children should be seen and not heard

English

Alternative forms

• a child should be seen and not heard

Proverb

children should be seen and not heard

1. Children should behave well and be quiet, especially in the presence of adults.
   • 1978 December 9, Donald Farwell, “Our Angry Young Man”, in Gay Community News, volume 6, number 20, page 4:

     Until you can organize yourself and those who share your discontent, and compile and reconstruct some proposals for meeting the needs of gay youths, until you can present them in an adult (and I stress that word — ADULT) manner; lay low, my friend, for children should be seen and not heard.

Translations

children should be quiet

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 小孩子應該少說話, 小孩子应该少说话 (xiǎo háizi yīnggāi shǎo shuōhuà), 大人說話，小孩子別插嘴, 大人说话，小孩子别插嘴 (dàrén shuōhuà, xiǎoháizi bié chāzuǐ)

• Finnish: lasten pitää näkyä, mutta ei kuulua
• Polish: dzieci i ryby głosu nie mają (pl)
• Russian: дете́й должно́ быть ви́дно, но не слы́шно (detéj dolžnó bytʹ vídno, no ne slýšno) (borrowed proverb)