[Lingtyp] Metaphorical subject-object order in proverbs with parallel sentences

[JOO, Ian [Student]]

Dear all,

in Korean proverbs consisting of two parallel sentences, the metaphorical object precedes the metaphorical subject:

  *   호랑이는 죽어서 가죽을 남기고, 사람은 죽어서 이름을 남긴다. A tiger leaves its hide when it dies, and a person leaves their name when they die.
  *   열 길 물 속은 알아도 한 길 사람 속은 모른다. You can see through ten feet deep water, but you cannot see through a one foot deep heart.

In these proverbs, the metaphorical objects (tiger, water) precede the metaphorical subjects (person, heart).
I have been assuming that this is the “natural” way of making a parallel comparison, until I came across Mongolian proverbs today that have the opposite structure:

  *   Хүн ёс дагана, нохой яс дагана. A person follows traditions, and a dog follows bones.
  *   Уур биеийг зовоодог, уул морийг зовоодог. The anger torments the body, and the mountain torments the horse.

I assume here that the person and the body are being compared to the dog and the horse (and not the other way around).
Is this metaphorical subject - metaphorical object order common in proverbs of other languages as well?

From Hong Kong,
Ian
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