Harapkan pagar, pagar makan padi
Meaning: Betrayed by the very one you trusted to protect you.
Language: Malay
Literally: You trusted the fence, but the fence ate the rice
Category: Nature
Origin: A Malay proverb in which the guardian fence devours the very crop it was set there to guard.
Equivalents in other languages
- Urdu: آستین کا سانپ (aasteen ka saanp) — literally: A snake in the sleeve
More idioms — Nature
- Bagai pinang dibelah dua — Two people perfectly alike or well matched.
- Siarad fel pwll y môr — To talk endlessly without pause.
- Is glas iad na cnoic i bhfad uainn — The grass is always greener elsewhere.
- Caught between a rock and a hard place — Stuck between two equally bad options.
- Estar en Babia — To be daydreaming and miles away.
- 雪上加霜 (Xuě shàng jiā shuāng) — To make a bad situation even worse.
More Malay idioms
- Bagai aur dengan tebing — A mutually supportive relationship.
- Ada udang di sebalik batu — There is a hidden motive.
- Melepaskan batuk di tangga — To do a job half-heartedly and leave it unfinished.
- Kacang lupakan kulit — To forget your roots and origins.
From our proverbs
- Cowardice is afraid to be known or seen. — Fear of exposure reveals cowardice itself—the truly brave face scrutiny without shame.
- The greatest crabs are not always the best meat. — Size alone doesn't guarantee quality; assess substance beneath surface appearances.
- He must crack the nut that would eat the kernel. — Effort and perseverance are necessary prerequisites; you cannot enjoy rewards without end…