English · Proverb Candidate

the boy is the father of the man

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

A person's childhood characteristics influence their adult personality

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Đặc điểm thời thơ ấu của một người ảnh hưởng đến tính cách người lớn

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used Widespread English

Sources & notes

Listed on Wikipedia “List of proverbial phrases” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.

Equivalents & related

Near equivalent con nhà tông không giống lông cũng giống cánh the apple does not fall far from the tree Tiếng Việt Near equivalent the apple does not fall far from the tree Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review. English · via con nhà tông không giống lông cũng giống cánh Near equivalent take up the running To take over a task or responsibility from someone else English · via con nhà tông không giống lông cũng giống cánh

Lighter cards are two steps away in the meaning graph — equivalents of equivalents, reached via the entry shown on the card.

Topics: Family

Common questions

What does “the boy is the father of the man” mean?

A person's childhood characteristics influence their adult personality

Is “the boy is the father of the man” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

What is the closest equivalent?

“con nhà tông không giống lông cũng giống cánh” (Tiếng Việt) — near equivalent.