你的樣子如何，你的日子也必如何

head

你的樣子如何，你的日子也必如何

ㄋㄧˇ ˙ㄉㄜ ㄧㄤˋ ㄗˇ ㄖㄨˊ ㄏㄜˊ

ㄋㄧˇ ˙ㄉㄜ ㄖˋ ㄗˇ ㄧㄝˇ ㄅㄧˋ ㄖㄨˊ ㄏㄜˊ

nei⁵ dik¹ joeng⁶ zi² jyu⁴ ho⁴, nei⁵ dik¹ jat⁶ zi² jaa⁵ bit¹ jyu⁴ ho⁴

nǐ de rìzǐ yě bì rúhé [Phonetic:nǐdeyàngzǐrúhé

ни дэ янцзы жухэ

ни дэ жицзы е би жухэ

/ni²¹⁴ d̥ə⁴ jɑŋ⁵¹ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐu³⁵ xɤ³⁵ ni²¹⁴ d̥ə⁴ ʐ̩⁵¹ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻³⁵ jɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹ pi⁵¹ ʐu³⁵ xɤ³⁵/

néih dīk yeuhng jí yùh hòh, néih dīk yaht jí yáh bīt yùh hòh

nei⁵ dik⁷ joeng⁶ dzi² jy⁴ ho⁴, nei⁵ dik⁷ jat⁹ dzi² jaa⁵ bit⁷ jy⁴ ho⁴

néi⁵ dig¹ yêng⁶ ji² yu⁴ ho⁴, néi⁵ dig¹ yed⁶ ji² ya⁵ bid¹ yu⁴ ho⁴

/nei̯¹³ tɪk̚⁵ jœːŋ²² t͡siː³⁵ jyː²¹ hɔː²¹ nei̯¹³ tɪk̚⁵ jɐt̚² t͡siː³⁵ jaː¹³ piːt̚⁵ jyː²¹ hɔː²¹/

From modifying the following biblical verse in the Chinese Union Version of Deuteronomy 33:25

lw

和合本 (Héhéběn)

And as thy days, so shall thy strength be. (KJV)

和合本 (Héhéběn) (Chinese Union Version), 申命記 (Deuteronomy) 33:25

Nǐ de rìzǐ rúhé, nǐ de lìliàng yě bì rúhé.

你的日子如何，你的力量也必如何。

你的样子如何，你的日子也必如何

Your face, your fate
your face, your fate

(Hong Kong, neologism) Your face, your fate. One's fate and how one is treated in life depends on one's looks; A good-looking person will always be treated well, while an unattractive person will be treated badly.

你的樣子如何，你的命運也必如何／你的样子如何，你的命运也必如何

nǐ de yàngzǐ rúhé, nǐ demìng yùn yě bìrú hé


一寸光陰一寸金，寸金難買寸光陰

head

一寸光陰一寸金，寸金難買寸光陰

一寸光阴一寸金，寸金难买寸光阴

An inch of time is as long as an inch of gold in length, but an inch of time cannot be purchased with an inch of gold.

ㄧ ㄘㄨㄣˋ ㄍㄨㄤ ㄧㄣ ㄧ ㄘㄨㄣˋ ㄐㄧㄣ

ㄘㄨㄣˋ ㄐㄧㄣ ㄋㄢˊ ㄇㄞˇ ㄘㄨㄣˋ ㄍㄨㄤ ㄧㄣ

jat¹ cyun³ gwong¹ jam¹ jat¹ cyun³ gam¹, cyun³ gam¹ naan⁴ maai⁵ cyun³ gwong¹ jam¹

⁷iq-tshen ¹kuaon-in ⁷iq-tshen ¹cin ⁵tshen-cin ⁶ne-ma ⁵tshen-kuaon-in

cùn jīn nán mǎi cùn guāngyīn [Phonetic:yí cùn guāngyīn yí cùn jīn

tsʻun⁴ chin¹ nan² mai³ tsʻun⁴ kuang¹-yin¹

и цунь гуанъинь и цунь цзинь

цунь цзинь нань май цунь гуанъинь

/i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ t͡sʰu̯ən⁵¹ ku̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ in⁵⁵ i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ t͡sʰu̯ən⁵¹ t͡ɕin⁵⁵ t͡sʰu̯ən⁵¹ t͡ɕin⁵⁵ nän³⁵ maɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sʰu̯ən⁵¹ ku̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ in⁵⁵/

yāt chyun gwōng yām yāt chyun gām, chyun gām nàahn máaih chyun gwōng yām

jat⁷ tsyn³ gwong¹ jam¹ jat⁷ tsyn³ gam¹, tsyn³ gam¹ naan⁴ maai⁵ tsyn³ gwong¹ jam¹

yed¹ qun³ guong¹ yem¹ yed¹ qun³ gem¹, qun³ gem¹ nan⁴ mai⁵ qun³ guong¹ yem¹

/jɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰyːn³³ kʷɔːŋ⁵⁵ jɐm⁵⁵ jɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰyːn³³ kɐm⁵⁵ t͡sʰyːn³³ kɐm⁵⁵ naːn²¹ maːi̯¹³ t͡sʰyːn³³ kʷɔːŋ⁵⁵ jɐm⁵⁵/

ih^入 tshen kuaon^平 in ih^入 tshen cin^平 tshen^去 cin ne^去 ma tshen^去 kuaon in

⁴iq-tshen ¹kuaan-in ⁴iq-tshen ¹jin ²tshen-jin ³ne-ma ²tshen-kuaan-in

/iɪʔ³³ t͡sʰən³³ kuɑ̃⁵⁵ in³³ iɪʔ³³ t͡sʰən³³ t͡ɕin⁵³ t͡sʰən³³ t͡ɕin³³ ne²² ma³³ t͡sʰən³³ kuɑ̃⁵⁵ in²¹/

time is priceless; money cannot buy you time


天有不測風雲

ㄊㄧㄢ ㄧㄡˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄘㄜˋ ㄈㄥ ㄩㄣˊ

tiān yǒu bùcè fēngyún [Phonetic:tiān yǒu búcè fēngyún]

тянь ю буцэ фэнъюнь

/tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ t͡sʰɤ⁵¹ fɤŋ⁵⁵ yn³⁵/

/tʰiːn⁵⁵ jɐu̯¹³ pɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰaːk̚⁵ fʊŋ⁵⁵ wɐn²¹/

Zhè shízài shì jiàozuò “tiān yǒu bùcè fēngyún”, tā de nánrén shì jiānshírén, shéi zhīdào niánjì qīngqīng, jiù huì duànsòng zài shānghán shàng?

這實在是叫作「天有不測風雲」，她的男人是堅實人，誰知道年紀輕輕，就會斷送在傷寒上？

这实在是叫作「天有不测风云」，她的男人是坚实人，谁知道年纪轻轻，就会断送在伤寒上？

天有不測風雲，人有旦夕禍福 天有不測風雲，人有旦夕禍福

天有不测风云，人有旦夕祸福 天有不测风云，人有旦夕祸福

Short for 天有不測風雲，人有旦夕禍福／天有不测风云，人有旦夕祸福 (tiān yǒu bùcè fēngyún, rén yǒu dànxī huòfú, “Disasters and misfortunes are unpredictable”).


病向淺中醫

ㄅㄧㄥˋ ㄒㄧㄤˋ ㄑㄧㄢˇ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄧ

бинсянцяньчжунъи

/piŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵ i⁵⁵/

/pɛːŋ²² hœːŋ³³ t͡sʰiːn³⁵ t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵ jiː⁵⁵/

/pɛːŋ²² hœːŋ³³ t͡sʰiːn³⁵ t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵ jiː⁵⁵/

Seek medical attention when one's illness is still minor


一日之計在於晨

ㄧ ㄖˋ ㄓ ㄐㄧˋ ㄗㄞˋ ㄩˊ ㄔㄣˊ

ижичжицзицзайюйчэнь

/i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ ʐ̩⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ t͡ɕi⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡saɪ̯⁵¹ y³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰən³⁵/

/jɐt̚⁵ jɐt̚² t͡siː⁵⁵ kɐi̯³³ t͡sɔːi̯²² jyː⁵⁵ sɐn²¹/

Early morning is the most precious period of time in a day; Make one's plan for the day in the early morning

一年之計在於春，一日之計在於晨／一年之计在于春，一日之计在于晨

yī nián zhī jì zàiyú chūn, yī rì zhī jì zàiyú chén


kiedy wejdziesz między wrony, trzeba krakać jak i ony

/ˈkjɛ.dɘ ˈvɛj.d͡ʑɛʂ ˈmjɛn.d͡zɘ vrɔnɘˌ ˈtʂɛ.ba ˈkra.kat͡ɕ jak i ˈɔ.nɘ/

Literally, “when you join the crows, you have to caw like they do”. A rhyming phrase.

lit

when in Rome, do as the Romans do
when in Rome, do as the Romans do

(idiomatic) when in Rome, do as the Romans do


天有不測風雲，人有旦夕禍福

head

天有不測風雲，人有旦夕禍福

天有不测风云，人有旦夕祸福

ㄊㄧㄢ ㄧㄡˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄘㄜˋ ㄈㄥ ㄩㄣˊ

ㄖㄣˊ ㄧㄡˇ ㄉㄢˋ ㄒㄧ ㄏㄨㄛˋ ㄈㄨˊ

ㄖㄣˊ ㄧㄡˇ ㄉㄢˋ ㄒㄧˋ ㄏㄨㄛˋ ㄈㄨˊ

tin¹ jau⁵ bat¹ caak¹ fung¹ wan⁴, jan⁴ jau⁵ daan³ zik⁶ wo⁶ fuk¹

rén yǒu dànxī huòfú [Phonetic:tiān yǒu búcè fēngyún

тянь ю буцэ фэнъюнь

жэнь ю даньси хофу

/tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ t͡sʰɤ⁵¹ fɤŋ⁵⁵ yn³⁵ ʐən³⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ tän⁵¹ ɕi⁵⁵ xu̯ɔ⁵¹ fu³⁵/

rén yǒu dànxì huòfú [Phonetic:tiān yǒu búcè fēngyún

/tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ t͡sʰɤ⁵¹ fɤŋ⁵⁵ yn³⁵ ʐən³⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ tän⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕi⁵¹⁻⁵³ xu̯ɔ⁵¹ fu³⁵/

tīn yáuh bāt chāak fūng wàhn, yàhn yáuh daan jihk woh fūk

tin¹ jau⁵ bat⁷ tsaak⁷ fung¹ wan⁴, jan⁴ jau⁵ daan³ dzik⁹ wo⁶ fuk⁷

tin¹ yeo⁵ bed¹ cag¹ fung¹ wen⁴, yen⁴ yeo⁵ dan³ jig⁶ wo⁶ fug¹

/tʰiːn⁵⁵ jɐu̯¹³ pɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰaːk̚⁵ fʊŋ⁵⁵ wɐn²¹ jɐn²¹ jɐu̯¹³ taːn³³ t͡sɪk̚² wɔː²² fʊk̚⁵/

disasters and misfortunes are unpredictable; one's fortune is as unpredictable as the weather


藪をつついて蛇を出す

ja-pos

やぶ を つついて へび を だす

藪(やぶ)をつついて蛇(へび)を出(だ)す • (yabu o tsutsuite hebi o dasu)

藪をつついて蛇を出す (canonical)
yabu o tsutsuite hebi o dasu (romanization)

Proverb consisting of 藪 + を + つついて (the conjunctive form of the verb 突(つつ)く (tsutsuku)) + 蛇 + を + 出す, literally, “to poke the bush to let out the snake”.
Compare Chinese 打草驚蛇／打草惊蛇 (dǎcǎojīngshé)

zh-l

打草驚蛇／打草惊蛇 (dǎcǎojīngshé)

(idiomatic) to stir up trouble for oneself, to stir up a hornets' nest


風水佬呃你十年八年

fung¹ seoi² lou² ngaak¹ nei⁵ sap⁶ nin⁴ baat³ nin⁴

fūng séui lóu ngāak néih sahp nìhn baat nìhn

fung¹ soey² lou² ngaak⁷ nei⁵ sap⁹ nin⁴ baat⁸ nin⁴

fung¹ sêu² lou² ngag¹ néi⁵ seb⁶ nin⁴ bad³ nin⁴

/fʊŋ⁵⁵ sɵy̯³⁵ lou̯³⁵ ŋaːk̚⁵ nei̯¹³ sɐp̚² niːn²¹ paːt̚³ niːn²¹/

Because it takes quite a long time for the supposed effects in fengshui to become apparent, it is said that a fengshui master can fool or scam his or her clients for many years before they realize it.

A fengshui master can fool or scam you for many years (e.g. around ten years)


貪字得個貧

/tʰaːm⁵⁵ t͡siː²² tɐk̚⁵ kɔː³³ pʰɐn²¹/

/tʰaːm⁵⁵ t͡siː²² tɐk̚⁵ kɔː³³ pʰɐn²¹/

From the graphical similarity between 貪 (“to be greedy; greed”) and 貧 (“to be poor; poverty”).

with the word 'greed', there is only 'poverty'

(Cantonese) Do not be greedy or you will suffer losses; grasp all, lose all


laiskuus on keksintöjen äiti

Literally, “laziness is the mother of inventions”. Similar to hätä keinot keksii and hullu paljon työtä tekee, viisas pääsee vähemmällä in meaning, and close to English necessity is the mother of invention in form.

m+

Laziness is a motivator to invent things that make life easier.


習うより慣れろ

習うより慣れろ (canonical)
narau yori narero (romanization)

Proverb consisting of 習う + より + 慣れろ (“the 命令形(めいれいけい) (meireikei) or the imperative form of the verb 慣(な)れる (nareru)”)

com

experience is the best teacher
experience is the best teacher

practice makes perfect
practice makes perfect

(idiomatic) experience is the best teacher, practice makes perfect; literally, "it is better to grow accustomed than be taught"


a watched pot never boils over

a watched pot never boils
a watched pot never boils#English

Alternative form of a watched pot never boils


head

ei kukko käskien laula, eikä kana kotkota

ei kukko käskien laula
ei kukko käskien laula#Finnish

Alternative form of ei kukko käskien laula


豚もおだてりゃ木に登る

ja-pos

ぶた も おだてりゃ き に のぼる

豚(ぶた)もおだてりゃ木(き)に登(のぼ)る • (buta mo odaterya ki ni noboru)

豚もおだてりゃ木に登る (canonical)
buta mo odaterya ki ni noboru (romanization)

Phrase consisting of 豚 (buta, “pig”) + も (mo, “also”) + 煽てりゃ (odaterya, “if you flatter”, contraction of 煽てれば (odatereba), conditional or hypothetical form of the verb 煽てる (odateru, “to flatter”)) + 木 (ki, “tree”) + に (ni, “into”, directional particle) + 登る (noboru, “to climb”). Literally "even a pig will climb up a tree if flattered".

compound

flattery will motivate anyone, flattery can do wonders


onde falan cartas, calen barbas

"Where charters speak, beards must shut up": the facts (or records) are stronger than spoken words.

Juro por tantos, è cantos / que à andeuer denegrada, / anque a justicia me lebe / os bois da corte, yas bacas. / eu pido vsos, e custumes / calen barbas, falen cartas

1671, Gabriel Feijoo de Araujo, Contenda dos labradores de Caldelas:

I swear by each and every one that they shall see it livid, even if Justice takes away my oxen from the stables and the cows. I ask for customs and habits, actions speak louder than words.

— Señorito, non lle parezca mal. Ond'hai cartas calan barbas; o que s'escribe lese; o mundo, como V. m'enseña, esta cheo de trampóns e un papeliño sempre é bo, señorito.

1880, Marcial Valladares, Majina ou a filla espúrea, page 376:

"Milord, don't get me wrong. Where there is charters, men shut up; what's written can be read; the world, as you teach me, is full of frauds and a piece of paper is always for good, milord."

actions speak louder than words
actions speak louder than words

(idiomatic) actions speak louder than words


ei kukko käskien laula

Someone who is unwilling, unmotivated, or uninspired to do something is unlikely to do it when asked or told to.

One should let things happen spontaneously and allow people to do things in their own time.


head

quando minguar a lua, não comeces coisa alguma

Literally, “when the moon wanes don't start anything”. From a previous rhyming phonetic, quando minguar a lua, não comeces cousa algua.

lit

Quando minguar a Lua:naõ comeces cousa alguã.

1651, Antonio Delicado, Officina de Domingos Lopes Rosa, Adagios portuguezes reduzidos a lugares communs, page 13

When the Moon wanes:don't start anything.

Quando mingoar a Lua, naõ comeces couſa alguma.

1780, Francisco Rolland, Typografia Rollandiana, Adagios, proverbios, rifãos, e anexins da lingua portugueza, page 144:

When the Moon wanes, don't start anything.

1867, Teophilo de Braga, Impressa da Universidade de Coimbra, Cancioneiro Popular, page 189

When the Moon wanes / Don't start anything.

Quando minguar a lua / Não comeces cousa alguma.

(agriculture) the waning moon is not the best period for the seeding of most crops or for cutting wood

quando a lua minguar, nada deves começar

Quando a lua minguar, nada hás de semear


head

quando minguar a lua, não comeces cousa algua

quando minguar a lua, não comeces coisa alguma#Portuguese

Obsolete form of quando minguar a lua, não comeces coisa alguma.


ki-ki a maga szerencséjének kovácsa

[ˈkiki ɒ ˈmɒɡɒ ˈsɛrɛnt͡ʃeːjeːnɛk ˈkovaːt͡ʃɒ]

Hu-ki-ki a maga szerencséjének kovácsa.ogg

ki-ki (“everyone”) + a (“the”) + maga (“one's own”) + szerencse (“fortune”) + -je (possessive suffix) + -nek (dative case suffix) + kovács (“smith”) + -a (possessive suffix), literally: everyone is the smith of one's own fortune

affix

every man is the architect of his own fortune


en-proverb

even a blind pig can find an acorn once in a while

even a blind squirrel can find a nut once in a while#English

Synonym of even a blind squirrel can find a nut once in a while.


oost west, thuis best

there's no place like home
there's no place like home


holtig tanul az ember

From holt (“death”) + -ig (“until”, case suffix) + tanul (“to learn”) + az (“the”) + ember (“man”), literally: one learns until death.

affix

live and learn (there is always a lesson in life)


jó pap holtig tanul

From jó (“good”) + pap (“priest”) + holt (“death”) + -ig (“until”, case suffix) + tanul (“to learn”), literally: [a] good priest learns until death.


mindig tanul az ember

From mindig (“always”) + tanul (“to learn”) + az (“the”) + ember (“man”), literally: man always learns.


