Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2013 December 20

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December 20

Japanese Proverb

Part of a translation I am doing at the moment involves the Japanese proverb 「点滴をも穿つ」, which, when translated literally, means "Even raindrops can bore through rocks." The proverb refers to perseverence. Is there a similar proverb in English? I don't want 'practice makes perfect', as that is not right in the context of the text, which is about industrial development and innovation. KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 12:35, 20 December 2013 (UTC)

There's a similar one in German: "steter Tropfen höhlt den Stein". German Wiktionary suggests "Little strokes fell big oaks" ---Sluzzelin talk 12:52, 20 December 2013 (UTC)

I would second "Little strokes fell mighty oaks" as the most obvious English proverb. There's also "Mony a mickle maks a muckle" and "Great oaks from little acorns grow". Tevildo (talk) 13:04, 20 December 2013 (UTC)

Surely the proverb that best fits the translation is "Constant dripping wears away stones". --TammyMoet (talk) 13:48, 20 December 2013 (UTC)

Thanks, Madame Champagne! I will use that one, and leave a comment for my project manager with the literal translation of the Japanese. Cheers! KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 15:53, 20 December 2013 (UTC)

There's the Latin phrase: "gutta cavat lapidem" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Latin_phrases_%28G%29 --151.41.150.143 (talk) 00:34, 21 December 2013 (UTC)

I found THE MATTI KUUSI INTERNATIONAL TYPE SYSTEM OF PROVERBS , which gives numerous equivalents in foreign languages for "Constant dripping wears away stones" including your Japanese one. It's not a proverb that I'm familiar with, but it seems to be well attested on Google, so what do I know? Apparently it's in Tilley, Morris Palmer (1950), The Proverbs in England in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries. Alansplodge (talk) 09:43, 21 December 2013 (UTC)

I have heard it before, but it isn't mentioned in David Crystal's As They Say in Zanzibar, which was surprising. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 20:01, 21 December 2013 (UTC)

Cheers, Alan. It's not a proverb I have heard either, but it fits perfectly with the text, which is about using high pressure jets of water to create a bore-hole in which to put cement, as foundation for buildings, to make them earthquake-proof. Thanks, everyone. KägeTorä - (影虎) (TALK) 21:21, 21 December 2013 (UTC)

Resolved