how to say “seeing the glass half full”
לְהִסְתַּכֵּל עַל חֲצִי הַכּוֹס הַמְּלֵאָה
Is the glass half empty or half full? Conventional wisdom dictates: see the glass as half full.
Hebrew joins a slew of languages that translate that important phrase, producing the dictum:
צָרִיךְ לְהִסְתַּכֵּל עַל חֲצִי הַכּוֹס הַמְּלֵאָה, וְלֹא עַל חֲצִי הַכּוֹס הָרֵיקָה.
Literally – (One) should look at the half-full glass, and not at the half-empty glass.
Broken down, that’s:
ְצָרִיך – (one) needs or (one) should
– (one) needs or (one) shouldלְהִסְתַּכֵּל – to look at
– to look atחֵצִי – half
– halfכּוֹס – glass or cup
– glass or cupמְלֵאָה – feminine form of מָלֵא meaning full
– feminine form of מָלֵא meaning fullרֵיקָה – feminine form of רֵיק meaning empty
– feminine form of רֵיק meaning empty