廟小妖風大，池淺王八多

ㄇㄧㄠˋ ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄧㄠ ㄈㄥ ㄉㄚˋ

ㄔˊ ㄑㄧㄢˇ ㄨㄤˊ ㄅㄚ ㄉㄨㄛ

мяо сяо яофэн да

чи цянь ванба до

/mi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ jɑʊ̯⁵⁵ fɤŋ⁵⁵ tä⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩³⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn²¹⁴⁻²¹ wɑŋ³⁵ pä⁵⁵ tu̯ɔ⁵⁵/

There are comparatively more bad people in a small community


skomakare, bliv vid din läst

cobbler, keep to your last
cobbler, keep to your last


la perfection n'est pas de ce monde

la perfection n’ est pas de ce monde (canonical)


jó bornak nem kell cégér

jó (“good”) + bor (“wine”) + -nak (dative suffix) + nem (“no”) + kell (“need”) + cégér (“sign”), literally: “good wine doesn’t need a sign”.

good wine needs no bush
good wine needs no bush

good wine needs no bush (something good does not need to be advertised)


語るに落ちる

ja-verb

語(かた)るに落(お)ちる • (kataru ni ochiru) ichidan (stem 語(かた)るに落(お)ち (kataru ni ochi), past 語(かた)るに落(お)ちた (kataru ni ochita))

語るに落ちる (canonical)
kataru ni ochiru (romanization)
語るに落ち (stem)
語るに落ちた (past)
語るに落ち
かたるにおち
kataru ni ochi
語るに落ちる
かたるにおちる
kataru ni ochiru
語るに落ちれ
かたるにおちれ
kataru ni ochire
語るに落ちよ (imperative literary)
語るに落ちろ (colloquial imperative)
かたるにおちよ (imperative literary)
かたるにおちろ (colloquial imperative)
kataru ni ochiyo (imperative literary)
kataru ni ochiro (colloquial imperative)
語るに落ちられる (passive)
かたるにおちられる (passive)
kataru ni ochirareru (passive)
語るに落ちさせる (causative)
語るに落ちさす (causative)
かたるにおちさせる (causative)
かたるにおちさす (causative)
kataru ni ochisaseru (causative)
kataru ni ochisasu (causative)
語るに落ちられる (potential)
語るに落ちれる (colloquial potential)
かたるにおちられる (potential)
かたるにおちれる (colloquial potential)
kataru ni ochirareru (potential)
kataru ni ochireru (colloquial potential)
語るに落ちよう (volitional)
かたるにおちよう (volitional)
kataru ni ochiyō (volitional)
語るに落ちない (negative)
語るに落ちぬ (negative)
語るに落ちん (negative)
かたるにおちない (negative)
かたるにおちぬ (negative)
かたるにおちん (negative)
kataru ni ochinai (negative)
kataru ni ochinu (negative)
kataru ni ochin (negative)
語るに落ちず (continuative negative)
かたるにおちず (continuative negative)
kataru ni ochizu (continuative negative)
語るに落ちます (formal)
かたるにおちます (formal)
kataru ni ochimasu (formal)
語るに落ちた (perfective)
かたるにおちた (perfective)
kataru ni ochita (perfective)
語るに落ちて (conjunctive)
かたるにおちて (conjunctive)
kataru ni ochite (conjunctive)
語るに落ちれば (conditional hypothetical)
かたるにおちれば (conditional hypothetical)
kataru ni ochireba (conditional hypothetical)

Short for 問うに落ちず語るに落ちる

(idiomatic) to keep a secret when asked about it, but let it slip inadvertently when chatting on another occasion


三百六十行，行行出狀元

ㄙㄢ ㄅㄞˇ ㄌㄧㄡˋ ㄕˊ ㄏㄤˊ

ㄏㄤˊ ㄏㄤˊ ㄔㄨ ㄓㄨㄤˋ ㄩㄢˊ

saam¹ baak³ luk⁶ sap⁶ hong⁴, hong⁴ hong⁴ ceot¹ zong⁶ jyun⁴

саньбай люши хан

ханхан чу чжуанъюань

/sän⁵⁵ paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ li̯oʊ̯⁵¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ xɑŋ³⁵ xɑŋ³⁵ xɑŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂu̯ɑŋ⁵¹ ɥɛn³⁵/

sāam baak luhk sahp hòhng, hòhng hòhng chēut johng yùhn

saam¹ baak⁸ luk⁹ sap⁹ hong⁴, hong⁴ hong⁴ tsoet⁷ dzong⁶ jyn⁴

sam¹ bag³ lug⁶ seb⁶ hong⁴, hong⁴ hong⁴ cêd¹ zong⁶ yun⁴

/saːm⁵⁵ paːk̚³ lʊk̚² sɐp̚² hɔːŋ²¹ hɔːŋ²¹ hɔːŋ²¹ t͡sʰɵt̚⁵ t͡sɔːŋ²² jyːn²¹/

/sã⁴⁴⁻³³ pa(ʔ)³²⁻⁴¹ lak̚⁴⁻³² t͡sap̚⁴⁻³² haŋ²³ haŋ²³⁻³³ haŋ²³ t͡sʰut̚³²⁻⁴ t͡siɔŋ³³⁻²¹ ɡuan²³/

/sã⁴⁴⁻³³ pa(ʔ)³²⁻⁵³ lak̚⁴⁻³² t͡sap̚⁴⁻³² haŋ²⁴ haŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ haŋ²⁴ t͡sʰut̚³²⁻⁴ t͡siɔŋ³³⁻¹¹ ɡuan²⁴/

One can become successful with accomplishment in any industry or profession


問うに落ちず語るに落ちる

と.う に おちず かたる に おちる

問(と)うに落(お)ちず語(かた)るに落(お)ちる • (tou ni ochizu kataru ni ochiru) ichidan (stem 問(と)うに落(お)ちず語(かた)るに落(お)ち (tou ni ochizu kataru ni ochi), past 問(と)うに落(お)ちず語(かた)るに落(お)ちた (tou ni ochizu kataru ni ochita))

問うに落ちず語るに落ちる (canonical)
tou ni ochizu kataru ni ochiru (romanization)
問うに落ちず語るに落ち (stem)
問うに落ちず語るに落ちた (past)
問うに落ちず語るに落ち
とうにおちずかたるにおち
tou ni ochizu kataru ni ochi
問うに落ちず語るに落ちる
とうにおちずかたるにおちる
tou ni ochizu kataru ni ochiru
問うに落ちず語るに落ちれ
とうにおちずかたるにおちれ
tou ni ochizu kataru ni ochire
問うに落ちず語るに落ちよ (imperative literary)
問うに落ちず語るに落ちろ (colloquial imperative)
とうにおちずかたるにおちよ (imperative literary)
とうにおちずかたるにおちろ (colloquial imperative)
tou ni ochizu kataru ni ochiyo (imperative literary)
tou ni ochizu kataru ni ochiro (colloquial imperative)
問うに落ちず語るに落ちられる (passive)
とうにおちずかたるにおちられる (passive)
tou ni ochizu kataru ni ochirareru (passive)
問うに落ちず語るに落ちさせる (causative)
問うに落ちず語るに落ちさす (causative)
とうにおちずかたるにおちさせる (causative)
とうにおちずかたるにおちさす (causative)
tou ni ochizu kataru ni ochisaseru (causative)
tou ni ochizu kataru ni ochisasu (causative)
問うに落ちず語るに落ちられる (potential)
問うに落ちず語るに落ちれる (colloquial potential)
とうにおちずかたるにおちられる (potential)
とうにおちずかたるにおちれる (colloquial potential)
tou ni ochizu kataru ni ochirareru (potential)
tou ni ochizu kataru ni ochireru (colloquial potential)
問うに落ちず語るに落ちよう (volitional)
とうにおちずかたるにおちよう (volitional)
tou ni ochizu kataru ni ochiyō (volitional)
問うに落ちず語るに落ちない (negative)
問うに落ちず語るに落ちぬ (negative)
問うに落ちず語るに落ちん (negative)
とうにおちずかたるにおちない (negative)
とうにおちずかたるにおちぬ (negative)
とうにおちずかたるにおちん (negative)
tou ni ochizu kataru ni ochinai (negative)
tou ni ochizu kataru ni ochinu (negative)
tou ni ochizu kataru ni ochin (negative)
問うに落ちず語るに落ちず (continuative negative)
とうにおちずかたるにおちず (continuative negative)
tou ni ochizu kataru ni ochizu (continuative negative)
問うに落ちず語るに落ちます (formal)
とうにおちずかたるにおちます (formal)
tou ni ochizu kataru ni ochimasu (formal)
問うに落ちず語るに落ちた (perfective)
とうにおちずかたるにおちた (perfective)
tou ni ochizu kataru ni ochita (perfective)
問うに落ちず語るに落ちて (conjunctive)
とうにおちずかたるにおちて (conjunctive)
tou ni ochizu kataru ni ochite (conjunctive)
問うに落ちず語るに落ちれば (conditional hypothetical)
とうにおちずかたるにおちれば (conditional hypothetical)
tou ni ochizu kataru ni ochireba (conditional hypothetical)

Consisting of 問う (tou, “to ask”) + に (ni, particle) + 落ちず (ochizu, “not fall”) + 語る (kataru, “to tell, to talk about”) + に (ni, particle) + 落ちる (ochiru, “to fall”), literally "not confessing when asked but to confess while talking"


流言止於智者

ㄌㄧㄡˊ ㄧㄢˊ ㄓˇ ㄩˊ ㄓˋ ㄓㄜˇ

люянь чжи юй чжичжэ

/li̯oʊ̯³⁵ jɛn³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ y³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/


不當家不知柴米貴

if one does not keep the house, one does not know how expensive firewood and rice are

ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄤ ㄐㄧㄚ ㄅㄨˋ ㄓ ㄔㄞˊ ㄇㄧˇ ㄍㄨㄟˋ

pu⁴ tang¹-chia¹ pu⁴-chih¹ chʻai²-mi³ kuei⁴

бу данцзя бучжи чайми гуй

/pu⁵¹ tɑŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰaɪ̯³⁵ mi²¹⁴⁻²¹ ku̯eɪ̯⁵¹/

managing a family is not easy, and requires responsibility


是藥三分毒

ㄕˋ ㄧㄠˋ ㄙㄢ ㄈㄣ ㄉㄨˊ

ши яо саньфэнь ду

/ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ jɑʊ̯⁵¹ sän⁵⁵ fən⁵⁵ tu³⁵/

/siː²² jœːk̚² saːm⁵⁵ fɐn⁵⁵ tʊk̚²/

/ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ jɑʊ̯⁵¹ sän⁵⁵ fən⁵⁵ tu³⁵/

/siː²² jœːk̚² saːm⁵⁵ fɐn⁵⁵ tʊk̚²/


餓死事小，失節事大

ㄜˋ ㄙˇ ㄕˋ ㄒㄧㄠˇ

ㄕ ㄐㄧㄝˊ ㄕˋ ㄉㄚˋ

/ˀɤ⁵¹ sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛ³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ tä⁵¹/

ngo⁶ sei² si⁶ siu², sat⁷ dzit⁸ si⁶ daai⁶

/ŋɔː²² sei̯³⁵ siː²² siːu̯³⁵ sɐt̚⁵ t͡siːt̚³ siː²² taːi̯²²/

Quoted from the Song neo-Confucian philosopher Cheng Yi.

death by starvation is a small matter, but losing one's chastity is a great matter

(figurative) integrity needs to be upheld even to the point of death


人善得人欺，馬善得人騎

ㄖㄣˊ ㄕㄢˋ ㄉㄜˊ ㄖㄣˊ ㄑㄧ

ㄇㄚˇ ㄕㄢˋ ㄉㄜˊ ㄖㄣˊ ㄑㄧˊ

jên² shan⁴ tê² jên² chʻi¹, ma³ shan⁴ tê² jên² chʻi²

rén shàn dé rén chī-, mǎ shàn dé rén chí

ren shann der ren chi, maa shann der ren chyi

жэнь шань дэ жэнь ци

ма шань дэ жэнь ци

žɛnʹ šanʹ dɛ žɛnʹ ci

/ʐən³⁵ ʂän⁵¹ tɤ³⁵ ʐən³⁵ t͡ɕʰi⁵⁵ mä²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂän⁵¹ tɤ³⁵ ʐən³⁵ t͡ɕʰi³⁵/

nice guys finish last
nice guys finish last


gut Ding will Weile haben

Literally, “a good thing wants to have [a] while”.

lit

(idiomatic) good things are worth patience


nothing new under the sun

there is nothing new under the sun#English

Alternative form of there is nothing new under the sun


hay más peces en el mar

there are many more potential opportunities available


odottavan aika on pitkä

"the time is long for those who wait" (literally)

a watched pot never boils
a watched pot never boils


ei mitään uutta auringon alla

there is nothing new under the sun
there is nothing new under the sun


丈夫有淚不輕彈

ㄓㄤˋ ㄈㄨ ㄧㄡˇ ㄌㄟˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄑㄧㄥ ㄊㄢˊ

чжанфу ю лэй бу цин тань

/ʈ͡ʂɑŋ⁵¹ fu⁵⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ leɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ t͡ɕʰiŋ⁵⁵ tʰän³⁵/

男兒有淚不輕彈 男兒有淚不輕彈#Chinese

男儿有泪不轻弹 男儿有泪不轻弹#Chinese

at the drop of a hat
at the drop of a hat

Synonym of 男兒有淚不輕彈／男儿有泪不轻弹 (nán'ér yǒu lèi bù qīng tán, “A real man does not cry at the drop of a hat just because life is not going his way.”)


善は急げ

善は急げ (canonical)
zen wa isoge (romanization)

Compound of 善 + は + 急げ, literally "good things need to be carried out with haste"

make hay while the sun shines
make hay while the sun shines

strike while the iron is hot
strike while the iron is hot

make hay while the sun shines, strike while the iron is hot, act on an opportunity promptly


好死不如賴活著

ㄏㄠˇ ㄙˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄖㄨˊ ㄌㄞˋ ㄏㄨㄛˊ ˙ㄓㄜ

hǎosǐ bùrú lài huózhe [Phonetic:háosǐbùrúlàihuózhe]

хаосы бужу лай хочжэ

/xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹ ʐu³⁵ laɪ̯⁵¹ xu̯ɔ³⁵ ɖ͡ʐ̥ə³/

/hou̯³⁵ sei̯³⁵ pɐt̚⁵ jyː²¹ laːi̯²² wuːt̚² t͡sœːk̚²/

it’s better to live a wretched existence than to experience a good death; better a bad life than a good death; a living ass is better than a dead lion


Probieren geht über Studieren

Literally, “trying goes over studying”, or more loosely translated as “trying is better than studying”. Attested since the 19th century. It, along with its earlier form Probieren ist über Studieren (which is attested since at least 1790), likely emerged as a native and rhyming alternative to Erfahrung ist der beste Lehrmeister, which is a calque of Latin experientia est optima rerum magistra.

m+

In diesem Buche wird einfach und verständlich erzählt:[…]
27. Probieren geht über Studieren; von Ausführung des Plans der neuen Armenanstalt, und wie sie in Goldenthal gedeiht.

1817, “Das Goldmacherdorf. Eine anmuthige und lehrreiche Geschichte vom aufrichtigen und wohlerfahrnen Schmelzerboten”, in Aarauer Zeitung: 1817, Aarau: Sauerländer, page 680:

In this book it is easily and understandably explained: […]
27. Trying is better than studying; about the execution of the plan of the new alsmhouse, and how it thrives in Goldenthal.

experience is the best teacher
experience is the best teacher

experience is the best teacher; experimentation and hands-on experience is more valuable than theoretizing


hollen of stilstaan

Literally, “running fast or standing still”.


het geld groeit me niet op de rug

Literally, “money isn't growing on my back”.

money doesn't grow on trees
money doesn't grow on trees


waar een wil is, is een weg

/ʋaːr ən ʋɪl ɪs ɪs ən ʋɛx/

Literally, “Where there's a will, there's a way.”.

where there is a will there is a way
where there is a will there is a way


萬丈高樓平地起

ㄨㄢˋ ㄓㄤˋ ㄍㄠ ㄌㄡˊ ㄆㄧㄥˊ ㄉㄧˋ ㄑㄧˇ

ваньчжан гаолоу пинди ци

/wän⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʈ͡ʂɑŋ⁵¹ kɑʊ̯⁵⁵ loʊ̯³⁵ pʰiŋ³⁵ ti⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/maːn²² t͡sœːŋ²² kou̯⁵⁵ lɐu̯²¹ pʰɪŋ²¹ tei̯²² hei̯³⁵/

many a mickle makes a muckle
many a mickle makes a muckle

(figurative) take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves; many a mickle makes a muckle


har man sagt a, må man si b

The literal translation "if you have said A, you have to say B" refers to that if you say one part, you have to say the second part as well.

har man sagt a, får man si b#Norwegian_Bokmål

Alternative spelling of har man sagt a, får man si b


har man sagt a, får man si b

har en sagt A, får en si B; han undret litt oppgitt hva C ville bli

1984, Ebba Haslund, Døgnfluens lengsel, page 22:

if one has said A, one should say B; he wondered a little dejected what C would be

har en først vakter, må en vel finne noe de kan vokte. Og er en så glad i vakter som det virker som de er her, så nytter det vel ikke bare å si A – en må si B også

if you first have guards, you must find something they can guard. And if one is as fond of guards as it seems as if they are here, then it is probably not useful to just say A - one must say B as well

if you have started something, you should finish it and take the consequence of it (literally: if you have said a, you should say b)


γεννήθηκα στα πούπουλα

head

γεννήθηκα στα πούπουλα • (genníthika sta poúpoula)

Δε γεννήθηκα στα πούπουλα.

I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth.

Δεν γεννήθηκε στα πούπουλα. Κι όμως, έγινε αριστοκράτης και πάμπλουτος.

He was not born with a silver spoon. Yet he became an aristocrat and very rich.

