The meaning of the phraseological unit “Valaam's donkey. Phraseologism "Valaam donkey": meaning, origin Valaam donkey meaning
Valaam's donkey VALAAM'S ASS. 1. Iron. An extremely silent and submissive person who suddenly expressed his opinion, disagreement with the general opinion, protest. - Why hurt me, papa? After all, you see - I'm the only one! always alone! After all, you understand how hard it is for me to live - and you will never say a kind word to me ... - So the Valaam donkey spoke, - the old man said with a smile(M. Gorky. Foma Gordeev). 2.
Bran. Contempt. Extremely stubborn, stupid woman. - Pantakovskaya, huh? - he reproachfully threw [Ivan Ivanovich] Prokhor Frolovich ... - Well, her! - Prokhor Frolovich angrily twitched his pouting lips ... By rank, so to speak, professor, but in fact Valaam's donkey!(A. Koptyaeva. Daring). - From the biblical legend about the ass of the sorcerer Valaam, who unexpectedly protested in human language against beatings. Lit .: Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language / Edited by prof. D. N. Ushakova. - M., 1938. - T. 2. - S. 868.
Phraseological dictionary of the Russian literary language. - M.: Astrel, AST. A. I. Fedorov. 2008 .
See what "Valaam's donkey" is in other dictionaries:
Valaam's donkey- Valaam's donkey. Balaam and an angel blocking his way. Fresco 4th c. Catacombs on the Via Latina. Rome. VALAAM'S ASS, in the Bible, the donkey of the soothsayer Balaam suddenly spoke. The expression "Valaam's donkey" is used in an ironic sense according to ... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary
VALAAM'S ASS- in the Bible, the donkey of the soothsayer Balaam suddenly spoke. The expression Valaam's donkey is used in an ironic sense in relation to an unexpectedly speaking, usually silent person ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
VALAAM'S ASS Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov
VALAAM'S ASS- VALAAM'S ASS. see donkey. Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov
Valaam's donkey- From the Bible. The Old Testament speaks of the donkey of the Mesopotamian sorcerer Balaam, who went to overcome the Israelites with charms at the instigation of Balak, the king of the Moabites. The donkey, to the great surprise of Balaam, suddenly spoke with a human voice (Book of Numbers, ... ... Dictionary of winged words and expressions
Valaam's donkey- in the Bible, the donkey of the soothsayer Balaam suddenly spoke. The expression "Valaam's donkey" is used in an ironic sense in relation to an unexpectedly speaking, usually silent person. * * * VALAAM'S ASS VALAAM'S ASS, in the Bible… … encyclopedic Dictionary
◘ Valaam donkey- About a submissive, silent person who expressed an unexpected protest. From the biblical legend that the donkey of the sorcerer Valaam, in protest against the beatings, spoke in human language. Our Valaam donkey spoke, but as she says ... ... Dictionary of forgotten and difficult words from the works of Russian literature of the 18th-19th centuries- in the biblical legend, the Mesopotamian donkey. sorcerer Valaam. acc. biblical. According to the legend, Balaam was going to Moab. King Balak on a donkey. Dear V. o. the human spoke. voice, in which Balaam saw an indication from God ... Ancient world. encyclopedic Dictionary
The phrase traces its history from the biblical parable of the famous warlock and magician from the city of Pefor, on the Euphrates River, Valaam.
Here is how it was. The ancient Israelites, having taken possession of Transjordan after the Exodus from Egypt, gathered forces to seize the land of Canaan, which God had promised them. The king of Moab, a country neighboring Canaan, frightened by the formidable neighborhood with the Israelites, but not having the strength to defeat them in battle, asked Balaam to put damage on them.
Balaam, after much persuasion, agreed and went to Moab on a donkey. But an angel sent by the God of Israel blocked her path. The donkey has gone astray. Balaam got angry and beat the donkey. That such injustice outraged her to such an extent that she spoke in a human voice, they say, you’re out of your mind, or something, that you’re beating me for no reason, didn’t I drive you, obey you, please? Then Balaam himself saw the angel, admitted his mistake and made peace with the donkey. Well, what happened with Moab and the Israelites, read in the Bible.
