| 223 | ʻAʻole e kū ka ikaika i kēia pākela nui; ke pōʻai mai nei ka ʻohu ma uka, ma kai, ma ʻō a ma ʻaneʻi. | One cannot show his strength against such odds; the rain clouds are circling from the upland, the lowland, and from all sides. |
| | [Said by Maheleana, a warrior of Kualiʻi, when he saw his small company surrounded by the enemy.] |
| 344 | E mālama i ka iki kanaka, i ka nuʻa kanaka. O kākou nō kēia hoʻākua. | Take care of the insignificant and the great man. That is the duty of us gods. |
| | [Said by Hiʻiaka to Pele in a chant before she departed for Kauaʻi to seek Lohiʻau.] |
| 514 | Hea ʻia mai kēia kanaka, malia he inoa i loaʻa iā ʻoe. | Call an invitation to this person, perhaps you know the name. |
| | [A request to be called into someone’s home, usually uttered by a passing relative or friend who would like to pause and rest but is not sure that he is recognized by the others.] |
| 625 | He iki huna lepo mai kēia e pula ai ka maka. | This is a small speck of dust that causes a roughness in the eye. |
| | [One may be small but he can still cause distress. This was the retort of Kaʻehuiki, a shark-god of Puna, when he was taunted for his small size by Kaiʻanuilalawalu, shark-god of Kīpahulu, Maui.] |
| 737 | He leho hou kēia, ke ola nei nō ka ʻiʻo. | This is a fresh cowry; the flesh is still alive. |
| | [A warning that a new idea or plan may turn out badly. When the animal in a shell dies, a stench results.] |
| 791 | He Malanai wale nō kēia. | It is only the gentle Malanai breeze. |
| | [It is only a superficial thing.] |
| 832 | He naho manini mai kēia e loaʻa ai ka lima i kōkala. | This is a ledge under which the manini hides [and one should not be hasty lest] the hand be poked by the sharp points on the dorsal fin. |
| | [A boast. Also, a warning not to make trouble.] |
| 907 | He pō Kāloa kēia, ua ʻeʻe pūpū. | This is the night of Kāloa, for the shellfish climbs. |
| | [The nights of Kāloa, when the shellfish climb onto the wet stones, are good for shellfish hunting.] |
| 908 | He pō Kāne kēia, he māʻau nei nā ʻeʻepa o ka pō. | This is the night of Kāne, for supernatural beings are wandering about in the dark. |
| | [Said of those who go wandering about at night. It is believed that on the night of Kāne, ghosts, demigods, and other beings wander about at will.] |
| 1400 | Ka iki ʻulu kēia o Kanekina e kōkē ai nā pine. | This is the little bowling ball of Kanekina that knocks down the pins. |
| | [A boast: This fellow may be small but he is powerful.] |
| 2361 | ʻOhi aku ka pō a koe kēia. | The night has taken all but this one. |
| | [All are dead; this is the only survivor.] |
| 2419 | ʻO ka lani kēlā, ʻo ka lani kēia. | That one a chief this one a chief. |
| | [Said of two persons well matched for a contest.] |
| 2433 | ʻO ka papa heʻe nalu kēia, paheʻe i ka nalu haʻi o Makaiwa. | This is the surfboard that will glide on the rolling surf of Makaiwa. |
| | [A woman’s boast. Her beautiful body is like the surf board on which her mate “glides over the rolling surf.”] |
| 2445 | ʻO ka ʻulu iki mai kēia nāna e kaʻa i kahua loa. | This is the small maika stone that rolls over a long field. |
| | [I am a small person who can accomplish much. When Lonoikamakahiki visited Kamalalawalu, ruling chief of Maui, he took along his half-brother Pupukea to serve him. Makakuikalani, half-brother and personal attendant of Kamalalawalu, made fun of the small stature of Pupukea. This saying was Pupukea’s retort.] |
| 2458 | ʻO kēia ʻuʻuku e nui ana. | This smallness will be big later. |
| | [Said of a small child who will grow into adulthood, a small place that may develop into a large one, and so forth.] |
| 2510 | ʻO Māuli kēia o ka lā pau. | This is Māuli, the last day [of the lunar month]. |
| | [Said when a task is near completion.] |
| 2571 | Paʻi ana nā pahu a hula leʻa; ʻo kaʻu hula nō kēia. | Let the better-enjoyed hula chanters beat their own drums; this is the hula chant that I know. |
| | [A retort: Let those who claim to know a lot produce their knowledge; this is what I know.] |