Common Mongolian proverbs and figurative expressions with their meanings explained, for an upper-level learner. Front: the Mongolian proverb in Cyrillic with a romanization. Back: English figurative meaning.
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- Адгуусны эрхэм нь тэмээ, хүний эрхэм нь эмээ (Adguusny erkhem n' temee, khünii erkhem n' emee)
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Literally 'among animals the camel is noble, among people the grandmother is noble', meaning elders deserve deep respect- Ганц мод ой болохгүй (Gants mod oi bolokhgüi)
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Literally 'a single tree does not make a forest', meaning one person alone cannot achieve everything- Морь сайн бол газар ойр (Mor' sain bol gazar oir)
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Literally 'if the horse is good, the distance is short', meaning good preparation makes hard tasks easier- Хүн болох багаасаа, хүлэг болох унаганаасаа (Khün bolokh bagaasaa, khüleg bolokh unaganaasaa)
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Literally 'a person is shaped in childhood, a great horse is shaped as a foal', meaning character forms early in life- Ус холоос, уул ойроос (Us kholoos, uul oiroos)
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Literally 'water is judged from afar, a mountain from up close', meaning things are best understood through direct experience- Айсан хүнд арслан их (Aisan khünd arslan ikh)
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Literally 'to the frightened person, the lion looks enormous', meaning fear exaggerates danger- Нэг гараар алгаа ташихгүй (Neg garaar algaa tashikhgüi)
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Literally 'you cannot clap with one hand', meaning it takes two sides for conflict or cooperation- Аманд орсон юм ч алдагддаг (Amand orson yum ch aldagddag)
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Literally 'even what is already in the mouth can be lost', meaning nothing is guaranteed until it's truly finished- Хэлсэн үг хайчаар тайрч болохгүй (Khelsen üg khaichaar tairch bolokhgüi)
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Literally 'a spoken word cannot be cut with scissors', meaning words, once said, cannot be taken back- Зам холдох тусам ойртдог (Zam kholdokh tusam oirtdog)
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Literally 'the road gets closer the further you go', meaning persistence brings you nearer to your goal- Их байхаар эв байг (Ikh baikhaar ev baig)
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Literally 'better harmony than greatness', meaning unity matters more than size or wealth- Зуун сум харваад нэгийг ч онохгүй байж болно (Zuun sum kharvaad negiig ch onokhgüi baij bolno)
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Literally 'you can shoot a hundred arrows and hit none', meaning quantity does not guarantee success- Хүн болгонд авьяас бий (Khün bolgond av'yas bii)
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Literally 'everyone has some talent', an encouraging proverb about hidden abilities- Аав ээжийн үг алт (Aav eejiin üg alt)
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Literally 'a parent's words are gold', meaning parental advice is precious- Сайн заяа бол сайн үйлсээс (Sain zayaa bol sain üilsees)
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Literally 'good fortune comes from good deeds', reflecting a belief in karma-like consequences
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