Language

Expression

Literal Translation

Meaning

American English equivalent

Italian

Chi dorme non piglia pesci.

The person who sleeps won't catch any fish.

It's good to start things early.

The early bird catches the worm.

Thai

ช้างตายทั้งตัวเอาใบบัวปิดไม่มิด

A dead elephant can't be hidden by a lotus leaf.

No one can hide/conceal a mistake or problem once it is out in the open.

You can't cover the sun with one finger.

German

Aus einer Mücke einen Elefanten machen.

To make an elephant out of a mosquito.

To blow things out of proportion.

To make a mountain out of a molehill.

Swedish

Gå som katten kring het gröt.

Walk like a cat around hot porridge.

To talk about everything else but not what's really on your mind.

Beat around the bush.

Dutch

Met de neus in de boter vallen.

To fall into the butter with your nose.

Unexpectedly get lucky.

To hit the jackpot.

French

On ne peut pas avoir le lard et le cochon.

You can't have the bacon and the pig.

You can't get everything you want in a situation or in life.

You can't have your cake and eat it too.

Spanish (universal)

Echarse flores.

To throw flowers at oneself.

To praise, compliment, or flatter oneself. It comes from the act of throwing flowers to the stage after a theater or musical act.

To blow one's own trumpet/horn.

Russian

Горбатого могила исправит

[Only] the grave will cure the hunchback.

People don't change; they always do what is in their nature to do.

The leopard cannot change his spots.

Greek

Θύμωσε ο καλόγερος κι έκαψε τα ράσα του.

The monk got angry and burned his cassock.

To do something that ends up hurting yourself.

To cut off your nose to spite your face.

Japanese

虎穴に入らずんば虎子を得ず。

If you do not enter the tiger's cave, you will not catch its cub.

You cannot achieve something without risking something.

No pain, no gain.

Chinese

冰冻三尺, 非一日之寒

A single day of sub-zero temperature is not enough to create 3 feet of ice.

Great things cannot be accomplished in a short period of time.

Rome was not built in a day.

Arabic (Egypt)

جبنا في سيرة القط جه ينط

We mentioned the cat and he came and jumped.

Used when the person being spoken about suddenly arrives.

Speak of the devil.

Portuguese

Cão picado por cobra, tem medo de linguiça.

A dog that has been bitten by a snake fears sausages.

Once you have been hurt or had a bad experience you are more careful the next time.

Once bitten, twice shy.

Korean

남의 떡이 더 커 보인다.

Someone else's rice cake always looks bigger.

One always wants what one can't have.

The grass is always greener on the other side.

Hebrew

אל תסתכל בקנקן, אלא במה שבתוכו

Don't look at the jar, but at what's inside it.

Don't be fooled by external appearances; find the real value.

Don't judge a book by its cover.