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Boholano Proverbs
Tagbilaran, Tuesday, 8 October 2002
The Boholanos are fond of proverbs. They embody the morals and the wisdom of the people,
and reflect their ideas and beliefs in a just a few well choosen words. Here we present a small
collection of Boholano proverbs.
Since all Boholanos are keen bussiness people, we start with some proverbs related to
business.
Visayan

English

Aron dili ka limbongan,

Pangutana sa precio
Sa tolo ka tindahan
Kon ikaw sa usa ka tawo maka utang,
Kinahanglan magpakita ka kaniya sa kanunay.
Kon makapalit ka ug barato,
Ikaw ra ang matonto.
Kon gusto ka nga maka kita ug higala,
Pautanga siya ug ayaw paningla.
Ang mag baligya
Firming mokanta nga matamis ang iyang baligya.

In order that you would not be cheated,

Ask the price at three shops.
If you owe a man anything,
There is nothing like seeing him often.
If you got a thing too cheaply,
You'll be taken in.
If one wishes to get friends with his fellows,
Let him buy on credit and never collect the money.
The melon seller
Declares his melon sweet.

Of course, the Boholanos are also deeply religious, as is reflected in the following proverbs on
religion and related subjects.
Kadtong magabuhat ug maayo panalanginan,
Kadtong magabuhat ug dautan, paninglan.
Ang kasingkasing nga matarung, dili mahadlok;
Bisan linti ang madungog.
Ang familia nga naga tanum ug kaayohan, Nag ani
ug Kapalaran;
Ang nag tanum ug kadautan, nag ani ug Lonlon
kasakitan.
Sa katapusan, ang maayo ug dautan
Paga gantihan;
Ang pangutan mao,
Moabut ugma ug karon?
Ang mga butang nga dili hikitan,
Ug dili hidungan sa tawo,
Sa langit hikitan ug hibaloan.
Ang kasingkasing sa mga tao,
Mao ang kasingkasing sa langit.

Those who lay up goodness prosper,

Those who lay up evil are destroyed.
The upright in heart, fears not;
Not even the thunderbolts.
The family that accumulates virtue will have
felicity;
But the family that increases in evil will have
misery.
In the end, good and evil
will have its rewards,
The question is, will it come sooner or later?
What man sees not,
And hears not,
Heaven sees and knows.
The heart of the people
Is the heart of heaven.

We conclude this collection with proverbs on a number of subjects.

Ang pag sulti, sapi,
Ang pag hilum, bulawan.

Speech is silver,
Silence is gold.

Ang puthaw madunot sa iyang

Kaugalingon nga ta-ay.
Ang Owang nga matulog
Paga dad-on sa solog.
Walay kauswagan
Kon walya inantusan.
Ang mag dula sa kalayo
Masunog gayud ug seguro.
Ang tanum nga kalabasa
Ang bunga pag biyaan
Sa iyang pag panaw.
Ang pobre kon makalapas
Sa tanang tao hikitan.
Ang sayog sa uban, himatngonan,
Apan ang imo, paga tabunan.
Ang tawo kon hadlok
Molukso bisan unsa kahabug.
Bisan ug unsa ka taas sa procession,
Mo pauli gayud sa kaugalingon.
Unsaon pa ang kompay,
Kon patay na ang kabayo?
Ang nagdali,
makabali.
Siguing pili,
Sa pinilian pauli.
Nagdaginot sa binlod,
Nag usik sa bugas.
Puslan nga maligo,
Manglugod.

Iron is destroyed
By its own rust.
A sleeping shrimp is carried away by the current.
There is no success
If there is no sacrifice.
He who plays with fire
Is surely burned.
A squash plant leaves its
fruits behind as it travels.
A poor man's mistake is noted by all.
Other's faults you see clearly,
but not your own.
There is no fence too high
for a frightened person.
No matter how long the procession be,
It always goes back to its starting place.
Oh what use is hay,
When the horse is already dead?
Haste makes waste.
Too much choosing
Leads to a poor choice.
Man in his attempt to own everything,
May lose things of much greater importance.
In doing a piece of work,
One must do it well.