Rembrandt's painting "Valaam's donkey"
Rembrandt "Valaam's donkey"
Created by the great Dutch artist in 1626. Size 63x 46.5 cm, oil on canvas.
Plots on the themes of the Old Testament were very popular with the artists of the Netherlands of those years. The picture about Valaam's donkey was also painted by Rembrandt's teacher Peter Lastman. Rembrandt surpassed him in artistic skill, but retained the basis of the plot.
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606-1669) created a huge number of paintings.
Thematically similar to the "Valaam donkey" according to Wikipedia are the following
"Artaxerxes, Haman and Esther", "The Return of the Prodigal Son", "Belshazzar's Feast", "The Sacrifice of Abraham", "Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem", "Samson and Delilah", "The Resurrection of Lazarus", "Tobit and Anna", " David before Saul.
As the Bible tells us, Balaam was a sorcerer and.
One day he was called by Balak, the king of Moab, to curse the people of Israel, who had just come from Egypt and represented for the Moabites.
However, God was on the side of Israel, and when Balaam sat on his donkey and set off, God forbade the donkey to go.
Three times he sent an angel invisible to Balaam, who blocked the donkey's path. Angry, Balaam accepted the poor animal.
And the third time the donkey could not stand it and asked Balaam in a human way:
“What have I done to you that you are beating me for the third time?”
Now the Valaam donkey can be called a quiet, silent person who begins to openly express his opinion.
This turnover has one more meaning. The stubborn woman is sometimes also called the Valaam donkey.
- Well, now you will have fun, and it is on your topic that you will laugh. We Valaam's donkey spoke, but as she speaks, as she speaks! Valaam's donkey turned out to be the footman Smerdyakov.
Fedor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. "The Brothers Karamazov"
VALAAM'S ASS
A submissive, patient man who unexpectedly protested.
❀ ❀ ❀Magi - priests, sages, astrologers, soothsayers or magicians who enjoyed great influence in antiquity. Their wisdom and strength consisted in the knowledge of various secrets attributed to them, inaccessible to ordinary people.
Phraseologism "Valaam's donkey" - about the biblical miracle.
And that it is better not to beat the poor donkey, but try to understand , what's wrong.
Let's look at the meaning and origin, a synonym-antonym, as well as sentences with phraseological units from the works of writers.
The meaning of phraseology
Valaam's donkey- a silent or submissive person who unexpectedly expressed his opinion or protest
Phraseologisms-synonyms: words must be pulled out with ticks (partially)
Phraseologisms-antonyms: boneless tongue (partial)
In foreign languages there are expressions similar in meaning. Among them:
- Balaam's ass (English)
- L "Ânesse de Balaam (French)
- Bileams Eselin (German)
The origin of phraseology
Phraseologism has a biblical origin (by the way, a review of phraseological units that came from the Bible). The Old Testament speaks of the donkey of the Mesopotamian prophet and magician Balaam (Bileam), who went to conquer the Israelites with charms at the request of the king of the Moabites, Balak. On the way to Balak's camp, the donkey, to Balaam's amazement, suddenly spoke in a human voice (Book of Numbers, ch. 22, v. 28): “And the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam: what have I done to you, that you beat me here for the third time already?
This is just a small episode of the whole story: King Balak was afraid of defeat from a stronger army of Israelites who had just come from Egypt, so he persistently invited the magician Balaam to utter a ritual-magical curse against the people of Israel. And although the god Yahweh forbade Balaam to pronounce this curse, he nevertheless agreed to the new invitations of Balak and set off on a donkey.
An angel with a naked sword in his hand blocked the donkey's path three times, she stopped, and Balaam beat her with a stick each time, not seeing the angel. The third time the donkey spoke (see above), but this did not stop Balaam. Arriving at the place and climbing the sacred mountain (“the heights of Baal”), from where he could see part of the Israeli camp, Balaam offered a sacrifice, but then in prophetic ecstasy he uttered not a curse, but a blessing. The ceremony was repeated twice more in other places, but the result was the same - Balaam blessed the people of Israel. And Balak drove Balaam away from him.
This time it worked out, but in general Balaam was the inspirer of all the enemies of Israel, for example, he gave the Egyptian pharaoh advice to kill Jewish male babies. It was a dangerous enemy, Balaam was considered the greatest of the seven pagan prophets and magicians. According to the Bible, in the end, Balaam was killed by the Israelites for all his machinations.
