Thread: еда и пища

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

PS. Oh, I came up with a better pair:
"Не плюй в колодец" - a saying
"Не плюй в колодец - пригодится воды напиться" - a proverb

I don't see a difference. To me, they mean the same thing, it's just that the second version completes the thought which was implied in the first.

As far as English is concerned, a proverb and a saying are practically identical.

Originally Posted by Matroskin Kot

I don't see a difference. To me, they mean the same thing, it's just that the second version completes the thought which was implied in the first.

Yeah, as I said, in this cases (when saying is a shortened version of the actual proverb) the difference is almost non-existent.
Maybe net serfer can suggest something better, I'm out of ideas.
But it's easier to see why "щи да каша..." is a saying, not a proverb, isn't it?

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

net surfer, никакие цитаты из толковых словарей не изменят факта,

Lol WTF?!?! You made me do it!

Загляни в словарь.

что для многих нейтив спикеров "saying" и "proverb" - одно и то же

I asked a native as well if you didn't notice!

(что и отражено в двуязычных словарях). А толковые словари читают далеко не все. :)

Bilingual dictionaries often lie especially Lingvo :( Too bad but they cant be 100% trusted. For this reason it's better to use monolingual dictionaries. I didn't think Russians on this forum used only bilingual dictionaries.

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

Originally Posted by Matroskin Kot

I don't see a difference. To me, they mean the same thing, it's just that the second version completes the thought which was implied in the first.

Yeah, as I said, in this cases (when saying is a shortened version of the actual proverb) the difference is almost non-existent.
Maybe net serfer can suggest something better, I'm out of ideas.
But it's easier to see why "щи да каша..." is a saying, not a proverb, isn't it?

Что ты используешь слова носящие мне один и тот же смысл? Представь, что я говорю тебе, "Теперь видишь разницу между едой и пищей?" :P

Ну ладно, проехали...

Bilingual dictionaries often lie especially Lingvo

Thank you!

Я вообще не пойму, чего вы на меня наезжаете. Договоритесь между собой сначала.

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

Я вообще не пойму, чего вы на меня наезжаете. Договоритесь между собой сначала.

Думаешь, что мы с ним разные люди, что ли?
:P

Originally Posted by Matroskin Kot

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

PS. Oh, I came up with a better pair: :D
"Не плюй в колодец" - a saying
"Не плюй в колодец - пригодится воды напиться" - a proverb

I don't see a difference. To me, they mean the same thing, it's just that the second version completes the thought which was implied in the first.

Let me try.

Свинья везде грязь найдёт. It's just a notice, it doesnt give some advice or give you some really useful information. It's just kinda a fact people noticed thats all. If you don't know it, nothing will happen.

Не плюй в колодец, пригодится воды напиться. It's some advice which teach you не плевать в колодец because later тебе пригодиться оттуда воды напиться. If you don't know it, you'll screw up.

Hopehully it'll help.

Thanks guys for the good discussion about the subtleties of a saying versus a proverb. Now I learn two new words, "пословица и поговорка", in pretty good detail.
So while there is a distinct difference between "пословица и поговрка", the English "saying and proverb" is used quite interchangeably without any significant difference. It may probably have a stricter definition, but today most people use it without any distinction. However, the word "saying"s is more common than "proverb".

I think that although these two words can be used interchangeably, the reasoning behind the two follows thus: all proverbs are sayings, but all sayings are not proverbs.

True, but I just can't think of a saying that's not a proverb. Can you?

Originally Posted by tohca

True, but I just can't think of a saying that's not a proverb. Can you?

If my grandma had balls, she'd be my grandpa?

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

Originally Posted by tohca

True, but I just can't think of a saying that's not a proverb. Can you?

If my grandma had balls, she'd be my grandpa?

Can't say I've heard that one before. Even then, it does have something catchy and wise about it.

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

If my grandma had balls, she'd be my grandpa?

Жжешь!!! =)

Originally Posted by BappaBa

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

If my grandma had balls, she'd be my grandpa?

Жжешь!!! =)

Честно, я старалась, но не смогла вспомнить ничего другого.
Мне эту фразу так часто повторяли, что она теперь автоматом всплывает и блокирует все прочие мозговые волны. )

By the way, пища can be used in a figurative sense, unlike еда.

пища для ума
дать пищу для разговоров

One can't say еда instead of пища here.

Originally Posted by Оля

By the way, пища can be used in a figurative sense, unlike еда.

пища для ума
дать пищу для разговоров

One can't say еда instead of пища here.

These are pretty good phrases indeed, especially "пища для ума". Hope they sink in and form part of my active vocabulary.