Monthly Archives: June 2014

The Post that Sticks Out

Posted on June 30, 2014 by Confanity

  出る杭は打たれる (Deru kui wa utareru; “The post that sticks out gets hammered down.”) Definition: It is best to keep one’s head down and not attract too much attention. Someone whose ability stands out will become the target of others’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Divine/Arcane Divide

Posted on June 25, 2014 by Confanity

I’ve added Ten Foot Polemic to my RSS feed, and spent a little while trawling back through the archives. While there are a few things there that aren’t entirely my cup of tea, it’s creative and inspiring enough that I … Continue reading →

Posted in Essay, Miscellaneous, Nonfiction, World-Building | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Walk, don’t run, said the tortoise to the hare

Posted on June 23, 2014 by Confanity

Given that my wife gave birth to a healthy boy four days ago, it might seem a little surprising that I’m able to post this. The secret, in this case, is that the post was essentially completely written a week … Continue reading →

Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Buddha dunno

Posted on June 16, 2014 by Confanity

I said earlier that I wasn’t interested in presenting English sayings that had been translated into Japanese. This one falls close to that category, but sufficiently distinct that I feel it’s worth talking about. 知らぬが仏 (Shiranu ga Hotoke; “Unknowing is … Continue reading →

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Kuukai Revisited

Posted on June 9, 2014 by Confanity

弘法筆を選ばす (Koubou fude wo erabazu; “Kuukai doesn’t choose his brush.”) Definition: A master produces masterpieces regardless of what they are given to work with. Quality comes from skill, not merely from good tools. If you find yourself unwilling to start … Continue reading →

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There’s many a slip ‘twixt the dress and the hip

Posted on June 2, 2014 by Confanity

This week’s selection is one of my favorites: 弘法にも筆の誤り (Koubou ni mo fude no ayamari; “Even Kuukai’s brush slips”) Definition: It means, essentially, “everyone makes mistakes” or “we’re all only human.” The translation given above may seem odd, since I … Continue reading →

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