- English translation
Good times show on a person, and hard times wear them down.
- Literal wording
Good makes a person flourish, and evil makes a person change.
- Meaning and lesson
A person's circumstances leave their mark on how they look. Ease, kind treatment and contentment show outwardly, giving someone a healthy, cheerful appearance, so a person who is living well usually looks it. Here good means the fortune and treatment a person receives, not their own virtue.
The opposite holds for hardship. Misery, mistreatment and a bitter daily life take a visible toll, wearing down the body and altering a person's face and bearing for the worse. The saying concerns these visible effects, not any claim that good deeds are rewarded or wrongdoing punished.
- When it is used
Use it when someone's appearance plainly mirrors their situation: a person who looks bright and well after a period of comfort, or one who has grown thin and worn through hardship or ill-treatment. It suits remarks about a particular person.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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