ProverbWisdomJapanese origin

覆水盆に返らず (Fukusui bon ni kaerazu)

Meaning: What is done cannot be undone.

Literally: Spilled water doesn't return to the basin

Example: “言ってしまった言葉は取り消せない。覆水盆に返らずだ。” — Words once spoken can't be taken back: there's no use crying over spilled milk.

Equivalents in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, and 4 more languages

  • English: Don't cry over spilled milk
  • French: Ce qui est fait est fait (literally: What is done is done)
  • Spanish: A lo hecho, pecho (literally: To what is done, chest)
  • German: Geschehen ist geschehen (literally: What has happened has happened)
  • Italian: Cosa fatta capo ha (literally: A thing done is done)
  • Dutch: Gedane zaken nemen geen keer (literally: Done things don't turn back)
  • Polish: Co się stało, to się nie odstanie (literally: What has happened can't un-happen)
  • Chinese: 覆水难收 (Fù shuǐ nán shōu) (literally: Spilled water is hard to gather back)
  • Turkish: Geçmişe mazi, yenmişe kuzu derler (literally: The past is past, and what's eaten is called lamb)

Origin: A legend usually traced to the Shiyiji: the wife of the sage Taigong Wang left him when he was poor and asked to come back when he rose to power; he spilled a basin of water and said he would take her back if she could gather it up. The story is a legend.

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