from external environment, but also in privacy, in family. For every occasion there is a saying or proverb, whether it is about a wedding, theft, illness... However, we must not forget that there is a special “squad” of proverbs and sayings that migrated to us from outstanding literary works. Griboyedov is a leader in this direction. What are they worth? " Happy Hours They’re not watching.” And how many such expressions were created by Krylov, who is always in his creative activity relied on colloquial, often using sayings and proverbs in fables. True, this direction is usually referred to as aphorisms, and for them there is a whole section on our website, which we also recommend that you get acquainted with it in order to be more educated, to understand the world in which we live, to make your speech diverse, colorful and expressive!

THE PRICELESS GIFT OF PEOPLE'S WISDOM

COLLECTION
APHORISMS, PROVERBS AND SAYINGS

Author of the preface and compiler Vladimir Galin

Spas-Klepiki
2014

A person’s spiritual culture is the fruit of assimilation of the past life experience of all previous generations, captured in proverbs and sayings, afarisms and sayings.
Proverbs and sayings are the quint-essence of the old mind, passing from generation to generation. The spiritual heritage contains something that is a relic of the modern worldview for today, but there are eternal values that have not lost their meaning through the centuries.
“Different times, different morals,” but the essence of humanity remains the same.

In proverbs and sayings it is summarized with amazing simplicity and persuasiveness life experience and worldly wisdom, philosophical observations and generalizations of everything that a person lives by, that worries him in his personal and public life, his thoughts, feelings, ideals.

Sayings and aphorisms learned in young years become a compass by which one checks the path of life. They strengthen moral character a person, decorate his speech. With the power of time-tested truth, aphorisms, proverbs and sayings elevate a particular phenomenon into a general principle, which gives them vital value

I first showed interest in collecting proverbs and sayings in my youth.
I started keeping my “DIARY” at the age of 15, as a 7th grade student in 1950
year, and now I’m almost 80!!! I was lucky enough to borrow the first quotes
from the diary albums of a classmate who, unlike boys,
kam, everyone wrote...
On the pages of the Diary, yellowed with time, along with sayings and proverbs, that time is captured, its invisible spirit of those days in which
we lived. I present all quotes in the order in which they
at one time were recorded in 1950-1954. He who has eyes, let him see,
He who has ears, let him hear! Here they are:

To love a person for his appearance is to love a book for his binding.

In our life three things cannot exist without three
things: goods without trade, state without politics, science
without exchange of opinions.

Truth is on the side of the people. Should not be broken with a stone
mouth that speaks the truth.

Man cannot be the toy of fleeting passions

Without night there is no day, without spot there is no tulip.

If you can, you will swim through the sea of dangers to the shore
salvation, but if you fail, you will go to the bottom.

Making people happy is also happiness.

In the service of the people, all positions are useful. For the good of the people
I would be proud to take on the responsibilities of a simple nuker.
(Alisher Novai)

Not confessing to a crime is worse than committing it

Devoted service to the people is the work of a perfect person.

Telling the truth is a high virtue. But the tongue should be given
will only when necessary. Don’t forget to live next to the state
the same as living near a dragon with its mouth open. (Alisher Novai)

The sea will not become unclean if a dog sticks its muzzle there.

A chained lion is infinitely stronger in spirit than a free lion.

Anyone who commits violence against the people is our merciless
enemy.

It’s up to friends to warn in time.

Serving the people is our duty.

Modesty adorns a person.

Love is God's gift. nature.

It is difficult without a friend when he is lost, but it is also difficult with a friend when he is not faithful.

Don't spit in the well, you'll need to drink some water.

Happy hours are not observed.
(A. Griboyedov)

The human soul is not an apple; you cannot divide it.

Whoever leaves a friend in trouble will himself know the bitterness of troubles.
(Shota) Rustaveli)

Without knowing a person, do not open your soul.

Happiness is not given on its own, you have to look for it everywhere.

