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  What it means

  “Without effort there is no honey.” You have to work for the sweet things in life. Like a beekeeper who must tend the hive, anyone who wants a reward must first put in the labour.

  English equivalent

  No pain, no gain. / You reap what you sow.

  Vocabulary

  • zachód — effort, trouble, bother (here); also: west, sunset
  • miód — honey

  Grammar note

  'Bez zachodu' — genitive of 'zachód' after 'bez'. 'Miodu' — genitive of 'miód' after 'nie ma'. The rhyme 'zachodu / miodu' makes this proverb easy to remember.

  Cultural context

  Beekeeping has deep roots in Polish rural culture, making honey a natural symbol of hard-won sweetness.

  Beginner

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