ProverbHuman Nature
Spanish origin
Spanish originGenio y figura hasta la sepultura
Meaning: People keep their character all their lives.
Literally: Character and form until the grave
Example: “Con noventa años sigue discutiendo con todo el mundo. Genio y figura hasta la sepultura.” — At ninety he still argues with everybody: a leopard can't change its spots.
Equivalents in English, French, Japanese, German, Italian, and 6 more languages
English: A leopard can't change its spots
French: Chassez le naturel, il revient au galop (literally: Chase away nature, it comes back galloping)
Japanese: 三つ子の魂百まで (Mitsugo no tamashii hyaku made) (literally: The soul of a three-year-old lasts until a hundred)
German: Die Katze lässt das Mausen nicht (literally: The cat will not give up catching mice)
Italian: Il lupo perde il pelo ma non il vizio (literally: The wolf loses its fur but not its vice)
Dutch: Een vos verliest wel zijn haren, maar niet zijn streken (literally: A fox loses its hair but not its tricks)
Russian: Горбатого могила исправит (Gorbatogo mogila ispravit) (literally: Only the grave will straighten a hunchback)
Polish: Natura ciągnie wilka do lasu (literally: Nature pulls the wolf to the forest)
Chinese: 江山易改，本性难移 (Jiāngshān yì gǎi, běnxìng nán yí) (literally: Rivers and mountains change easily; nature hardly)
Arabic: الطبع يغلب التطبع (Aṭ-ṭabʿ yaghlib at-taṭabbuʿ) (literally: Nature beats nurture)
Turkish: Huylu huyundan vazgeçmez (literally: A person of habit won't give up his habit)
On the map
What never changes?
The same idea in 23 versions, colored by the picture each one uses. Each country shows the version in its main language.
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11 more languages on the map
- Hebrew (Hayahafokh … ve-namer ḥavarburotav)“Can the leopard change its spots?”Source: Jeremiah 13:23, where the English proverb comes from
- Romanian “The wolf changes its fur, but not its bad habits”Source: Dicționarul limbii române literare contemporane (1955–57) and CADE (1926–31), via dexonline
- Serbo-Croatian “The wolf changes its coat, but never its temper”Source: Wiktionary
- Hungarian “You can't make bacon out of a dog”Source: Wiktionary; Daily News Hungary
- Hindi and Urdu (Kutte kī dum bārah baras nalkī meṉ rakhī, phir bhī ṭeṛhī)“Keep a dog's tail in a tube for twelve years: it still comes out crooked”Source: Rekhta dictionary
- Malay “A whole jar of oil used up, and the dog's tail still won't straighten”Source: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka
- Korean (Je beoreut gae julkka)“Would you give your habit away to a dog?”Source: Wiktionary; Korean wiki entry on habits
- Vietnamese “The horse knows its old road”Source: VietJack; Viet Nam News
- Spanish (Mexico) “A tree born crooked never straightens its trunk”Source: USC Digital Folklore Archives
- Portuguese (Brazil) “A stick born crooked dies crooked”Source: Significados (Brazilian reference site)
- Bengali (Koyla dhule moyla jay na)“Washing coal won't wash away its dirt”Source: Satt Academy (Bangladesh exam reference)
Origin: Genio is temperament and figura bearing; the rhyme with sepultura (grave) seals it.
Explore another collection: Idioms
Colorful expressions from dozens of languages, with their word-for-word translations.
- llevar la contraria To argue against or contradict someone habitually.
- para andar por casa Makeshift, temporary, or of poor quality; fit only for casual home use.
- salvar las apariencias To maintain an outward show of respectability or normalcy despite underlying problems.
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