Enjoy and suffer, endure and humble yourself, love, hope and believe.

A person cannot be judged based on what he says about himself.

There is no worse enemy in the world than a dishonest friend.

Saving a friend is the highest valor.

Better are the shims of truth than the roses of lies.

A hint is worse than a blow.

Everything comes on time for those who know how to wait.
(M. Kutuzov)

A great miraculous power is faith in a person.
(A.S. Makarenko)
He who easily forgets the insults of fate does not know how to subjugate it to himself.

Anyone who is constantly clear is simply stupid.

You just need to want it, want it badly, then everything will come true.

To live with love, you must take care of it.
If you live, then you must love. Without love, life is as dead as without the sun.
grass.
A wise slacker is worse than a working fool

Why not forget your first love?
Only the first blooming dreams?..
Why can the heart grow cold towards everything?
But not to the memory of first dates...

The power of love is learned in separation,
A true friend is found in trouble.

Never promise something that you cannot deliver.

It's better to joke about something serious than to talk nonsense seriously

Being strong is good, but being smart is twice as good.

If only you knew how terrible it is to languish with a thirst for love!..

Don't say what you know, but always know what you say.

Youth is happy because it has a future.

When there is a lot of happiness, it is cheap and little valued.

Don’t believe every rumor, don’t tell everyone the truth.

From love to hate is just one step.

Better a terrible ending than endless horrors.

Speech is silver, silence is gold!

To go crazy, you need to have it.

If you want to love and to be loved,
Then listen to the poet’s saying:
Don't fall in love with the features of a young face,
And love the person himself.

The Fatherland will exalt only such a son,
Who combined the valor of a citizen with glory.

The sun does not rise twice a day, life is not given twice.

You can only pour out of a jug what is in it.

Don't say the world is sad
Don't say it's hard to live
Know among life develop,
Fight, believe and love.

Wealth and poverty - how scary it is! The poor want to be rich, and rich They don’t want to become poor. That’s probably the whole point.
Victor Hugo.

Every happiness has a limit.

Modesty, first of all, adorns a person.

The one who does nothing makes no mistakes.

Where there is no freedom, there is no happiness.

It would be boring to live if you knew your journey in life in advance.

Happy is the one who loves honestly.

It's better to die standing than to live on your knees.

To envy someone means to recognize him as superior to himself.

Loving is more important than being loved.
(Jack London)
-Let me perish, one moment of love is dearer to me than years of melancholy and tears.

Life is a long journey, happiness is just a stop along the way.

Every scoundrel has his own opinion about honesty.

Goodbye! I'm leaving for a long time, forever. Maybe we'll be too bored together!

Man is created for happiness, like a bird is created for flight.
(M. Gorky)

It’s better to say little, but good.

Let the sweet gaze of your eyes
Touches my card
And then in your mind
The memory of me will awaken...

Years will pass and be replaced by others
Only a trace will remain of the past,
But as a sign that we were friends,
This little portrait will remind you...

Where memory is precious, there is no need for words.

If your friendship is constant,
And in separation you can love,
So the card will be welcome,
The image of a friend will not be forgotten...

Don't be discouraged my friend from every failure,
Which will involuntarily visit you,
After all, happiness is like a hot meteor,
It will come and fly away again.
-Don’t get too carried away with earthly happiness,
Happiness is always followed by misfortune,
And try to look at the light more indifferently,
To make the turn from grief to joy easier.

These recordings were made by me in Kyrgyzstan in 1951, and in 1954 I added them from the album of a student in Novosibirsk. She is from the Far East, and I am from Central Asia, but in many ways our quotes are consonant... This indicates that the same songs are sung at the same time..." Oh times! Oh morals!

Life is a stormy sea
so be a good swimmer!

Who couldn't defeat his pride?
he will be forever alone.
(Byron)

He is an empty person who is busy only with himself.
(Krylov)

Friendship is a source of love, strength, a source of great deeds.

