
ProverbPerseverance
Russian origin
Взялся за гуж, не говори, что не дюж (Vzyalsya za guzh, ne govori, chto ne dyuzh)
Meaning: Once you've taken something on, don't complain that it's too hard.
Literally: Once you've taken the harness strap, don't say you're not strong enough
Example: “Ты сам вызвался руководить проектом. Взялся за гуж, не говори, что не дюж.” — You volunteered to lead the project yourself: in for a penny, in for a pound.
Equivalents in English, French, Spanish, Japanese, German, and 3 more languages
English: In for a penny, in for a pound
French: Quand le vin est tiré, il faut le boire (literally: When the wine is drawn, you must drink it)
Spanish: De perdidos, al río (literally: From lost, to the river)
Japanese: 毒を食らわば皿まで (Doku wo kurawaba sara made) (literally: If you eat poison, lick the plate too)
German: Wer A sagt, muss auch B sagen (literally: He who says A must also say B)
Portuguese: Perdido por cem, perdido por mil (literally: Lost for a hundred, lost for a thousand)
Dutch: Wie A zegt, moet ook B zeggen (literally: Whoever says A must also say B)
Polish: Jak się powiedziało A, trzeba powiedzieć B (literally: Once you've said A, you have to say B)
Origin: A гуж is the leather loop of a horse's harness: whoever grabs it to pull the load can't then say they aren't strong enough (дюж).
Explore another collection: Tongue Twisters
Tricky phrases to practice out loud, from languages around the world.
- Карл у Клары украл кораллы, Клара у Карла украла кларнет. (Karl u Klary ukral korally, Klara u Karla ukrala klarnet.) A 'kl/kr/r' drama — crime, countercrimes, and consonant clusters all at once.
- Корабли лавировали, лавировали, да не вылавировали. (Korabli lavirovali, lavirovali, da ne vylavirovali.) One verb, three inflections, pure 'lav/vir' torture — the word grows with every repetitio…
- Ехал Грека через реку, видит Грека — в реке рак. (Yekhal Greka cherez reku, vidit Greka — v reke rak.) A rolling 'r/k' drill where Greka, reku and rak keep trading the same two consonants.
Keep exploring