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朱に交われば赤くなる
(Shu ni majiwareba akaku naru;
“Who associates with vermilion will turn red”)

Definition:

People change to match their environments, for better or for worse. You grow to be like the people you associate with, so be careful when choosing your friends and associates. Mostly used in a negative sense, counseling someone to avoid bad influences. Apparently from the stain left on the hands of people who handled dyes.

Breakdown:

We begin with the noun 朱 (shu), which describes the brilliant red made from cinnabar, or by extension any especially vivid red. Next is the directional or locational particle particle に (ni), in this case acting as “with,” followed by the verb 交わる (majiwaru), “to associate [with],” in hypothetical form. The following clause begins with the adjective 赤い (akai), “red,” in conjunctive form. This allows it to connect to the verb なる (naru), “to become,” in sentence-final form.

Notes:

This saying apparently comes from the writings of 3rd Century CE poet Fu Xuan, where it’s part of a longer saying that couples it with a parallel assertion that being close to an ink stick will turn things black.

People misremembering this saying may replace 交わる with 混ざる (mazaru, “to be blended [with]”), or 赤くなる with 赤になる or 朱色になる (aka ni naru or shuiro ni naru). All of these are considered errors.

Example sentence:

朱に交われば赤くなることを恐れて、庶民を避けて貴族としか関わらない芸術家達が闇に手を染める時代であった。

(Shu ni majiwareba akaku naru koto wo osorete, shomin wo sakete kizoku to shika kakawaranai geijutsukatachi ga yami ni te wo someru jidai de atta.)

[It was an era when the artists, fearing that touching pitch would defile them, avoided the common folk and only associated with the upper class – and were corrupted.]