rags to riches

See also: rags-to-riches

English

Alternative forms

• rags-to-riches

Etymology

From from rags to riches.

Noun

rags to riches

1. (idiomatic, chiefly attributive) From poverty to exceptional wealth.

Translations

in a biographical context, from poverty to exceptional wealth

• Arabic: مِنَ الْفَقْرِ إِلَى الثَّرَاءِ‎ (mina l-faqri ʾilā ṯ-ṯarāʾi), مِنَ الْفَقْرِ الْمُطْلَقِ إِلَى غِنَى الْفَاحِشِ‎ (mina l-faqri l-muṭlaqi ʾilā ḡinā l-fāḥiši), مِنَ الْعُسْرِ إِلَى الْيُسْرِ‎ (mina l-ʿusri ʾilā l-yusri)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 麻雀變鳳凰, 麻雀变凤凰 (máquè biàn fènghuáng) (sparrow turned phoenix), 白手起家 (zh) (báishǒuqǐjiā) (build up from scratch)

• Finnish: tuhkimotarina, ryysyistä rikkauksiin
• French: de la misère à la richesse (from misery to wealth)

• German: vom Tellerwäscher zum Millionär (from dishwasher to millionaire)
• Italian: dalle stalle alle stelle
• Japanese: 無一文から大金持ちに (むいちもんからおおかねもちに, muichimon-kara ōkanemochi-ni) (from penniless to a very rich (person))
• Russian: из гря́зи в кня́зи (ru) (iz grjázi v knjázi) (from dirt to princedom)