proverb · Words worth keeping
A true word is not beautiful, and a beautiful word is not always true.
A true word is not beautiful, and a beautiful word is not always true.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Truth contrasted with beautiful wording warns that attractive expression is not a reliable sign of accuracy. The saying gives substance priority over rhetorical appeal.
What the words are saying
A critical reading allows truthful words to be beautiful as well. The first absolute claim is too strong to serve as a factual rule. A useful application checks evidence behind both plain and polished statements rather than treating style as a truth test.
Everyday example
A reader examines a persuasive claim’s support instead of accepting it because it sounds elegant.
When to use it
Use it to separate rhetorical appeal from evidence.
What it does not mean
Plainness does not prove truth, and beauty does not prove falsehood.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
Japan
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin.- Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided wisdom reference (2014 AD)
Supplied reference B; unit 389; PDF page 38; collection label: Japan
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- Japan