"you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink" meaning in English

{
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      "expansion": "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink",
      "name": "en-proverb"
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "proverb",
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      ],
      "glosses": [
        "You can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it."
      ],
      "id": "en-you_can_lead_a_horse_to_water,_but_you_can't_make_it_drink-en-proverb-x26XNQeZ",
      "links": [
        [
          "show",
          "show"
        ],
        [
          "someone",
          "someone"
        ],
        [
          "do",
          "do"
        ],
        [
          "something",
          "something"
        ],
        [
          "make",
          "make"
        ],
        [
          "them",
          "them"
        ],
        [
          "it",
          "it"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "there are none so blind as those who will not see"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink"
        },
        {
          "word": "you can lead horses to water, but you can't make them drink"
        },
        {
          "english": "in reference to women",
          "word": "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make her drink"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "ca",
          "lang": "Catalan",
          "sense": "you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it",
          "word": "ja pots xiular si l'ase no vol beure"
        },
        {
          "code": "ceb",
          "lang": "Cebuano",
          "sense": "you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it",
          "word": "madala nimo ang baka sa suba apan dili nimo mainom"
        },
        {
          "code": "yue",
          "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
          "note": "牛唔飲水唔撳得牛頭低 /牛唔饮水唔揿得牛头低 (ngau⁴ m⁴ jam² seoi² m⁴ gam⁶ dak¹ ngau⁴ tau⁴ dai¹, literally “if a cow does not drink water, one cannot press its head down”)",
          "sense": "you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it"
        },
        {
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it",
          "word": "man kan tvinge hesten til truget, men man kan ikke tvinge den til at drikke"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "english": "It's bad to catch hares with unwilling dogs",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it",
          "word": "met onwillige honden is het slecht hazen vangen"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it",
          "word": "voit viedä hevosen veden ääreen, mutta et voi pakottaa sitä juomaan"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "english": "You can't force a donkey to drink when he's not thirsty",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it",
          "word": "on ne saurait faire boire un âne qui n’a pas soif"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it",
          "word": "man kann den Gaul zur Tränke führen, aber saufen muss er selber"
        },
        {
          "code": "hi",
          "lang": "Hindi",
          "roman": "ham kisī ko kuch karne kā avsar de sakte par unapar use karne ke lie dabāv nahī̃ banā sakte",
          "sense": "you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it",
          "word": "हम किसी को कुछ करने का अवसर दे सकते पर उनपर उसे करने के लिए दबाव नहीं बना सकते"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it",
          "word": "puoi portare un cavallo all'acqua ma non puoi farlo bere"
        },
        {
          "alt": "うまをみずべにみちびくことはできるがうまにみずをのませることはできない",
          "code": "ja",
          "english": "literal, non-idiomatic",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "uma o mizube ni michibikukoto wa dekiru ga uma ni mizu o nomaserukoto-wa dekinai",
          "sense": "you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it",
          "word": "馬を水辺に導く事は出来るが馬に水を飲ませる事は出来ない"
        },
        {
          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it",
          "word": "du kan lede en hest til vannet, men du kan ikke tvinge den til å drikke"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it",
          "word": "możesz konia doprowadzić do wodopoju, lecz pić za niego się nie da"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it",
          "word": "você pode levar um cavalo até a água, mas não pode fazê-lo beber"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "móžno privestí lóšadʹ k vodé, no nelʹzjá zastávitʹ jejó pitʹ",
          "sense": "you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it",
          "word": "мо́жно привести́ ло́шадь к воде́, но нельзя́ заста́вить её пить"
        },
        {
          "code": "gd",
          "lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
          "sense": "you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it",
          "word": "ged a bheirte a' bhó dhan doras mhór rachadh i fhéin dhan bhàthaich"
        },
        {
          "code": "te",
          "lang": "Telugu",
          "roman": "gurrānni ceruvudākā lākkeḷḷavaccu gāni, dānicēta nīḷḷu tāgiñcalēmu",
          "sense": "you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it",
          "word": "గుర్రాన్ని చెరువుదాకా లాక్కెళ్ళవచ్చు గాని, దానిచేత నీళ్ళు తాగించలేము"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink"
}

{
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink",
