expression
don't judge a book by its cover
Proverb meaning that outward appearance or voice does not reflect inner quality or ability. The literal meaning is 'with that voice, does the cuckoo eat lizards?' — implying that a beautiful voice does not match a lizard-eating diet.
「あの声で蜥蜴食らうか時鳥」ということわざがある。
There is a proverb, 'don't judge a book by its cover.'
A more common phrase meaning 'not as it seems' or 'deceiving appearance', used in everyday speech, while the headword is a rare literary proverb.
A classical Japanese proverb. The exact origin is uncertain, but it draws on the contrast between the beautiful song of the cuckoo (時鳥) and the unrefined image of eating lizards.