Learn Italian: Chi non rischia non guadagna. - Those who do not risk do not gain.

Chi non rischia non guadagna.

Those who do not risk do not gain.

Breakdown of Chi non rischia non guadagna.

non

not

chi

whoever / the people who (the one who, those who)

Questions & Answers about Chi non rischia non guadagna.

Why does chi translate here as "those who" instead of asking a question?

In this sentence, chi is used as a relative pronoun rather than a question word. When used this way to refer to a general, unspecified group of people, it means "whoever," "anyone who," or "those who."

If the translation is "those who" (plural), why are the verbs rischia and guadagna in the singular form?

In Italian, the pronoun chi always takes a third-person singular verb, no matter what. Even though it represents a plural concept like "the people who," you must use the singular rischia and guadagna, never their plural forms.

Is there a grammatical reason non appears twice in such a short sentence?

It is simply negating both verbs independently. The sentence combines two separate negative statements: Chi non rischia (Whoever does not risk) and non guadagna (does not gain).

Is this sentence a common Italian idiom?

Yes, this is a very popular proverb in Italian. While the literal translation is "Those who do not risk do not gain," it is the exact equivalent of the English saying "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."