Den genníthike sta poúpoula. Ki ómos, égine aristokrátis kai pámploutos.

born with a silver spoon in one's mouth
born with a silver spoon in one's mouth

en-γεννήθηκα_στα_πούπουλα-el-proverb-mDdFy4at


en-proverb

mackerel sky and mare's-tails make tall ships carry low sails

mackerel sky and mare's-tails make lofty ships carry low sails


fat is flavor

(US, cooking) Foods need to contain fat to appear flavorful to consumers.


dawg nyam yuh suppa

/ˈdɑːɡ ˈɲam ˈjʌ ˈsʌpa/

/ˈdɑːɡ ˈɲam ˈjʊ ˈsʌpa/

Literally, "The dog will eat your dinner."

Anytime, anyting good a gwaan fi yuh doan mek she know, else dawg nyam yuh suppa.

Whenever things are going great for you, don't let her know. Otherwise, you'll be in a world of trouble.

up the creek without a paddle
up the creek without a paddle

in a world of trouble
in a world of trouble

you'll be up the creek without a paddle ; you'll be in a world of trouble ; you'll be in trouble.


dawg nyam mi suppa

Literally, "The dog will eat my dinner."

Mi glad mi pass geography or else dawg nyam mi suppa.

I'm happy I passed geography. Otherwise, I would have been in a world of trouble.

I'm going to be up the creek without a paddle ; I'm going to be in a world of trouble ; I'm going to be in trouble.


dawg nyam har suppa

/ˈdɑːɡ ˈɲam ˈɑːɹ ˈsʌpa/

Literally, "The dog will eat her dinner."

Mi not even noe har but dawg nyam har suppa caw my family dem nuh ramp.

I don't even know her but all I can say is that she's in a world of trouble, because my relatives are dangerous people.

She'll be up the creek without a paddle ; She'll be in a world of trouble ; She'll be in trouble.


dawg nyam unnu suppa

/ˈdɑːɡ ˈɲam ˈʊnʊ ˈsʌpa/

Literally, "The dog will eat your (pl.) dinner."

Dog nyam unnu suppa thanks to that union.

You're all up the creek without a paddle thanks to that union.

You all are going to be up the creek without a paddle ; you all are going to be in a world of trouble ; you all are going to be in trouble.


dawg nyam im suppa

Literally, "The dog will eat his dinner."

Only Jesus can let him win his upcoming appeal. Dawg nyam im suppa.

There's no way he's going to win his upcoming appeal unless Jesus himself makes it happen. He's in a world of trouble.

He'll be up the creek without a paddle ; He'll be in a world of trouble ; He'll be in trouble.


dawg nyam dem suppa

/ˈdɑːɡ ˈɲam ˈdɛm ˈsʌpa/

Literally, "The dog will eat their dinner."

De yute dem too licky licky caz when dem sell dem vote, when unnu win dawg nyam dem suppa.

These youth are too greedy. When they sell their votes and you win, they're going to be up the creek without a paddle.

They are going to be up the creek without a paddle ; they are going to be in a world of trouble ; they are going to be in trouble.


dawg nyam wi suppa

Literally, "The dog will eat our dinner."

If we continue to bask in murder music, dawg nyam wi suppa.

If we keep tolerating music about murder, we'll be up the creek without a paddle.

We're going to be up the creek without a paddle ; We're going to be in a world of trouble ; We're going to be in trouble.


malé ryby taky ryby

half a loaf is better than none
half a loaf is better than none

lepší vrabec v hrsti nežli holub na střeše


gut gekaut ist halb verdaut

Literally, “well chewed is half digested”.

lit

chew your food well before swallowing it; don't eat too fast


es gibt nichts Neues unter der Sonne

nichts Neues unter der Sonne
nichts Neues unter der Sonne#German

Alternative form of nichts Neues unter der Sonne


nichts Neues unter der Sonne

nothing new under the sun
there is nothing new under the sun

es geschieht nichts Neues unter der Sonne


steter Tropfen höhlt den Stein

/ˈʃteːtər ˈtrɔpfən ˈhøːlt de(ː)n ˈʃtaɪ̯n/

Calque of Latin gutta cavat lapidem. Literally, “constant dripping makes a hole in the stone”.

lit

little strokes fell great oaks
little strokes fell great oaks

(positive) steady effort can lead to unexpected success

(negative) continuous adversities can weaken or destroy the strongest people, unions, convictions, etc.


曾著賣糖君子哄，如今不信口甜人

head

曾著賣糖君子哄，如今不信口甜人

曾着卖糖君子哄，如今不信口甜人

ㄘㄥˊ ㄓㄠ ㄇㄞˋ ㄊㄤˊ ㄐㄩㄣ ㄗˇ ㄏㄨㄥˇ

ㄖㄨˊ ㄐㄧㄣ ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄣˋ ㄎㄡˇ ㄊㄧㄢˊ ㄖㄣˊ

rújīn bùxìn kǒutián rén [Phonetic:céngzhāomàitángjūnzíhǒng

tsʻêng² chao¹ mai⁴ tʻang² chün¹-tzŭ³ hung³

цэн чжао май тан цзюньцзы хун

жуцзинь бусинь коутянь жэнь

/t͡sʰɤŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂɑʊ̯⁵⁵ maɪ̯⁵¹ tʰɑŋ³⁵ t͡ɕyn⁵⁵ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻³⁵ xʊŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐu³⁵ t͡ɕin⁵⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ɕin⁵¹ kʰoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʰi̯ɛn³⁵ ʐən³⁵/

Once people have suffered losses due to dupery, they will not easily trust other people's slick talk.


o que non ten cabeza ten pés

those who do not think (especially those who forget an item) have to make a physical effort to deal with the consequences


seachnaíonn súil ní nach bhfeiceann

out of sight, out of mind
out of sight, out of mind


寧可信其有，不可信其無

ㄋㄧㄥˊ ㄎㄜˇ ㄒㄧㄣˋ ㄑㄧˊ ㄧㄡˇ

ㄅㄨˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄎㄜˇ ㄒㄧㄣˋ ㄑㄧˊ ㄨˊ

ning⁴ ho² seon³ kei⁴ jau⁵, bat¹ ho² seon³ kei⁴ mou⁴

нинкэ синь цию

бубукэ синь ци у

/niŋ³⁵ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕin⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi³⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕin⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi³⁵ u³⁵/

nìhng hó seun kèih yáuh, bāt hó seun kèih mòuh

ning⁴ ho² soen³ kei⁴ jau⁵, bat⁷ ho² soen³ kei⁴ mou⁴

ning⁴ ho² sên³ kéi⁴ yeo⁵, bed¹ ho² sên³ kéi⁴ mou⁴

/nɪŋ²¹ hɔː³⁵ sɵn³³ kʰei̯²¹ jɐu̯¹³ pɐt̚⁵ hɔː³⁵ sɵn³³ kʰei̯²¹ mou̯²¹/

It is better to believe something is real or true than to believe it is nonexistent or false.


vạn sự khởi đầu nan

[vaːn˧˨ʔ sɨ˧˨ʔ xəːj˧˩ ʔɗəw˨˩ naːn˧˧]

[vaːŋ˨˩ʔ ʂɨ˨˩ʔ kʰəːj˧˨ ʔɗəw˦˩ naːŋ˧˧]

[vaːŋ˨˩ʔ sɨ˨˩ʔ xəːj˧˨ ʔɗəw˦˩ naːŋ˧˧]

[vaːŋ˨˩˨ ʂɨ˨˩˨ kʰəːj˨˩˦ ʔɗəw˨˩ naːŋ˧˧]

[jaːŋ˨˩˨ sɨ˨˩˨ xəːj˨˩˦ ʔɗəw˨˩ naːŋ˧˧]


好心著雷劈

/hou̯³⁵ sɐm⁵⁵ t͡sœːk̚² lɵy̯²¹ pʰɛːk̚³/

/hou̯³⁵ sɐm⁵⁵ t͡sœːk̚² lɵy̯²¹ pʰɛːk̚³/

no good deed goes unpunished
no good deed goes unpunished

(Cantonese, dialectal Hakka) no good deed goes unpunished; those who help often end up being resented by those whom they help


人咧做，天咧看

/laŋ²⁴ le(ʔ)⁵ t͡sue⁴¹ tʰĩ³³ le(ʔ)⁵ kʰuã⁴¹/

/laŋ²⁴ le(ʔ)³²⁻⁵³ t͡sue²¹ tʰĩ⁴⁴ le(ʔ)³²⁻⁵³ kʰuã²¹/

/laŋ¹³ li⁵³⁻⁴⁴ t͡so²¹ tʰĩ⁴⁴ li⁵³⁻⁴⁴ kʰuã²¹/

/laŋ²³ te(ʔ)³²⁻⁴¹ t͡sɤ²¹ tʰĩ⁴⁴ te(ʔ)³²⁻⁴¹ kʰuã²¹/

(Hokkien) the heavens are looking when humans act; be careful of how you act


人在做，天在看

ㄖㄣˊ ㄗㄞˋ ㄗㄨㄛˋ

жэнь цзай цзо

тянь цзай кань

/ʐən³⁵ t͡saɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡su̯ɔ⁵¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ t͡saɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ kʰän⁵¹/

/jɐn²¹ t͡sɔːi̯²² t͡sou̯²² tʰiːn⁵⁵ t͡sɔːi̯²² hɔːn³³/


말이 씨가 된다

Watch what you say; be careful of what you say; if you say something bad, it might come true


en-proverb

what the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over

Problems and losses that do not reach the attention cause no worries and no grief.


siitä puhe mistä puute

Used when someone brags a lot about things that probably are not true; especially of a person that tends to talk about that something a lot.

Used when something becomes a topic of discussion only when it isn't available.


食果子拜樹頭

to pay respect to the roots when one eats the fruit

/t͡sia(ʔ)⁴⁻²¹ ke⁵³⁻⁴⁴ t͡si⁵³ pai²¹⁻⁵³ t͡sʰiu²²⁻²¹ tʰau²⁴/

/t͡sia(ʔ)²⁴⁻² kə⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ t͡si⁵⁵⁴ pai⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ t͡sʰiu⁴¹⁻²² tʰau²⁴/

/t͡sia(ʔ)⁴⁻²¹ kue⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ t͡si⁴¹ pai²¹⁻⁴¹ t͡sʰiu³³⁻²¹ tʰau²³/

/t͡sia(ʔ)¹²¹⁻²¹ kue⁵³⁻⁴⁴ t͡si⁵³ pai²¹⁻⁵³ t͡sʰiu²²⁻²¹ tʰau¹³/

(Hokkien) remember where one's happiness comes from; do not forget one's roots or heritage


it's a tough job, but someone's got to do it

Firefighters have to put themselves in serious danger in order to save lives. It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it.

(literally) The job is a particularly difficult and undesirable one.

Most days, firefighters get paid to do nothing at all. It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it!

(colloquial, ironic, humorous) The role or assignment is a particularly attractive or desirable one.


ძაღლი ახსენე და ჯოხი ხელში დაიჭირეო

head

ძაღლი ახსენე და ჯოხი ხელში დაიჭირეო • (ʒaɣli axsene da ǯoxi xelši daič̣ireo)

ʒaɣli axsene da ǯoxi xelši daič̣ireo (romanization)

/d͡zaɣli axsene da d͡ʒoxi xelʃi dait͡ʃʼireo/

[d͡zaʁli aχsene d̥a d͡ʒoχi χelʃi d̥ait͡ʃʼiɾeo]

speak of the devil and he shall appear
speak of the devil and he shall appear

speak of the devil and he shall appear, talk of the devil

en-ძაღლი_ახსენე_და_ჯოხი_ხელში_დაიჭირეო-ka-proverb-UbXDZ~eQ


if oonuh ent kno weh oonuh dah gwine, oonuh should kno weh oonuh come f'um

If oonuh ent kno weh oonuh dah gwine, oonuh should kno weh oonuh come f'um.

2017 August 10, “The World of Gullah”, in Fodor's Travel (travel guide; overall work in English), El Segundo, California: Fodor's Travel, retrieved 2020-08-12:

If you don't know where you're going, you should know where you've come from.


un de perdu, dix de retrouvés

there are plenty of fish in the sea
there are plenty of fish in the sea

easy come, easy go; there are plenty of fish in the sea


les voies de Dieu sont impénétrables

God works in mysterious ways
God works in mysterious ways

les voies du Seigneur sont impénétrables


fr-proverb

les voies du Seigneur sont impénétrables


ventre affamé n'a point d'oreilles

ventre affamé n’ a point d’ oreilles (canonical)

Literally, “a hungry belly has no ears”. From the fable Le Milan et le Rossignol by Jean de La Fontaine.

words are wasted on a starving man; a hungry man is an angry man (you can't reason with someone who is hungry)

Jean de La Fontaine
fr:Le Milan et le Rossignol


功夫不負有心人

ㄍㄨㄥ ˙ㄈㄨ ㄅㄨˋ ㄈㄨˋ ㄧㄡˇ ㄒㄧㄣ ㄖㄣˊ

gōngfu bùfù yǒuxīnrén [Phonetic:gōngfu búfù yǒuxīnrén]

гунфу буфу юсиньжэнь

/kʊŋ⁵⁵ fu² pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ fu⁵¹ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕin⁵⁵ ʐən³⁵/


the best defense is a good offense

attack is the best form of defence#English

Synonym of attack is the best form of defence


樹不要皮必死無疑，人不要臉天下無敵

head

樹不要皮必死無疑，人不要臉天下無敵

树不要皮必死无疑，人不要脸天下无敌

A tree without bark will die without a doubt; a man unconcerned about saving his face is invincible.

ㄕㄨˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄧㄠˋ ㄆㄧˊ ㄅㄧˋ ㄙˇ ㄨˊ ㄧˊ

ㄖㄣˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄧㄠˋ ㄌㄧㄢˇ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄨˊ ㄉㄧˊ

rén bùyào liǎn tiānxiàwúdí [Phonetic:shù búyào pí bì sǐ wúyí

jên² pu⁴-yao⁴ lien³ tʻien¹-hsia⁴-wu²-ti²

шу буяо пи би сы уи

жэнь буяо лянь тяньсяуди

/ʂu⁵¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ jɑʊ̯⁵¹ pʰi³⁵ pi⁵¹ sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ u³⁵ i³⁵ ʐən³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ jɑʊ̯⁵¹ li̯ɛn²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ u³⁵ ti³⁵/

(sarcastic) A shameless person is undefeatable and difficult to deal with.


/mɪ kʌm ja fɪ‿d͡ʒɹɪŋk mɪlk mɪ‿nʌ‿kʌm ja‿fɪ‿kɔʊ̯nt kɔʊ̯/

Literally, "I came here to drink milk, I didn't come here to count cows."

DEALER: Di summer hot. Mek wi look pon couple AC before we talk 'bout di fridge.
CUSTOMER: Listen man, mi come yah fi drink milk, mi nuh come yah fi count cow.
DEALER: The summer's hot. Let's look at a few AC's before we talk about the fridge.
CUSTOMER: Listen man, let's get to the point.

“// BW 125:957, "You come to drink milk an' no fe count cow, i.e., not pry into my affairs"; TU 31; "Many people carry out their business in a straightforward manner, but others are merely a 'bag of mouth,' in such cases it may become necessary to remind them 'mi come here fi drink milk, mi noh come here fi count cow'" […]”

2001, Anand Prahlad, Reggae Wisdom: Proverbs in Jamaican Music (in English), →ISBN, page 260:

CO-WORKER: Yow, yuh nuh hear seh di boss an' di secretary a gwaan wid tings? YOU: Listen man, mi come yah fi drink milk, mi nuh come yah fi count cow.

CO-WORKER: Hey, did you hear that the boss and the secretary are fooling around? YOU: Listen man, I'm just trying to mind my own business.

“Patois: "Mi cum ya fi drink milk; mi no cum ya fi count cow."
English:I came to drink milk; I did not come to count the cows.
This cautions you to always remember your purpose and never get involved in things that are outside of your responsibility (in other words, mind your own business). […]”

2018, Canute B. White BSc (Hon), MSc (Psy), MSc (Org. Stud.), Awah So?: A Collection of Jamaican Proverbs for Therapy and Empowerment (in English), →ISBN, page 114:

mind your own business
mind your own business

A: Yuh haffi do six month a training fi get yuh licence. B: No, sistren. Mi come yah fi drink milk, mi nuh come yah fi count cow.

(literally, “I don't have time for that.”)

A: You have to do six months of training to earn your licence. B: Lady, I'd like to get that licence much faster.

“He smiled when he added, "Now, we all know that Jesus is black and that white Christian preachers have been perverting scriptures to conceal that fact, but, Star, mi bredda mon, me think ya cum fi drink milk, ya nuh cum ya fi count cow." […]”

2002, Ron Ehrens, Blue Moon (in English), →ISBN, page 154:

I desire reward without effort. I do not have time for that.


和尚摸得，我摸不得

The monks can touch [thisnun], [but] I can't?

ㄏㄜˊ ㄕㄤˋ ㄇㄛ ㄉㄜˊ

ㄨㄛˇ ㄇㄛ ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄜˊ

/xɤ³⁵ ʂɑŋ⁵¹ mu̯ɔ⁵⁵ tɤ³⁵ wɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ mu̯ɔ⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ tɤ³⁵/

和尚動得，我動不得 和尚動得，我動不得#Chinese

和尚动得，我动不得 和尚动得，我动不得#Chinese

Synonym of 和尚動得，我動不得／和尚动得，我动不得 (héshàng dòng dé, wǒ dòng bùdé)


和尚動得，我動不得

ㄏㄜˊ ㄕㄤˋ ㄉㄨㄥˋ ㄉㄜˊ

ㄨㄛˇ ㄉㄨㄥˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄜˊ

хэшан дун дэ

/xɤ³⁵ ʂɑŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ tʊŋ⁵¹ tɤ³⁵ wɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʊŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ tɤ³⁵/

From a quote in the novel The True Story of Ah Q (1921) by the protagonist Ah Q, who holds a cynical belief that Buddhist monks and nuns all have secret immoral sexual relationships.

