ProverbWisdom
French origin
French originIl ne faut pas vendre la peau de l'ours avant de l'avoir tué
Meaning: Don't count on a gain before you actually have it.
Literally: Don't sell the bear's skin before killing it
Example: “Le contrat n'est pas encore signé ; il ne faut pas vendre la peau de l'ours avant de l'avoir tué.” — The contract isn't signed yet: don't count your chickens before they hatch.
Equivalents in English, Spanish, Japanese, German, Italian, and 4 more languages
English: Don't count your chickens before they hatch
Spanish: No vendas la piel del oso antes de cazarlo (literally: Don't sell the bear's skin before hunting it)
Japanese: 捕らぬ狸の皮算用 (Toranu tanuki no kawazan'yō) (literally: Counting the skin of an uncaught raccoon dog)
German: Man soll den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben (literally: One should not praise the day before the evening)
Italian: Non dire gatto se non ce l'hai nel sacco (literally: Don't say "cat" until it's in the sack)
Dutch: Verkoop de huid niet voordat de beer geschoten is (literally: Don't sell the skin before the bear is shot)
Russian: Цыплят по осени считают (Tsyplyat po oseni schitayut) (literally: Chicks are counted in autumn)
Polish: Nie dziel skóry na niedźwiedziu (literally: Don't share out the skin while it's still on the bear)
Korean: 김칫국부터 마신다 (Gimchitgukbuteo masinda) (literally: Drinking the kimchi soup first)
Origin: La Fontaine told the story in his fable L'Ours et les deux Compagnons (1668): two friends sell a bear's skin to a furrier before the hunt, then meet the bear and barely escape. The moral: never sell the bear's skin before you have brought it down.
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