ProverbHuman NatureChinese origin

人不可貌相 (Rén bù kě mào xiàng)

Meaning: You can't judge people by their appearance.

Literally: People can't be judged by their looks

Example: “别看他穿得普通,他可是大公司的老板。人不可貌相。” — Don't judge by his ordinary clothes, he's the boss of a big company: you can't judge a book by its cover.

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

  • English: You can't judge a book by its cover
  • French: L'habit ne fait pas le moine (literally: The habit doesn't make the monk)
  • Spanish: Las apariencias engañan (literally: Appearances deceive)
  • Japanese: 人は見かけによらぬもの (Hito wa mikake ni yoranu mono) (literally: A person is not what they appear)
  • German: Der Schein trügt (literally: Appearances deceive)
  • Italian: L'abito non fa il monaco (literally: The habit doesn't make the monk)
  • Portuguese: O hábito não faz o monge (literally: The habit doesn't make the monk)
  • Dutch: Schijn bedriegt (literally: Appearances deceive)
  • Russian: По одёжке встречают, по уму провожают (Po odyozhke vstrechayut, po umu provozhayut) (literally: They greet you by your clothes and see you off by your mind)
  • Polish: Nie szata zdobi człowieka (literally: Clothes don't adorn the man)
  • Korean: 뚝배기보다 장맛이 좋다 (Ttukbaegiboda jangmasi jota) (literally: The sauce is better than its clay pot)
  • Turkish: Hayvanın alacası dışında, insanın alacası içinde (literally: An animal's spots are outside, a person's are inside)

Origin: Its full form continues 海水不可斗量: you can't measure the sea with a bushel.

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