"To cherish as the apple of my eye": the meaning of phraseology and its origin

How can you tell a person to be alert and alert? One of the options - the expression "cherish as the apple of my eye." The meaning of phraseology is analyzed today.

What is the "apple of the eye"?

It's very simple: the "apple of the eye" is the pupil of the eye in an outdated version. For any person, though ordinary, though outstanding, the organs of vision are very important. A person is very afraid of losing his sight, because it means being in total darkness. That is why the expression "cherish as the apple of the eye" (the meaning of phraseology follows) is interpreted as follows: "guard something as the most valuable thing that you have." The message comes from the Bible. If the reader opens Deuteronomy, chapter 32, verse 10, he will find it.

Letter from Father

Considering the expression "cherish as the apple of the eye," a sentence with phraseology which can be compiled? It's easy to answer this question. For example, a boy is given a letter that his father wrote, and they say to him: "Take care of him as the apple of my eye." Why? Perhaps, the letter is endowed with special value, because it is the last from the father. And if the boy correctly understands the idiomatic expression, he will keep the letter as the greatest value.

First love

And someone keeps a photo of school love. Because youth is a magical time, and the first strong feeling is something unforgettable. The photo in this case serves as a portal at that time, of course, not real, metaphysical. Thanks to the picture, the person mentally returns at that time and again experiences those sensations. In general, it is clear what "to cherish as the apple of the eye" (the meaning of phraseology is no longer a problem).

Apartment keys

Till now conversation went about values of non-material. But phraseology can also be used to ask a friend to monitor the safety of treasures of material, such as an apartment that will be empty for a long time. One friend calls another and says:

- Sergei, hello! I have to go on a business trip here. Send for 2 months. You take care of my apartment. There new repair, a stereo system, furniture expensive. I'll give you the keys, and you take care of them as the apple of my eye.

- Wait, I do not know what is "cherish as the apple of my eye," explain the meaning of phraseology to me?

"Okay, do not pretend." Even a child knows the meaning of this expression. I'll pick you up in the evening.

"Do not worry, your apartment will be well guarded."

Literary example

It is known that Franz Kafka ordered his friend Max Brod to burn all his literary heritage, but the friend did not listen to the great German-speaking writer, and on the contrary, he kept everything Kafka wrote. Max Brod did a good or bad thing, we do not know. The main thing is that his behavior is suitable as an example, which illustrates the phraseology "cherish as the apple of my eye".

Many people in the history of literature, who did not listen to writers and eventually published, made their heritage public. Imagine that, for example, MA. Bulgakov did not plan to publish the novel "Master and Margarita" and wrote it on the table. Now, of course, it's hard to believe. But during Stalin's lifetime, despite the latter's favor to Bulgakov, the novel could not be published for ideological reasons. For the first time the novel was truncated in 1966. The full text appeared only in 1969.

What would have happened to the literature if there were no people who internally formulated their life program in the following way: to cherish as the apple of the eye (the origin of the phraseology was considered at the very beginning, or rather the source - the Bible) the writer's legacy at all costs.

Value is a subjective concept

From the preceding reasoning it is clear that it is impossible to determine precisely the class of things that are worth or are not worth preserving in the future their eyes. Because value is a subjective concept. A child cherishes a wrapper or a very rare insert from a chewing gum. Teenager - a record of your favorite group, an adult - a car, an apartment or something else, such as a gold watch. Everyone decides if something is as expensive as the apple of the eye, or not.

Tonality and unofficial phraseology

Despite the fact that the expression belongs to a high style, like all the phraseological units, the source of which is the Bible, it can not be used at a meeting in ties. For such meetings it is too informal. But in the circle of relatives and friends the expression is acceptable. Close people will easily understand what a person wants to say. They will not have a question about what it means to "cherish as the apple of the eye."

There will not be such a question for the reader either, because the meaning of the phraseology has been analyzed on various examples. It is also established that expression plays a special role in the history of domestic and foreign literature. In particular, if people did not live who not only knew, but also applied in practice the wisdom contained in the speech, then we, modern people, would lose many masterpieces of literary creativity.

Lesson of phraseology

What does phraseology mean "cherish as the apple of the eye" is, of course, important, but more importantly, how the speech guides people. If you think about it, then it contains a whole moral program: first, be able to distinguish between the great and the insignificant; Second, to retain the former and to discard the second. Sometimes the meaning of phraseology is more mundane, but we hope that in any case the lesson will be learned.

If you learn to unfold lapidary folk wisdom, then you will not need to read any other books, except a phraseological dictionary, to be imbued with the experience of centuries. However, to learn how to unfold stable phrases, you need to know a lot. While the only reliable source of preservation and transmission of information - this book. The circle closes, and the person has no choice but to go to the library or to the bookshelf in the apartment (if there is one).