Both proverbs and sayings are valuable to us in that they convey the vast experience accumulated by people. This is folk wisdom dressed in short, capacious phrases. Moreover, this wisdom does not depend on fashion, nor on the political system, nor on the era. This is knowledge at all times.
The subject of folk expressions is diverse. We can say that there are proverbs and sayings for all occasions.
We often use these expressions in our speech, but we do not always know what we have expressed at the moment. What is the difference between a proverb and a saying? There are those who think that these concepts mean the same thing. Meanwhile, these are not synonyms at all. Let's try to figure this out.
Proverb
A large encyclopedic dictionary informs us that a proverb is a figurative expression compressed to the dimensions of an aphorism. It, as a rule, contains instructive meaning or some worldly wisdom. What is the difference between a proverb and a saying? In the grammatical and logical completeness of the phrase and in the rhythmic component.
You can’t catch a fish from a pond without labor.
Or:
To live with wolves - howl like a wolf.
Pay attention to the syntactic integrity of the expression. So here is another difference. Between a proverb and a saying, what is the difference? The first, unlike the second, is a complete sentence, a complete syntactic construction.
Proverb
And what is a saying? Defining the main distinguishing features of the saying, they speak of a greater, in comparison with the proverb, laconicism of the phrase. A proverb is usually syntactically often not completed. In addition, it is devoid of didactic (instructive) coloring. The meaning of the saying is in figurative decoration, revitalizing speech, conveying the mood and feelings of the speaker.
Sayings are otherwise called idioms - indivisible expressions that have taken root in speech. For instance:
Like water off a duck's back.
Easy on sight.
When the cancer on the mountain whistles.
Wait by the sea for the weather.
Like cheese in butter.
Explaining the difference between a proverb and a proverb, it should be noted that the proverb can sometimes look like a sentence or these are not the shortest phrases. Here, for example, is a fairy tale inception as a saying:
Neither in a fairy tale nor a pen to describe.
Sayings and proverbs - how to distinguish?
It is not always easy to understand, even with a concrete example, what is the difference between a proverb and a saying. Especially if the saying is not only a short statement consisting of a small number of words. Although quite rare, but they are found in the form of quite complete sentences.
However, as already mentioned, the main thing between the proverb and the saying what is the difference is the presence of a complete thought. This is a statement that most often carries a didactic orientation, that is, it wants to teach something to the interlocutor or to note any important moments in life. Here are some examples:
You can’t catch a fish from a pond without labor.
The apple never falls far from the tree.
No matter how much the wolf feeds, he looks into the forest.
On a stranger's side I’m happy with my funnel.
Birds of a feather flock together.
The chicken is pecking the grain.
Now compare with the sayings:
Without a year a week.
Out of the frying pan into the fire.
They married me without me.
Fool around.
Step twice on the same rake.
We hope that in the above examples, the difference between a proverb and a saying has become apparent.
Examples of similar proverbs
Recall that synonyms are called different in sound, but similar in meaning to the word. The same definition may well be applied to expressions.
For example, consider a proverb:
Do you like to ride - love and carry a sleigh.
It is that getting pleasure is always fraught with some kind of labor. And to get a reward, you must first work. Or otherwise: the holiday is preceded by weekdays.
And here is another proverb:
Not all cats are Pancake week, sometimes there is Lent.
But she, if you think about it, is practically on the same topic. That's just clothed in this expression in the form of a humorous saying.
As you know, one of the most well-fed and tasty periods for peasants and domestic animals was Pancake week. At this time, not only the owners dabbled in sour cream and butter. The cat also fell. But this walk did not last long, followed by Great Lent. This is a rather severe and time-consuming period. The veto in food was already imposed on all meat and dairy products. The poor cat had to, in order to provide for his food, hunt mice in the underground and hayloft.
Thus, the main point of both proverbs is that hard fun days will come after happy and well-fed holidays.
True, the first proverb intonationally carries great didacticity: they say, if you want to ride, you will have to tinker with transport.
Sayings and their synonyms
Most often, it’s very easy to find synonyms for sayings. Sometimes it can be a single word or a short expression on the same topic.
For example, "a bast does not knit" - drunk; "do not tear your eyes" - very beautiful; (wait) "before the carrotkin zagovaniya" - a very long time and, most likely, do not wait; "when the cancer on the mountain whistles" - it is not known when, etc.
Saying or not?
Very often, persistent expressions, fragments of phrases from folklore and literary works penetrate into Russian speech. Sometimes the speaker does not realize why suddenly one expression or another escaped his tongue. After a work of verbal authorship becomes known among readers (listeners), it leaves its mark on people's speech. In such cases, they say "dismantled for quotations."
A quote is, of course, not a saying. But, you see, a little more time has passed, and from the once known sentence there was only a fragment left, established itself in the language and turned into an idiom. Often it implies a sequel, well-known to all.
"Ay Moska! She is strong to know ..." - when they talk about a small but overly brave man.
Or: “What feathers, what a sock! ..” - and this part of the sentence from the fable of IA Krylov is used when they want to jokingly praise someone.
But the phrase, picked up by the people from the monologue of Cheburashka - the character of the famous cartoon: “We drove, rode and finally arrived! ..” - this is what they say about the final of the trip, often unexpected.
You yourself will easily recall many such expressions that have become proverbs thanks to the accuracy of phrases and the depth of meaning embedded in it. This, of course, is not only fables, but also songs, and very famous poetic texts, and even prose.
In the article we talked about the main difference between a proverb and a saying, and gave examples.