take care of yourself before you take care of others
Proverb advising that one should address one's own problems before trying to help others with theirs. Literally: 'Rather than chasing away someone else's flies, chase away your own flies.'
「人の蠅を追うより己の蠅を追え」という諺がある。
There is a proverb that says, 'Take care of yourself before you take care of others.'
A similar proverb with the same meaning, literally 'Chase away the flies on your own head.'
Standard kanji form of the proverb.
Kana spelling of the first word, sometimes seen in modern contexts.
A traditional Japanese proverb. The exact origin is uncertain, but it uses the metaphor of flies as annoyances to convey the importance of self-improvement before helping others.