Home › All Shorts › Speak of the devil
Watch on YouTubeThe video loads from YouTube when you press play.
Idiom
Speak of the devil
Meaning: said when someone appears just as you are talking about them.
- Example
- “Speak of the devil! We were just talking about you.”
- Where it comes from
- An old English saying: talk about the devil and he will appear. In China and Vietnam the surprise guest is a real man, the warlord Cao Cao (155–220 AD) of the Three Kingdoms era. Tào Tháo is simply his name in Vietnamese.
Devil, tiger, warlord. One truth: talk about someone, and they appear.
How other nations say it
Korea · Korean호랑이도 제 말 하면 온다horangido je mal hamyeon ondaLiterally: Even the tiger comes when you talk about it.A very common Korean proverb.
China · Mandarin说曹操，曹操到shuō Cáo Cāo, Cáo Cāo dàoLiterally: Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao arrives.Cao Cao was a real warlord of the Three Kingdoms era.
Vietnam · VietnameseNhắc Tào Tháo, Tào Tháo đếnLiterally: Mention Cao Cao, and Cao Cao arrives.The same warlord as in China: Tào Tháo is Cao Cao in Vietnamese.
Sources
We check every idiom and its literal meaning in two sources before it goes on screen. Found a mistake? Tell us.
