ده

اـِلَّا دَهْ فَلَا دَهْ الا ده فلا ده الا ده فلا دة , (JK, and so in some copies of the K,) or اـِلَّا دَهٍ فَلَا دَهٍ, (As, IAar, S, TA, and so in copies of the K,) a saying of the Arabs, meaning If this thing be not now, it will not be after the present time: (As, S, K:) As says, I know not its origin, but I think it to be Pers., and to mean, if thou strike not him, or it, now, thou wilt not strike him, or it, ever: (S:) accord. to IAar, it is said to a man when he is at the point of accomplishing his want in respect of a creditor of his, or in respect of his blood-revenge, or in respect of paying honour to a friend of his; (TA;) and means if thou seize not the opportunity now, thou wilt never meet with it: (K, TA:) accord. to Lth, (TA,) it means, if thou avenge not his blood, or if thou slay him not in blood-revenge, now, thou wilt never do so. (JK, TA.) Accord. to As, one says also, لَا دَهٍ فَلَا دَهٍ, meaning I will not accept either of the two actions proposed. (TA.) Az says that this saying shows ده to be Pers., and to mean The act of striking: you say to a man, ↓ دِهْ, meaning Strike thou: and he says, I have seen it written with kesr in the book of AZ. (TA.) ↓ دِهْ in Pers. means Give thou: and metonymically, the act of striking. (TA.)