I don't care whether people like me or not
I do not like.

Weakness breeds deceit.

You can't judge people based on one fact.

Unpleasant frankness is better than a pleasant lie.

There is a shadow of truth in every gossip.
(Pisemsky)

Life is a struggle, front. Aim well and accurately
shooting is the meaning of life.

The book is like the depths of the sea, diving there
they take out pearls. (Chinese proverb)

Fight and search, find and don’t give up! (Koverin)\

Life is a book of books.

The beauty of a man is in his mind... the mind of a woman is in her beauty.

It's better to be a cheerful sinner than a sad saint.

It's better to shine brightly and burn than to slowly smolder
a whole century.

Better one decisive step than years of fruitlessness
torment.
-Everyone knows that turning words into deeds is much easier
harder than deeds and words.

A woman cannot be owned as a thing, as a slave.
Have! Who dares to possess a person? They have brass
tum, shoes. in a word, thing. (N. Chernyshevsky)

A strange thing is the human heart, and the female
doubly. (Lermotov)

True patriotism is above all personal relationships
ideas and interests. It is in close connection with love
to all humanity. (N. Dobrolyubov)

The brave have only immortality, the brave have death...
there is no rip.
--An old man marrying a young man is tantamount to
buy a book for an illiterate person, knowing that others will read it.

If you did it, don’t be afraid, if you’re afraid, don’t do it.

There is no smoke without fire.

He who does not know where to sail has no favorable wind.

For women, thoughts always overtake actions.
--Love is capable of forgiving base things and transforming virtues into vices.

Love for a woman is always beneficial for a man,
whatever it is, even if it gives suffering...

The past no longer exists, the future may not exist, only
the present is in the power of man..

Do not bend under the blows of a difficult fate! Get taller
human doubts! And emerge victorious from this difficult struggle!

It is not the one who is smart who is beautiful, but the one who is truthful...

It's better to be alone than with just anyone...

The world is illuminated the sun, and man-knowledge.

The brave have only immortality, death has only
there are no brave ones!
--Forget the hours of need, but don't forget what they are for
you were taught.
-With willpower you can achieve anything.
And fate will bow before you.
Know that there is only no happiness for those
Who doesn't know how to achieve it?

Live so that your life barometer
always showed "clearly".
--It's good when a dog is a friend, but bad when
friend is a dog.

Flowers bloom for everyone, but pick them
maybe only one!

As you can see, these instructive sentences have different sources
according to the place of writing and personalities (a boy and a girl), but they coincide in content and spirit of the times and have not lost their meaning according to common sense even for the present time after 60 years...

We are schoolchildren of the 50s years, in a row with the mastery of educational subjects that open the way to SPACE...they also mastered “everyday wisdom”, that is, the “wisdom of life” according to their own understanding and of their own will.
--If you want to be happy...-be it!!!

