expression
you don't cut off your finger just because it's dirty; it's hard to sever ties with close relatives even if they are wicked
Proverb meaning one does not easily abandon family or close associates despite their faults, just as one would not cut off a dirty finger. The literal image is of a finger that is dirty but still part of the body.
「指汚しとて、切られもせず」という諺がある。
There is a proverb: 'You don't cut off your finger just because it's dirty.'
親子の縁は切れない。まさに指汚しとて、切られもせずだ。
The bond between parent and child cannot be severed. Truly, you don't cut off your finger just because it's dirty.
A traditional Japanese proverb. The exact origin is uncertain, but it draws on the universal idea that one does not discard a part of oneself even if it is flawed.