Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Chinese term or phrase:
天上没有馅饼掉下来
English translation:
there\'s no such thing as a free lunch
Added to glossary by
Carol C.W. CHUNG
Jul 19, 2011 17:22
12 yrs ago
Chinese term
Translator and voiceover actress from HK
Native in: Chinese (Variants: Mandarin, Traditional, Cantonese, Simplified, Sichuanese ) 
Works in: Chinese to English, English to Chinese, Chinese
天上没有馅饼掉下来
Chinese to English
Other
Other
天上没有月饼（或馅饼）掉下来，要靠自己去争取
I need a natural way to say this in the English language. Thank you.
I need a natural way to say this in the English language. Thank you.
Proposed translations
(English)
| 4 +4 | there's no such thing as a free lunch |
Phil Hand
|
| 3 +1 | manna does not fall from heaven |
karcsy
|
Proposed translations
+4
2 hrs
Selected
there's no such thing as a free lunch
Or perhaps:
Money doesn't grow on trees
You can't get something for nothing
Or:
No-one's going to serve the world up on a plate and give it to you. You have to go and take it.
Nothing gets handed to you in this life.
Opportunities don't just fall out of the sky. You have to make your own luck.
Money doesn't grow on trees
You can't get something for nothing
Or:
No-one's going to serve the world up on a plate and give it to you. You have to go and take it.
Nothing gets handed to you in this life.
Opportunities don't just fall out of the sky. You have to make your own luck.
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you!"
+1
27 mins
manna does not fall from heaven
it means you have to strive for the thing that you like.
manna is actually an edible food that God provided for the Israelites during their travels in the desert (according to the Bible).
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Note added at 46 mins (2011-07-19 18:08:31 GMT)
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or you may also say....
There's no such thing as free meal
manna is actually an edible food that God provided for the Israelites during their travels in the desert (according to the Bible).
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Note added at 46 mins (2011-07-19 18:08:31 GMT)
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or you may also say....
There's no such thing as free meal
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Sherwin Zhou
: It's necessary and acceptable to translate the Chinese metaphor into a metaphor in English, either manna or free lunch.
5 hrs
|
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感恩！
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