Collection folk proverbs compiled like a dictionary. The book contains the most commonly used proverbs and sayings.
The book is intended for a wide range of readers. In school practice, it can serve as a guide for teachers to develop students’ speaking and writing skills.
1. A collection of Russian proverbs and sayings is independent work along with dictionaries of phraseological units and collections winged words and expressions. The fact is that proverbs and sayings differ both from phraseological units and from popular expressions.
Proverbs and sayings differ from phraseological units in a structural and grammatical sense: they represent a complete sentence.
Their holistic semantic content is based not on concepts, but on judgments. Therefore, proverbs and sayings cannot be carriers of the lexical meaning that is inherent in phraseological units; their meaning can only be conveyed by a sentence (often expanded), while the meaning of a phraseological unit is conveyed by a word or phrase.
Being sentences (units with a closed structure), proverbs, sayings, popular sayings have semantic and intonational completeness, syntactic division (if the proverb is used in the literal sense), categories of predicativity and modality - all the constructive features of a sentence. Thanks to the intonation of the message and the category of predicativeness, proverbs and sayings are characterized by the relevance of their content to reality.
The peculiarity of proverbs is that they retain two planes - literal and figurative. Thus, the proverb Spoil m porridge with butter can be used in the literal and figurative sense. Compare: “A man attaches the main importance in food to fat. The fattier the food, the better: you can’t spoil the porridge with butter. Food is good if it is fatty, rich, oily”; “[Glumov:] It seems I over-salted it a little in my conversation with him... I’m still young, I’m getting carried away... Well, it doesn’t interfere, you can’t spoil the porridge with butter” [A. Ostrovsky, “Simplicity is enough for every wise man”]. In the first example, this proverb has a literal meaning, and in the second it has a figurative meaning.
Phraseologisms lack this feature: they cannot be used simultaneously in a literal and figurative meaning.
Proverbs, due to their two-dimensionality, as well as sayings and winged sayings used in the literal sense, consist of words with a well-defined independent lexical meaning, which cannot be said about phraseological units, the components of which are completely or partially deprived of semantic independence. Words that are part of proverbs and sayings and express the most essential aspects of thought are often highlighted, or at least can be highlighted with logical emphasis. Almost no logical emphasis can be placed on any of the components of the phraseological unit.
The category of proverbs and sayings also does not include expressions formed like the so-called. predicative phrases (such expressions are correlated in form with a sentence that has an open, open structure): someone’s eyes bulged, sparks fell from someone’s eyes, a bear stepped on someone’s ear, the milk on someone’s lips did not dry, the sky seemed like a sheepskin someone, someone’s hands are itching, etc. Such expressions are phraseological units, because each of them can be contrasted with a variable phrase of the same lexical composition, and has a lexical meaning.
Unlike popular expressions, proverbs and sayings are of folk and not book origin. True, it is not always possible to establish whether a particular expression belongs to a specific author or whether the writer borrowed it from popular speech.
Proverbs and sayings can easily turn into idioms, if the one who gave birth to them is forgotten literary source. From the point of view of modern linguistic consciousness, such popular expressions as: We see a speck in someone else’s eye, but we don’t notice a log in our own; Business before pleasure; Not one bread the person is alive; With a cute paradise and in a hut, etc., are already perceived as proverbs.
2. Under proverbs in in a broad sense we understand short folk sayings that have both a literal and figurative (figurative) plan, or only a figurative one, and grammatically constitute a complete sentence. Thus, the proverb, Whatever a child enjoys, as long as it does not cry, is distinguished by a double plan - literal and allegorical. And the proverb of the Hunchback will correct the grave has only a figurative plan.
Sayings are understood as short folk sayings (often of an edifying nature), having only a literal plan and grammatically representing a complete sentence: Money is a gainful business, A braid is a maiden beauty.
Proverbs used in allegorically, are syntactically indivisible. An attempt at syntactic division either transfers them from an allegorical, figurative plan to a literal one, or turns a proverb, if it does not have a literal plan, into a free sentence of the same lexical composition. For example: I found a scythe on a stone.