Two wrongs make a right
two wrongs make a right

My wrongdoing is justified by someone else doing the same thing. Two wrongs make a right.


pienistä puroista syntyy suuri joki

many a mickle makes a muckle
many a mickle makes a muckle


l'occasion fait le larron

opportunity makes the thief
opportunity makes the thief


둏은 나무부터 띡히구 못 쓰는 낭그느 깉는다

둏은 나무-부터 띡히구 못 쓰는 낭그느 깉는다

둏은 나무부터 띡히구 못 쓰는 낭그느 깉는다 • (dyoeun namu-buteo ttikhigu mot sseuneun nanggeuneu ginneunda)

Literally "good trees are cut down first and the unusable trees remain".

en-둏은_나무부터_띡히구_못_쓰는_낭그느_깉는다-ko-proverb-1MoJY6g5


火の無い所に煙は立たぬ

ja-pos

ひ の ない ところ に けむり は たたぬ

火(ひ)の無(な)い所(ところ)に煙(けむり)は立(た)たぬ • (hi no nai tokoro ni kemuri wa tatanu)

火の無い所に煙は立たぬ (canonical)
hi no nai tokoro ni kemuri wa tatanu (romanization)

火の無い所に煙は立たない 火の無い所に煙は立たない#Japanese


fr-proverb

souvent femme varie, bien fol est qui s’y fie

souvent femme varie (canonical)
bien fol est qui s’ y fie (canonical)

souvent femme varie, bien fol est qui s'y fie

/su.vɑ̃ fa.mə va.ʁi | bjɛ̃ fɔ.l‿ɛ ki s‿i fi/

women are fickle, and one should not trust them, believe them nor take them seriously


chó cứ sủa còn đoàn người cứ đi

[t͡ɕɔ˧˦ kɨ˧˦ suə˧˩ kɔn˨˩ ʔɗwaːn˨˩ ŋɨəj˨˩ kɨ˧˦ ʔɗi˧˧]

[t͡ɕɔ˨˩˦ kɨ˨˩˦ ʂuə˧˨ kɔŋ˦˩ ʔɗwaːŋ˦˩ ŋɨj˦˩ kɨ˨˩˦ ʔɗɪj˧˧]

[t͡ɕɔ˨˩˦ kɨ˨˩˦ suə˧˨ kɔŋ˦˩ ʔɗwaːŋ˦˩ ŋɨj˦˩ kɨ˨˩˦ ʔɗɪj˧˧]

[cɔ˦˥ kɨ˦˥ ʂuə˨˩˦ kɔŋ˨˩ ʔɗwaːŋ˨˩ ŋɨj˨˩ kɨ˦˥ ʔɗɪj˧˧]

[cɔ˦˥ kɨ˦˥ suə˨˩˦ kɔŋ˨˩ ʔɗwaːŋ˨˩ ŋɨj˨˩ kɨ˦˥ ʔɗɪj˧˧]

The saying is found in many languages from the Middle East to India. In Turkish and Azerbaijani, it rhymes (Turkish it ürür, kervan yürür, and Azerbaijani it hürər, karvan keçər), suggesting that of Turkic languages may be the origin. Some scholars claim that the proverb is originally Arabic. The saying is also found in Portuguese (Portuguese os cães ladram, mas a caravana passa), which could be explained by Arab presence in the country between 8th and 13th centuries.

cog

the dogs bark, but the caravan goes on
the dogs bark, but the caravan goes on


pasou o día, pasou a romería

(idiomatic) "The day is over, the fair is over" (implying either that one has lost the opportunity, or that every activity has its proper time or schedule)


萬般皆下品，惟有讀書高

万般皆下品，惟有读书高
萬般皆下品，唯有讀書高

ㄨㄢˋ ㄅㄢ ㄐㄧㄝ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄆㄧㄣˇ

ㄨㄟˊ ㄧㄡˇ ㄉㄨˊ ㄕㄨ ㄍㄠ

maan⁶ bun¹ gaai¹ haa⁶ ban², wai⁴ jau⁵ duk⁶ syu¹ gou¹

ваньбань цзе сяпинь

вэйю душу гао

/wän⁵¹ pän⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ pʰin²¹⁴⁻²¹ weɪ̯³⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ tu³⁵ ʂu⁵⁵ kɑʊ̯⁵⁵/

maahn būn gāai hah bán, wàih yáuh duhk syū gōu

maan⁶ bun¹ gaai¹ haa⁶ ban², wai⁴ jau⁵ duk⁹ sy¹ gou¹

man⁶ bun¹ gai¹ ha⁶ ben², wei⁴ yeo⁵ dug⁶ xu¹ gou¹

/maːn²² puːn⁵⁵ kaːi̯⁵⁵ haː²² pɐn³⁵ wɐi̯²¹ jɐu̯¹³ tʊk̚² syː⁵⁵ kou̯⁵⁵/

All trades and occupations are inferior and only studying is superior


神仙打架，小鬼遭殃

When the deities fight, the imps will suffer.

ㄕㄣˊ ㄒㄧㄢ ㄉㄚˇ ㄐㄧㄚˋ

ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄍㄨㄟˇ ㄗㄠ ㄧㄤ

шэньсянь дацзя

сяогуй цзаоян

/ʂən³⁵ ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ tä²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi̯ä⁵¹ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ku̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sɑʊ̯⁵⁵ jɑŋ⁵⁵/

disagreement of leaders causes disorder in subordinates

confrontation of politicians causes suffering to ordinary people


먼 무당이 용하다

Literally, "the shaman from far away is more skilled".

the grass is always greener on the other side

가까운 무당보다 먼 무당이 용하다

gakkaun mudangboda meon mudang-i yonghada

The shaman from far away is more skilled than the shaman from nearby


短気は損気

短気は損気 (canonical)
tanki wa sonki (romanization)

[tã̠ŋʲkʲi β̞a̠ sõ̞ŋʲkʲi]


時間能治癒一切創傷

ㄕˊ ㄐㄧㄢ ㄋㄥˊ ㄓˋ ㄩˋ ㄧ ㄑㄧㄝˋ ㄔㄨㄤ ㄕㄤ

ㄕˊ ㄐㄧㄢ ㄋㄥˊ ㄓˋ ㄩˋ ㄧ ㄑㄧㄝˋ ㄔㄨㄤˋ ㄕㄤ

si⁴ gaan³ nang⁴ zi⁶ jyu⁶ jat¹ cai³ cong³ soeng¹

shíjiān néng zhìyù yīqiè chuāngshāng [Phonetic:shíjiān néng zhìyù yíqiè chuāngshāng]

shih²-chien¹ nêng² chih⁴-yü⁴ i¹-chʻieh⁴ chʻuang¹-shang¹

shŕ-jyān néng jr̀-yù yī-chyè chwāng-shāng

шицзянь нэн чжиюй ице чуаншан

/ʂʐ̩³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ nɤŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ y⁵¹ i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛ⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ ʂɑŋ⁵⁵/

shíjiān néng zhìyù yīqiè chuàngshāng [Phonetic:shíjiān néng zhìyù yíqiè chuàngshāng]

shih²-chien¹ nêng² chih⁴-yü⁴ i¹-chʻieh⁴ chʻuang⁴-shang¹

shŕ-jyān néng jr̀-yù yī-chyè chwàng-shāng

/ʂʐ̩³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ nɤŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ y⁵¹ i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʈ͡ʂʰu̯ɑŋ⁵¹ ʂɑŋ⁵⁵/

sìh gaan nàhng jih yuh yāt chai chong sēung

si⁴ gaan³ nang⁴ dzi⁶ jy⁶ jat⁷ tsai³ tsong³ soeng¹

xi⁴ gan³ neng⁴ ji⁶ yu⁶ yed¹ cei³ cong³ sêng¹

/siː²¹ kaːn³³ nɐŋ²¹ t͡siː²² jyː²² jɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰɐi̯³³ t͡sʰɔːŋ³³ sœːŋ⁵⁵/

[Phonetic: shíjiān néng zhìyù yíqiè chuāngshāng]

[Phonetic: shíjiān néng zhìyù yíqiè chuàngshāng]

time heals all wounds
time heals all wounds


桃李もの言わざれども下自ら蹊を成す

ja-pos

とうり もの いわざれども した おのずから みち を なす

桃(とう)李(り)もの言(い)わざれども下(した)自(おのずか)ら蹊(みち)を成(な)す • (tōri mono iwazaredomo shita onozukara michi o nasu)

桃李もの言わざれども下自ら蹊を成す (canonical)

From Chinese 桃李無言，下自成蹊／桃李无言，下自成蹊.

zh-l

桃李無言，下自成蹊／桃李无言，下自成蹊

a man of virtue will naturally attract admirers, good wine speaks for itself


وراء كل رجل عظيم امرأة

head

وَرَاءَ كُلِّ رَجُلٍ عَظِيمٍ ٱمْرَأَةٌ

وَرَاءَ كُلِّ رَجُلٍ عَظِيمٍ ٱمْرَأَةٌ • (warāʾa kulli rajulin ʿaẓīmini mraʾatun)

وَرَاءَ كُلِّ رَجُلٍ عَظِيمٍ ٱمْرَأَةٌ (canonical)
warāʾa kulli rajulin ʿaẓīmini mraʾatun (romanization)

/wa.raː.ʔa kul.li ra.d͡ʒu.lin ʕa.ðˤiː.mi.ni‿m.ra.ʔa.tun/

behind every successful man there stands a woman

en-وراء_كل_رجل_عظيم_امرأة-ar-proverb-uH-Y5N74


三歲定八十

ㄙㄢ ㄙㄨㄟˋ ㄉㄧㄥˋ ㄅㄚ ㄕˊ

саньсуйдинбаши

/sän⁵⁵ su̯eɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ tiŋ⁵¹ pä⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵/

/saːm⁵⁵ sɵy̯³³ tɪŋ²² paːt̚³ sɐp̚²/

/sän⁵⁵ su̯eɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ tiŋ⁵¹ pä⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵/

/saːm⁵⁵ sɵy̯³³ tɪŋ²² paːt̚³ sɐp̚²/

the character of a person is already formed at a young age


cuando el río suena, agua lleva

no smoke without fire
no smoke without fire


지성이면 감천이다

ko-proverb

지성이면 감천이다 • (jiseong-imyeon gamcheon-ida)

[지성이면감(ː)처니다]

Originally a reformulation according to Korean syntax of the Classical Chinese chengyu 至誠感天／至诚感天 (“utmost sincerity moves heaven”), probably ultimately from a line in Mencius (7:12):
:誠者，天之道也／诚者，天之道也
:As for sincerity, it is the way of heaven
Folk etymological folktale
The proverb is now associated with an etymological folktale about a lame beggar named Jiseong and a blind beggar named Gamcheon. Jiseong would point out the way for his friend, and Gamcheon would carry his friend on his back. One day, the two discovered a huge nugget of gold. They asked a peddler to split the nugget in half so that they could share it, but the gold appeared as a snake in the peddler's eyes. The two then asked a hunter to split the nugget; the gold appeared as a plain stone to the hunter, so he agreed to split it for them. Jiseong and Gamcheon took half the nugget each.
Some time later, they visited a Buddhist temple, where a monk advised them to offer the gold to the Buddha and to pray to him for a hundred days. When they had done so, both Jiseong and Gamcheon were cured of their disabilities.

zh-l

sincerity moves heaven; if one is truly sincere about achieving something, one shall attain it


tutti i nodi vengono al pettine

Literally, “all the knots come to the comb”.

lit

the chickens come home to roost
the chickens come home to roost

the chickens come home to roost; truth will out


장고 끝에 악수 둔다

ko-proverb

장고 끝-에 악수 둔다

장고 끝에 악수 둔다 • (janggo kkeut-e aksu dunda)

janggo kkeut-e aksu dunda (romanization)

Literally, "one makes a bad play after a long deliberation."

(originally game of go, now generally) you should trust your gut feeling


知人口面不知心

/t͡siː⁵⁵ jɐn²¹ hɐu̯³⁵ miːn²² pɐt̚⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ sɐm⁵⁵/

(Cantonese) one may know a person from the outside but may not understanding their true nature


人在屋檐下，不得不低頭

ㄖㄣˊ ㄗㄞˋ ㄨ ㄧㄢˊ ㄒㄧㄚˋ

ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄜˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄧ ㄊㄡˊ

жэнь цзай уянь ся

будэбу дитоу

/ʐən³⁵ t͡saɪ̯⁵¹ u⁵⁵ jɛn³⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ tɤ³⁵ pu⁵¹ ti⁵⁵ tʰoʊ̯³⁵/

A wordplay of 低頭／低头 (dītóu)'s literal and figurative meaning.

zh-l

低頭／低头 (dītóu)

人在屋檐下，不得不低头
人在屋簷下，不得不低頭

When a man stands under eaves, he has to lower his head.

One often has to concede when he or she is in a disadvantaged position


개가 짖어도 기차는 달린다

ko-proverb

개-가 짖어-도 기차-는 달린다

개가 짖어도 기차는 달린다 • (gae-ga jijeo-do gicha-neun dallinda)

gae-ga jijeo-do gicha-neun dallinda (romanization)

[ˈkɛ(ː)ɡa̠ t͡ɕid͡ʑʌ̹do̞ kit͡ɕʰa̠nɯn ta̠ʎʎinda̠]

[ˈke̞(ː)ɡa̠ t͡ɕid͡ʑʌ̹do̞ kit͡ɕʰa̠nɯn ta̠ʎʎinda̠]

개(ː)가지저도기차는달린다

게(ː)가지저도기차는달린다

Literally "The dog(s) bark(s), but the train speeds on." Partial calque of English the dogs bark, but the caravan goes on.
Used commonly in both North and South Korea since at least the 1990s. In South Korea, the proverb is most famously associated with (and sometimes mistakenly considered an invention of) President Kim Young-sam, one of the country's first democratically elected leaders. In 1993, Kim disbanded the Hanahoe organization that had been the backbone of the preceding military dictatorship. This was Kim's response when he was asked if he did not fear retaliation from the generals of the Hanahoe.


it isn't over 'til the fat lady sings

it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings#English

Alternative form of it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings


en-proverb

mackerel sky and mare's-tails make lofty ships carry low sails

mackerel sky and mare's-tails make tall ships carry low sails#English

Alternative form of mackerel sky and mare's-tails make tall ships carry low sails


打蛇打七寸

to beat the snake, one must strike seven inches below its head

ㄉㄚˇ ㄕㄜˊ ㄉㄚˇ ㄑㄧ ㄘㄨㄣˋ

да шэ да ци цунь

/tä²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂɤ³⁵ tä²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰi⁵⁵ t͡sʰu̯ən⁵¹/

Attack the problem at its core; Hit where it hurts


없는 자리에서는 나라님 욕도 한다

ko-proverb

없는 자리-에서-는 나라님 욕-도 한다

없는 자리에서는 나라님 욕도 한다 • (eomneun jari-eseo-neun naranim yok-do handa)

[ˈɘ(ː)mnɯn t͡ɕa̠ɾie̞sʰʌ̹nɯn na̠ɾa̠nim jok̚t͈o̞ ha̠nda̠]

엄(ː)는자리에서는나라님욕또한다

[엄(ː)는자리에서는나라님욕또한다]

Literally, "When he is not present, even His Majesty is spoken badly of."

People like to talk behind the backs of others; people like to speak badly of others


先發制人，後發制於人

ㄒㄧㄢ ㄈㄚ ㄓˋ ㄖㄣˊ

ㄏㄡˋ ㄈㄚ ㄓˋ ㄩˊ ㄖㄣˊ

sin¹ faat³ zai³ jan⁴, hau⁶ faat³ zai³ jyu¹ jan⁴

сяньфачжижэнь

хоуфачжиюйжэнь

/ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵ fä⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹ ʐən³⁵ xoʊ̯⁵¹ fä⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹ y³⁵ ʐən³⁵/

sīn faat jai yàhn, hauh faat jai yū yàhn

sin¹ faat⁸ dzai³ jan⁴, hau⁶ faat⁸ dzai³ jy¹ jan⁴

xin¹ fad³ zei³ yen⁴, heo⁶ fad³ zei³ yu¹ yen⁴

/siːn⁵⁵ faːt̚³ t͡sɐi̯³³ jɐn²¹ hɐu̯²² faːt̚³ t͡sɐi̯³³ jyː⁵⁵ jɐn²¹/

Act first and subdue your enemy, or else you will be subdued by your enemy.


nunca choveu que non escampara

Literally, “it has never rained that it didn't get clear”, implying that every bad season will eventually end.

lit

Xa sabes, nunca choveu que non escampara. Todo pasa. Neste mundo todo dura dous días ou tres, non máis, incluso as cousas máis tráxicas e terribles rematan esquecéndose axiña

2011, Francisco Castro Veloso, In vino veritas, Editorial Galaxia, →ISBN, page 285:

You know, the longest day must have an end. Everything passes. In this world everything lasts two or three days, no more; even the most tragic and terrible things are forgotten right away

the longest day must have an end
the longest day must have an end

the longest day must have an end; when life gives you lemons, make lemonade


세 살 버릇 여든까지 간다

ko-pos

세 살 버릇 여든-까지 간다

세 살 버릇 여든까지 간다 • (se sal beoreut yeodeun-kkaji ganda)

se sal beoreut yeodeun-kkaji ganda (romanization)

[sʰe̞ sʰa̠ɭ pʌ̹ɾɯt̚ jʌ̹dɯnk͈a̠d͡ʑi ka̠nda̠]

[세살버륻여든까지간다]

Literally, "a habit at the age of three continues to eighty". Attested in the proverb collection 이담속찬/耳談續纂, 1820.


ptica ranoranilica prva crva nađe

sh-proverb

ptica ranoranilica prva crva nađe (Cyrillic spelling птица раноранилица прва црва нађе)

птица раноранилица прва црва нађе (Cyrillic)

the early bird gets the worm
the early bird gets the worm


ko rano rani dve sreće grabi

ko rano rani dve sreće grabi (Cyrillic spelling ко рано рани две среће граби)

ко рано рани две среће граби (Cyrillic)


अकेला चना भाँड़ नहीं फोड़ता

hi-proverb

اکیلا چنا بھانڑ نہیں پھوڑتا

अकेला चना भाँड़ नहीं फोड़ता • (akelā canā bhā̃ṛ nahī̃ phoṛtā) (Urdu spelling اکیلا چنا بھانڑ نہیں پھوڑتا)

akelā canā bhā̃ṛ nahī̃ phoṛtā (romanization)
اکیلا چنا بھانڑ نہیں پھوڑتا (Urdu)

/ə.keː.lɑː t͡ʃə.nɑː bʱɑ̃ːɽ nə.ɦĩː pʰoːɽ.t̪ɑː/

[ɐ.keː.läː‿t͡ʃɐ.näː‿bʱä̃ːɽ‿nɐ.ɦĩː‿pʰoːɽ.t̪äː]

"a single lentil cannot break the pot"; it is difficult to do something big by oneself

en-अकेला_चना_भाँड़_नहीं_फोड़ता-hi-proverb-U4SpWDtI


head

if all you've got is a hammer, everything looks like a nail

if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail#English

Alternative form of if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail


sh-proverb

put do pakla popločan je dobrim namjerama (Cyrillic spelling пут до пакла поплочан је добрим намјерама)

the road to hell is paved with good intentions


head

svenskar äro vi inte längre, ryssar vilja vi inte bli, låt oss alltså bli finnar. ("Swedes we are no longer, Russians do we not want to become, let us thus become Finns.")

svenskar äro vi inte längre (canonical)
ryssar vilja vi inte bli (canonical)
låt oss alltså bli finnar. (canonical)

Svenskar äro vi inte längre, ryssar vilja vi inte bli, låt oss alltså bli finnar.

quote attributed to Adolf Ivar Arwidsson (1791–1858)


la avaricia rompe el saco

Literally, “the avarice breaks the bag”.

grasp all, lose all; greed overreaches itself


lo que no te mata, te hace más fuerte

what doesn't kill you makes you stronger


山雨欲來風滿樓

the wind sweeping through the tower heralds a rising storm in the mountains

ㄕㄢ ㄩˇ ㄩˋ ㄌㄞˊ ㄈㄥ ㄇㄢˇ ㄌㄡˊ

шаньюй юй лай фэн мань лоу

/ʂän⁵⁵ y²¹⁴⁻²¹ y⁵¹ laɪ̯³⁵ fɤŋ⁵⁵ män²¹⁴⁻²¹ loʊ̯³⁵/

/saːn⁵⁵ jyː¹³ jʊk̚² lɔːi̯²¹ fʊŋ⁵⁵ muːn¹³ lɐu̯²¹/

A big event is always preceded by some kind of omen (often describing the tense situation and atmosphere before a serious event happens)


戲仔釘，三日無拍就上鉎

three days of not hitting a theater nail makes it rust

/hi⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ a⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ tan³³ sã³³ lit̚²⁴⁻² bo²⁴⁻²² pʰa(ʔ)⁵ t͡siu⁴¹⁻²² t͡sʰiũ²² san³³/

spare the rod and spoil the child
spare the rod and spoil the child

(Quanzhou Hokkien) spare the rod and spoil the child


어시 없이는 살아두 쉐 없이는 못 산다

어시 없이-는 살아두 쉐 없이-는 못 산다

어시 없이는 살아두 쉐 없이는 못 산다 • (eosi eopsi-neun saradu swe eopsi-neun mot sanda)

Literally, "one may live without parents, but not without cattle."

