en_tn/pro/15/04.md

A healing tongue is a tree of life

The word "tongue" refers to speech. The writer speaks of the words of a person who says things that help and encourage others as if they were a tree that provides life-giving nourishment. AT: "Kind words are like a tree that gives life" (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy and rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor)

a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit

The phrase "a deceitful tongue" refers to speech that is deceitful or hurtful. The writer speaks of a person being hurt or in despair as if that person's spirit were an object that words have crushed. AT: "deceitful speech causes a person to despair" (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy and rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor)