I’ve been asked a few times now the actual Arabic source of the saying “Tie your camel” or “Trust in God but tie up your camel”. If you click on this link, you’ll get an introduction to the story behind it. If you’re interested in the actual Arabic, then it’s:
1) Hadeeth: ‘Be wise [first] and [then] trust [in God]‘ :
A3qil wa tawkkl.
2) Arabic Proverb: ‘Trust in God but tie up your camel’:
Thiq billah wa lakin irbiT jamalek
Idiom the Second
Notching the Boat to Find the Sword (Lit. ‘Carve boat seek sword’)
During the Warring States period, a man in the Kingdom of Chu had a beautiful sword which he loved dearly. One day, while on a river in a boat, the sword somehow dropped off the boat and fell into the river. The man came up with a clever idea: he made a notch on the side of the boat at the spot where the sword fell overboard. When the boat reached the shore, he jumped from the boat around the area where he made the notch and started searching the water for his beloved sword.
Meaning of the idiom: Those who follow rigid rules will not always logically apply them or will apply them in a stupid manner.
Idiom the First
Calling a Stag a Horse (Lit. ‘Point deer as/is horse’)
Story behind the idiom:
During the reign of the second emperor of the Qin Dynasty (Qin Er Shi), his chief minister, a eunuch called Zhao Gao, exerted great influence over the court. He started to plot to usurp the throne. Fearing that other ministers would oppose this, he readied a test for them.
When they were assembled in front of the emperor, he brought out a deer as a gift and said “This is a horse.”
The emperor laughed, and replied “You must be joking; this is a deer!”
Zhao turned to the ministers and said “Well, tell the Emperor… is this a deer or a horse?”
Some ministers kept silent, some said that it was a deer and others agreed that it was indeed a horse. Those who hadn’t called it a horse were promptly executed
Meaning of the Idiom: Distorting facts, calling black white and white black.
