腐っても鯛 くさってもたい Meanings Expression a diamond on a dunghill is still a diamond; quality is quality; an old eagle is better than a young crow (literally: even if it's rotten, it's still sea bream) Kanji 腐 rot. Read as くさる. 鯛 sea bream; red snapper. Read as たい. Word lists Proverbs Jinuma: Japanese Dictionary · Word lists