Between proverbs and sayings there is an extensive type of proverbial expressions that combine the characteristics of proverbs and sayings. These expressions are characterized by the fact that some of the words in their composition are close to or coincide with words of free use, and the other part (often real or potential phraseological units) has a figurative, figurative meaning. For example, in the expression Drunken sea knee-deep, the first word has a literal meaning, and the combination knee-deep sea has a figurative meaning. Wed: Every vegetable has its time; They carry water for angry people; The truth does not burn in fire and does not drown in water, etc.
Proverbs, sayings and proverbial expressions can convey both general judgments and judgments of a particular nature. For example, the proverb Chickens are counted in the fall (meaning: things are judged only by the final results) expresses a general judgment, and the proverb The catcher and the beast runs is specific, because it is used in a specific situation. The saying "Friends are found in adversity" has a more general content than the saying "Waiting and catching up" is no worse.
The generalizing nature of proverbs, sayings and proverbial expressions is facilitated to a certain extent by the type of their syntactic structure: many of them are expressed in generalized personal sentences. Besides, verbal predicate as part of proverbs, sayings and proverbial expressions, it is most often used in the present tense form with the meaning of the usualness or timelessness of the action. For example: To a lively cow God does not give a horn; Still waters run deep; In one place the stone is overgrown with moss; They carry water for angry people, etc.
On the contrary, in the composition of proverbs, sayings and proverbial expressions with more specific content, the verbal predicate is usually used in the past tense form. For example: What I bought for is what I sell for; A magpie on its tail brought it, etc.
The boundaries separating proverbs from sayings are conditional. That is why it is advisable to combine proverbs and sayings into a Collection.
3. Proverbs and sayings differ in varying degrees of semantic motivation. From this point of view, three most clearly defined types of proverbs and sayings can be distinguished.
The first type includes proverbs that are no longer used in the literal, literal sense. The corresponding proverbs are closer to phraseological units. This includes proverbs like: Grandmother said in two; To be a bull on a string; I picked up the tug, don’t say it’s not strong; A raven will not peck out a crow's eye; It will grind, there will be flour; Leopard change his spots; It is not worth it; Your shirt is closer to your body; A dry spoon hurts your mouth, etc.
The second type includes proverbs that are distinguished by a double plan - literal and allegorical. These are: Appetite comes with eating; They don't hit someone who is lying down; If you love to ride, you also love to carry sleighs; What goes around comes around, etc.
In speech practice, proverbs of this type are usually realized in a figurative sense. However, there may be cases when the same proverb occurs in some contexts in the literal sense, and in others – in a figurative sense.
Finally, the third type consists of expressions that are used only in the literal sense. This includes the actual sayings, for example: Poverty is not a vice; Live and learn; Better late than never; Silent means consent; old friend better than the new two, etc.
A significant number of proverbs and sayings occupy an intermediate position between the highlighted categories (proverbial expressions).
4. When interpreting proverbs and sayings, the degree of their semantic motivation is first taken into account.
Taking this circumstance into account, we can distinguish the following main types of logical type of interpretation of proverbs and sayings.
a) The most distinctly distinguished are proverbial expressions that do not have a figurative meaning (third type). As part of expressions of this type, words appear in their usual, free meaning and do not lose their subject correlation. The corresponding sayings do not need interpretation. For example: Finished the job - go for a walk; Silent means consent; It is not the place that makes the man, but the man the place; Not to live with wealth, but with man; What we have, we don’t keep; when we lose it, we cry.
b) The main core consists of proverbs used in a figurative sense (first and second types). As part of proverbs of this kind, words lose their subject correlation. For example: general meaning proverbs When the forest is cut down, the chips fly (meaning: in big deal does not exist without mistakes, shortcomings, sacrifices) is in no way determined by the meaning of the words that make it up.
That is why, in the composition of the sentence through which the meaning of a particular proverb is conveyed, there is not and cannot be a single word that would simultaneously be included in the interpreted proverb.
c) A broad group includes proverbial expressions, i.e. expressions of an intermediate type. When conveying the meaning of such expressions, words or a group of words that do not need interpretation are immediately transferred to the definition, and the part that has figurative sense, must be interpreted. For example, the expression Drunk Sea knee-deep is interpreted: a drunk doesn’t care about anything, nothing is scary.
