Editing Proverb (section)

==Variations==
===Counter proverbs===
There are often proverbs that contradict each other, such as "Look before you leap" and "He who hesitates is lost", or "Many hands make light work" and "Too many cooks spoil the broth". These have been labeled "counter proverbs"<ref name="Charles Clay Doyle 2012">Charles Clay Doyle. 2012. Counter proverbs. In ''Doing proverbs and other kinds of folklore'', by Charles Clay Doyle, 32–40. (Supplement series of ''Proverbium'' 33.) Burlington: University of Vermont.</ref> or "antonymous proverbs".<ref>Adrian Furnham. 1987. The Proverbial Truth: Contextually Reconciling and the Truthfulness of Antonymous Proverbs. ''Journal of Language and Social Psychology'' 6. 1:49–55.</ref> [[Stanisław Lec]] observed, "Proverbs contradict each other. And that, to be sure, is folk wisdom."<ref>p. 16. Hose, Susanne and Wolfgang Mieder, eds. ''Sorbian proverbs''. Supplement series of ''Proverbium'', 14. University of Vermont. 2004.</ref>
When there are such counter proverbs, each can be used in its own appropriate situation, and neither is intended to be a universal truth.<ref name="Singh, Anup K 2017">p. 8. Singh, Anup K. 2017. ''Dictionary of Proverbs''. Neelkanth Prakashan Publishers.</ref><ref>Oldberg, Ragnar. 1965. Ordsprak som poesi. ''Ord och Bild'' 74:564–568.</ref> 

The concept of "counter proverb" is more about pairs of contradictory proverbs than about the use of proverbs to counter each other in an argument. For example, from the [[Tafi language]] of Ghana, the following pair of proverbs are counter to each other but are each used in appropriate contexts, "A co-wife who is too powerful for you, you address her as your mother" and "Do not call your mother's co-wife your mother..."<ref>p. 425, 421. Mercy Bobuafor. 2013. ''The Grammar of Tafi.'' University of Leiden doctoral dissertation. [https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/bitstream/handle/1887/20916/bookpart.pdf?sequence=23 link to dissertation]</ref> In Nepali, there is a set of totally contradictory proverbs: "Religion is victorious and sin erodes" and "Religion erodes and sin is victorious".<ref>p. 378. Valerie Inchley. 2010. ''Sitting in my house dreaming of Nepal.'' Kathmandu: EKTA.</ref>
Also, the following pair are counter proverbs from the Kasena of Ghana: "It is the patient person who will milk a barren cow" and "The person who would milk a barren cow must prepare for a kick on the forehead".<ref>p. 52, Helen Atawube Yitah. 2006. ''Saying Their Own 'truth': Kasena Women's (de)construction of Gender Through Proverbial Jesting.'' Doctoral dissertation, University of Southern California.</ref> From [[Lugbara language]] (of Uganda and Congo), there are a pair of counter proverbs: "The elephant's tusk does not ovewhelm the elephant" and "The elephant's tusks weigh the elephant down".<ref>p. 83, 84, Dalfovo, A. T. 1987. ''Lugbara Wisdom''. Unisa Press.</ref> The two contradict each other, whether they are used in an argument or not (though indeed they were used in an argument). But the same work contains an appendix with many examples of proverbs used in arguing for contrary positions, but proverbs that are not inherently contradictory,<ref>p. 157–171, Helen Atawube Yitah. 2006. ''Saying Their Own 'truth': Kasena Women's (de)construction of Gender Through Proverbial Jesting.'' Doctoral dissertation, University of Southern California.</ref> such as "One is better off with hope of a cow's return than news of its death" countered by "If you don't know a goat [before its death] you mock at its skin". Though this pair was used in a contradictory way in a conversation, they are not a set of "counter proverbs".<ref name="Singh, Anup K 2017"/>

Discussing counter proverbs in the [[Badaga language]], Hockings explained that in his large collection "a few proverbs are mutually contradictory... we can be sure that the Badagas do not see the matter that way, and would explain such apparent contradictions by reasoning that proverb ''x'' is used in one context, while ''y'' is used in quite another."<ref>Paul Hockings. 1988. ''Counsel from the ancients: A study of Badaga proverbs, prayers, omens, and curses.'' Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.</ref> Comparing Korean proverbs, "when you compare two proverbs, often they will be contradictory." They are used for "a particular situation".<ref>p. 76. Jeyseon Lee. 2006. "Korean proverbs." In ''Korean language in culture and society,'' ed. by Ho-min Sohn, 74–85. University of Hawai'i Press.</ref>

