чужая душа - потемки

• ЧУЖАЯ ДУША - ПОТЕМКИ{{}}

[saying]

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⇒ you cannot find out or know what is in another person's soul, what he thinks, what kind of person he is (said when it is difficult to understand a person's true nature, his mood, behavior, intentions):

- ≈ another person's soul (the human heart) is a mystery;

- one person's soul is (always) a mystery to another;

- you can never see into another heart.

     ♦ [Кабанов:] Да какие ж, маменька, у неб грехи такие могут быть особенные! Все такие же, как и у всех у нас. ... [Кабанова:] А ты почём знаешь? Чужая душа потемки (Островский 6). [Kabanov:] But, Mama, what kind of special sins can she have? Just the same as all the rest of us. ... [Kabanova:] And how do you know? The human heart is a mystery (6a).

     ♦ Нехорошо всё вышло, очень нехорошо! А я думал, что Лена меня любит. Когда новый год встречали, сказал Брайнину: "Выпьем за Лену, замечательная жена..." Чужая душа - потёмки, это бесспорно (Эренбург 3). "It's bad, it's very bad the way it has worked out. And I thought Lena loved me. Last New Year, I said to Brainin: 'Let's drink to Lena, she's a wonderful wife.' You can never see into another heart, no doubt about it" (3a).