(Yukjin) A proverb about the importance of cattle in traditional Korean life.


behind every great man is a great woman

behind every successful man there stands a woman#English

Synonym of behind every successful man there stands a woman (“men's success often depends on the support and work of their wives or female partners”)


la venganza es un plato que se sirve frío

Literally, “revenge is a dish that is served cold”.

lit

revenge is a dish best served cold
revenge is a dish best served cold


cockroach nuh business inna fowl fight

Literally, “A cockroach never gets involved when hens fight”.

lit

“The Caribbean proverb about the vulnerability of one species in relation to another, imaged in "Cockroach nuh business inna fowl fight" or "Cockroach never right in front of fowl" […]”

[2001, Kathleen E. A. Monteith, Glen Richards, Jamaica in Slavery and Freedom: History, Heritage and Culture (in English), →ISBN, page 110:

mind your own business
mind your own business


not all heroes wear capes

From the tendency for superheroes to wear capes.

I don't believe that heroes are extraordinary people— I believe they are ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. This is a wonderful lesson for adults and children. Not all heroes wear capes!

2004, Vickie Girard, There's No Place Like Hope, →ISBN, page 69:

Everywhere they go, every step they take and no matter who they are with, the band's fans are beside them in spirit and in their hearts, making signs up with slogans such as "You're proof that not all heroes wear capes!" and turning up at venues where the band are recording, rehearsing, or performing.

2014, One Direction Confidential, Barron's, →ISBN, page 58:

Real people are as capable of being heroic as fictional superheroes.


多勢に無勢

多勢に無勢 (canonical)
tazei ni buzei (romanization)

It is difficult to win when outnumbered.


男不男女不女

ㄋㄢˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄋㄢˊ ㄋㄩˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄋㄩˇ

нань бу нань нюй бу нюй

/nän³⁵ pu⁵¹ nän³⁵ ny²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹ ny²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

men are not like men and women are not like women

(now rare) neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring


စကားနည်းရန်စဲ

head

စကားနည်းရန်စဲ

/zəɡánɛ́jàɴzɛ́/

the virtues of speaking carefully with others (lit. "fewer words, fewer enemies")


လှတာမက် ညစာခက်

လှတာမက် ညစာခက်

/l̥a̰dàmɛʔ ɲa̰zàkʰɛʔ/

referenced when one prioritizes fleeting things over essentials (lit. 'covet beautiful things, go hungry at night')


ကရုဏာ လဟုနာဖြစ်

ကရုဏာ လဟုနာဖြစ် • (ka.ru.na la.hu.nahprac)

/ɡəjṵnà ləhṵnàpʰjɪʔ/

used when an act of compassion ends in vain (lit. "compassion becomes futile")


အရေးကြီး သွေးနီး

အရေးကြီး သွေးနီး

/ʔəjét͡ɕí θwéní/


ကျွန်နေမျိုး သားသတိုး

ကျွန်နေမျိုး သားသတိုး

ကျွန်နေမျိုး သားသတိုး • (kywanne-myui: sa:sa.tui:)

/t͡ɕʊ̀ɴnèmjó θáðətó/

used in reference to favoritism (lit. bestow the Nemyo title to a slave, the Thado title to a son)

en-ကျွန်နေမျိုး_သားသတိုး-my-proverb-gPSsb2e9


တန်ရင်ဆေး လွန်ရင်ဘေး

တန်ရင်ဆေး လွန်ရင်ဘေး

တန်ရင်ဆေး လွန်ရင်ဘေး • (tanranghce: lwanrangbhe:)

/tàɴjɪ̀ɴsʰé lʊ̀ɴjɪ̀ɴbé/

all things in moderation (just enough is medicine, too much is disaster)

en-တန်ရင်ဆေး_လွန်ရင်ဘေး-my-proverb--T3t8xt-


ဆရာများ သားသေ

ဆရာများ သားသေ

/sʰəjàmjá θáθè/

too many cooks spoil the broth
too many cooks spoil the broth

too many cooks spoil the broth (lit. too many teachers, and the pupil dies)


စေတနာ ဝေဒနာဖြစ်

စေတနာ ဝေဒနာဖြစ်

စေတနာ ဝေဒနာဖြစ် • (ceta.na weda.nahprac)

used when an act of generosity ends in pain (lit. "compassion becomes suffering")


ကျွန်းကိုင်းမှီကိုင်းကျွန်းမှီ

ကျွန်းကိုင်းမှီ ကိုင်းကျွန်းမှီ

ကျွန်းကိုင်းမှီ ကိုင်းကျွန်းမှီ • (kywan:kuing:hmi kuing:kywan:hmi)

ကျွန်း ကိုင်း မှီ ကိုင်း ကျွန်း မှီ (canonical)
kuing:hmi kuing:kywan:hmi (romanization)

/t͡ɕʊ́ɴkáɪɴm̥ìkáɪɴt͡ɕʊ́ɴm̥ì/

A mutually beneficial or symbiotic relationship (lit. "as an island depends on the reeds, the reeds depend on the island")

en-ကျွန်းကိုင်းမှီကိုင်းကျွန်းမှီ-my-proverb-LVBiMwq~


အနာခံမှ အသာစံရ

အနာခံမှ အသာစံရ

အနာခံမှ အသာစံရ • (a.nahkamhma. a.sacam-ra.)

/ʔənàkʰàɴm̥a̰ ʔəθàsàɴja̰/


ကတညုတ ကတဝေဒီ

ကတညုတ ကတဝေဒီ • (ka.ta.nyu.ta. ka.ta.wedi)

/kətɪ̀ɴɲṵta̰ kəta̰wèdì/

referenced when one reciprocates the gratitude owed to another


ကုလားမနိုင် ရခိုင်မဲ

ကုလားမနိုင် ရခိုင်မဲ

ကုလားမနိုင် ရခိုင်မဲ • (ku.la:ma.nuing ra.hkuingmai:)

/kəlámənàɪɴ jəkʰàɪɴmɛ́/

used in reference to retaliating or scapegoating a weaker individual or group (Pick on the Arakanese if you can't win against the Bengalis)

en-ကုလားမနိုင်_ရခိုင်မဲ-my-proverb-i3ounTTj


ကဆုန်နယုန် ဆွေ့ဆွေ့ခုန်

ကဆုန်နယုန် ဆွေ့ဆွေ့ခုန်

ကဆုန်နယုန် ဆွေ့ဆွေ့ခုန် • (ka.hcunna.yun hcwe.hcwe.hkun)

/kəsʰòʊɴnəjòʊɴ sʰwḛsʰwḛkʰòʊɴ/

used in reference to warm summer months (lit. Kason and Nayon, [enough to induce] convulsive leaps)

en-ကဆုန်နယုန်_ဆွေ့ဆွေ့ခုန်-my-proverb-yHZ-qrtO


ဆရာမပြ နည်းမကျ

ဆရာမပြ နည်းမကျ

ဆရာမပြ နည်းမကျ • (hca.rama.pra. nany:ma.kya.)


မြိန်ရာဟင်းကောင်း ခင်ရာဆွေမျိုး

မြိန်ရာဟင်းကောင်း ခင်ရာဆွေမျိုး

မြိန်ရာဟင်းကောင်း ခင်ရာဆွေမျိုး • (mrinrahang:kaung: hkang-rahcwe-myui:)

/mjèɪɴjàhɪ́ɴɡáʊɴ kʰɪ̀ɴjàsʰwèmjó/

referenced when good friends are like family (lit. like a hearty meal, close friends are like family)

en-မြိန်ရာဟင်းကောင်း_ခင်ရာဆွေမျိုး-my-proverb-YjoY~Rfz


အသီးမှာသရက်၊ အသားမှာဝက်၊ အရွက်မှာလက်ဖက်

အသီးမှာသရက်၊ အသားမှာဝက်၊ အရွက်မှာလက်ဖက်

အသီးမှာသရက်၊ အသားမှာဝက်၊ အရွက်မှာလက်ဖက် • (a.si:hmasa.rak| a.sa:hmawak| a.rwakhmalakhpak)

/ʔəθím̥à θəjɛʔ ʔəθám̥à wɛʔ ʔəjwɛʔm̥à ləpʰɛʔ/

Of all the fruits, the mango's the best; of all the meats, the pork's the best; and of all the leaves, tea's the best (a Burmese aphorism referencing the culinary preference for mangos, pork, and tea)

en-အသီးမှာသရက်၊_အသားမှာဝက်၊_အရွက်မှာလက်ဖက်-my-proverb-qNzvvqRL


не говори «гоп», пока не перепрыгнешь

не говори́ «гоп» пока́ не перепры́гнешь

не говори́ «гоп» пока́ не перепры́гнешь • (ne govorí «gop» poká ne pereprýgnešʹ)

не говори́ «гоп» пока́ не перепры́гнешь (canonical)

[nʲɪ‿ɡəvɐˈrʲi ɡop | pɐˈka nʲɪ‿pʲɪrʲɪˈprɨɡnʲɪʂ]

[nʲɪ‿ɡəvɐˈrʲi ˈɣop | pɐˈka nʲɪ‿pʲɪrʲɪˈprɨɡnʲɪʂ]

Literally, “don't say 'hop' until you jumped over”.

lit

don't count your chickens before they're hatched

en-не_говори_«гоп»,_пока_не_перепрыгнешь-ru-proverb-Jgavmgwk


ပညာရွှေအိုး လူမခိုး

head

ပညာရွှေအိုး လူမခိုး

ပညာရွှေအိုး လူမခိုး • (pa.nyahrweui: luma.hkui:)

/pjɪ̀ɴɲàʃwèʔó lùməkʰó/

references the importance of education (lit. "education, a pot of gold that others can't pilfer")

en-ပညာရွှေအိုး_လူမခိုး-my-proverb-xl3wUEcX


日時毋好講人，暗時毋好講鬼

日時毋好講人，暗時毋好講鬼

日时毋好讲人，暗时毋好讲鬼

[in the] day, don't speak ill of people, [and in the] night, don't speak ill of ghosts

ngid⁵ si² m² ho³ gong³ ngin², am⁴ si² m² ho³ gong³ gui³

/ŋit̚² sɨ¹¹ m¹¹ ho³¹ koŋ³¹ ŋin¹¹ am⁵⁵ sɨ¹¹ m¹¹ ho³¹ koŋ³¹ gu̯i³¹/

a closed mouth catches no flies
a closed mouth catches no flies


年到二十七，過年差三日

ngian² do⁴ ngi⁴ sib⁶ qid⁵, go⁴ ngian² ca¹ sam¹ ngid⁵

/ŋi̯en¹¹ to⁵⁵ ŋi⁵⁵ sɨp̚⁵ t͡sʰit̚² ko⁵⁵ ŋi̯en¹¹ t͡sʰa²⁴⁻¹¹ sam²⁴ ŋit̚²/

/ŋi̯an¹¹ to⁵⁵ ŋi⁵⁵ sɨp̚⁵ t͡sʰit̚² ko⁵⁵ ŋi̯an¹¹ t͡sʰa²⁴⁻¹¹ sam²⁴ ŋit̚²/

(Hakka) Waiting for Chinese New Year, everyone is eager.


kiittämättömyys on maailman palkka

Sometimes hard work is treated with ungratefulness.


auf alten Schiffen lernt man segeln

De-auf alten Schiffen lernt man segeln.ogg

Literally, “on old ships one learns to sail”.

lit

„Die sind zu alt für uns“, erklärte ich meinem Kumpel Rudi. „Ach Unsinn, Junge! Auf alten Schiffen lernt man segeln“, antwortete Rudi fachmännisch.

2014, Hubert Friedrich, Reifeprüfung in Prag, Styriabooks, →ISBN:

(slightly vulgar) Older sexual partners are preferable for learning the art of love.


كل يبكي على ليلاه

head

كُلٌّ يَبْكِي عَلَى لَيْلاهُ

كُلٌّ يَبْكِي عَلَى لَيْلاهُ • (kullun yabkī ʕalā laylāhu)

كُلٌّ يَبْكِي عَلَى لَيْلاهُ (canonical)
kullun yabkī ʕalā laylāhu (romanization)

Literally: “Everybody cries over his own Laila.”

everybody does what they want; to each his own


十七十八無醜女

/sɨp̚⁵ t͡sʰit̚² sɨp̚⁵ pat̚² mo¹¹ t͡sʰu³¹ ŋ̍³¹/

(Hakka) young women are always attractive


mi throw mi corn, mi neva call nuh fowl

/mɪ t͡ʃ(ʴ)ʷoː mɪ kɑːn

Literally, "I scattered my corn; I didn't invite the chickens."

“"Mi throw mi corn, mi neva call nuh fowl." Who the cap fits? Usually means they make general statements without convicting anyone in particular. […]”

2016, “Top ten Jamaican proverbs and what they mean”, in loopjamaica.com (in English), archived from the original on 2020-12-19:

if the cap fits, wear it
if the cap fits, wear it

if the shoe fits, wear it
if the shoe fits, wear it

if the cap fits, wear it; if the shoe fits, wear it


上山捉蟹——難

ㄕㄤˋ ㄕㄢ ㄓㄨㄛ ㄒㄧㄝˋ

шаншань чжо се

/ʂɑŋ⁵¹ ʂän⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂu̯ɔ⁵⁵ ɕi̯ɛ⁵¹ nän³⁵/

/sœːŋ¹³ saːn⁵⁵ t͡sʊk̚⁵ haːi̯¹³ naːn²¹/

/ʂɑŋ⁵¹ ʂän⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂu̯ɔ⁵⁵ ɕi̯ɛ⁵¹ nän³⁵/

/sœːŋ¹³ saːn⁵⁵ t͡sʊk̚⁵ haːi̯¹³ naːn²¹/


à terceira é de vez

às três é de vez
às três é de vez#Portuguese


國有難，回必亂

ㄍㄨㄛˊ ㄧㄡˇ ㄋㄢˋ

ㄏㄨㄟˊ ㄅㄧˋ ㄌㄨㄢˋ

Хуэй би луань

/ku̯ɔ³⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ nän⁵¹ xu̯eɪ̯³⁵ pi⁵¹⁻⁵³ lu̯än⁵¹/

Whenever the country (China) is in peril, the Hui people revolt.


väärin saatu ei ole saatua

Anything acquired illegally is not legally yours.


enempi parempi

the more the merrier
the more the merrier


nasi jadi bubur

nasi sudah menjadi bubur
nasi sudah menjadi bubur#Indonesian


di mana bumi diinjak, di sana langit dijunjung

di mana bumi dipijak, di situ langit dijunjung#Indonesian

Synonym of di mana bumi dipijak, di situ langit dijunjung


di mana tanah diinjak, di sana langit dijunjung


di mana tanah dipijak, di situ langit dijunjung


di mana tanah diinjak, di situ langit dijunjung


di mana bumi diinjak, di situ langit dijunjung


nasi telah menjadi bubur

Meski begitu, Yusril mengatakan naskah tersebut sah sebagai sebuah undang-undang yang berlaku dan mengikat semua pihak. "Seperti kata pepatah, nasi telah menjadi bubur. UU yang banyak kesalahan ketiknya itu sudah ditandatangani Presiden dan sudah diundangkan dalam lembaran negara," ujar Yusril dalam keterangan tertulis, dikutip Rabu, 4 November 2020.

