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Author Archives: Confanity
Teeing up some self-improvement
爪の垢を煎じて飲む(Tsume no aka wo senjite nomu;“to boil and drink fingernail-dirt”) Definition: To follow a good example that someone has set. To learn from someone who excels, by doing whatever it takes to get any positive effect at all. Often referenced … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged bad hygiene, 煎じて飲, 爪の垢, 薬, fingernails, folk medicine, good example, homeopathic tea, role model
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They do toil, and they do spin
Humans aren’t plants, it turns out; we just raise ‘em. 粒粒辛苦ryuu.ryuu.shin.ku Literally: grain* / drop – grain* / drop – spicy / unpleasant – bitter / suffer Alternately: Hard, steady work. To carry on with plain, painstaking, long-term labor. Elbows … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged Chinese literature, 粒々, 粒粒, 辛苦, hard work, pastoral poetry, perseverance, rice farming, 憫農, 李紳
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The sleeve’s edge; another life
袖すり合うも他生の縁(Sode suriau mo tashou no en;“Even a brushing of the sleeves is a connection from a past life.”) Definition: Every relationship you have in your entire life – including not just the big important ones, but the people you merely … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged Buddhism, 蛤の草紙, 袖すり合う, 袖振り合う, fated meetings, human kindness, karma, reincarnation, relationships, 名歌徳三舛玉垣, 多生の縁, 他生の縁
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Leaving the ivory tower
What is the tower of practical applications made out of? Tungsten? 知行合一chi.kou.gou.itsu Literally: know – act – join – one Alternately: One’s knowledge and deeds are in accordance. One’s actions must be guided by one’s knowledge, and knowledge only has … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged 王陽明, 知行, GhostBusters, knowledge, practical application, realization, theory vs practice, 傳習錄, 合一, 一致, 伝習録, 传习录
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Better to be thought a fool
…than to be shot down. 怜悧なる頭には閉じたる口あり(Reiri naru atama ni wa tojitaru kuchi ari;“In the clever head, a closed mouth.”) Definition: A wise person doesn’t speak any more than necessary, and thus doesn’t say foolish, boring, or pointless things. “Silence at … Continue reading
Not a problem if you’re Solo?
(Yes, that’s a source text / Star Wars joke.) 党同伐異tou.dou.batsu.i Literally: faction – same – strike / punish – different Alternately: Blind partisanship. Supporting one’s associates and attacking one’s rivals without any regard for what is actually correct or proper. … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged ファランクス, 異伐, partisanship, phalanx, Star Wars, tribalism, turtling up, 党同, 后汉书, 後漢書, 伐異, 漢文
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Gaijin, he zen
変幻自在hen.gen.ji.zai Literally: change – illusion – self – exist Alternately: Able to change one’s form or appearance, or appear and disappear, at will. Shapeshifting; protean; phantasmal. Notes: This is a compound of compounds; 変幻 refers to an illusion or vision … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged カメレオン, chameleon, 自在, it's just an anagram, mercurial, phantasm, shape-shifter, 出没, 変幻
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Maybe that’s why we always wear our hats
夜目遠目笠の内(Yome toome kasa no uchi;“Seen at night; seen from afar; wearing a hat”) Definition: This phrase asserts that women are most beautiful when seen in the dark, or from a distance, or when mostly obscured by something like a large … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged 笠の内, 笠の下, 遠目, imagination versus reality, Iroha karuta, mind's eye, sexism, 夜目, 山越し, 山城の国畜生塚, 毛吹草
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Sing as though no one can hear you
Why can’t they hear me? I’d better sing even more loudly. 放歌高吟hou.ka.kou.gin Literally: release – song – high – recite / chant / sing Alternately: Singing in a loud voice, without worrying about whether you may be bothering anybody else. … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged テニヤンの末日, drunken singing, 高吟, 高歌, 放吟, 放歌, 中山義秀
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Wonder is the seed of knowledge
(France is bacon) 大疑は大悟の基(Taigi wa taigo no motoi;“Great doubts are the foundation of great enlightenment”) Definition: Great doubt is the first step toward great realizations. Doubt leads to asking questions, which leads to seeking answers, which – in theory at … Continue reading →