Russian sayings

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Russian sayings give an insight into many aspects of Russian history, culture, and national character. The Russian language is replete with many hundreds of proverbs (пословица /pʌˈslovitsʌ/) and sayings (поговоркa /pəgʌˈvorkʌ/). These were already tabulated by the seventeenth century, and collected and studied in the nineteenth and twentieth, with the folk-tales being an especially fertile source. Quite a few sayings are of literary origin.

[edit] Sample sayings

В тридевятом царстве. (V tridevyátom tsárstve.)
/f trʲɪdʲɪˈvʲatʌm ˈtsarstvʲə/
"In the three-ninth kingdom", a typical beginning of a fairy tale; often used ironically in a reference to a place far away.

Со времён царя Гороха. (So vremyón tsaryá Gorókha.)
/ˌsʌ vrʲɪˈmʲon tsʌˈrʲa gʌˈroxʌ/
"Since the times of Tsar Green-pea."; c.f. English, "since time immemorial."

Ни к селу, ни к городу. (Ni k selú, ni k górodu.)
/ni k sʲɪˈlu, ni k ˈgorʌdu/
"Neither for a village nor for a city."; c.f. English, "of no use or relevance whatsoever."

Хоть кол на голове теши. (Khot' kol na golové teshí.)
/ˌхʌtʲ ˈkol na gəlʌˈvʲe tʲɪˈʃi/
"Even if you whittled a spike on his head...", said of someone ultimately stubborn or recalcitrant.

Делать из мухи слона. (Délat' iz múkhi sloná.)
/ˈdʲelatʲ iz ˈmuхi slʌˈna/
"To make an elephant from a fly."; c.f. English, "to make a mountain out of a mole-hill."

Палить из пушки по воробьям. (Palít' iz púshki po vorob'yám.)
/pʌˈlitʲ is ˈpuʃki pʌ vʌrʌbˈjam/
"To shoot with a cannon at sparrows", c.f. English, "crack a nut with a sledgehammer."

Бить баклуши. (bit' baklúshi)
/ˈbitʲ bʌkˈluʃi/
"To kick wooden chips", c.f. English, "to fool (away)."

Когда рак (на горе) свистнет. (Kogdá rak (na goré) svístnet.)
/kʌˌgda ˈrak (na gʌˈre) ˈsvʲisnʲet/
"When the crayfish will whistle (on the mountain[top])", c.f. English, "when pigs fly", meaning "never."

Показать, где раки зимуют. (Pokazát', gde ráki zimúyut.)
/pəkʌˈzatʲ, gde ˈraki ziˈmujut/
"To show where the crayfish spend winter", c.f. English, "to punish; to give a piece of one's mind."

Показать Кузькину мать. (Pokazát' Kuz'kinu mat'.)
/pʌkʌˈzatʲ kuzʲkinu matʲ/
"To show Kuzma's mother", see above.

Есть человек, есть проблема. Нет человека, нет проблемы. (Yest' chelóvek, yest' probléma. Net chelovéka, net problémy.) (obsolete)
/jestʲ tʃʲɪlʌˈvʲek, jestʲ prʌbˈlʲemʌ. nʲet tʃʲɪlkˈvеkʌ, nʲet prʌˈblʲemɨ/
"If there is a person, there is a problem. If there is no person, then there is no problem."

Щи да каша — пища наша (Shchi da kashá ― píshcha nashá.) (obsolete)
/ɕːi dʌ kʌˈʃa ― ˈpiɕːʌ nʌˈʃa/
"Cabbage stew and buckwheat is our food.", c.f. English, "it doesn't matter who is in charge because we still starve anyway."