
ProverbHuman Nature
Portuguese origin
Quem o feio ama, bonito lhe parece
Meaning: Love makes people see beauty where others don't.
Literally: Whoever loves the ugly finds it pretty
Example: “Ela acha o cão dela o mais bonito do mundo. Quem o feio ama, bonito lhe parece.” — She thinks her dog is the most beautiful in the world: beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Equivalents in English, French, Spanish, Japanese, German, and 5 more languages
English: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
French: La beauté est dans l'œil de celui qui regarde (literally: Beauty is in the eye of the one who looks)
Spanish: La belleza está en los ojos del que mira (literally: Beauty is in the eyes of the one who looks)
Japanese: 蓼食う虫も好き好き (Tade kuu mushi mo sukizuki) (literally: Some bugs even prefer bitter knotweed)
German: Schönheit liegt im Auge des Betrachters (literally: Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder)
Italian: Non è bello quel che è bello, ma è bello quel che piace (literally: Beautiful isn't what's beautiful, but what pleases)
Dutch: De schoonheid der vrijster ligt in 's vrijers oog (literally: A maiden's beauty lies in her suitor's eye)
Russian: Не по хорошу мил, а по милу хорош (Ne po khoroshu mil, a po milu khorosh) (literally: Not dear because handsome, but handsome because dear)
Polish: Nie to ładne, co ładne, ale co się komu podoba (literally: Pretty isn't what's pretty, but what someone likes)
Chinese: 情人眼里出西施 (Qíngrén yǎn lǐ chū Xīshī) (literally: In a lover's eyes, Xi Shi appears)
Origin: The lover's eye at work: what is plain to everyone else looks beautiful to the person who loves it.
Explore another collection: Tongue Twisters
Tricky phrases to practice out loud, from languages around the world.
- A aranha arranha a rã. A rã arranha a aranha. Contrasts the soft single r of aranha against the hard rolled rr of arranha — one letter…
- O rato roeu a roupa do rei de Roma; a rainha com raiva roeu o resto. An unstoppable 'r' trill drill — every key word begins or ends with the Portuguese r.
- Um tigre, dois tigres, três tigres tristes triscam trigo num trigal. A 'tr' cluster drill that adds a sad adjective to make the alliteration worse.
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