proverb · Words worth keeping
The water is hot but will extinguish the fire.
The water is hot but will extinguish the fire.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying describes water as hot yet able to extinguish fire. Its contrast separates a condition from the function the saying assigns it.
What the words are saying
But makes the apparently opposing qualities the point of the image. A qualified figurative reading can ask whether a perceived disadvantage actually removes a relevant ability. The phrase does not identify conditions for extinguishing a real fire and must not be treated as fire-response guidance.
Everyday example
A reader asks whether an apparent drawback is relevant to the particular contribution under discussion.
When to use it
Use it to examine a contrast between condition and possible function.
What it does not mean
No fire-safety method, universal physical rule or precise traditional application is verified.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 439; PDF page 65
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.