201. The article is placed before nouns used in a comprehensive or
universal sense, indicating a whole class, kind, substance, or abstract
quality. In such use it is called the "generic article":
La pacienco estas lauxdinda, patience is praiseworthy.
La vivo surtera estas nur parto de la vivo cxiama,
life on earth is merely a part of the life eternal.
La viro estas pli forta ol la virino,
man is stronger than woman.
[Footnote: Cf. French "La patience est amere, mais son fruit est doux,
patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet", German "Das Leben ist
kurtz, life is short", Italian "La speranza e il pan de miseri, hope is
the poor man's bread", Spanish "Las riquezas son bagajes de la fortuna,
riches are the baggage of fortune", etc. In English the generic article
(as in "the life eternal" above) may often be replaced by omission of
both "a" and "the."]