
ProverbHuman Nature
Chinese 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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