# Favorite foreign idiom/proverbs **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 19, 2003, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-idiom-proverbs/189640 "2003-07-19T21:26:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-idiom-proverbs/189640/21 "2003-07-20T19:27:39Z")
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. (Chinese) A lie goes around the world while truth is still putting on its shoes. (Russian?) ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-idiom-proverbs/189640/22 "2003-07-20T23:12:03Z")
When you pull your cart to the foot of the mountain, a path will appear. --Chinese proverb ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-idiom-proverbs/189640/23 "2003-07-20T23:33:00Z")
A jerk’s as good as a pull. A pull’s as good as a yank, and a Yank’s a d@mn fine American![ul]Anon.[/ul] I’m so happy, my ears are clapping![ul]_Philippine Saying_[/ul] Life is uncertain, eat dessert first.[ul]Anon.[/ul] Live fast, die young and leave a good looking corpse.[ul]Anon.[/ul] The last true Christian died on the cross.[ul]Nietzsche[/ul] If a problem can be solved by writing a check, it’s not a problem. It’s an expense.[ul]Fred Smith _Founder of Federal Express_[/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-idiom-proverbs/189640/24 "2003-07-20T23:39:52Z")
Mankind is the only animal that blushes, _or needs to!_ A Mississippi river boat resembles nothing so much as a wedding cake, except without all the complications. A wholesome and broadminded view of the world cannot be obtained by sitting in one little corner of it all one’s life. A consultant is a man who borrows your watch to tell you what time it is. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-idiom-proverbs/189640/25 "2003-07-21T00:10:10Z")
In theory, practice and theory are the same. In practice, they aren’t.[ul]Anon.[/ul] ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-idiom-proverbs/189640/26 "2003-07-21T01:32:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zenster \* > **Live fast, die young and leave a good looking corpse. > Anon.** [Not so anonymous.](http://us.imdb.com/Quotes?0041555) Of course, Willard Motley may have cribbed it from some place, but this is my remembered source. DD ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-idiom-proverbs/189640/27 "2003-07-21T01:37:31Z")
If you have to eat a turd, it’s best not to nibble at it. Chefguy ---
**Author:** ![saramamalana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/74df32/32.png) [@saramamalana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saramamalana)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-idiom-proverbs/189640/28 "2003-07-21T05:37:25Z")
[nitpick] These are great and all, but I was looking more for what idioms or maxims _in other languages_. [/nitpick] ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-idiom-proverbs/189640/29 "2003-07-21T06:19:18Z")
\>Rain before evening, dark before midnight. When else? ---
**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-idiom-proverbs/189640/30 "2003-07-21T06:33:38Z")
Japanese: _Tsuno wo tamete, ushi wo korosu_ To straighten the horns and kill the bull. i.e. To screw up an endeavour by overkilling the correction of minor flaws. _Usagi no tsuno_ Hare’s horn i.e. Invisible Pink Unicorn _Saru mo ki kara ochiru_ Even monkeys fall from the trees. _Suru no wa shippai, nanimo shinai no wa dai-shippai_ To do it is to fail, to not do it is to fail big-time. i.e. It’s better to fail trying than to not do anything. Not idioms, but poems I’m quite fond of (work as maxims too!) _Ame, arare, yuki ya koori to hedatete mo, tokereba onaji tanigawa no mizu_ Rain, hail, snow and ice. We make distinctions but once they melt, it’s all the same valley stream’s water. _Wakenoboru fumoto no michi wa ookeredo, onaji takane no tsuki wo miru kana._ At the foot of the mountain, the paths that climb up are numerous, but at the summit we watch the same moon. Both poems by Ikkyu. _Nagaraeba mata konogoro ya shinobaren. Ushi to mishi yo zo, ima wa koishiki._ Time will pass and I will remember these days. Times that seem so sad, I will think of them fondly. Fujiwara no Kiyosuke A few gems from the Dhammapada: \*Bahum pi ce sa§hita§ bhàsamàno na takkaro hoti naro pamatto Gopo va gàvo gaõaya§ paresa§ na bhàgavà sàma¤¤assa hoti. \* If he recites many teachings, but – heedless man – doesn’t do what they say, like a cowherd counting the cattle of others, he has no share in the contemplative life. \*Yo bàlo ma¤¤ati bàlya§ paõóito và’pi tena so Bàlo ca paõóita-mànã sa ve bàlo ti vuccati. \* A fool with a sense of his foolishness is – at least to that extent – wise. But a fool who thinks himself wise really deserves to be called a fool. ---