"Counter proverbs" are not the same as a "paradoxical proverb", a proverb that contains a seeming paradox.<ref>Bendt Alster. 1975. Paradoxical Proverbs and Satire in Sumerian Literature. ''Journal of Cuneiform Studies'' 27.4: 201–230.</ref>

===Metaproverbs===
In many cultures, proverbs are so important and so prominent that there are proverbs about proverbs, that is, "metaproverbs". The most famous one is from [[Yoruba language|Yoruba]] of Nigeria, "Proverbs are the horses of speech, if communication is lost we use proverbs to find it", used by [[Wole Soyinka]] in ''Death and the King's Horsemen''. In Mieder's bibliography of proverb studies, there are twelve publications listed as describing metaproverbs.<ref>p. 1050. Wolfgang Mieder. 2009. ''International Bibliography of Paremiology and Phraseology''. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.</ref> Other metaproverbs include:
* "As a boy should resemble his father, so should the proverb fit the conversation." ([[Afar people|Afar]], Ethiopia)<ref>p. 276. Parker, Enid. 1971. Afar stories, riddles, and proverbs. ''Journal of Ethiopian Studies'' 9:219–287.</ref>
* "Proverbs are the cream of language" (Afar, Ethiopia)<ref>p. 283. Parker, Enid. 1971. Afar stories, riddles, and proverbs. ''Journal of Ethiopian Studies'' 9:219–287.</ref>
* "One proverb gives rise to a point of discussion and another ends it." (Guji Oromo & Arsi Oromo, Ethiopia)<ref>p. 36. Tadesse Jaleta Jirata. 2009. ''A contextual study of the social functions of Guji-Oromo proverbs''. Saabruecken: DVM Verlag.</ref><ref>p. 43. Tullu, Sena Gonfa. 2008. ''The images of women in the proverbs and sayings of the Oromo: The case of West Arsi zone.''</ref>
* "Is proverb a child of chieftancy?"  (Igala, Nigeria)<ref>p. 301. Pachocinski, Ryszard. 2000. ''Proverbs of Africa: Human Nature in the Nigerian Oral Tradition.'' Professors World Peace Academy.</ref>
* "Whoever has seen enough of life will be able to tell a lot of proverbs." (Igala, Nigeria)<ref>p. 260. Pachocinski, Ryszard. 2000. ''Proverbs of Africa: Human Nature in the Nigerian Oral Tradition.'' Professors World Peace Academy.</ref>
* "Bereft of proverbs, speech flounders and falls short of its mark, whereas aided by them, communication is fleet and unerring" (Yoruba, Nigeria)<ref>p. 12. Owomoyela, Oyekan. 2005. ''Yoruba Proverbs.'' Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press.</ref>
* "A conversation without proverbs is like stew without salt." (Oromo, Ethiopia)<ref>Cotter, George. 1990. ''Salt for stew: proverbs and sayings of the Oromo People with English translations.'' Debre Zeit, Ethiopia : Maryknoll Fathers.</ref>
* "If you never offer your uncle palmwine, you'll not learn many proverbs." (Yoruba, Nigeria)<ref>p. 141. Eduardo da Silva. 1973. ''Prince of the People: The Life and Times of a Brazilian Free Man of Colour.'' Verso.</ref>
* "If a proverb has no bearing on a proverb, one does not use it."<ref>p. 178. Owomoyela, Oyekan. 1988. ''A kì í: Yorùbá proscriptive and prescriptive proverbs.'' Lanham, MD: University Press of America.</ref> (Yoruba, Nigeria)
* "Proverbs finish the problem."<ref>Gertrud Schneider-Blum. 2009. ''Máakuti t'awá shuultáa: Proverbs finish the problems: Sayings of the Alaaba (Ethiopia)''. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe Verlag.</ref> (Alaaba, Ethiopia)
* "When a proverb about a ragged basket is mentioned, the person who is skinny knows that he/she is the person alluded to." (Igbo, Nigeria)<ref>p. 391. Pachocinski, Ryszard. 2000. ''Proverbs of Africa: Human Nature in the Nigerian Oral Tradition.'' Professors World Peace Academy.</ref>
