ويح

Root entry · 10 derived lemmas

This root primarily concerns expressions of pity, compassion, and sometimes regret or admonishment. It is often contrasted with 'ويل' (woe), with 'ويح' generally implying a softer, more sympathetic tone, while 'ويل' denotes a harsher fate or punishment.

Derived headwords

وَيْحٌparticle

1.
pityboth
A word used to express compassion and mercy towards someone experiencing hardship or misfortune.
2.
regretclassical
Can be used to express regret or sorrow over a situation.
3.
admonishmentclassical
Sometimes used as a mild form of admonishment or warning.
4.
amazementclassical
Can be used to express wonder or amazement.

ويح لمن لم يدر ما هن ويحما — Woe to him who does not know what they are, and woe to him.

ويح زيد — Pity for Zayd.

وَيْحَمَاparticle

1.
pityclassical
An intensified form of 'ويح', used to express strong pity or compassion.

ألا هيما مما لقيت وهيما — Oh, how much I have suffered and how much!

وهيما — and woe to him.

وَيْلٌparticle

1.
woeboth
A word signifying destruction, ruin, or severe punishment, often used as a curse or a dire warning.
2.
calamityboth
Denotes a great misfortune or disaster.

ويل لكل همزة — Woe to every slanderer.

ويل لزيد — Woe to Zayd.

وَيْسٌparticle

1.
pity (diminutive)classical
A diminutive form of 'ويح', implying a lesser degree of pity or tenderness.
2.
gentle admonishmentclassical
Used for a gentle admonishment or a mild expression of concern.

ويسه ما أملحه — How sweet he is!

ويس له — Pity for him.

وَيْحَكَparticle

1.
pity youboth
An expression of pity directed at the person addressed.

ويحك يا ابن سمية بؤسا لك تقتلك الفئة الباغية — Woe to you, son of Sumayyah! Misery for you, the rebellious group will kill you.

وَيْلَكَparticle

1.
woe to youboth
An expression of severe warning or condemnation directed at the person addressed.

وَيْسَكَparticle

1.
pity you (diminutive)classical
A diminutive expression of pity directed at the person addressed.

ويسه ما أملحه — How sweet he is!

وَيْحَ زَيْدٍphrase

1.
pity for Zaydboth
An expression of pity directed towards Zayd, often with an implied verb of wishing or calling.

ويح زيد — Pity for Zayd.

وَيْلَ زَيْدٍphrase

1.
woe to Zaydboth
An expression of condemnation or dire fate for Zayd, often with an implied verb.

وَيْسَ زَيْدٍphrase

1.
pity for Zayd (diminutive)classical
A diminutive expression of pity directed towards Zayd.

Parallel reading

كلمة تقال رحمة

A word said out of mercy.

وكذلك ويحما

And likewise 'wayhama'.

ألا هيما مما لقيت وهيما

Oh, how much I have suffered and woe to him.

وويح لمن لم يدر ما هن ويحما

And woe to him who does not know what they are, and woe to him.

ويح يقال إنه رحمة لمن تنزل به بلية

'Wayh' is said to be mercy for one who is afflicted with a calamity.

وربما جعل مع ما كلمة واحدة وقيل ويحما

And sometimes it is made one word with 'ma', and it is said 'wayhama'.

ويح كلمة ترحم وتوجع

'Wayh' is a word of pity and pain.

وقد يقال بمعنى المدح والعجب

And it may be said to mean praise and amazement.

وهي منصوبة على المصدر

And it is in the accusative case as a verbal noun (masdar).

ويقال: ويح زيد، وويحا له، وويح له

It is said: 'Wayh Zayd', 'Wayhan lahu', and 'Wayh lahu'.

وويل كلمة عذاب

And 'wayl' is a word of torment.

وقيل: هما بمعنى واحد

And it is said they have the same meaning.

وهما مرفوعتان بالابتداء

And they are both in the nominative case due to being subjects.

يقال: ويح لزيد وويل لزيد

It is said: 'Wayh li-Zayd' and 'Wayl li-Zayd'.

ولك أن تقول: ويحا لزيد وويلا لزيد، فتنصبهما بإضمار فعل

And you may say: 'Wayhan li-Zayd' and 'Waylan li-Zayd', making them accusative by omitting a verb.

وكأنك قلت ألزمه الله ويحا وويلا

As if you said, 'May God impose upon him pity and woe'.

ولك أن تقول ويحك وويح زيد، وويلك وويل زيد، بالإضافة

And you may say 'wayhuka' and 'wayh Zayd', and 'wayluka' and 'wayl Zayd', by annexation.

فتنصبهما أيضا بإضمار فعل

And you make them accusative also by omitting a verb.

فإنك لو قلت فتعسهم أو بعدهم لم يصلح

For if you said 'fa-ta'as-suhum' or 'ba'aduhum', it would not be correct.

الوِيل قبوح، والوَيْح ترحم

'Al-wayl' is a denunciation, and 'al-wayh' is pity.