d) B special group proverbial expressions are combined, in which the first part enhances the semantic content of the second part. In similar cases, only one (usually the second) part requires interpretation. For example, Eat a pie with mushrooms, and keep your mouth shut (meaning: don’t say anything unnecessary, keep quiet).
If the main semantic part proverbial expression has a literal meaning, then the entire expression as a whole should not be interpreted regardless of whether the literal or figurative meaning is contained in another, not the main semantic part. For example: Take care of your dress again, and your honor from a young age; In the field, wheat will be born in a year, and a kind person will always come in handy; The fish looks for where it is deeper, and the person looks for where it is better, etc.
Often, however, the first part of the proverb is contrasted in content with the second. In this case, both components of the proverb require interpretation. For example, the proverb “Don’t be afraid of the dog that barks, but be afraid of the one that is silent and wags its tail” is interpreted as follows: you need to fear not the one who is direct and frank, but the one who is secretive, acts on the sly, etc. Compare: Not the hut is red in its corners, and red in its pies; Under-salting on the table, over-salting on the back, etc.
5. Since proverbs and sayings reveal their meaning only in living speech, in context, in addition to a logical description of the content, their contextual and situational characteristics are often required.
There are situational and contextual proverbs, sayings and proverbial expressions.
a) A special place is occupied by actual situational sayings such as: Mountain does not converge with mountain, but man will converge with man; I love the fellow for the custom, etc. The meaning of such sayings is completely obvious, but it is not always clear under what circumstances they are used in speech. This kind of sayings are accompanied by situational characteristics, for example, the mentioned saying Mountain does not agree with mountain, but man and man will agree is understood when we're talking about about an unexpected meeting or separation for an indefinitely long time.
b) In addition to actual situational sayings, in a strictly defined situation, many proverbs and proverbial expressions are used, reflecting judgments of a private nature. The corresponding expressions, in addition to revealing their semantic content, also require situational characteristics. For example: Go hunting - feed the dogs; The nightingale is not fed fables; Whose cow would moo, and yours would be silent; Here's to you, grandma, and St. George's day; Seven troubles - one answer, etc.
c) B special type proverbs and sayings of a contextual nature are combined. These expressions do not contain broad life generalizations and are often a template answer to the question posed by the interlocutor. Such expressions often include words that seem to be inserted from the previous sentence. For example: Things are as white as soot; There is no trial; The earth is full of rumors; A magpie on its tail brought it, etc.
6. As facts show, many proverbs and sayings exist in different options. However, some options are not registered in any collection. That is why it is not always easy to distinguish between the national version and the individual author’s version.
Here, intermediate cases are possible, since individual modifications of proverbs and sayings often do not lend themselves to any generalization or strict regulation.
The variation of proverbs and sayings is caused by a number of reasons. In some cases, new versions of proverbs (sayings) arise as a result of replacing one word with another, often similar or coinciding in meaning. In other cases, one or another option appears due to a formal or word-formation modification of one of the components. Finally, new option can be formed as a result of lexicogrammatical rearrangement of a proverb or saying. Wed. The cat knows whose meat it ate and the cat smells whose meat it ate; Alone in the field is not a warrior and Alone in the field is not a warrior; If you are afraid of wolves, do not go into the forest; if you are afraid of the wolf, do not go into the forest; Your own shirt is closer to the body and Your own shirt is closer to the body.
The phenomenon of variation does not lead to a violation of the identity of proverbs or sayings. This is how variation differs from synonymy.
It must be emphasized that in proverbs and sayings the phenomenon of variation, as a rule, captures only individual words and never extends to the entire lexical composition, as a result of which a relatively small number of varieties of the same proverb (saying) is formed.
In an isolated form - outside the context or situation - proverbs are almost never realized. It is no coincidence that folk wisdom says: “A proverb goes a long way.”
From the compiler.

