윗물이 맑아야 아랫물이 맑다 (Witmuri malgaya araenmuri makda)

Meaning: Those below follow the example of those above; leaders must behave well first.

Literally: The downstream water is clear only if the upstream is

Example: “사장이 매일 지각하니 직원들도 따라 한다. 윗물이 맑아야 아랫물이 맑다.” — The boss is late every day, so the staff follow suit: the fish rots from the head down.

Equivalents in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, and 4 more languages

English: The fish rots from the head down
French: Le poisson pourrit par la tête (literally: The fish rots from the head)
Spanish: El pez se pudre por la cabeza (literally: The fish rots from the head)
German: Der Fisch stinkt vom Kopf (literally: The fish stinks from the head)
Italian: Il pesce puzza dalla testa (literally: The fish stinks from the head)
Russian: Рыба гниёт с головы (Ryba gniyot s golovy) (literally: The fish rots from the head)
Polish: Ryba psuje się od głowy (literally: The fish spoils from the head)
Chinese: 上梁不正下梁歪 (Shàng liáng bú zhèng xià liáng wāi) (literally: If the upper beam is crooked, the lower one slants)
Turkish: Balık baştan kokar (literally: The fish stinks from the head)

Origin: A river image: pollute the water upstream and it arrives muddy downstream.

Words that look familiar in another language but mean something else entirely.

Fame Actually means 'hunger'. Ho fame = I'm hungry. For fame (renown), say fama.
Vaso Actually means 'a drinking glass'. A vase (for flowers) is un jarrón or florero.
Pasta Actually means 'folder' or 'briefcase'. Pasta (the food) is massa.

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