чем бы дитя ни тешилось, лишь бы не вешалось

Russian

Etymology

Literally, “A child can have fun with whatever they will, as long as they do not hang themselves with it” or “A child can have fun with whatever they will, as long they don’t hang themself”.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈt͡ɕem‿bɨ dʲɪˈtʲa nʲɪ‿ˈtʲeʂɨɫəsʲ | ˈlʲiʐ‿bɨ nʲɪ‿ˈvʲeʂəɫəsʲ]

Phrase

чем бы дитя́ ни те́шилось, лишь бы не ве́шалось • (čem by ditjá ni téšilosʹ, lišʹ by ne véšalosʹ)

1. (idiomatic) a child (or a person) should be free to do everything, as long it makes him/her happy and not hurts anybody