There is a schoolchild in your house - be prepared for the fact that very soon you may need Collections of proverbs of the Russian people and peoples of the world. Tasks to select, find, and explain a proverb are given regularly in schools. Proverbs develop speech and horizons, allow you to study the Russian language and mentality more deeply.

For regular use, it is better to buy a couple of collections, they will be useful throughout for long years studies (lists will be given below). It is convenient if one book contains a list of proverbs in alphabetical order, and in another the expressions are divided by topic.

And if the need to use collections of proverbs arose in this moment, electronic collections will help out. We will publish links to them in this article. The only caveat: it won't be modern collections, but Soviet ones, since currently the publication of books is controlled by copyright. But proverbs do not grow old over the years, which means Collections of proverbs, regardless of when they were compiled, always remain relevant.

Electronic collections of proverbs

Collection of proverbs and sayings of the peoples of the world

Illustrated Dictionary proverbs and sayings for children (S. N. Zigunenko)

Demonstration material for frontal lessons “Proverbs and sayings: illustrations” (E. Alifanova)

The only old edition in this section:

“Russian proverbs and sayings in the drawings of Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov” (V. M. Vasnetsov).

Wisdom and poetry

In everyday speech, to convince our interlocutor, we refer to proverbs. They seem to evaluate people’s behavior, teach: “Out of boredom, take matters into your own hands,” “When you are young, a hole is a hole when you are old,” they warn: “Take care of your dress again, but take care of your honor when you are young,” they sympathize with those in trouble: “The wind will not dispel the grief.” ", they make fun of stupidity: "The godfather was going to God knows where." Every proverb is a new thought.

Proverbs are similar to aphorisms - wise sayings famous people. And the difference can be understood by comparing how the thought is expressed in an aphorism and in a proverb. Legendary poet Ancient Greece Homer said: “Whatever word you say is what you will hear in response.” The proverb says the same thing, but in a different way: “As it comes around, so it will respond.” But the difference is also noticeable. A proverb differs from an aphorism in that, in addition to direct meaning contains an allegorical, figurative, more significant meaning. Homer meant only speech, but the proverb speaks generally about human relationships. “The early bird clears its nose, the late bird opens its eyes” - the proverb speaks not only about birds, but also about people. They remember it when they want to say: the one who gets up early manages to do more in a day; he has already eaten and got down to business, and the lazy man is just getting out of bed.

The saying is similar to a proverb. For this reason they are often not differentiated, but they are different. “After the rain on Thursday,” we say about something that is unknown whether it happened or will happen. What different circumstances can this expression be applied to?! However, unlike a proverb, a saying is not a complete judgment. People say: a saying is a flower, an expression, and a proverb is a berry, a complete sentence. A saying is part of a judgment, and a proverb is a complete independent judgment. A proverb replaces only a single word or part of a sentence. So, instead of “He is cunning” they say: “He is a fox’s tail.” Comparing a cunning man with a fox is a saying.

Proverbs express the speaker's attitude to the subject of speech. After all, it’s one thing to say: such and such an event is unknown whether it will happen or not; and it’s a completely different matter when they say that it will happen “after the rain on Thursday.” Here, in addition to doubt, there is also ridicule. In the same way, calling a cunning person a “fox tail” means condemning him and laughing at him.

Polysemy makes it difficult to divide proverbs and sayings into thematic and semantic groups. In our collection, each of the sections is named after a proverb, which contains a common meaning for the section. For example, the title contains the proverb: “The bee is small, but even the bee works.” All proverbs in this section represent judgments about work.

The first section of the collection is titled: “ An old proverb he doesn’t say anything in passing.” Collected here popular sayings about the proverbs and sayings themselves. According to the people, a proverb is “not every speech”, just as not every pillar is an outskirts. The outskirts are the fence around the village. It separates the village from the surrounding fields or, in general, the surrounding area from the village. The outskirts indicate the border, fence, protect. The proverb also set a limit, teaching and warning.

The section “Everyone has his own side” is made up of proverbs about the homeland and foreign lands, about the meaning of the homeland for a person, about its protection: “With native land, die, don’t go.” Unable to imagine their existence without their homeland, the Russian people stood against their enemies to the death. The proverbs of this section are wisdom carried through centuries that should not be forgotten.

