# like a bull in a china shop



## Thomas1

How would you say this in your langauge please? What would be its literal translation into English?
I've noticed that some languages use different types of animals and shops.

In Polish we say:
_jak słoń w składzie porcelany_
which literally translates into English as
_like an elephant in a china storehouse _


Input very much appreciated.

Tom


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## irene.acler

In *Italian*:

_Come un elefante in un negozio di cristalli_--> literally translated into English as _like an elephant in a china shop._


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## Thomas1

Hello, Irene,

Thank you for your answer. Does cristalli mean china? It suggests cristal to me, is it a false friend then?

Tom


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## irene.acler

Hi Thomas!
No no, you're right, it's no a false friend!
In fact, cristallo = crystal. 

I made a mistake, I wrote china shop, but actually the literal translation is "crystal shop".


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## ukuca

In Turkish, *"züccaciye dükkanındaki fil gibi" *(like an elephant in a glassware store) or sometimes "*porselen* *dükkanındaki* *fil gibi"* (like an elephant in a porcelain store).


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## jonquiliser

ukuca said:


> In Turkish, *"züccaciye dükkan?ndaki fil gibi" *(like an elephant in a glassware store) or sometimes "*porselen* *dükkan?ndaki* *fil gibi"* (like an elephant in a porcelain store).



And in Swedish it's "som en elefant i ett glashus"; that is, "like an elephant in a glass house".


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## Moritzchen

In Spanish: "Como un elefante en un bazaar".


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## Nizo

I've found two references to this expression in *Esperanto*. One appears in an August 2004 article in the Esperanto version of _Le Monde diplomatique_ (Ĉu prefere klasike aŭ dialekte ? La araba lingvo, la Rolls kaj la Volkswagen, http://eo.mondediplo.com/imprimer.php3?id_article=923):  _kiel elefanto promenanta en butiko de porcelanaĵoj_ = "like an elephant strolling in a china shop".

In Fernando de Diego's 2002 _Gran Diccionario Español-Esperanto_, the expression is given as _kiel elefanto en porcelanejo_, "like an elephant in a china shop".  (_Porcelanejo_ is just another way of saying _butiko de porcelanaĵoj)._


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## Thomas1

Thank you all, who have answered so far. 


Moritzchen said:


> In Spanish: "Como un elefante en un bazaar".


Does _bazaar_ literally mean _china shop_ please?


Tom


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## J.F. de TROYES

In French we also say :
 "comme un éléphant dans un magasin de porcelaine"
         " like an elephant in a porcelain store "


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## J.F. de TROYES

Thomas1 said:


> Thank you all, who have answered so far.
> Does _bazaar_ literally mean _china shop_ please?
> 
> 
> Tom


 

I think "bazaar" like in French "bazar" ( coming from Persian "bâzâr" = Arabic "suq " = market) is an oriental market.


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## Thomas1

J.F. de TROYES said:


> In French we also say :
> 
> " like an elephant in a porcelain store "


So that would be:
comme un éléphant dans un magasin de porcelain, non ?

Thanks for the "bazaar" note, its meaning is, as I expected, the same as of Polish "bazar". 


Tom


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## Henryk

German:

Wie ein Elefant im Porzellanladen..
_Like an elephant in a china store.._


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## Etcetera

Hi Tom.

You probably know that the Russian phrase, too, use an elephant:
Как слон в пос*у*дной л*а*вке / Kak slon v pos*u*dnoy l*a*vke.


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## Thomas1

Etcetera said:


> Hi Tom.
> 
> You probably know that the Russian phrase, too, use an elephant:
> Как слон в пос*у*дной л*а*вке / Kak slon v pos*u*dnoy l*a*vke.


Hi Anna, 

Thanks for the translation.

I expected to see the elaphant in Slavic languages, but the пос*у*дной л*а*вке is something that I didn't know and it looks pretty interesting. 
I have found: 
china shop — магазин фарфоровых изделий
Now, does china shop has two translations or does пос*у*дная л*а*вкa mean another type of establishment? 
From what I gather I think it's something like _glasswear shop_, isn't it?




Tom


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## Etcetera

Yes, it's a glassware shop - where you can buy dishes, cups, glasses, and so on.


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## DrWatson

Finnish also has an elephant in the store rather than a bull:

*Kuin norsu posliinikaupassa*
(like an elephant in a china shop)


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## Jeromed

Moritzchen said:


> In Spanish: "Como un elefante en un bazaar".


 
*bazar *(only one _a_)


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## Outsider

I think I have read in Portuguese:

Como um elefante numa loja de cristais.
_Like an elephant in a crystal shop._


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## Joannes

It's an elephant in Dutch:

*als een olifant in een porseleinwinkel*


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## kusurija

Czech:
Jak slon v porcelánu!/Jako slon v porcelánu!
_Like an elephant in china/porcelain!_

Lithuanian:
Kaip dramblys tarp indų!/Kaip dramblys tarp lėkščių!
_Like an elephant in dishes/plates!_


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## viperilla

hi everyone! i'd love to know if is there any polish translation for the proverb "to be like an elephant in a china shop".Thank you so much!


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## LilianaB

In *Polish*:
Jak sloń w skladzie z porcelaną.


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## rusita preciosa

LilianaB said:


> In *Polish*:
> Jak sloń w skladzie z porcelaną.


Does it literally mean "like an elephant in the porcelain warehouse/stockroom"?


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## apmoy70

In Greek:

«Σαν ταύρος εν υαλοπωλείω»
or in polytonic spelling (since the phrase is archaic as it is demonstrated by the use of the dative case):
«Σὰν ταῦρος ἐν ὑαλοπωλείῳ»
/san 'tavros en ialopo'lio/
lit "like a bull in the glass store"


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## Tamar

In Hebrew it's:

כמו פיל בחנות חרסינה   kmo pil be-khanut kharsina

Like an elephant in a china shop


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## Orlin

Bulgarian: като слон в стъкларски магазин (like an elephant in a glass shop).


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