• Listen

  What it means

  A dark historical proverb reflecting old patriarchal attitudes. It is cited today as an example of how harmful and misogynistic folk sayings can be, not as advice to follow.

  Vocabulary

  • chłop — peasant man, husband
  • baba — woman, wife (colloquial/archaic)
  • wątroba — liver
  • gnić — to rot, to decay

  Grammar note

  'Nie bije' is negated present tense of 'bić' (to beat). 'Gnije' is present tense of 'gnić'.

  Cultural context

  This proverb is a relic of historical domestic violence normalisation. It is quoted in academic and cultural contexts as an example of misogyny embedded in folk tradition, not as a living piece of wisdom.

  Advanced

Noticed a typo, a wrong translation, or anything that doesn't look right? We'd love to fix it — just let us know via the contact page. Thank you!