      "name": "en-proverb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "proverb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "there are none so blind as those who will not see"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
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        "Pages with entries",
        "Requests for review of Mandarin translations",
        "Telugu terms with redundant script codes",
        "Terms with Cantonese translations",
        "Terms with Catalan translations",
        "Terms with Cebuano translations",
        "Terms with Danish translations",
        "Terms with Dutch translations",
        "Terms with Finnish translations",
        "Terms with French translations",
        "Terms with German translations",
        "Terms with Hindi translations",
        "Terms with Italian translations",
        "Terms with Japanese translations",
        "Terms with Mandarin translations",
        "Terms with Norwegian Bokmål translations",
        "Terms with Polish translations",
        "Terms with Portuguese translations",
        "Terms with Russian translations",
        "Terms with Scottish Gaelic translations",
        "Terms with Telugu translations"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "You can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "show",
          "show"
        ],
        [
          "someone",
          "someone"
        ],
        [
          "do",
          "do"
        ],
        [
          "something",
          "something"
        ],
        [
          "make",
          "make"
        ],
        [
          "them",
          "them"
        ],
        [
          "it",
          "it"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink"
    },
    {
      "word": "you can lead horses to water, but you can't make them drink"
    },
    {
      "english": "in reference to women",
      "word": "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make her drink"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "sense": "you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it",
      "word": "ja pots xiular si l'ase no vol beure"
    },
    {
      "code": "ceb",
      "lang": "Cebuano",
      "sense": "you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it",
      "word": "madala nimo ang baka sa suba apan dili nimo mainom"
    },
    {
      "code": "yue",
      "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
      "note": "牛唔飲水唔撳得牛頭低 /牛唔饮水唔揿得牛头低 (ngau⁴ m⁴ jam² seoi² m⁴ gam⁶ dak¹ ngau⁴ tau⁴ dai¹, literally “if a cow does not drink water, one cannot press its head down”)",
      "sense": "you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it",
      "word": "man kan tvinge hesten til truget, men man kan ikke tvinge den til at drikke"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "english": "It's bad to catch hares with unwilling dogs",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it",
      "word": "met onwillige honden is het slecht hazen vangen"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it",
      "word": "voit viedä hevosen veden ääreen, mutta et voi pakottaa sitä juomaan"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "english": "You can't force a donkey to drink when he's not thirsty",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it",
      "word": "on ne saurait faire boire un âne qui n’a pas soif"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it",
      "word": "man kann den Gaul zur Tränke führen, aber saufen muss er selber"
    },
    {
      "code": "hi",
      "lang": "Hindi",
      "roman": "ham kisī ko kuch karne kā avsar de sakte par unapar use karne ke lie dabāv nahī̃ banā sakte",
      "sense": "you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it",
      "word": "हम किसी को कुछ करने का अवसर दे सकते पर उनपर उसे करने के लिए दबाव नहीं बना सकते"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it",
      "word": "puoi portare un cavallo all'acqua ma non puoi farlo bere"
    },
    {
      "alt": "うまをみずべにみちびくことはできるがうまにみずをのませることはできない",
      "code": "ja",
      "english": "literal, non-idiomatic",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "uma o mizube ni michibikukoto wa dekiru ga uma ni mizu o nomaserukoto-wa dekinai",
      "sense": "you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it",
      "word": "馬を水辺に導く事は出来るが馬に水を飲ませる事は出来ない"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it",
      "word": "du kan lede en hest til vannet, men du kan ikke tvinge den til å drikke"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it",
      "word": "możesz konia doprowadzić do wodopoju, lecz pić za niego się nie da"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it",
      "word": "você pode levar um cavalo até a água, mas não pode fazê-lo beber"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "móžno privestí lóšadʹ k vodé, no nelʹzjá zastávitʹ jejó pitʹ",
      "sense": "you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it",
      "word": "мо́жно привести́ ло́шадь к воде́, но нельзя́ заста́вить её пить"
    },
    {
      "code": "gd",
      "lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
      "sense": "you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it",
      "word": "ged a bheirte a' bhó dhan doras mhór rachadh i fhéin dhan bhàthaich"
    },
    {
      "code": "te",
      "lang": "Telugu",
      "roman": "gurrānni ceruvudākā lākkeḷḷavaccu gāni, dānicēta nīḷḷu tāgiñcalēmu",
      "sense": "you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it",
      "word": "గుర్రాన్ని చెరువుదాకా లాక్కెళ్ళవచ్చు గాని, దానిచేత నీళ్ళు తాగించలేము"
    }
  ],
  "word": "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink"
}