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A black hen lays a white egg. Audio


Meaning and origin

The two proverbs ‘Black cows also give white milk’ and ‘A black hen lays a white eggs’ have a similar meaning and are intended to emphasise that external appearances and prejudices do not always correspond to reality. They are intended to point out that one should not make hasty judgements and that supposedly unusual or unexpected things are also possible.

The origin of these proverbs is not exactly known, but they are widespread in various cultures and languages. They probably originate from a time when people had a lot to do with agriculture and therefore understood such metaphors well. Nowadays, they are often used to emphasise tolerance, openness and overcoming prejudices.