2020 November 4, Budiarti Utami Putri, “Yusril Soal Typo UU Cipta Kerja: Nasi Sudah Jadi Bubur, UU Tersebut Tetap Sah”, in Syailendra Persada, editor, TEMPO.CO, archived from the original on 2020-12-27:

However, Yusril says that the aformentioned manuscript is valid as a law that is in effect and affects all sides/parties. "As the saying goes, rice has become porridge. That law that has many typos has been signed by the President and has been joined into the state's papers", said Yusril in a written statement, quoted Wednesday, 4 November 2020.


di mana bumi dipijak, di sana langit dijunjung


мишик ёкъ ерде чычкъан баш гётерир

мишик ёкъ ерде чычкъан баш гётерир

мишик ёкъ ерде чычкъан баш гётерир • (mişik yoq yerde çıçqan baş göterir)

mişik yoq yerde çıçqan baş göterir (romanization)

when the cat's away the mice will play
when the cat's away the mice will play

en-мишик_ёкъ_ерде_чычкъан_баш_гётерир-kum-proverb-mZwcElxO


love conquers all

Calque of Latin Omnia vincit amor, from Eclogue X by Virgil.Wikisource ˡᵃ

I used to believe love conquers all / 'Cause that's what's seen in movies

2013, “Someone Else”, performed by Miley Cyrus:

Love is a powerful force that overcomes all obstacles.


el fin no justifica los medios

Literally, “the end doesn't justify the means”. Compare el fin justifica los medios.

lit

two wrongs don't make a right
two wrongs don't make a right

the end doesn't justify the means
the end doesn't justify the means

two wrongs don't make a right, the end doesn't justify the means


qara məni basınca mən qaranı basım

[ɡɑˈrɑ mæˈni bɑˈsɯnd͡ʒɑ mæn ɡɑrɑˈnɯ bɑˈsɯm]

LL-Q9292 (aze)-Azerbaijani audiorecordings-qara məni basınca mən qaranı basım.wav

Literally, ~ "it is better that I push the ghost before the ghost pushes me"; compare qara (“scary hallucination; ghost; nightmare, especially one associated with sleep paralysis”, literally “black”) used with the verb basmaq (“to push; to attack”) to convey the sense "to have a scary hallucination" and the noun qarabasma.

attack is the best form of defence
attack is the best form of defence


茶三酒四𨑨迌二

/te⁵⁵⁻¹¹ sã³³⁻²³ t͡siu⁵²⁻³⁵ si²¹³⁻⁵⁵ tʰik̚²⁻⁴ tʰo⁵⁵⁻¹¹ d͡zi³⁵/

(Teochew) three people is good for having tea, four for drinks, and two for travel


士可殺不可辱

ㄕˋ ㄎㄜˇ ㄕㄚ ㄅㄨˋ ㄎㄜˇ ㄖㄨˇ

ㄕˋ ㄎㄜˇ ㄕㄚ ㄅㄨˋ ㄎㄜˇ ㄖㄨˋ

shì kě shā bùkě rǔ [Phonetic:shìkěshābùkérǔ]

ши кэ ша букэ жу

/ʂʐ̩⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂä⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʐu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/ʂʐ̩⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂä⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐu⁵¹/

/siː²² hɔː³⁵ saːt̚³ pɐt̚⁵ hɔː³⁵ jʊk̚²/

/siː²² hɔː³⁵ saːt̚³ pɐt̚⁵ hɔː³⁵ jʊk̚²/

A scholar would rather die than be humiliated.


아이와 늙은이는 괴는 데로 간다

ko-pos

아이-와 늙은이-는 괴는 데-로 간다

아이와 늙은이는 괴는 데로 간다 • (ai-wa neulgeuni-neun goeneun de-ro ganda)

[a̠iwa̠ nɯɭɡɯninɯn kwe̞nɯn te̞ɾo̞ ka̠nda̠]

[a̠iwa̠ nɯɭɡɯninɯn kø̞nɯn te̞ɾo̞ ka̠nda̠]

아이와늘그니는궤는데로간다

아이와늘그니는괴는데로간다

The proverb preserves in fossilized form the otherwise nearly obsolete verb 괴다 (goeda, “to love”). The syntax of the Korean is ambiguous to the subject of this verb.

The children and the old [alike] will go to where they are loved; (alternatively) the children and the old [alike] will go to the place they love (i.e. people will seek out love)


君子不器

CJKV/code

Sino-Xenic (君子不器):
* → Korean: 군자불기(君子不器) (gunjabulgi)
* → Vietnamese: quân tử bất khí (君子不器)

ja-r

くん%し は き ならず

→ Japanese: 君(くん)子(し)は器(き)ならず (kunshi wa ki narazu) (calque)

ㄐㄩㄣ ㄗˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄑㄧˋ

цзюньцзыбуци

/t͡ɕyn⁵⁵ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ t͡ɕʰi⁵¹/

/kʷɐn⁵⁵ t͡siː³⁵ pɐt̚⁵ hei̯³³/

/t͡ɕyn⁵⁵ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ t͡ɕʰi⁵¹/

/kʷɐn⁵⁵ t͡siː³⁵ pɐt̚⁵ hei̯³³/

The Master said, "The accomplished scholar is not a utensil."

The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

子曰：「君子不器。」

A gentleman is no specialist; Unlike a tool fashioned for a specific purpose, a gentleman is well-rounded, someone who has talents suited to any task.


good things come in small packages

Small gestures of help and kindness matter more than costly and exorbitant bestowals.


head

De-besser ein Ende mit Schrecken, als ein Schrecken ohne Ende.ogg

The Prussian officer Ferdinand von Schill is reported to have used a close variant in a speech already in 1809 and to have been so fond of it that he used it frequently.
Its literal translation is: “Better [to have] an end with a fright than a fright without end”.

lieber ein Ende mit Schrecken, als ein Schrecken ohne Ende

lieber ein Ende mit Schrecken als ein Schrecken ohne Ende

lieber ein schreckliches Ende als ein Schrecken ohne Ende

besser ein Ende mit Schrecken als ein Schrecken ohne Ende

However painful, dealing resolutely with a problematic situation is preferable to allowing it to go on indefinitely.


en-proverb

even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every now and then

even a blind squirrel can find a nut once in a while#English

Alternative form of even a blind squirrel can find a nut once in a while


even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every once in a while


չկա չարիք առանց բարիք

head

չկա չարիք առանց բարիք • (čʻka čʻarikʻ aṙancʻ barikʻ)

čʻka čʻarikʻ aṙancʻ barikʻ (romanization)

/t͡ʃʰəˈkɑ t͡ʃʰɑˈɾikʰ ɑˈrɑnt͡sʰ bɑˈɾikʰ/

[t͡ʃʰəkɑ́ t͡ʃʰɑɾíkʰ ɑrɑ́nt͡sʰ bɑɾíkʰ]

/t͡ʃəˈɡɑ t͡ʃɑˈɾik ɑˈrɑnt͡s pɑˈɾik/

[t͡ʃʰəɡɑ́ t͡ʃʰɑɾíkʰ ɑrɑ́nt͡sʰ pʰɑɾíkʰ]

Literally, “there is no bad without good”. Probably a calque of Russian нет ху́да без добра́ (net xúda bez dobrá).

calque

нет ху́да без добра́

every cloud has a silver lining
every cloud has a silver lining

every cloud has a silver lining (in every bad situation there is an element of good)

en-չկա_չարիք_առանց_բարիք-hy-proverb-njs1Axwy


an old dog for a hard road

It takes an experienced person to execute a difficult undertaking.


ကိုယ့်ဥမှဥထင်

head

ကိုယ့်ဥမှဥထင်

/ko̰jʔṵm̥a̰ʔṵtʰɪ̀ɴ/

to recognize only one's offspring as one's own


အချိုရှာ သကာတွေ့

အချိုရှာ သကာတွေ့

အချိုရှာ သကာတွေ့ • (a.hkyuihra sa.ka-twe.)

/ʔət͡ɕʰòʃà ðəɡàtwḛ/

used in reference to successfully fulfilling one's desires (lit. 'search for sweets, find molasses')


한국말은 끝까지 들어봐야 한다

ko-pos

한국말-은 끝-까지 들어봐야 한다

한국말은 끝까지 들어봐야 한다 • (han'gungmar-eun kkeut-kkaji deureobwaya handa)

[ˈha̠(ː)nɡuŋma̠ɾɯn k͈ɯt̚k͈a̠d͡ʑi tɯɾʌ̹bwa̠ja̠ ha̠nda̠]

한(ː)궁마른끋까지드러봐야한다

[한(ː)궁마른끋까지드러봐야한다]

Probably a recent coinage influenced by modern linguistic concepts such as head-finality.

"In the Korean language, one must listen until the end"; one should listen to everything that others have to say before responding or making judgments


အလုပ်မရှိ ကြောင်ရေချိုး

head

အလုပ်မရှိ ကြောင်ရေချိုး

အလုပ်မရှိ ကြောင်ရေချိုး • (a.lupma.hri. kraung-rehkyui:)

/ʔəloʊʔməʃḭ t͡ɕàʊɴjèt͡ɕʰó/

to engage in futile or useless activities (lit. 'nothing better to do, bathe a cat')

en-အလုပ်မရှိ_ကြောင်ရေချိုး-my-proverb-uK7jbKUC


ကုလားအချုပ်၊ တရုတ်အထည်

ကုလားအချုပ်၊ တရုတ်အထည်

ကုလားအချုပ်၊ တရုတ်အထည် • (ku.la:a.hkyup| ta.rut-a.htany)

/kəláʔət͡ɕʰoʊʔ၊ təjoʊʔ.ʔətʰì/

used in reference to Indian community's tailoring skills, and the Chinese community's silkweaving skills

en-ကုလားအချုပ်၊_တရုတ်အထည်-my-proverb-tovWvMAr


တစ်ချက်ခုတ် နှစ်ချက်ပြတ်

တစ်ချက်ခုတ် နှစ်ချက်ပြတ်

တစ်ချက်ခုတ် နှစ်ချက်ပြတ် • (tachkyakhkut hnachkyakprat)

/tət͡ɕʰɛʔkʰoʊʔ n̥ət͡ɕʰɛʔpjaʔ/

kill two birds with one stone
kill two birds with one stone

en-တစ်ချက်ခုတ်_နှစ်ချက်ပြတ်-my-proverb-NPPeLXfE


ဝမရှိဘဲ ဝိမလုပ်

ဝမရှိဘဲ ဝိမလုပ်

ဝမရှိဘဲ ဝိမလုပ် • (wa.ma.hri.bhai: wi.ma.lup)

/wa̰məʃḭbɛ́ wḭməloʊʔ/

used in reference to individuals who live beyond their means (lit. 'don't make the word ဝိ (wi.) without the letter ဝ (wa.)')


နဂိုရှိမှ နဂိုင်းထွက်

နဂိုရှိမှ နဂိုင်းထွက်

နဂိုရှိမှ နဂိုင်းထွက် • (na.guihri.hma. na.guing:htwak)

/nəɡòʃḭm̥a̰ nəɡáɪɴtʰwɛʔ/

နဂိုင်း နဂိုင်း#Burmese

နဂို နဂို#Burmese

used in reference to individuals adorn themselves with cosmetics and accessories, without regard for more essential elements of natural beauty (lit. 'to write နဂိုင်း (na.guing:) requires first writing နဂို (na.gui)')

en-နဂိုရှိမှ_နဂိုင်းထွက်-my-proverb-4ADRcoMU


ကုလားအချုပ်၊ တရုတ်အခြယ်

ကုလားအချုပ်၊ တရုတ်အခြယ်

ကုလားအချုပ်၊ တရုတ်အခြယ် • (ku.la:a.hkyup| ta.rut-a.hkrai)

/kəláʔət͡ɕʰoʊʔ၊ təjoʊʔ.ʔət͡ɕʰɛ̀/

used in reference to Indian community's tailoring skills, and the Chinese community's painting skills

en-ကုလားအချုပ်၊_တရုတ်အခြယ်-my-proverb-j6xc8dea


ခွေးလိမ္မာအမြီးကုပ်၊ ကျွန်လိမ္မာနောက်ဆုတ် • (hkwe:limmaa.mri:kup| kywanlimmanaukhcut)

/kʰwélèɪɴmà ʔəmjíkoʊʔ၊ t͡ɕʊ̀ɴlèɪɴmà naʊʔsʰoʊʔ/

to recognize one's position and behave accordingly ((lit. "[as] an obedient dog lowers its tail, an obedient servant retreats))

en-ခွေးလိမ္မာအမြီးကုပ်၊_ကျွန်လိမ္မာနောက်ဆုတ်-my-proverb-eqRVdgT0


any hole's a goal

See, I don't really like screwing men, although any hole's a goal and all that, but women are soft and smooth and weak and small. They're easy to grab, easy to control.

2015, J.S. Law, The Dark Beneath, →ISBN, page 19:

“Probably because you were only thinking about one thing.” She smothered her own thoughts and feelings as she took on the necessary role. “That's what men are like, right? Any hole's a goal?”

2018, Emma Newman, A Split Worlds Omnibus: Between Two Thorns, Any Other Name, and All Is Fair, page 94:

"Of course I knew that it all goes to the same place," she beamed back at him. "I can't believe how nice you are to me. I mean you're right, my throat really has been getting pretty sore lately, and any hole's a goal." She had no idea what this meant, but it sounded like the right thing to say.

2020, Vanessa Morse, “There's Something about Gabby”, in Daddies Explicit... Anthology, page 594:

Being a virgin is not cool (the cool people are not virgins). I heard at my secondary school, that kids get battered if they're a virgin. Sexual promiscuity, for the most part, elicits a positive peer response. Any hole's a goal. Britain has more sexually active under-18s than any other country in Europe. We also have the highest number of teenage mothers and the highest teenage abortion rate in Western Europe.

2021, Kerry Louise Stalker, Life, One Big Existential Crisis, page 69:

(UK, vulgar) Any receptive sex partner (or orifice) is acceptable.

em tempos de guerra qualquer buraco é trincheira

en tiempos de guerra cualquier agujero es trinchera


同行如敵國

ㄊㄨㄥˊ ㄏㄤˊ ㄖㄨˊ ㄉㄧˊ ㄍㄨㄛˊ

тунхан жу диго

/tʰʊŋ³⁵ xɑŋ³⁵ ʐu³⁵ ti³⁵ ku̯ɔ³⁵/

/tʰʊŋ²¹ hɔːŋ²¹ jyː²¹ tɪk̚² kʷɔːk̚³/

/tʰʊŋ³⁵ xɑŋ³⁵ ʐu³⁵ ti³⁵ ku̯ɔ³⁵/

/tʰʊŋ²¹ hɔːŋ²¹ jyː²¹ tɪk̚² kʷɔːk̚³/

people of the same trade or occupation are always pitted against each other


好漢不提當年勇

ㄏㄠˇ ㄏㄢˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄊㄧˊ ㄉㄤ ㄋㄧㄢˊ ㄩㄥˇ

хаохань бу ти даннянь юн

/xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ xän⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ tʰi³⁵ tɑŋ⁵⁵ ni̯ɛn³⁵ jʊŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/hou̯³⁵ hɔːn³³ pɐt̚⁵ tʰɐi̯²¹ tɔːŋ⁵⁵ niːn²¹ jʊŋ¹³/

a true hero does not boast about their past glories


身正不怕影子斜

ㄕㄣ ㄓㄥˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄆㄚˋ ㄧㄥˇ ˙ㄗ ㄒㄧㄝˊ

shēn zhèng bùpà yǐngzi xié [Phonetic:shēn zhèng búpà yǐngzi xié]

шэнь чжэн бупа инцзы се

/ʂən⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤŋ⁵¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ pʰä⁵¹ iŋ²¹⁴ d͡z̥z̩⁴ ɕi̯ɛ³⁵/

One does not need to worry about rumours if one is upright.


吃得苦中苦，方為人上人

Only those who endure the hardest hardships will be the best of the best.

chī de kǔ zhōng kǔ, fāng wéi rén shàng rén

ㄔ ˙ㄉㄜ ㄎㄨˇ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄎㄨˇ

ㄈㄤ ㄨㄟˊ ㄖㄣˊ ㄕㄤˋ ㄖㄣˊ

hek³ dak¹ fu² zung¹ fu², fong¹ wai⁴ jan⁴ soeng⁶ jan⁴

ngeg⁴ dig⁴ kou² dang¹ kou², huang¹ ui⁵ nang⁵ ziên⁷ nang⁵

chih de̊ kǔ jhong kǔ, fang wéi rén shàng rén

chʻih¹ tê⁵ kʻu³ chung¹ kʻu³, fang¹ wei² jên² shang⁴ jên²

chr̄ de kǔ jūng kǔ-, fāng wéi rén shàng rén

chy .de kuu jong kuu, fang wei ren shanq ren

чи дэ ку чжун ку

фан вэй жэнь шан жэнь

/ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩⁵⁵ d̥ə² kʰu²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵ kʰu²¹⁴⁻²¹ fɑŋ⁵⁵ weɪ̯³⁵ ʐən³⁵ ʂɑŋ⁵¹ ʐən³⁵/

hek dāk fú jūng fú, fōng wàih yàhn seuhng yàhn

hek⁸ dak⁷ fu² dzung¹ fu², fong¹ wai⁴ jan⁴ soeng⁶ jan⁴

hég³ deg¹ fu² zung¹ fu², fong¹ wei⁴ yen⁴ sêng⁶ yen⁴

/hɛːk̚³ tɐk̚⁵ fuː³⁵ t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵ fuː³⁵ fɔːŋ⁵⁵ wɐi̯²¹ jɐn²¹ sœːŋ²² jɐn²¹/

ngṳk tik khóu tang khóu, huang ûi nâng tsiēⁿ nâng

/ŋɯk̚²⁻⁴ tik̚²⁻⁴ kʰou⁵²⁻³⁵ taŋ³³⁻²³ kʰou⁵² huaŋ³³⁻²³ ui⁵⁵⁻¹¹ naŋ⁵⁵⁻¹¹ t͡sĩẽ¹¹ naŋ⁵⁵/

為這上頭，也不知捱了多少打，罰了多少跪；到如今才掙得兩榜進士！……這才合了俗語說的一句話，叫做：『吃得苦中苦，方為人上人。[[#Chinese|]]

no pain, no gain; Only those who have endured the most difficult hardships can step on the topmost ones of the topmost people.


盛者必衰

ja-pos

盛(じょう)者(しゃ)必(ひっ)衰(すい) or 盛(しょう)者(じゃ)必(ひっ)衰(すい) or 盛(しょう)者(しゃ)必(ひっ)衰(すい) • (jōshahissui or shōjahissui or shōshahissui)

盛者必衰 (canonical)
盛者必衰 (canonical)
盛者必衰 (canonical)
jōshahissui (romanization)
shōjahissui (romanization)
shōshahissui (romanization)

[d͡ʑo̞ːɕa̠çisːɨi]

(Can we date this quote?), “Chapter 1.1”, in Helen Craig McCullough, transl., 平家物語 [The Tale of the Heike]:

The sound of the Gion Shōja bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sāla flowers reveals the truth that the prosperous must decline. The proud do not endure, they are like a dream on a spring night; the mighty fall at last, they are as dust before the wind.

