Het hemd is nader dan de rok.

English translation: Charity begins at home.

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Dutch term or phrase:Het hemd is nader dan de rok.
English translation:Charity begins at home.
Entered by: Yasutomo Kanazawa

16:09 Nov 23, 2009
Dutch to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Linguistics / Proverbs
Dutch term or phrase: Het hemd is nader dan de rok.
Re Het hemd is nader dan de rok.

Greetings,

Please could you explain the meaning/usage of this proverb?

All the best,

Simon
SeiTT
United Kingdom
Local time: 13:54
Charity begins at home.
Explanation:
Meaning "charity begins at home, is the proverb and quotation by Thomas Fuller Gnomologia is "charity begins at home, and should not end there." Definition: love (charity) starts from home.

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Note added at 21 mins (2009-11-23 16:31:02 GMT)
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You should take care of family and people close to you before you worry about helping others.

http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/charity
Selected response from:

Yasutomo Kanazawa
Japan
Local time: 22:54
Grading comment
many thanks superb
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +2Charity begins at home.
Yasutomo Kanazawa
4 +2Blood is thicker than water
sindy cremer
4Near is my skirt, but nearer is my skin.
Wim Van Verre
3One makes the most effort for those closest to him (her)
Vert-ical Tr (X)
Summary of reference entries provided
writeaway

  

Answers


19 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
Charity begins at home.


Explanation:
Meaning "charity begins at home, is the proverb and quotation by Thomas Fuller Gnomologia is "charity begins at home, and should not end there." Definition: love (charity) starts from home.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 21 mins (2009-11-23 16:31:02 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

You should take care of family and people close to you before you worry about helping others.

http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/charity

Yasutomo Kanazawa
Japan
Local time: 22:54
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in JapaneseJapanese
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
many thanks superb

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Verginia Ophof: Yes !
2 mins
  -> Thank you Verginia and a pleasant evening!

agree  Johan Venter
40 mins
  -> Thank you Johan
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

25 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
One makes the most effort for those closest to him (her)


Explanation:
Hello,
I found this proverb in this wonderful little book from Belgium that I happen to have. Literally: "Men doet de meeste moeite voor de mensen die men het meest liefheeft." The book is Groot Spreekwoordenboek; NUGI 943/94 Belgium. Good luck!

Vert-ical Tr (X)
Netherlands
Local time: 14:54
Native speaker of: English
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38 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
Blood is thicker than water


Explanation:
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=blood*18 0&di... :

"...means family relationships are stronger and more important than other kinds of relationships"

sindy cremer
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in DutchDutch
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  André Linsen: Absolutely! When a choice has to be made, family will come first! Be CrystalClear's answer is an equally good one!
2 hrs
  -> Thanks

agree  Iris Shalev
14 hrs
  -> Thanks
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33 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
Near is my skirt, but nearer is my skin.


Explanation:
Here is the entry from VanDale:

het hemd is nader dan de rok
near is my shirt, but nearer is my skin
near is my kirtle, but nearer is my smock
± charity begins at home

The last option is indeed what Yasutomo suggested.

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Note added at 36 mins (2009-11-23 16:45:49 GMT)
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I have actually found out that "near is my kirtle, but nearer is my smock" is more common than "near is my shirt, but nearer is my skin".

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Note added at 39 mins (2009-11-23 16:49:08 GMT)
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I take back what I said in my previous note: the one with the shirt is obviously more common than the one with the kirtle.

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Note added at 41 mins (2009-11-23 16:50:36 GMT)
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And I just found out there's a typo in the answer I provided: it should be shirt, not skirt! :-s

Wim Van Verre
Local time: 14:54
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Dutch

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Johan Venter: I just found out that sometimes it is a little hard to be crystal clear :)
25 mins
  -> Yes, I'm sorry about that, but my final answer is "near is my shirt, but nearer is my skin"
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Reference comments


42 mins
Reference

Reference information:
The new Routledge Dutch dictionary: Dutch-English/English-Dutch - Google Books Result
by N. E. Osselton, R. Hempelman - 2003 - Foreign Language Study - 909 pages
... (naasten)liefde || - charity begins at home (roughly) het hemd is nader dan de rok charlatan ...
books.google.be/books?isbn=041530041X..

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Note added at 43 mins (2009-11-23 16:53:06 GMT)
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Van Dale Nl-En dictionary

¶ spreekwoord(en)
het hemd is nader dan de rok
near is my shirt, but nearer is my skin
near is my kirtle, but nearer is my smock
± charity begins at home

writeaway
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8
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