The section, named after the proverb “Stand boldly for a just cause,” is adjacent to the previous one, but is associated with the transmission of thoughts about honor:

“For conscience, for honor, at least take your head off.” From all the trials, people came away with the firm belief that truth invariably triumphs over falsehood and lies: “Truth does not burn in fire and does not drown in water.”

The idea of the indestructibility of truth is continued in the proverbs of the section “Living life is not a field to cross.” It talks about life's obstacles, the vicissitudes of fate, even the seemingly hopeless fate of someone in trouble. “Wherever you throw it, it’s all a wedge.” Enviable fate free man: “Color in the field – man in the will.” Proverbs taught not to be afraid of difficulties, to be prudent, persistent: “Spark the carcass before the fire, avert trouble before the blow.” From here follow everyday rules, addressed primarily to young people: “It’s hard to find, it’s easy to lose,” “The young man is young, he couldn’t stand the cold.” Here are proverbs about the difference between the habits of young and old, about the need to respect old age: “Don’t laugh at the old: you’ll be old yourself.” Another of the proverbs is combined with irony: “You can’t fool an old sparrow with chaff.” The section contains judgments about the change of generations, about the eternal desire of people for well-being.

The section “The bee is small, but it also works” includes proverbs that indicate the source of a person’s victories: this is work, the ability to do business. Do not be afraid great job: “It’s a bad start,” where mistakes are inevitable: “The first pancake is always lumpy.” They are compensated by success in the future, if only there was diligence: “Patience and work will grind everything down,” “Pick one berry at a time and you’ll get a whole bunch,” “Know how to start, know how to finish.”

Proverbial folklore rises to the formulation of the principle: “He who does not work, neither does he eat.” In the section there are many proverbs about the correct organization of work and skill: “The master is afraid of every work”, “Bend so that it bends, and not so that it bursts”, “A hut is not cut down by shouting, the work is not ruined by noise”, “After the job, seek advice they don’t go.”

Condemnation bad work And lazy people contained in the section “Perhaps yes, I suppose - at least give it up.” There are many observations here from a worker who sees and notices everything: “A long thread is a lazy seamstress” (he is too lazy to thread the needle one more time), “A fast horse is quicker” (about wasted energy). The ridicule is caustic at the incompetent Shark who began to sew, but not like this: “And I, mother, will still flog you,” at the woman for whom the bag is the enemy: she does not walk!

Often a proverb turns into a whole scene: “The dog invited the dog to visit. “No, you can’t, I don’t have time.” - "And what?" - “Yes, tomorrow the owner is going to buy hay, so we need to run ahead and bark.” This is a proverbial fable. And here is a fable that recreates the simple-minded speech of an incompetent hasty person: “Knocked down, knocked together - that’s the wheel! I sat down and drove off - oh, good! I looked back - only the knitting needles were lying there.”

A person who knows how to laugh well firmly believes that he will achieve happiness. From such proverbs a section was formed: “The sun will come to our windows.” How sunlight comes to every window, so luck comes to a person who knows how to wait. People believe that tears cannot help grief, that to be afraid of misfortune means that happiness will not be seen, and that any grief can be tied up with a string: “Not everything is bad weather, the red sun will shine through.”

The hope of finding prosperity was not mere consolation. People express a lot of sensible thoughts: “Don’t promise a pie in the sky, give a bird in your hands.” From the circle of such concepts came proverbs condemning the ever-hesitating people who do not know how to stop at anything: “Grandma said in two: either it rains or snows, either it will happen or it won’t,” “Either the bough or the black grouse.”

IN friendly work, in life “in peace”, as a team, the sage people saw strength. In the section, named after the proverb “Get together, it won’t be too heavy,” just this judgment is made: “Even a wolf doesn’t take a willing herd.” The idea of the need for unification is also presented in the proverb “Two brands smoke in the field, but one goes out in the oven.” Such proverbs with a broad generalization include everyday rule: “An old friend is better than two new ones” and others like that.