a man’s nature is hard to change; what’s bred in the bone will not go out of the flesh; the leopard can never change his spots ❍ 张嘉庆他父亲……说：“人的～，这孩子也不知道迷了哪一窍，一辈子也算完了。” (梁斌《红旗谱》206)“A man’s nature is hard to change”，he spluttered.“I don’t know what’s come over the boy. I’m through with him!”