女おんな賢さかしくて牛うし売うり損そこなう

expression, godan verb (-u)

even a clever woman is bound to mess up; a clever woman fails to sell a cow

Proverb warning that overconfidence or cleverness can lead to failure, specifically applied to women in a traditional context. The literal meaning is 'a clever woman fails to sell a cow'. Modern usage is rare and may be considered sexist.

• 「女おんな賢さかしくて牛うし売うり損そこなう」ということわざは、賢かしこいと思おもっている女じょ性せいでも失しっ敗ぱいすることがあるという意い味みだ。

  The proverb 'onna sakashikute ushi uri sokonau' means that even a woman who thinks she is clever can sometimes fail.