祇園精舎の鐘の声、諸行無常の響き有り。沙羅双樹の花の色、盛者必衰の理を顕す。驕れる者も久しからず、唯春の夜の夢の如し。猛き者も遂には滅びぬ、偏に風の前の塵に同じ。

Gionshōsha no kane no koe, shogyō mujō no hibiki ari. Sarasōju no hana no iro, jōshahissui no kotowari o arawasu. Ogoreru mono mo hisashikarazu, tada haru no yoru no yume no gotoshi. Takeki mono mo tsui ni wa horobinu, hitoeni kaze no mae no chiri ni onaji.

(Buddhism) Everything prosperous will eventually decline.


c'est au fruit que l'on connaît l'arbre

Literally, “it's by the fruit that one recognizes the tree”, after Matthew 7:16-20.

lit

the proof of the pudding is in the eating

c’est au fruit que l’on reconnaît l’arbre

la pomme ne tombe jamais loin de l’arbre


un trou c'est un trou

/œ̃ tʁu s‿ɛ.t‿œ̃ tʁu/

(vulgar) any hole's a goal (any person is good to fuck, no matter how they look; any sex partner is acceptable)


fr-proverb

LL-Q150 (fra)-Lepticed7-chien hargneux a toujours l’oreille déchirée.wav

LL-Q150 (fra)-Mecanautes-chien hargneux a toujours l’oreille déchirée.wav

From the fable Le Chien à qui on a coupé les oreilles by Jean de La Fontaine. Literally, “a rabid dog always has the ear torn”.

lit

chien hargneux a toujours l'oreille déchirée

(very rare) an aggressive person will inevitably get themselves hurt

fr:Le Chien à qui on a coupé les oreilles


fr-proverb

entre deux maux, il faut choisir le moindre

/ɑ̃.tʁə dø mo | il fo ʃwa.ziʁ lə mwɛ̃dʁ/

entre deux maux il faut choisir le moindre

de deux maux, il faut choisir le moindre


les plaisanteries les plus courtes sont les meilleures

/le plɛ.zɑ̃.tʁi le ply kuʁ.t(ə) sɔ̃ le mɛ.jœʁ/

/le ple.zɑ̃.tʁi le ply kuʁ.t(ə) sɔ̃ le me.jœʁ/

Literally, “the shortest jokes are the best”, or more loosely translated as “the best jokes are the shortest”.

lit

your joke was funny at first, but it's getting old; that's enough, you're starting to flog a dead horse now


القرد فعين امه غزال

head

القرد فعين امه غزال • (el-qard f-ʕīn ummu ḡzāl)

Literally “The monkey is a gazelle to his mother's eyes.”.

beauty is in the eye of the beholder
beauty is in the eye of the beholder


vaatteet eivät tee miestä

clothes don't make the man
clothes don't make the man


mauri on tehnyt tehtävänsä, mauri saa mennä

Calque of German der Mohr hat seine Schuldigkeit getan, der Mohr kann gehen, based on a line from Fiesco by Friedrich Schiller.

cal

When a person who has done a favor or been helpful (or by extension a thing that has been useful) but whose services are no longer needed is ungratefully replaced, dismissed or let go.


les plus courtes sont les meilleures

les plaisanteries les plus courtes sont les meilleures#French

Ellipsis of les plaisanteries les plus courtes sont les meilleures.


ညးဖျဵုဂှ် ဒှ်ညးထေဲ

head

ညးဖျဵုဂှ် ဒှ်ညးထေဲ (transliteration needed)

ညးဖျဵုဂှ် ဒှ်ညးထေဲ.ogg

en-ညးဖျဵုဂှ်_ဒှ်ညးထေဲ-mnw-proverb-HoaKq154


كل خنفوس عند امه غزال

كل خنفوس عند امه غزال • (kulla ḵanfūs ʕand ummu ḡzāl)

kulla ḵanfūs ʕand ummu ḡzāl (romanization)

Literally “Every beetle to his mother is a gazelle”.

en-كل_خنفوس_عند_امه_غزال-ary-proverb-vZ83B8ZY


ουδέν κακόν αμιγές καλού

ουδέν κακόν αμιγές καλού • (oudén kakón amigés kaloú)

Literally, "nothing bad is unmixed with good".

every cloud has a silver lining (in every bad situation there is an element of good)

en-ουδέν_κακόν_αμιγές_καλού-el-proverb-njs1Axwy


險過剃頭囝

/hiam⁵²⁻³⁵ kue²¹³⁻⁵⁵ tʰi²¹³⁻⁵⁵ tʰau⁵⁵⁻¹¹ kĩã⁵²/


svaka ptica svome jatu leti

sh-proverb

svaka ptica svome jatu leti (Cyrillic spelling свака птица своме јату лети)

свака птица своме јату лети (Cyrillic)

birds of a feather flock together#English

birds of a feather flock together (literally “every bird flies to his flock”)


no hay rosa sin espina

no rose without a thorn
no rose without a thorn

every rose has its thorn
every rose has its thorn

no rose without a thorn, every rose has its thorn


一滴精十滴血

ㄧ ㄉㄧ ㄐㄧㄥ ㄕˊ ㄉㄧ ㄒㄩㄝˋ

ㄧ ㄉㄧ ㄐㄧㄥ ㄕˊ ㄉㄧ ㄒㄩㄝˇ

ㄧ ㄉㄧ ㄐㄧㄥ ㄕˊ ㄉㄧ ㄒㄧㄝˇ

идицзиншидисюэ

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ti⁵⁵ t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵ ti⁵⁵ ɕy̯ɛ⁵¹/

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ti⁵⁵ t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵ ti⁵⁵ ɕy̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

идицзиншидисе

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ti⁵⁵ t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵ ti⁵⁵ ɕi̯ɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/jɐt̚⁵ tɪk̚² t͡sɪŋ⁵⁵ sɐp̚² tɪk̚² hyːt̚³/

/i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ ti⁵⁵ t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵ ti⁵⁵ ɕy̯ɛ⁵¹/

A drop of semen is equal to ten drops of blood; Semen is extremely precious and ejaculation leads to a loss of vitality


ensin työ, sitten huvi

ensin (“first”) + työ (“work”) + sitten (“then”) + huvi (“pleasure, fun”)

ensin työ, sitten leikki
ensin työ, sitten leikki#Finnish

Alternative form of ensin työ, sitten leikki


älä lyö lyötyä

kick someone when they are down
kick someone when they are down

don't kick someone when they are down (don't continue to humiliate someone who has already lost)


lucky at cards, unlucky in love

Current phrasing from 1867. Idea present from 18th century. Earlier expressions include "Well, Miss, you’ll have a sad Husband, you have such good Luck at Cards" (Swift, Polite Conversation, 1738) and "lucky in play, unlucky in love" (1846). A similar French saying "Malheureux en amour, heureux au jeu" is attested from 1850.

The old maxim, "Lucky at cards, unlucky in love," is applied to chess.

1867 March 16, “Winning and Losing”, in Illustrated Times, London, page 7:

Someone who enjoys good fortune in games will experience romantic frustration.


放下屠刀，立地成佛

ㄈㄤˋ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄊㄨˊ ㄉㄠ

ㄌㄧˋ ㄉㄧˋ ㄔㄥˊ ㄈㄛˊ

fong³ haa⁶ tou⁴ dou¹, laap⁶ dei⁶ sing⁴ fat⁶

/fɑŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ tʰu³⁵ tɑʊ̯⁵⁵ li⁵¹⁻⁵³ ti⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ fu̯ɔ³⁵/

fong hah tòuh dōu, laahp deih sìhng faht

fong³ haa⁶ tou⁴ dou¹, laap⁹ dei⁶ sing⁴ fat⁹

fong³ ha⁶ tou⁴ dou¹, lab⁶ déi⁶ xing⁴ fed⁶

/fɔːŋ³³ haː²² tʰou̯²¹ tou̯⁵⁵ laːp̚² tei̯²² sɪŋ²¹ fɐt̚²/

One can quickly become a good person if one repents and mends one's ways


精誠所至，金石為開

ㄐㄧㄥ ㄔㄥˊ ㄙㄨㄛˇ ㄓˋ

ㄐㄧㄣ ㄕˊ ㄨㄟˊ ㄎㄞ

zing¹ sing⁴ so² zi³, gam¹ sek⁶ wai⁴ hoi¹

цзинчэнсочжи

цзиньшивэйкай

/t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ su̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹ t͡ɕin⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩³⁵ weɪ̯³⁵ kʰaɪ̯⁵⁵/

dzing¹ sing⁴ so² dzi³, gam¹ sek⁹ wai⁴ hoi¹

jing¹ xing⁴ so² ji³, gem¹ ség⁶ wei⁴ hoi¹

/t͡sɪŋ⁵⁵ sɪŋ²¹ sɔː³⁵ t͡siː³³ kɐm⁵⁵ sɛːk̚² wɐi̯²¹ hɔːi̯⁵⁵/

With earnestness and sincerity everything is achievable.


کوزه‌گر از کوزه شکسته آب می‌خورد

head

کوزهگر از کوزه شکسته آب میخورد • (kuze-gar az kuze šekaste âb mi-xorad)

کوزهگر از کوزه شکسته آب میخورد (canonical)
kuze-gar az kuze šekaste âb mi-xorad (romanization)

Lit. "the potter drinks water from broken pots".

the shoemaker's children go barefoot
the shoemaker's children go barefoot

en-کوزه‌گر_از_کوزه_شکسته_آب_می‌خورد-fa-proverb-5Wojl2eg


선무당이 사람 잡는다

선무당-이 사람 잡는다

선무당이 사람 잡는다 • (seonmudang-i saram jamneunda)

seonmudang-i saram jamneunda (romanization)

선(ː)무당이사(ː)람잠는다

[선(ː)무당이사(ː)람잠는다]

First appears in the chengyu-ized form 生巫殺人 in the 公私恒用錄/공사항용록 Gongsa hangyongnok, c. 1800, as an example of a native Korean proverb.

a little knowledge is a dangerous thing
a little knowledge is a dangerous thing

"the novice shaman kills the person [that they were trying to heal]"; a little knowledge is a dangerous thing

선무당이 사람 속인다

(of an incompetent person) to successfully trick someone into believing something; the novice shaman fools a person

선무당이 장구 탓한다

(of a novice) to blame circumstances rather than one's own lack of practice; the novice shaman blames the drums


有早知，冇乞兒

有早知，冇乞儿
有早知冇乞兒

if everyone can predict the future, there would be no beggars

/jɐu̯¹³ t͡sou̯³⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵ mou̯¹³ hɐt̚⁵ jiː²¹⁻⁵⁵/

(Cantonese) If everyone had accurate foresight, nobody would fail; hindsight is 20/20


laugh and grow fat

A cheerful attitude leads to success in life.

laugh before breakfast, cry before supper


mỗi người một nẻo

[moj˦ˀ˥ ŋɨəj˨˩ mot̚˧˨ʔ nɛw˧˩]

[moj˧˨ ŋɨj˦˩ mok̚˨˩ʔ nɛw˧˨]

[moj˨˩˦ ŋɨj˨˩ mok̚˨˩˨ nɛw˨˩˦]

mỗi (“each”) + người (“person”) + một (“one”) + nẻo (“way”).

compound

to each his own (every person is entitled to his or her personal preferences and tastes)


در شهر کوران، یک‌چشم پادشاست

head

در شهرِ کوران، یکچشم پادشاست

در شهرِ کوران، یکچشم پادشاست • (dar šahr-e kurân, yek-čašm pâdešâst)

در شهرِ کوران، یکچشم پادشاست (canonical)
dar šahr-e kurân (romanization)
yek-čašm pâdešâst (romanization)

[daɾ ʃah.ɾi koː.ˈɾɑːn jak.t͡ʃaʃm pɑː.ði.ˈʃɑːst]

[d̪äɾ ʃäɦ.ɾɪ kʰoː.ɾɑ́ːn jäk.t͡ʃʰäʃm pʰɑː.d̪ɪ.ʃɑ́ːst̪]

[d̪äɾ ʃɑː.ɾɪ kʰoː.ɾɑ́ːn jäk.t͡ʃʰäʃm pʰɑː.d̪ɪ.ʃɑ́ːst̪]

[d̪äɾ ʃɔː.ɾi kʰʊː.ɾɔ́ːn jäk.t͡ʃʰäʃm pʰɔː.d̪i.ʃɔ́ːst̪]

[d̪æɹ ʃæɦ.ɹe kʰuː.ɹɒ́ːn]

[ jekʲ.t͡ʃʰæʃm pʰɒː.d̪e.ʃɒ́ːst̪]

[d̪äɾ ʃäɦ.ɾi kʰɵ.ɾɔ́n jäk.t͡ʃʰäʃm pʰɔ.d̪i.ʃɔ́st̪]

A calque from a foreign language, lit. "in the city of the blind, the one-eyed man is king!".

in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king

en-در_شهر_کوران،_یک‌چشم_پادشاست-fa-proverb-xsGf2e8X


la meilleure défense, c'est l'attaque

la meilleure défense (canonical)
c’est l’ attaque (canonical)

attack is the best form of defence
attack is the best form of defence

attack is the best form of defence, the best defense is a good offense


en-proverb

there's many a good tune played on an old fiddle

Just because something or someone is old does not mean that it or they are no longer useful or worthwhile.

vanhuus ei ole este

just because something or someone is old does not mean that it or they are no longer useful or worthwhile

c’est dans les vieux pots qu’on fait la meilleure soupe

there may be snow on the rooftop but there is fire in the furnace


deux précautions valent mieux qu'une

deux précautions valent mieux qu’ une (canonical)

better safe than sorry
better safe than sorry

better safe than sorry; a belt-and-braces/belt-and-suspenders approach always wins the day


gallina vecchia fa buon brodo

there's many a good tune played on an old fiddle


qui trop embrasse, mal étreint

qui trop embrasse mal étreint
qui trop embrasse mal étreint#French

Alternative spelling of qui trop embrasse mal étreint


qui trop embrasse mal étreint

LL-Q150 (fra)-M2D2V2 (Kvardek du)-qui trop embrasse mal étreint.wav

LL-Q150 (fra)-Benoît Prieur-qui trop embrasse mal étreint.wav

LL-Q150 (fra)-Lepticed7-qui trop embrasse mal étreint.wav

LL-Q150 (fra)-DenisdeShawi-qui trop embrasse mal étreint.wav

Literally, “he who embraces too much, clasps poorly”. From Aesop's fable The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs. Compare Italian chi troppo vuole nulla stringe and Spanish quien mucho abarca, poco aprieta.

cog

spread yourself thin
spread oneself thin

jack of all trades, master of none
jack of all trades, master of none

grasp all, lose all; don't spread yourself thin; don't become a jack of all trades, master of none

Aesop
The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs


반풍수가 집안 망친다

ko-pos

반풍수-가 집안 망친다

반풍수가 집안 망친다 • (banpungsu-ga jiban mangchinda)

banpungsu-ga jiban mangchinda (romanization)

반(ː)풍수가지반망친다

[반(ː)풍수가지반망친다]

"half-learned feng shui brings the household to ruin"; a little knowledge is a dangerous thing


नाच्न नजान्ने आँगन टेडो

ne-proverb

नाच्न नजान्ने आँगन टेडो • (nācna najānne ā̃gan ṭeḍo)

[nät͡snʌ‿nʌ‿d͡zänːe‿ä̃ɡ̞ʌn‿ʈeɽo]

a bad workman always blames his tools
a bad workman always blames his tools

"doesn't know how to dance, says the stage is askew"; a bad workman always blames his tools

en-नाच्न_नजान्ने_आँगन_टेडो-ne-proverb-W-j1TyK3


寧賣祖宗田，不賣祖宗言

rather sell the farmland of your ancestors, than sell (forget) their language

ㄋㄧㄥˋ ㄇㄞˋ ㄗㄨˇ ㄗㄨㄥ ㄊㄧㄢˊ

ㄅㄨˋ ㄇㄞˋ ㄗㄨˇ ㄗㄨㄥ ㄧㄢˊ

bù mài zǔzōng yán [Phonetic:nìng mài zǔzōng tián

нин май цзуцзун тянь

бу май цзуцзун янь

/niŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ maɪ̯⁵¹ t͡su²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵ tʰi̯ɛn³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ maɪ̯⁵¹ t͡su²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵ jɛn³⁵/

nen² mai⁴ zu³ zung¹ tian², bud⁵ mai⁴ zu³ zung¹ ngian²

/nen¹¹ mai̯⁵⁵ t͡su³¹ t͡suŋ²⁴ tʰi̯en¹¹ put̚² mai̯⁵⁵ t͡su³¹ t͡suŋ²⁴ ŋi̯en¹¹/

/nen¹¹ mai̯⁵⁵ t͡su³¹ t͡suŋ²⁴ tʰi̯en¹¹ put̚² mai̯⁵⁵ t͡su³¹ t͡suŋ²⁴ ŋi̯an¹¹/

2014, 吴忠伟 (Wu Zhongwei), 《印尼棉兰美达村客家话调查记略》, in 《汉语方言在海外的播迁与变异：第四届海外汉语方言国际研讨会论文集》, →ISBN, page 203

Kèjiārén xiànglái yǒu “nìng mài zǔzōng tián, bù mài zǔzōng yán”, “nìng màishēn, bù mài yán” de zūnzhòng chuántǒng, kèshǒu gǔxùn de guānniàn, hǎiwài de kèjiārén yì rúcǐ.

