Multilingual -- Indian

dUrada beTTa nuNNage (Kannada) ///
Dooroon Dongar Saajare (Gujrati) //
Doorapu kondalu nunupu (Telugu)
(The hill appears smooth from a distance).
Hidden difficulties don't seem obvious at the beginning.


halliddAga kaDle illa; kaDle iddAga hallilla (Kannada)
(There are no nuts when one has teeth and there are no teeth when there are nuts).
Munching nuts is a sign of prosperity. It is frustrating that one is poor when the youth to enjoy the riches is abundant whereas when one finally gets rich the faculties to enjoy are gone.


MALAYALAM

Pen chollu kettavanu peruvazhi aadhaaram (Malayalam)
(He who listens to a woman will end up on the main street--that is, he will be reduced to begging in the street)
Said to any man who is so enamored of a woman that he does not bother to use his own judgment, but blindly agrees to her wishes.


SANSKRIT

bhikshukaha bhikshuken drishtwa kukkurenwat gurgurayate
Upon seeing another beggar (in his territory) the beggar growls like a dog.
Professional Jealousy affects everybody including Beggars


TAMIL

Elaimayil kalvi, silaiyil ezhuthu (Tamil)
(Education in your childhood is like the letters in a sculpture)
What you study during your childhood will never be forgotten

Katrathu Kai aLavu, kallathathu ulaga aLavu (Tamil)
(What you know is as big as the size of your palm, what you do not know is as big as the size of the universe)
Mainly emphasizes the importance of humility, and an open mind. Only when we realize the magnitude of our own ignorance, we remain open to knowledge.


"’Sweet are the sounds of the flute and the lute’, say those who have not heard the prattle of their own children.”
- The Tirukural by Saint Tiruvalluvar (translation)

Japanese Proverbs & Idioms

Nou aru taka wa tsume o kakusu
(A talented hawk hides its talons.)
A wise person keeps some talents in reserve; the person who knows most often says least.


Saru mo ki kara ochiru
(Even monkeys fall from trees.)
Even the best experts are not immune to making mistakes; or a warning that "pride comes before a fall”.


Deru kugi wa utareru
(A nail that sticks out will get hammered.)
In Japanese society, conformity is important. If your individuality stands out, you get hammered.


Buta mo odaterya ki ni noboru
(With flattery, even pigs can be made to climb trees)


Onna sannin yoreba kashimashii
(Three women gather - a noisy racket)

The beauty of this one lies in the pictograms. One woman 女 under a roof 安 い reads “yasui”, an adjective for “inexpensive”, “peaceful”, “quiet”. But when three women gather, you get 姦 しい “kashimashii”, an adjective “noisy; boisterous” or “faultfinding; carping; fussy”.


Jishin, Kaminari, Kaji, Oyaji
(Earthquakes, Thunder, Fires, Fathers.)
Sets the traditional Japanese father among the most fearful things.


Ebi de tai o tsuru
(Catch a sea bream with a shrimp.)
To get a big profit for a small effort or price." It is sometimes abbreviated as "Ebi-tai"


Kouin ya no gotoshi
(Time, like an arrow)


Hana yori dango
(Dumplings rather than flowers.)
To have more interest in the food than the flowers (ie: the practical over the aesthetic).


Baka wa shinanakya naoranai
(A fool is only cured by dying )


Baka mo ichi-gei
(Even a fool has at least one talent.)


He to kaji wa moto kara sawagu
(Fart and fire, from the origin, make a fuss.)
It is often the originator who complains loudest.


Neko no hitai no you na
(like a cat's forehead)
…when referring to a very small space