IdiomAnimals
Persian
Persianمرغ همسایه غاز است (morgh-e hamsāye ghāz ast)
Meaning: The grass is always greener next door.
Literally: The neighbor's chicken is a goose
Example: “همیشه فکر میکند شغل برادرش بهتر است؛ مرغ همسایه غاز است.” — He always thinks his brother's job is better; the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
English equivalent: The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence
Equivalents in other languages
Vietnamese: Đứng núi này trông núi nọ Literally: Standing on this mountain, looking at that mountain
Irish: Is glas iad na cnoic i bhfad uainn Literally: The hills far away are green
Origin: "The neighbor's hen is a goose": what other people have always looks bigger and better. The Persian proverb is the counterpart of English "the grass is always greener on the other side." No first use is documented.
More Persian idioms
- از این ستون به آن ستون فرج است (az in sotun be ān sotun faraj ast) Even a small change may bring hope.
- قربونت برم (ghorbunet beram) An affectionate thank-you or term of endearment — 'you're so dear to me'.
- زیر آب کسی را زدن (Zir-e āb-e kasi rā zadan) To secretly sabotage or betray someone behind their back.
- نمکگیر شدن (namakgir shodan) To feel bound by gratitude after sharing someone's food or hospitality.
- خر بیار و باقالی بار کن (khar biyār o bāqālī bār kon) Utter chaos; an endless, overwhelming mess.
- نوشدارو بعد از مرگ سهراب (Nushdaroo ba'd az marg-e Sohraab) A solution that arrives uselessly too late.
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