- English translation
Just like aged cheese that breeds its own worms.
- Literal wording
Like mish (aged salted cheese): its worms are of it and in it.
- Meaning and lesson
The image is of mish, a salted cheese left to age, in which worms appear that seem to grow out of the cheese itself. Nothing crawls in from outside; the decay is born from the very substance it eats away.
The saying is not about food; it likens a person or group to the cheese, pointing to damage that arises from within. Two readings remain open: harm done by one's own kin or close circle, or any self-caused trouble.
- When it is used
Said as a comparison, likening a person, household or group to the cheese when its trouble appears to grow from inside. Choose it when the image of self-bred decay fits the situation, without pressing it into a sharper accusation.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: Just like aged cheese that breeds its own worms.