Japanese

Proverb

花より団子 ‎(hiragana はなよりだんご, romaji hana yori dango)

1. (idiomatic): "dango instead of flowers", substance over form → indicating a preference for the practical over the purely aesthetic, preferring dango (which are tasty and nutritious) rather than flowers (which are merely decorative)

Usage notes

Although this is a well-known metaphor, it is often used literally and in puns without directly signifying the metaphoric meaning.