“Don't wake trouble while it is quiet.”

Не буди лихо, поки воно тихо. Ne budy lykho, poky vono tykho

🤨 What does it ACTUALLY mean? →

🇬🇧 What you'd actually say

“Let sleeping dogs lie.”

also: “Don't stir things up.” · “Leave it alone while it's calm.”

📖 Meaning: Don't reopen a problem that has gone quiet.
💡 Why it's funny: English asks you not to disturb a dog. Ukrainian treats 'trouble' itself as a sleeping creature in the room with you, which is significantly more unsettling.
🧭 Closest English idiom: “Let sleeping dogs lie.”
📝 Explanation: Advice about old arguments, difficult relatives, and audits that nobody has asked about in years.

🧠 Learn

stir things up (phrase) — to cause trouble or arguments — розворушити, підняти бучу “Don't stir things up before the holidays.”
leave it alone (phrase) — to stop touching or discussing something — не чіпати “Just leave it alone for now.”

🗣 In context

Не піднімай цю тему на зустрічі. Не буди лихо, поки воно тихо.

Don't raise that at the meeting. Let sleeping dogs lie.

🎧 Hear the contrast

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Questions people ask

What does “Don't wake trouble while it is quiet.” mean?

Don't reopen a problem that has gone quiet.

How do you say «Не буди лихо, поки воно тихо.» in English?

Naturally: “Let sleeping dogs lie.”. The closest English idiom is “Let sleeping dogs lie.”.