Like so many other Spanish sayings, this phrase of the week we use it in our daily life to refer to specific situations in a more special way. These sayings give the Spanish language and culture a unique richness that makes it very different.
The phrase ‘no hay mal que por bien no venga’ has an unknown origin, but already in the year 1630 Juan Ruíz de Alarcon wrote a comedy with this phrase as a title. This makes us realise that this popular saying was transmitted orally for many years.
What does ‘no hay mal que por bien no venga’ mean?
From the point of view of positivism, this saying refers to the fact that everything that happens in this life in an evil, destructive or malicious way is followed by something loyal, true and better.
Life has its upsides and downsides, good times and bad times… The yin and the yang. With phrases such as ‘every cloud has a silver lining’ the aim is to give support, advice and a hopeful message from the recipient that better times will come.
This saying has many others that are similar, such as, for example, see the glass half full; when one door opens, another closes; no evil lasts a hundred years; among many others. In the end, all these sayings are intended to shed some light on a dark moment you are going through.
What is the origin of the phrase ‘no hay mal que por bien no venga’?
The origin of this saying is uncertain, like almost all Spanish sayings. They arose from the need to communicate with each other among peoples and regions throughout history.
These phrases of popular origin were born with the purpose of teaching and transmitting a common teaching or thought.
Example of the phrase of the week ‘no hay mal que por bien no venga’ in Spanish
Here we are going to use this phrase in several examples to put it into context:
You find yourself facing redundancy from a job that paid the bills and you felt comfortable with your colleagues, but which was not the illusion of your life because it was not what you always imagined it would be. After some time learning from the unpleasant situation, a job comes along that you like, where you feel valued and you are completely happy working. It’s everything you ever wanted. That’s when the saying that every cloud has a silver lining applies. After the distressing moment of redundancy, something better came along.
We can also make an example with love… After a break-up and all that it entails, something better comes… The resurgence of a new love.
A more mischievous example could be that your car breaks down on the way to the university and you save yourself from doing an activity, every cloud has a silver lining.
From Decanto Community we offer you courses, experiences and a lot of information about Spain, its language and its people, don’t forget to visit our website!