ProverbHuman Nature
Latin origin
Latin originMisery loves company
Meaning: Unhappy people seek others who are also suffering.
Origin: An old Latin line, solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris — it is a comfort to the wretched to have companions in misery — is quoted in Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus. The short English form became common later, and John Ray's proverb collection of 1670 records an early version.
Equivalents in Spanish, Japanese, German, Italian, Russian, and Chinese
Spanish: Mal de muchos, consuelo de tontos (literally: The ill of many is the consolation of fools)
Japanese: 同病相憐れむ (Dōbyō ai awaremu) (literally: Those with the same illness sympathize with each other)
German: Geteiltes Leid ist halbes Leid (literally: Shared sorrow is half sorrow)
Italian: Mal comune, mezzo gaudio (literally: A shared ill is half a joy)
Russian: На миру и смерть красна (Na miru i smert' krasna) (literally: Among people, even death is fine)
Chinese: 同病相怜 (Tóng bìng xiāng lián) (literally: Those with the same illness pity each other)
Explore another collection: Idioms
Colorful expressions from dozens of languages, with their word-for-word translations.
- 半斤八两 (bàn jīn bā liǎng) Six of one, half a dozen of the other — equally bad.
- Att glida in på en räkmacka To have things handed to you without effort.
- Att ha rent mjöl i påsen To have a clean conscience; nothing to hide.
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