proverb · Words worth keeping
Woe to the house where there is no chiding.
Woe to the house where there is no chiding.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A household may need to address problems rather than avoid every difficult conversation. The saying’s praise of chiding needs limits on how disagreement is expressed.
What the words are saying
The warning imagines a home without correction as a place where faults can go unchecked. It may encourage speaking up when a recurring problem harms shared life. Yet repeated scolding is not the same as constructive discussion, and a peaceful home does not necessarily hide neglect. A useful reading concerns clear, respectful communication about a particular issue. It does not make intimidation, humiliation or constant fault-finding necessary for a household to function.
Everyday example
Housemates calmly discuss an unfinished shared task instead of silently letting resentment accumulate.
When to use it
Use it to distinguish necessary discussion from avoidance of a recurring problem.
What it does not mean
Scolding, intimidation and abuse are not requirements for a healthy household.
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
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 238 · Chiding
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English