Air tenang jangan disangka tiada buaya.
“Calm water, do not assume there is no crocodile.”
A quiet or humble appearance may conceal hidden depth, danger, or strength.
— Traditional Singapore Wisdom, Singapore
Source: Traditional Malay proverb (peribahasa Melayu), shared heritage of Singapore's Malay community and the wider Malay-speaking region, public-domain oral tradition
More Proverbs from Singapore
Like bamboo and its riverbank.
Two parties who support and protect each other in a relationship of mutual benefit.
Like an areca nut split into two.
Two people or things that are strikingly similar or perfectly matched, such as a devoted couple.
Where there is sugar, there are ants.
People are naturally drawn to wherever there is profit or opportunity.
Little by little, over time it becomes a hill.
Small, consistent efforts accumulate into something significant.
Like a frog under a coconut shell.
A person with a narrow, limited view of the world, unaware of what lies beyond their small experience.
Heavy loads carried together, light loads carried together.
Sharing both hardship and ease together as a community or partnership.