Home › Idioms

يد واحدة لا تصفق (yad wāḥida lā tuṣaffiqu)

Meaning: Nothing is achieved without cooperation.

Language: Arabic

Literally: One hand does not clap

Category: Body & Senses

Origin: Clapping requires two hands, a widely used Arabic image for the need to work together.

More idioms — Body & Senses

  • नाक में दम करना (naak mein dam karna) — To harass or pester relentlessly.
  • מצא חן בעיניי (matsa chen be'einai) — It pleased me; I liked it.
  • Дати драла (Daty drala) — To run away fast.
  • Anar a pams — To proceed carefully, step by step.
  • Tocar el dos — To clear off; to leave in a hurry.
  • Að leggja höfuðið í bleyti — To sleep on a problem and think hard about it.

More Arabic idioms

  • الجمل ما يشوف عوجة رقبته (Al-jamal mā yshūf 'awjat raqabatuh) — People are blind to their own faults.
  • تمخض الجبل فولد فأرا (tamakhaḍa al-jabalu fa-walada fa'ran) — A huge fuss producing a tiny result.
  • يضرب في حديد بارد (yadrib fi hadid barid) — To waste effort on a hopeless task.
  • القرد بعين أمه غزال (al-qird bi-ʿayn ummihi ghazāl) — Parents see their children as beautiful no matter what.
  • اللي ما يعرف الصقر يشويه (illi ma yaʿrif al-ṣaqr yishwīh) — Failing to recognize something valuable and destroying it.
  • على قد لحافك مد رجليك (ʿalā qadd liḥāfik midd rijlayk) — Live within your means.

← Back to Idioms

Loading the full interactive collection…