* "A proverb is the quintessentially active bit of language." (Turkish)<ref>p. 67, Dor, Rémy. 1982. 'Metel' ou l'appretissage du comportement. Le Proverbe chez les Kirghiz du Pamir afghan. ''Journal asiatique''  270:67–146.</ref>
* "The purest water is spring water, the most concise speech is proverb." (Zhuang, China)<ref>p. xxiv. Yangxian, Zhou. 2017. ''Two Thousand Proverbs from China with Annotations and Chinese and English Translation.'' New York: Peter Lang.</ref>
* "A proverb does not lie." (Arabic of Cairo)<ref>p. 76. Mahgoub, Fatma M. 1968. ''A linguistic study of Cairene proverbs''. Indiana University.</ref>
* "A saying is a flower, a proverb is a berry." (Russian)<ref>p. v. Martgavo, Peter. 1995. ''Russian proverbs and sayings.'' New York: Hippocrene Books.</ref>
* "Honey is sweet to the mouth; proverb is music to the ear." (Tibetan)<ref>Pema Tsewang, Shastri. 2012. ''Like a yeti catching marmots.'' Boston: Wisdom Publications.</ref>
* "Old proverb are little Gospels" (Galician)<ref>''{{cite web |url= https://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/refranero/Ficha.aspx?Par=59494&Lng=2 |title=Os refráns vellos son evanxeos pequenos}}''</ref>
* "Proverb[-using] man, queer and vulgar/bothering man" (Spanish)<ref>''[[:es:w:hombre refranero, maricón y pilonero]]'', also ''hombre refranero, hombre puñetero''</ref>
* "A hasty man talks without using a proverb." ([[Kambaata language|Kambaata]], Ethiopia)<ref>p. 104. Desalegn Haile Arficho. ''Ideophones in Kambaata''. Addis Ababa University: PhD dissertation.</ref>
* "He who has a father knows the proverb of grandfather." ([[Kirundi]], Burundi)<ref>p. 59. Nibafasha, Spes. "Societal construction of masculinity and femininity as portrayed in Kirundi proverbs." PhD diss., Makerere University, 2013.</ref>
* "The wisdom of the proverb cannot be surpassed."  ([[Turkish language|Turkish]], Turkey)<ref>Gözpınar, Halis. "Turkish-Georgian Equivalent Proverbs and Turkish Loan-Words in Georgian Language." Karadeniz Uluslararası Bilimsel Dergi 21 (2014).</ref>
* “Where there is rhythm and alliteration, there lies a proverb.” ([[Gujarati language|Gujerati]], India)<ref>p. 52. Raymond Doctor. “Predictive Sayings in Gujerati”. ''Folklore'' Vol. 97, No. 1 (1986), pp. 41-55.</ref>
* "Proverbs are in the heart, light rain is in the clouds." ([[Mongolian language|Mongolian]])<ref>P. 168. Халзхуугийн Наранчимзг and Баизарын Чимзгсайхан. 2021. ''Dictionary of Mongolian-German-English-French-Russian Proverbs''.</ref>
* "For a person who knows crying, don't tell him proverbs."<ref>Simmons, Donald C., and Lydia F. Akesson. "Fifteen Nzima Proverbs." ''Folklore'' 76, no. 4 (1965): 262-265.</ref>([[Nzima language]], Ghana)
* "When my proverbs finish, that is when my talking will finish." (Igbo, Nigeria)<ref>{{cite book |page=93 |first1=G. M. T. |last1=Emezue |first2=Nefertiti N. |last2=Emezue |contribution=An Encounter with a Proverb-Hunter and the Beingness of Igbo Proverbs |title=Being and Becoming African as a Permanent Work in Progress: Inspiration from Chinua Achebe's Proverbs |date=2021 |editor1-first=Francis B. |editor1-last=Nyamnjoh |editor2-first=Patrick |editor2-last=Nwosu |editor3-first=Hassan M. |editor3-last=Yosimbom |location=Bamenda, Cameroon |publisher=Langaa Research and Publishing Common Initiative Group |isbn=9789956551477}}</ref>
* "To the idiot we say things clearly, To the wise we speak in proverbs."(Yombe, Gabon)<ref>Visce, Philémon Kongo Muanda. ''Corpus parémique yombe: une classification logique''. 2016. Fiesole, Italy: Torrossa.</ref>