
ProverbChallenge
Arabic origin
يد واحدة لا تصفق (yad wāḥida lā tuṣaffiqu)
Meaning: Nothing is achieved without cooperation.
Literally: One hand does not clap
Example: “لن ننجح في تنظيف الحي وحدنا؛ يد واحدة لا تصفق.” — We can't clean up the neighborhood alone; many hands make light work.
Equivalents in English
English: One hand will not clasp.
Origin: Clapping takes two hands, so one hand alone cannot make a sound. The proverb, common across the Arab world, means that nothing gets done without cooperation, and is also said of a quarrel, which needs two sides. Persian and other languages of the region have the same saying.
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