What English phrase describes Pandora’s release of troubles into the world?

“Opening Pandora’s box” describes Pandora’s release of troubles into the world.

The phrase is an English idiom for beginning a process that creates many unexpected problems. It comes from the myth in which Pandora opens a container and destructive forces escape into the human world. The expression is now used in journalism, politics, literature, and everyday speech.

The wording is not a literal translation of Hesiod’s original container, which was a large jar. Later European translation and cultural tradition turned the jar into a box, producing the familiar phrase. The idiom therefore preserves the myth’s basic image while changing an important physical detail.

“Opening Pandora’s box” is not the same expression as “opening the floodgates,” although both can describe unleashing consequences. The Pandora phrase specifically carries the mythological association with numerous unforeseen troubles.