- English translation
What is bound to be lost will be lost, even if you lock it in a chest.
- Literal wording
The one that is lost is lost, even if it were in the chest.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying holds that whatever is fated to be lost will slip away no matter how carefully it is guarded. Its opening word refers to a thing destined to perish or go missing, not a destitute person. Even a chest, the household's most secure place and here spelled in a colloquial form, cannot rescue it.
In practice it offers a resigned acceptance of loss and a gentle warning against assuming that caution alone can control outcomes. It may comfort someone who did everything right yet still lost something, shifting attention from self-blame toward acceptance.
- When it is used
Suitable when something is lost or ruined despite careful safekeeping, to console the owner or discourage excessive guarding of possessions. Its resigned, fatalistic tone suits sympathetic or reflective moments, not blame or practical problem-solving.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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