**Author:** ![elfje](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19b73/32.png) [@elfje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfje)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-idiom-proverbs/189640/31 "2003-07-21T12:19:58Z")
All in Flemish: **tis lik een iengeltje die up me toenge pist** it’s like an angel pissing on my tongue _when a drink tastes particularly good_ **jis deur den oaze gepoept.** he’s been shagged by a hare _he’s in a real hurry_ **elke oend met een oedje** Every dog wearing a hat _the whole world and it’s mother_ ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-idiom-proverbs/189640/32 "2003-07-21T12:31:51Z")
Chinese: **Ma ma hu hu** Horse horse tiger tiger _Mediocre; so-so_ ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-idiom-proverbs/189640/33 "2003-07-21T19:23:25Z")
Chinese: **Lan yu chong shu** Refers to a story of a conductor adding dozens of stand-ins to a few talented musicians to give the appearance of a large orchestra. _To appear an expert when you have no idea what you’re doing._ I always say this when someone compliments my (modest) Chinese. Nine out of ten times the other person laughs. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chefguy \* > \*\*China: May you live in interesting times (a curse, actually) \*\* I think Robert Kennedy made this one up during his visit to Africa. ---
**Author:** ![AllShookDown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d9b06d/32.png) [@AllShookDown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllShookDown)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-idiom-proverbs/189640/34 "2003-07-21T23:07:31Z")
One day at work when the higher-ups were all going to be gone I said “When the cat’s away the mice will play” to my Chinese co-worker and asked her if they had a similar saying. She said, **"When the lion comes down from the mountain the monkey becomes king."** I like theirs better. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-idiom-proverbs/189640/35 "2003-07-22T08:23:40Z")
Cantonese: **Dah feh geh** Beat the airplane _Masturbate_ **Ley chi sin** You have crossed wires _You are crazy_ ---
**Author:** ![Space\_Vampire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Space\_Vampire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Space_Vampire)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-idiom-proverbs/189640/36 "2003-07-22T10:53:32Z")
I heard some girls have now begun using “beat the submarine.” ---
**Author:** ![parlo\_americano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b19c9b/32.png) [@parlo\_americano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/parlo_americano)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-idiom-proverbs/189640/37 "2003-07-22T10:56:28Z")
Italian A tutto c’è rimedio, fuorchè alla morte. There is a cure for everything except death Chi ha fretta vada piano. Make haste slowly Chi pecora si fa, il lupo se la mangia. Those who make themselves sheep will be eaten by the wolf German Was man wünscht, glaubt man gern. What one wishes for, one believes readily Es ist Wurst. It’s sausage. It doesn’t matter, it’s of no consequence Quastch! Ridiculous! Nonsense! Ein Mann, ein Wort. One man, one word. A promise is a promise. then some jokers (drunk old men that lean too close so that you may bask in their cleverness) “Ein Mann, ein Wort - eine Frau, ein Wörterbuch.” (One man, one word - one woman, one dictionary.) Spanish Yo te conozco bacalao, aunque vengas disfrazado. I know you codfish, even though you wear a disguise. I know your game. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-idiom-proverbs/189640/38 "2003-07-22T11:03:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Space Vampire \* > \*\*I heard some girls have now begun using “beat the submarine.” \*\* Oooh, what’s submarine in Canto then (I also need the word for eels). ---
**Author:** ![\_xiao\_wenti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/b782af/32.png) [@\_xiao\_wenti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_xiao_wenti)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-idiom-proverbs/189640/39 "2003-07-22T20:25:38Z")
Chinese (A Chengyu) Guan men da goa // Close door, beat dog I like this one because of the image involved…he dog has peed on the carpet and knows he’s done something wrong. So you have to make sure he can’t run before you fram on him with the newspaper. ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-idiom-proverbs/189640/40 "2003-07-22T23:27:25Z")
Two of my favorites in Spanish Bicho malo nunca se muere. A bad creature never dies. Es mejor perder un minuto en la vida, que la vida en un minuto. It’s better to lose a minute in your life, than lose your life in a minute. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-idiom-proverbs/189640.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-foreign-idiom-proverbs/189640.md?page=3)