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Author Archives: Confanity
Never bring a gun to a stats fight
Seriously; that’d be a crime. 下手な鉄砲も数撃てば当たる (Heta na teppou mo kazu uteba ataru; “Even an inept gun, fired a number of times, will hit.”) Definition: Even if someone is very bad at something, with enough tries they’ll produce strong results … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged blind luck, clumsy, law of averages, marksmanship, statistics, 当たり, 数撃ちゃ, 数撃てば, 下手な鉄砲
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Kaitenzushi
I certainly prefer it to the pork 行雲流水 kou.un.ryuu.sui Literally: go – cloud – flow – water Alternately: Going where the wind and tides carry you, instead of sticking with one thing or staying in one place. Constantly changing rather … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged ancient China, トンポーロー, 苏轼, 蘇軾, 行雲, go with the flow, peripatetic priest, wandering, 子瞻, 宋史, 東坡肉, 流水
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Hefty fluff
重箱の隅を突く (Juubako no sumi wo tsutsuku; “To poke at the corners of a juubako”) Definition: To fuss over trivial details; to nitpick; to carp endlessly about fine points that don’t actually make a difference. The image is of someone who … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged complain, 穿る, 重箱, hairsplitting, Japanese culture, linguistic trivia, pilpul, traditional food service, 口うるさい
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A life spent just hanging around?
一生懸命 i-.sshou.ken.mei Literally: one – life – hang / depend – life / destiny / decree Alternately: Putting maximum effort into something. Striving as hard as you can; putting your very life on the line. Notes: The original form of … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged hard work, life at stake, semantic evolution, utmost, 懸命, 一生, 一所
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Next verse, same as the first
二の舞を演じる (Ni no mai wo enjiru; “to dance the second dance”) Definition: Committing someone else’s previous errors, even with the awareness of what has happened. Seeing someone fail, and then making the same mistakes. Breakdown: This simple phrase begins three … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged 舞楽, 雅楽, failure to learn from the past, Heian court, repeated errors, song and dance, 二の舞
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Child Development: Words with character(s)
The Tomato Princess has been expanding her vocabulary day by day, and it’s interesting watching the way she’s trying out the use of various words. When her older brother was the same age, we actually used quite a lot of … Continue reading
Posted in Musing, Nonfiction
Tagged bilingualism, learning Japanese, speaking practice, the kid, Tomato Princess, vocabulary, writing practice
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If you meet the Buddha on the road, eff him
Is the word “ineffable” a paradox? 不立文字 fu.ryuu.mon.ji Literally: non – stand – sentence – letter Alternately: The Buddhist observation that satori (“understanding,” specifically insight into the true nature of reality) is not something that can be written down or … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged Buddhism, 無門関, description vs experience, the limits of language, Zen koans, 文字, 无门关, 不立
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As you sow, so shall you reap… the opposite!
楽は苦の種苦は楽の種 (Raku wa ku no tane ku wa raku no tane; “Ease is the seed of hardship; hardship is the seed of ease”) Definition: If you spend all your time taking things easy, you’ll fall on hard times later on … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged あればある, いろはカルタ, 苦の種, fruits of labor, Morgen Morgen nur nicht heute, procrastination, taking things easy, Unmitigated Pedantry, work and reward, 楽の種
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Just lions having fun!
And… gin? 獅子奮迅 shi.shi.fun.jin Literally: lion – child – vigorous – quick Alternately: Highly-energetic, even violent activity. Doing things in a furious, intense, or overwhelming way. Ferocious, or at least energetic, like a lion. Notes: This phrase apparently comes to … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged Buddhism, 獅子, energy, ferocity, Large Perfection of Wisdom Sutra, linguistic trivia, lion, Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra, translation, 大般若波羅蜜多経, 奮迅, 師子
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If you want good fruit, sleep on it
果報は寝て待て (Kahou wa nete mate; “For good fortune, sleep, wait.”) Definition: Good fortune will come of its own accord, in its own time, so it’s best to prepare and patiently wait for it rather than fretting or trying to force … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged Buddhism, 音便, Iroha karuta, karma, Kefukigusa, patience, working and waiting, 寝て待て, 果報, 毛吹草
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