APAD:a friend in need is a friend indeed

a friend in need is a friend indeed

Etymology：

The idea that false friends will abandon a person in times of adversity while true friends will reveal themselves and provide help is ancient: the Greek playwright Euripides (c. 480 – c. 406 BC) wrote in Hecuba (424 BC); and English translation as“it is in trouble's hour that the good most clearly show their friendship; though prosperity by itself in every case finds friends”

But beside the above etymological cognition, the literal wording of "a friend in need is a friend indeed" can lead to ambiguities.

Is it 'a friend (when you are) in need' or 'a friend (who is) in need'? If the former, then the phrase means: 'someone who helps you when you are in need is a true friend'. If the latter, it is 'someone who needs your help becomes especially friendly in order to obtain it'.

So, that gives us the follow options:

1. A friend, (when you are) in need, is indeed a true friend. ('indeed')
2. A friend, (who is) in need, is ('indeed') inclined to stress their frienship in order to obtain your help.

For us? Using No. 1 with a straight-face,  and using both with LOL.

患难见真友。赞一个！没有见过第二种解释。觉得这句话里 in need的人和 friend 应该是两个人。

Ambiguity is of linguistic fantasy; should b strictly banned

4 air traffic ctrl.

Agreed.

这句好像是我上学时学到的第一句英语谚语。亲切。有时候患难中因为种种不得已原因没有出手相助的，也不一定就不是真正朋友。

是两个朋友遇到熊的故事~~~

完全同意。出手帮助的应该是真盆友，一时没出手的盆友各有苦衷（比如比需银子的人更穷），但会在别的需要时出手相助的。

Same here. Haven't seen the 2nd till today.

Keep your friends close; keep your enemies closer.

and until today, there was no ambiguity for me :-)

The one I heard was about a race :-)

+1 grizzly is fast as deer, agile as cat. No way 2 over run

as long as I am faster than the friend

Actually there r 4 options, I dropped 2 seemed more obvious

Please keep those two done :-)

The others try 2 distort "indeed" which made less sense 2 me

I meant "down" :-)) And thank you!

说的是，对朋友的期望越低越会appreciate他们任何援助之手。

but keep them (enemies) in a different "container" ;-)

So they can't diss our dinner :-)

噗，楼上3位。。haha

拉手！：）

第二种太功利了。需不需要都是朋友的才是真朋友的最高境界～

我接者說-,,現在(其實一直都有)-似乎有種"精緻的利己主義者-"",

剛剛看到-,,不及深究-:))__-:-

-:))_-,,

新年好-,,祝健康幸福-:)) 。。。。。

不能同意更多啦！白天居然漏看了这个回帖。我这都什么眼神呀。勿怪呀。：）

第一次见到第二种解释，interesting. 另：事急从权古已有之，舍身取义毕竟是极少数现象，所以人们特别珍贵而赞扬

Sun Tzu created it but gained in the movie "The Godfather 2"

TGF2 is exactly where I first saw it. Sun Tzu was a surprise