you can't make an omelet without breaking eggs; a small sacrifice may be necessary to solve a more pressing problem
Proverb meaning that to deal with a greater problem, one must sometimes endure a lesser loss or sacrifice. Literally 'you can't replace your belly with your back' — the belly (vital) cannot be sacrificed for the back (less vital).
See also: 背に腹は変えられない
You can't make an omelet without breaking eggs, so some expense is unavoidable.
背に腹は替えられぬというように、彼は嫌な仕事も引き受けた。
As the saying goes, a small sacrifice may be necessary; he took on the unpleasant job.
Modern colloquial form using 替えられない instead of classical 替えられぬ. Same meaning, but ぬ is more literary/proverbial.
Standard kanji spelling using 替える (replace/substitute).
Kana spelling of the verb part; common in everyday writing.
Variant using 代える (substitute/change); less common.
Variant using 変える (change); less common.
A classical Japanese proverb using the archaic negative auxiliary ぬ. The literal meaning is 'one cannot substitute the belly with the back,' implying that vital needs (belly) take precedence over less critical ones (back).