ProverbWisdomSpanish origin

No hay mal que por bien no venga

Meaning: Something good can come out of every misfortune.

Literally: There is no evil that doesn't come for good

Example: “Perdí el tren y conocí a mi mejor amiga en la estación. No hay mal que por bien no venga.” — I missed the train and met my best friend at the station: every cloud has a silver lining.

Equivalents in English, French, Japanese, German, Italian, and 7 more languages

  • English: Every cloud has a silver lining
  • French: Après la pluie, le beau temps (literally: After rain, good weather)
  • Japanese: 雨降って地固まる (Ame futte ji katamaru) (literally: After rain, the ground hardens)
  • German: Kein Unglück ist so groß, es trägt ein Glück im Schoß (literally: No misfortune is so great that it doesn't carry some luck in its lap)
  • Italian: Non tutti i mali vengono per nuocere (literally: Not every misfortune comes to do harm)
  • Portuguese: Há males que vêm por bem (literally: Some misfortunes come for the good)
  • Dutch: Na regen komt zonneschijn (literally: After rain comes sunshine)
  • Russian: Нет худа без добра (Net khuda bez dobra) (literally: There's no bad without good)
  • Polish: Nie ma tego złego, co by na dobre nie wyszło (literally: There's no bad that doesn't turn out for the good)
  • Chinese: 塞翁失马,焉知非福 (Sài wēng shī mǎ, yān zhī fēi fú) (literally: The old man lost his horse, but who knows it wasn't luck?)
  • Arabic: رب ضارة نافعة (Rubba ḍārratin nāfiʿa) (literally: Perhaps a harm is a benefit)
  • Turkish: Her işte bir hayır vardır (literally: There is some good in everything)

Origin: A double negative typical of Spanish proverbs: no misfortune comes without some good attached.

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