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  listen and repeat (one) needs or (one) should
לְהִסְתַּכֵּל  listen and repeat to look at
חֵצִי  listen and repeat half
כּוֹס  listen and repeat glass or cup
מְלֵאָה  listen and repeat – feminine form of מָלֵא  listen and repeat meaning full
רֵיקָה  listen and repeat – feminine form of רֵיק  listen and repeat meaning empty

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