三人寄れば文殊の知恵 (Sannin yoreba Monju no chie)

Meaning: Ordinary people who put their heads together can match a genius.

Literally: Three people together have Manjusri's wisdom

Example: “一人で悩まないで、みんなで考えよう。三人寄れば文殊の知恵だ。” — Don't struggle alone, let's think about it together: two heads are better than one.

Equivalents in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, and 6 more languages

English: Two heads are better than one
French: Deux têtes valent mieux qu'une (literally: Two heads are worth more than one)
Spanish: Dos cabezas piensan mejor que una (literally: Two heads think better than one)
German: Vier Augen sehen mehr als zwei (literally: Four eyes see more than two)
Italian: Vedono più quattr'occhi che due (literally: Four eyes see more than two)
Portuguese: Duas cabeças pensam melhor do que uma (literally: Two heads think better than one)
Dutch: Twee weten meer dan één (literally: Two know more than one)
Russian: Одна голова хорошо, а две лучше (Odna golova khorosho, a dve luchshe) (literally: One head is good, two are better)
Polish: Co dwie głowy, to nie jedna (literally: Two heads are not one)
Chinese: 三个臭皮匠，顶个诸葛亮 (Sān gè chòu píjiàng, dǐng gè Zhūgě Liàng) (literally: Three humble cobblers equal one Zhuge Liang)
Turkish: Akıl akıldan üstündür (literally: One mind outdoes another)

Origin: Monju is Manjushri, the Buddhist bodhisattva of wisdom: three ordinary minds together can equal his.

Compliments and insults from around the world, from the sweet to the savage.

石頭 (Ishiatama) A stubborn, inflexible person who won't budge.
気が利く (ki ga kiku) You're perceptive and considerately thoughtful — you notice what people need before they…
できる人 (dekiru hito) Said of someone highly capable and impressive — the kind of person who makes things happe…

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