Author Archives: Confanity

About Confanity

I love the written word more than anything else I've had the chance to work with. I'm back in the States from Japan for grad school, but still studying Japanese with the hope of becoming a translator -- or writer, or even teacher -- as long as it's something language-related.

Not the same chamberpot, though

Posted on January 20, 2019

同じ釜の飯を食う (Onaji kama no meshi wo kuu; “To eat rice from the same pot”) Definition: Leading the same lifestyle together and working together; going through good times and bad together; being extremely close friends. An intimate, familial sense of closeness … Continue reading →

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All sincerity

Posted on January 16, 2019

(No tricks) 志操堅固 shi.sou.ken.go Literally: intention – operate / fidelity – solid – harden Alternately: Strict adherence to one’s principles and beliefs, or even to one’s chosen style in an art. Unwavering, uncompromising loyalty to an ideal. Notes: Even though … Continue reading →

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A Flash of Feathers

Posted on January 15, 2019

(This bit of “flash fiction” was inspired by a writing prompt found on Reddit. It seemed to be fishing for a story about “How I got wings.” And I, apparently a bit of a contrarian at heart, decided to make … Continue reading →

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Yertle take note

Posted on January 13, 2019

雁が飛べば石亀も地団駄 (Gan ga tobeba ishigame mo jidanda; “When the goose flies, the turtle stamps”) Definition: To try to mimic someone else without any understanding of one’s own limitations. Like a turtle who sees a goose taking off in flight, tries … Continue reading →

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This will be the year of the boar, though

Posted on January 9, 2019

Not that the last couple of years haven’t seen their shares of poorly-educated and tasteless behavior…. 一竜一猪 ichi.ryou.i-.ccho Literally: one – dragon – one – boar/pig Alternately: A saying that expresses the value of education. The difference between someone who … Continue reading →

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If you eggplant, it will call

Posted on January 6, 2019

ナスなら鳴る 為せば成る (Naseba naru; “If you do it, it will happen.”) Definition: A person can do anything if they really put their mind to it. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. The only way to get a thing done … Continue reading →

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Don’t be backhanded!

Posted on January 2, 2019

先手必勝 sen.te.hi-.sshou Literally: before – hand – certain – win Alternately: Who strikes first, wins. The early bird gets the worm. This phrase may be used to espouse a “first strike” mentality as a general philosophy, or to describe the … Continue reading →

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