_{The paper presents for the first time in a comparative way the views of researchers representing Azerbaijani, Turkish, English and German philology in studying the concept of proverb. The need to consider paremias and their descriptions in different national philologies, as well as the desire for generalization in understanding the nature of proverbs, determine the relevance of the chosen topic. The vision of representatives of different schools of linguistics is considered when examining a proverb and determining its parameters. The authors rely on the methodology of a consistent description of paremiological units as an integral part of the paremiological system of language. Among the research methods, the descriptive-analytical method and comparative analysis of theoretical works prevail. The analysis showed the existence of a long history of studying paremias in national linguocultures. Azerbaijani researchers, first of all, highlight the authority of tradition and the ability to laconically convey the experience of the people. Turkish linguists, among the main aspects of the proverb description, note the educational function of proverbs, and explain their wide distribution in the modern language by the laconism, vivid metaphors and ease of memorization of proverbs. Slavic scholars have made significant progress not only in the theoretical understanding of the nature of proverbs, but also in their lexicographic description. German scholars in their descriptions of proverbs are distinguished by their common usage, durability, and didactic focus, while English ones emphasize their metaphorical nature and conservatism.}