石橋を叩いて渡る (Ishibashi o tataite wataru)

Meaning: To be extremely, even excessively, cautious.

Literally: To tap a stone bridge before crossing

Example: “父は石橋を叩いて渡る人で、契約書を三回読む。” — My father always looks before he leaps and reads every contract three times.

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

English: Look before you leap
French: Prudence est mère de sûreté (literally: Prudence is the mother of safety)
Spanish: Antes que te cases, mira lo que haces (literally: Before you marry, look at what you're doing)
German: Erst wägen, dann wagen (literally: First weigh, then dare)
Dutch: Bezint eer gij begint (literally: Reflect before you begin)
Russian: Семь раз отмерь, один раз отрежь (Sem' raz otmer', odin raz otrezh') (literally: Measure seven times, cut once)
Chinese: 三思而行 (Sān sī ér xíng) (literally: Think three times, then act)
Korean: 돌다리도 두들겨 보고 건너라 (Doldarido dudeulgyeo bogo geonneora) (literally: Tap even a stone bridge before you cross)
Arabic: في التأني السلامة وفي العجلة الندامة (Fī t-taʾannī s-salāma wa-fī l-ʿajala n-nadāma) (literally: In patience lies safety, in haste regret)

Origin: Testing even a solid stone bridge by tapping it first pictures the height of prudence.

Colorful expressions from dozens of languages, with their word-for-word translations.

四面楚歌 (Shimensoka) Being surrounded by enemies with no hope of escape or support.
鯖を読む (Saba o yomu) To fudge the numbers in your favor, especially your age.
油を売る (Abura ouru) To slack off or dawdle when you should be working.

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