والويس تصغيرها أي هي دونها

And 'al-ways' is its diminutive, meaning it is less than it.

الويل هلكة، والويح قبوح

'Al-wayl' is destruction, and 'al-wayh' is denunciation.

والويس ترحم

And 'al-ways' is pity.

الويل يقال لمن وقع في الهلكة، والويح زجر لمن أشرف على الهلكة

'Al-wayl' is said for one who has fallen into destruction, and 'al-wayh' is a reprimand for one who is on the brink of destruction.

الويح والويل والويس واحد

'Al-wayh', 'al-wayl', and 'al-ways' are one.

ويحه كويله

'Wayhuhu' is like 'wayluhu'.

وقيل: ويح تقبيح

And it is said: 'Wayh' means denigration.

امتنعوا من استعمال فعل الويح لأن القياس نفاه ومنع منه

They refrained from using the verb derived from 'al-wayh' because analogy negated it and prevented its use.

لأنه لو صرف الفعل من ذلك لوجب اعتلال فائه كوعد، وعينه كباع، فتحاموا استعماله لما كان يعقب من اجتماع إعلالين

Because if the verb were derived from it, its first radical would have to be weak like 'wa'ada', and its middle radical like 'baa'a', so they avoided using it due to the resulting accumulation of two weak sound changes.

ويس كلمة في موضع رأفة واستملاح

'Ways' is a word in the place of tenderness and endearment.

كقولك للصبي: ويحه ما أملحه وويسه ما أملحه

Like your saying to a child: 'Wayhahu ma amlahahu' (How sweet he is!) and 'Waysahu ma amlahahu' (How sweet he is!).

سمعت بعض من يتنطع بقول الويح رحمة؛ قال: وليس بينه وبين الويل فرقان إلا أنه كأنه ألين قليلا

I heard some who were pedantic saying 'al-wayh' is mercy; he said: And there is no difference between it and 'al-wayl' except that it is as if it were slightly softer.

قال: ومن قال هو رحمة؛ يعني أن تكون العرب تقول لمن ترحمه: ويحه، رثاية له

He said: And whoever says it is mercy; meaning that the Arabs would say to someone they pity: 'Wayhahu', as an expression of sympathy for him.

أنه قال لعمار: ويحك يا ابن سمية بؤسا لك تقتلك الفئة الباغية

That he said to Ammar: 'Woe to you, son of Sumayyah! Misery for you, the rebellious group will kill you.'

إن الويل كلمة تقال لكل من وقع في هلكة وعذاب

That 'al-wayl' is a word said for everyone who falls into destruction and torment.

والفرق بين ويح وويل أن ويلا تقال لمن وقع في هلكة أو بلية لا يترحم عليه، وويح تقال لكل من وقع في بلية يرحم ويدعى له بالتخلص منها

And the difference between 'wayh' and 'wayl' is that 'wayl' is said for one who has fallen into destruction or calamity for whom no pity is expressed, while 'wayh' is said for everyone who has fallen into a calamity for whom pity is expressed and a plea is made for his deliverance from it.

ألا ترى أن الويل في القرآن لمستحقي العذاب بجرائمهم: ويل لكل همزة ويل للذين لا يؤتون الزكاة ويل للمطففين وما أشبهها؟

Do you not see that 'al-wayl' in the Quran is for those deserving of torment for their crimes: 'Woe to every slanderer, woe to those who do not give zakah, woe to the defrauders', and the like?

ما جاء ويل إلا لأهل الجرائم

'Wayl' only comes for people of crimes.

وأما ويح فإن النبي، صلى الله عليه وسلم، قالها لعمار الفاضل كأنه أعلم ما يبتلى به من القتل، فتوجع له وترحم عليه

As for 'wayh', the Prophet, peace be upon him, said it to the virtuous Ammar, as if he knew what he would be tested with of killing, so he felt pain for him and had mercy on him.

وأصل ويح وويس وويل كلمة كله عندي [وي] وصلت بحاء مرة وبسين مرة وبلام مرة

And the origin of 'wayh', 'ways', and 'wayl' is, in my opinion, a single word [way] connected with 'h' once, with 's' once, and with 'l' once.

سألت الخليل عنها فزعم أن كل من ندم فأظهر ندامته قال وي، ومعناها التنديم والتنبيه

I asked Al-Khalil about it, and he claimed that whoever regrets and shows his regret says 'way', and its meaning is regret and alerting.

إذا قالوا له: ويل له، وويح له، وويس له، فالكلام فيهن الرفع على الابتداء واللام في موضع الخبر

If they say to him: 'Wayl lahu', 'Wayh lahu', and 'Ways lahu', the speech is in them nominative due to being subjects, and the 'lam' is in the position of the predicate.

فإن حذفت اللام لم يكن إلا النصب كقوله ويحه وويسه

If you omit the 'lam', it can only be accusative, as in his saying 'wayhuhu' and 'waysuhu'.