These are the serious historical events and passions sometimes behind the reproachful remark of a timid donkey.
Sentences with idioms from the works of writers
No matter how skeptical we may be about the successes of recent times, it is still impossible not to admit that, in the mind of everyone, the growth of the Russian person has undoubtedly increased, and if we still treat this truth with distrust, then the source of such distrust is that we are looking for this increase in growth not at all where we should look for it. We all expect something from the Valaam donkey, we all think that it is she, and not another who can speak, and therefore we lose sight of that genuine source from which the stream of a new, living Russian word should flow. We intend to talk about this source with our readers. (M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, “Vain Fears”)
- No, no, I'll just cross you now, like this, sit down. Well, now you will have fun, and it is on your topic. Laugh. With us, the Valaam donkey spoke, but how she speaks, how she speaks!
Valaam's donkey turned out to be the footman Smerdyakov. The man was still young, only twenty-four years old, he was terribly unsociable and silent. (F.M. Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov)
- Why offend me, dad? After all, you see - I'm the only one! always alone! After all, you understand how hard it is for me to live - and you will never say a kind word to me ... - So the Valaam donkey spoke, - the old man said with a grin (M. Gorky, “Foma Gordeev”)
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There are a lot of phraseological units in the Russian language, some of which appeared thanks to legends and myths. Unfortunately, modern young people do not know their origins and origin, which requires additional explanation. Therefore, on the site, we have opened a new category in which we will interpret such expressions. Be sure to add us to your bookmarks, because we constantly publish interesting information. Today we will talk about a rather strange-sounding aphorism, this Valaam's donkey, you can read the meaning below.
However, before continuing, I would like to advise you to familiarize yourself with a couple of other news on the subject of proverbs and sayings. For example, what does Hedgehog mean; the meaning of the expression That's where the dog is buried; how to understand the phrase Augean stables; which means Sharpen your skis, etc.
So let's continue What does Valaam's donkey mean??
Valaam's donkey- so in an ironic sense they call modest, silent people who suddenly raise their voice in order to defend their opinion
Valaam's donkey- so in a negative way they can call girls or women who behave extremely stubbornly, showing their bad manners and rudeness
So many people live in a system that prohibits raising your voice, swearing, and generally behaving aggressively. As a result, such behavior is prescribed in a person " on the subcortex", and he turns into a submissive ram.
However, not everyone has the patience to listen to the reproaches and harassment of other people, and one day, he is able to raise his voice and begin to protest against injustice.
It is worth noting that this phrase is used for both women and men.
The origin of the phraseological unit Valaam's donkey is rooted in biblical history, or rather, in one popular parable.
In those distant times, in the city of Pefor lived a warlock named Balaam.
The plot of this fable begins with the fact that the Jews who recently conquered Transjordan dream of attacking Canaan, because this land was promised by their deity. However, not only the kingdom of Canaan is afraid of the raid of wild Jews, but also its neighbors, for example, the ruler of Moab. He worries that his army is too weak to stop the innumerable hordes of evil Semites. As a result, he does not think of anything better than to seek help from otherworldly forces. Who can serve as an intermediary between the king Moab and unclean? Only the sorcerer Valaam! This bad man is instructed to bring damage and the evil eye on the wild Jews.
You must have wondered, when will this warlock's donkey finally appear? Wait, we haven't gotten to that point yet. At first, Balaam was not going to help this tiny state, but then, having weighed all the pros and cons, he sets off on a journey. Of course, he did not go on foot, but rode on his four-legged vehicle, which was that same donkey.
How long has it been a short ride? witch when suddenly, unexpectedly, an angel does not appear near him, which scares the animal, and then it twitches sharply.
Balaam, having come into a rage, begins to beat the recalcitrant cattle, until she finally can stand it, and speaks in a human voice. She explains to the old man that all her life she served him faithfully, stoically withstanding all the beatings and inattention of her master. The warlock suddenly sees clearly, and decides to make peace with a smart animal.
Thanks to this parable, the expression appeared "Valaam's donkey" meaning which you have now recognized, and now you can not get into a mess if you find it on the Internet or TV.
