Mądrzejsze jajko od kury
Listen
What it means
“The egg thinks it’s wiser than the hen.” Said when a younger or less experienced person presumes to know better than their elders or superiors. Equivalent to the English idea of teaching one’s grandmother to suck eggs.
English equivalent
Don't teach your grandmother to suck eggs.
Vocabulary
- mądry — wise, clever
- jajko — egg
- kura — hen
Grammar note
'Mądrzejsze' is the comparative form of 'mądre'. 'Od kury' uses the genitive after 'od' in a comparative construction meaning 'wiser than the hen'.
Cultural context
Variants include 'Mędrzejsze jajca niż kokoszy' and 'Mędrzejsze jaje niż kura'. All express the same idea of youthful presumption.
Beginner
Noticed a typo, a wrong translation, or anything that doesn't look right? We'd love to fix it — just let us know via the contact page. Thank you!
More Polish proverbs
- "A stepmother, even if made of sugar, is always bitter." No matter how kind a stepmother tries to …
- "For a wise head, two words are enough." A clever person needs only a brief hint to understand; …
- "A Pole is wise after the damage is done." Poles (or people in general) tend to learn from mistakes …
- "The wise will accept advice; the fool will scorn it." Intelligent people are open to counsel, while …