Another Idiom with बनना

Recall that the verb बनना means “to be made” / “to become”: चाय अच्छी बनी है – “The tea is made well”.

बनना is also used to mean “for X to make Y Z” or “for X to become Y by doing Z”, etc.

Consider an example:

बढ़िया कपड़े पहने से मनुष्य महान नहीं बन जाता है – “A person does not become great by wearing fine clothing” / “Wearing nice clothing doesn’t make a person great”

This idiom is also used with थोड़े (oblique masculine singular form of थोड़ा, “a little”):

बढ़िया कपड़े पहने से मनुष्य महान थोड़े (ही) बनता है – “Wearing fine clothing hardly makes a person great”. The sense is the same, with the added nuance of “hardly”. The ही is optional, and emphatic.

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