Не так страшен чёрт, как его малюют
With accent marks:
Не так стра́шен чёрт, как его́ малюют.
Translation:
The demon is not as scary as he is depicted.
Meaning:
This proverb is said to encourage the one who experiences excessive anxienty or fear of the unknown.
In the old days, parents were scaring there children saying that if they do not obey, the scary demon would take them. However, in fact, nobody has ever seen those demons anywhere.
This proverb teaches as not to be afraid of the constructs of our own mind or mind of others.
It is believed that the expression is primordially Russian, although later it passed into other European languages. In Russia, it has been known since the XVIII century.
Other Russian proverbs
-
Всё хорошо, что хорошо кончается
All is well that ends well.
-
С волками жить – по-волчьи выть
Living with wolves means to howl like a wolf.
-
Любишь кататься, люби и саночки возить
If you like sledding, you should like to carry the sled.
-
Water wears away a stone.
-
When I eat I am deaf and mute.
-
Some to the forest, some for firewood.
-
You can't command to the heart.
-
Кабы знал, где упасть, так соломки бы подстелил
If I knew where I would fall, I would lay some straw there.
If you appreciate our work, please consider donating today. Your support allows us to publish content more regularly, and to maintain this site and the whole Learn Russian 101 network.
You can support us by buying one of the offline packages, getting a premium subscription, or simply by choosing a donation option below.
Thank you, any help is much appreciated!
Subscribe and receive notifications about new Russian proverbs in your inbox
2 comments on “Не так страшен чёрт, как его малюют”
A says:
A pity that черт is not spelled as чёрт… other than that, this is simply WONDERFUL.
Would like to make a donation, but PayPal is horrible and I deleted my account…
Is there any other way?
Please keep up this great work!
Очень по-русски says:
Hello A,
It is very very common for Russians to omit the dots above the Е. You can see the correct spelling in the version with stress marks.
But you are probably right, we should use Ё where possible.
We have a donation page on Yandex: https://money.yandex.ru/to/41001212383949. It is supposed to accept all bank cards (amount you enter is in rubles).
Thanks for the comment, it motivates. 🙂