客家人向來有「寧賣祖宗田，不賣祖宗言」、「寧賣身，不賣言」的尊重傳統、恪守古訓的觀念，海外的客家人亦如此。

客家人向来有「宁卖祖宗田，不卖祖宗言」、「宁卖身，不卖言」的尊重传统、恪守古训的观念，海外的客家人亦如此。

do not forget the Hakka language and one's roots


shit rolls downhill

(colloquial, vulgar) Problems originating at the top of the chain of command or organizational hierarchy tend to become the responsibilities of those lower down.


il n'y a que le premier pas qui coûte

il n’ y a que le premier pas qui coûte (canonical)

Literally, "it's only the first step that costs" (i.e., is difficult).

the first step is always the hardest
the first step is always the hardest


the first step is always the hardest

The hardest part of a process is always the beginning; things get easier afterwards.

el primer paso es siempre el más difícil


лиха беда начало

head

лиха́ беда́ нача́ло

лиха́ беда́ нача́ло • (lixá bedá načálo)

лиха́ беда́ нача́ло (canonical)
lixá bedá načálo (romanization)

[lʲɪˈxa bʲɪˈda nɐˈt͡ɕaɫə]


벼는 익을수록 고개를 숙인다

ko-pos

벼-는 익을수록 고개-를 숙인다

벼는 익을수록 고개를 숙인다 • (byeo-neun igeulsurok gogae-reul suginda)

byeo-neun igeulsurok gogae-reul suginda (romanization)

[pjʌ̹nɯn iɡɯɭsʰuɾo̞k̚ ko̞ɡɛɾɯɭ sʰuɡinda̠]

[pjʌ̹nɯn iɡɯɭsʰuɾo̞k̚ ko̞ɡe̞ɾɯɭ sʰuɡinda̠]

벼는이글수록고개를수긴다

벼는이글수록고게를수긴다

"the riper the rice plant, the more it bends its head":

people who know a lot are (or should be) humble about their knowledge


곳간에서 인심 난다

"generosity is born from the storehouse": one must be wealthy to afford to be generous towards others; only the wealthy are generous


voittaja saa kaiken

to the victor go the spoils
to the victor go the spoils

to the victor go the spoils, the winner takes it all


Бог любит троицу

head

Бог лю́бит тро́ицу

Бог лю́бит тро́ицу • (Bog ljúbit tróicu)

Бог лю́бит тро́ицу (canonical)
Bog ljúbit tróicu (romanization)

third time's a charm
third time's a charm


нет дыма без огня

нет ды́ма без огня́

нет ды́ма без огня́ • (net dýma bez ognjá)

нет ды́ма без огня́ (canonical)
net dýma bez ognjá (romanization)

[nʲed ˈdɨmə bʲɪz‿ɐɡˈnʲa]

no smoke without fire
no smoke without fire


the poor we will always have with us

These beggars on horseback — the poor we will always have with us as long as we give such alms - are forever at the elbows of the secretaries, representatives, senators. The people who pay are at work in their fields, out of sight, scattered over thousands of miles.

1894, Henry Demarest Lloyd, Wealth Against Commonwealth, page 398:

When the poor are taken by definition to be the lowest 10th or the lowest 5th, or the lowest 3rd, we will, of course, arrive at the not very startling conclusion, “the poor we will always have with us.”

1973, Neil W. Chamberlain, Contemporary Economic Issues, page 54:

“The poor we will always have with us.” / And some will come to church.

2013, Jason Byassee, Discerning the Body: Searching for Jesus in the World:


plus fait douceur que violence

From the fable Phébus et Borée by Jean de La Fontaine.

gentleness works better than violence; you'll get more by being kind than by resorting to violence

you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar

on n’attrape pas des mouches avec du vinaigre

patience et longueur de temps font plus que force ni que rage


ei suuret sanat suuta halkaise

fine words butter no parsnips
fine words butter no parsnips

actions speak louder than words
actions speak louder than words

fine words butter no parsnips, actions speak louder than words


утро вечера мудренее

у́тро ве́чера мудрене́е

у́тро ве́чера мудрене́е • (útro véčera mudrenéje)

у́тро ве́чера мудрене́е (canonical)
útro véčera mudrenéje (romanization)

LL-Q7737 (rus)-Tatiana Kerbush-утро вечера мудренее.wav

Literally, “the morning is wiser than the evening”. Compare Czech ráno moudřejší večera.

lit

in the cold light of day
in the cold light of day#English

sleep on it! (it's better to examine things in the cold light of day)

en-утро_вечера_мудренее-ru-proverb-3MHHDtcJ


fr-proverb

à vaincre sans péril, on triomphe sans gloire

/a vɛ̃.kʁə sɑ̃ pe.ʁil | ɔ̃ tʁi.jɔ̃.fə sɑ̃ ɡlwaʁ/

Literally, “if one wins without risk, one triumphs without glory”.

lit

there's no great merit in achieving something that's too easy

à vaincre sans péril on triomphe sans gloire


les apparences sont trompeuses

appearances are deceptive
appearances are deceptive


un train peut en cacher un autre

/œ̃ tʁɛ̃ pø ɑ̃ ka.ʃe œ̃.n‿otʁ/

Literally, “one train may be hiding another”, a common phrase on warning signs at level crossings.

more than meets the eye
more than meets the eye

(figuratively) there may be more than meets the eye


nessuna nuova, buone nuove

Literally, “no news, good news”. Compare French pas de nouvelles, bonnes nouvelles.

cog

no news is good news
no news is good news

if there is no news to speak of, then everything must be going well; no news is good news


toutes les bonnes choses ont une fin

all good things come to an end
all good things come to an end


первый блин всегда комом

head

пе́рвый блин всегда́ ко́мом

пе́рвый блин всегда́ ко́мом • (pérvyj blin vsegdá kómom)

пе́рвый блин всегда́ ко́мом (canonical)
pérvyj blin vsegdá kómom (romanization)

Literally, “the first pancake is always a lump”.

lit

пе́рвый блин — ко́мом
первый блин — комом#Russian

you must spoil before you spin
you must spoil before you spin

practice makes perfect
practice makes perfect

Alternative form of пе́рвый блин — ко́мом (pérvyj blin — kómom); you must spoil before you spin; practice makes perfect

пе́рвый бли

en-первый_блин_всегда_комом-ru-proverb-qluKdPsM


первый блин — комом

head

пе́рвый блин — ко́мом

пе́рвый блин — ко́мом • (pérvyj blin — kómom)

пе́рвый блин — ко́мом (canonical)

LL-Q7737 (rus)-Tatiana Kerbush-первый блин — комом.wav

Literally, “the first pancake is a lump”.

lit

you must spoil before you spin; practice makes perfect (everyone makes a mistake on their first attempt)


varmuus on aina paras

better safe than sorry
better safe than sorry


you must spoil before you spin

One cannot expect success at the first attempt; practice makes perfect.


câinii latră, caravana trece

Calque of Ottoman Turkish [script needed] (it ürür, kervan yürür). Literally, “the dogs bark, but the caravan goes by”.

lit

the dogs bark, but the caravan goes on
the dogs bark, but the caravan goes on

the dogs bark, but the caravan goes on; sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me (let people say what they will)


η περιέργεια σκότωσε τη γάτα

head

η περιέργεια σκότωσε τη γάτα • (i periérgeia skótose ti gáta)

i periérgeia skótose ti gáta (romanization)

curiosity killed the cat
curiosity killed the cat

en-η_περιέργεια_σκότωσε_τη_γάτα-el-proverb-g9bR~1L~


suutari pysyköön lestissään

cobbler, keep to your last
cobbler, keep to your last


rosso di sera, buon tempo si spera

rosso di sera, bel tempo si spera#Italian

Alternative form of rosso di sera, bel tempo si spera


nijedna nesreća ne dolazi sama

sh-proverb

nijedna nesreća ne dolazi sama (Cyrillic spelling ниједна несрећа не долази сама)

ниједна несрећа не долази сама (Cyrillic)

it never rains but it pours
it never rains but it pours#English

it never rains but it pours (literally “no bad luck appears alone”)


腹が減っては戦ができぬ

ja-pos

はら が へって は いくさ が できぬ

腹(はら)が減(へ)っては戦(いくさ)ができぬ • (hara ga hette wa ikusa ga dekinu)

腹が減っては戦ができぬ (canonical)
hara ga hette wa ikusa ga dekinu (romanization)

[ha̠ɾa̠ ɡa̠ he̞t̚te̞ β̞a̠ ikɯ̟sa̠ ɡa̠ de̞kʲinɯ̟]

an army marches on its stomach
an army marches on its stomach


äpplet faller inte långt från trädet

the apple does not fall far from the tree


aħjar għasfur f'idejk minn mija fl-ajru

/aħˈjaːr asˈfuːr fɪˈdɛjk mɪnn ˈmiː.ja fˈlaj.ru/

/aħˈjaːr aˤːsˈfuːr fɪˈdɛjk mɪnn ˈmiː.ja fˈlaj.ru/

LL-Q9166 (mlt)-GħawdxiVeru-aħjar għasfur f'idejk minn mija fl-ajru.wav

Literally, “[It is] better [to have] a bird in your hands than a hundred in the air”.

m-g

􂀿It is􂁀 better 􂀿to have􂁀 a bird in your hands than a hundred in the air

lit

a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush


به ساز کسی رقصیدن

head

به سازِ کسی رقصیدن

به سازِ کسی رقصیدن • (be sâze kasi raqsidan)

به سازِ کسی رقصیدن (canonical)
be sâze kasi raqsidan (romanization)

dance to someone's tune
dance to someone's tune


dla chcącego nic trudnego

Rhyme, literally, “there's nothing difficult for the willing”.

lit

where there is a will there is a way
where there is a will there is a way

(idiomatic) where there is a will there is a way


same knife stick sheep, stick goat

Literally, "the same knife which sticks the sheep, also sticks the goat."

[Andrea Campbell (2012) Jamaican Sayings - Character (in English), →ISBN, page 41: ““121. Same knife stick sheep stick goat

Whatever someone does to another he can also do to you; beware of such people! […]”]”

The same knife that sticks a sheep will stick a goat

Mi see se yuh loud up Peter bad bout di one likkle mistake weh 'im mek, but memba mi seh same knife stick sheep, stick goat.

I noticed that you really came down hard on Peter for that tiny mistake he made. Mark my words: what goes around, comes around.

what goes around, comes around
what goes around, comes around


head

hvad man ikke har i hovedet, må man have i benene

Compare French quand on n’a pas de tête on a des jambes.

cog

quand on n'a pas de tête on a des jambes

if one is forgetful or doesn't think ahead, one will have to walk more frequently


sbagliando s'impara

you learn from your mistakes
you learn from your mistakes


en-proverb

if ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a merry Christmas

if wishes were horses, beggars would ride#English

Synonym of if wishes were horses, beggars would ride


隣の花は赤い

ja-pos

となり の はな は あかい

隣(となり)の花(はな)は赤(あか)い • (tonari no hana wa akai)

隣の花は赤い (canonical)
tonari no hana wa akai (romanization)

隣 + の + 花 + は + 赤い, literally "the flowers are always redder on the other side"

com

隣 + の + 花 + は + 赤い

the grass is always greener on the other side


隣の芝生は青い

ja-pos

となり の しばふ は あおい

隣(となり)の芝(しば)生(ふ)は青(あお)い • (tonari no shibafu wa aoi)

隣の芝生は青い (canonical)
tonari no shibafu wa aoi (romanization)

隣 + の + 芝生 + は + 青い, literally "the neighbor's grass is greener"

com

隣 + の + 芝生 + は + 青い


隣の糂汰味噌

ja-pos

となり の じんだ みそ

隣(となり)の糂(じん)汰(だ)味(み)噌(そ) • (tonari no jinda miso)

隣の糂汰味噌 (canonical)
tonari no jinda miso (romanization)

隣 + の + 糂汰 + 味噌, literally "neighbour's rice-bran miso"

com

隣 + の + 糂汰 + 味噌


لكل قاعدة شواذ

head

لِكُلِّ قَاعِدَةٍ شَوَاذُّ

لِكُلِّ قَاعِدَةٍ شَوَاذُّ • (likulli qāʕidatin šawāḏḏu)

لِ كُلِّ قَاعِدَةٍ شَوَاذُّ (canonical)
likulli qāʕidatin šawāḏḏu (romanization)

there is an exception to every rule
there is an exception to every rule


die Kleinen hängt man, die Großen lässt man laufen

The small ones are hanged, the big ones are let go (criminals who have money and influence are unlikely to be punished)

kleine Diebe hängt man, große lässt man laufen


la sangre tira

blood is thicker than water
blood is thicker than water


nichts wird so heiß gegessen, wie es gekocht wird

Literally, “nothing is eaten as hot as it’s cooked”.

lit

Things never turn out quite as bad as they seem at first (or as pessimists/alarmists make them seem).


當局者迷，傍觀者清

ㄉㄤ ㄐㄩˊ ㄓㄜˇ ㄇㄧˊ ㄆㄤˊ ㄍㄨㄢ ㄓㄜˇ ㄑㄧㄥ

tang¹-chü² chê³ mi² pʻang²-kuan¹ chê³ chʻing¹

данцзюй чжэ ми пангуань чжэ цин

/tɑŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕy³⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ mi³⁵ pʰɑŋ³⁵ ku̯än⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰiŋ⁵⁵/

當局者迷，旁觀者清 當局者迷，旁觀者清#Chinese

当局者迷，旁观者清 当局者迷，旁观者清#Chinese

Synonym of 當局者迷，旁觀者清／当局者迷，旁观者清 (dāngjúzhě mí, pángguānzhě qīng)


無魚，蝦也好

If there is no fish, shrimp is also good

/u³⁵ y³⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ jɛ²¹⁴⁻³⁵ xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/bo²⁴⁻²² hi²⁴ he²⁴ ia²²⁻²¹ ho⁵³/

/bo²⁴⁻²¹ hi²⁴ he²⁴ ia²²⁻²¹ ho⁴²/

bô hî, hê ā hó

bô hî, hê ā hó

/bo²⁴⁻²¹ hi²⁴ he²⁴ a²²⁻²¹ ho⁴²/

/bo²⁴⁻²² hi²⁴ he²⁴ a²²⁻²¹ ho⁵³/

/bo²⁴⁻²¹ hɯ²⁴ he²⁴ ia²²⁻²¹ ho⁴²/

/bo²⁴⁻²¹ hɯ²⁴ he²⁴ a²²⁻²¹ ho⁴²/

bô hṳ̂, hê iā hó

/bo⁵⁵⁻¹¹ hɯ⁵⁵ he⁵⁵⁻¹¹ ia¹¹ ho⁵²/

/u³⁵ y³⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵⁵ jɛ²¹⁴⁻³⁵ xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/bo²⁴⁻²² hi²⁴ he²⁴ ia²²⁻²¹ ho⁵³/

/bo²⁴⁻²¹ hi²⁴ he²⁴ ia²²⁻²¹ ho⁴²/

/bo²⁴⁻²¹ hi²⁴ he²⁴ a²²⁻²¹ ho⁴²/

/bo²⁴⁻²² hi²⁴ he²⁴ a²²⁻²¹ ho⁵³/

/bo²⁴⁻²¹ hɯ²⁴ he²⁴ ia²²⁻²¹ ho⁴²/

/bo²⁴⁻²¹ hɯ²⁴ he²⁴ a²²⁻²¹ ho⁴²/

/bo⁵⁵⁻¹¹ hɯ⁵⁵ he⁵⁵⁻¹¹ ia¹¹ ho⁵²/

it is alright to settle for something less; it is better to have something than have nothing


無魚，蝦嘛好

/bo²⁴⁻²¹ hi²⁴ he²⁴ ma²²⁻²¹ ho⁴²/

/bɤ²³⁻³³ hi²³ he²³ mã³³⁻²¹ hɤ⁴¹/

/bo²⁴⁻²¹ hɯ²⁴ he²⁴ ma²²⁻²¹ ho⁴²/

/bo²⁴⁻²¹ hi²⁴ he²⁴ ma²²⁻²¹ ho⁴²/

/bɤ²³⁻³³ hi²³ he²³ mã³³⁻²¹ hɤ⁴¹/

/bo²⁴⁻²¹ hɯ²⁴ he²⁴ ma²²⁻²¹ ho⁴²/

2011, 黄一飞, 欢喜欢喜就好

行情無好無魚蝦嘛好

2011, 黄一飞, 欢喜欢喜就好

行情无好无鱼虾嘛好

(Hokkien) it is alright to settle for something less; it is better to have something than have nothing


young bud nuh know storm

Literally, "A young bird has never experienced a storm."

[Ntozake Adwoa Onuora (2015) Anansesem: Telling Stories and Storytelling African Maternal Pedagogies (in English), →ISBN: ““Ave some respek fiyuh eldas, 3 my stepmother, or some aunt would say or, "Young bud nuh know storm," 4,5 words reminding me to unquestioningly submit to their eldership. This was the part of being a child that I abhorred. […]”]”

Dem seh young bud nuh know storm: Di elda dem a tek di vaccine an' di yute dem a run weh fram i'.

It is said that experience is the best teacher: seniors are taking the vaccine while youngsters are shunning it.

experience is the best teacher
experience is the best teacher


de appel valt niet ver van de boom

/də ˈɑ.pəl ˌvɑlt ˈnit ˌfɛr vɑn də ˈboːm/

Literally, “the apple does not fall far from the tree”.


ręka rękę myje

Literally, “[the] hand washes [the other] hand”. Calque of Latin manus manum lavat by Seneca the Younger.

(idiomatic) a group of people supports each other in dishonest dealings; (roughly) you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours


do what I say, not what I do

do as I say and not as I do
do as I say and not as I do#English

Alternative form of do as I say and not as I do


unha vez vello, dúas veces neno

Vello das brancas gadellas: non s'enganou o que dixo que unha vez vello dúas veces neno. Non sei de qué xuncras lle sirve a esperencia que adiquiriu cos anos. ¿Pra qué se anda metendo en enfonduras?

1884, O tío Marcos da Portela, II, 51, page 6:

Old man of the white mane: the one who said "once and old man, twice a child" was not wrong. I don't know what the hell it's good to you the experience you gained with age. Why are you getting into trouble?

(idiomatic) Literally, “once an old man, twice a child”


chim có tổ, người có tông

[t͡ɕim˧˧ kɔ˧˦ to˧˩ ŋɨəj˨˩ kɔ˧˦ təwŋ͡m˧˧]

[t͡ɕim˧˧ kɔ˨˩˦ tow˧˨ ŋɨj˦˩ kɔ˨˩˦ təwŋ͡m˧˧]

[cim˧˧ kɔ˦˥ tow˨˩˦ ŋɨj˨˩ kɔ˦˥ təwŋ͡m˧˧]

tổ has two meanings, native Vietnamese "nest" and Sino-Vietnamese "ancestor".

(literal) birds have nests, people have lineages

(figurative) one should never forget about one's ancestry


head

o primeiro de abril van os burros onde non deben ir

Literally, “the first day of April, donkeys go where they don't need to”.

lit

April Fools' Day
April Fools' Day#English

(because of fools' errands during April Fools' Day)