proverb · Words worth keeping
When the ass begins to bray, surely rain will come that day.
When the ass begins to bray, surely rain will come that day.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying treats a donkey beginning to bray as a sure sign of rain that day. It gives an animal sound predictive force.
What the words are saying
Surely heightens the certainty without giving evidence for it. The supplied pressure-sensing claim is not verified here and does not identify why an individual animal calls. A responsible interpretation explains the rhyme’s forecast without making it an animal-behavior rule.
Everyday example
A reader identifies the braying cue and the same-day claim while leaving both prediction and cause unconfirmed.
When to use it
Use it to examine the certainty in an animal-based forecast.
What it does not mean
No cause of braying or guaranteed same-day rain is established.
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 603; PDF page 87
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.