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Author Archives: Confanity
Talking through your hat
冬編笠に夏頭巾 (Fuyu amigasa ni natsu zukin; “Woven hats in winter; hoods in summer”) Definition: Things are the opposite of how they should be. Left is right, dogs are cats, up is down, people wear hats that don’t match the season, … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged 47 Ronin, backwards, 笠, 編笠十兵衛, 逆さま, 頭巾, hats, irrational, samurai drama, upside-down
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Coffee before coffee
It depends on how much sugar you put in 朝茶は七里帰っても飲め (Asacha wa shichiri kaette mo nome; “Drink your morning tea, even if [you have to] travel seven leagues home”) Definition: If you set out on a trip without drinking your … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged folk beliefs, health, inconvenience, medicine, self-care, 朝茶, 七里
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The scarecrow’s final blade
紫電一閃 shi.den.i-.ssen Literally: purple – electricity – one – flash Alternately: The light that glints from a sword being brandished. By extension, an extremely short moment of time; a single instant. By extension, a dramatic change that happens in very … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged 紫電, fighter jet, flash, instant, Naruto, sudden change, sword, 一閃
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Treating shallow as if it were deep
Good with rivers; bad with ideas 浅い川も深く渡れ (Asai kawa mo fukaku watare; “Even in a shallow river, cross deep”) Definition: Take care even with things that seem easy, or trivial in scope. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Even … Continue reading
And the leaves that are green
…seem to be green again the next year… but we are not leaves. 年年歳歳 nen.nen.sai.sai Literally: year – year – year/age – year/age Alternately: Every single year. Year in and year out. Notes: As always, the second instance of each … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged annual, Chinese literature, New Year, yearly, 年々, 年年, 歳々, 歳歳
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‘Tis the season
…and the age. 私利私欲 shi.ri.shi.yoku Literally: me/private – benefit/profit – me/private – desire/greed Alternately: One’s own profit; one’s own greed. The self-centered attitude or behavior of someone who is motivated by avarice over all else. Notes: 欲 may also be … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged Buddhism, commercialism, 私利, 私慾, 私欲, greed, selfishness, 我利
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When True Seeing exfoliates
化けの皮が剥がれる (Bake no kawa ga hagareru; “The changeling skin is stripped away”) Definition: Someone’s wrongdoings, flaws, or malicious true nature come to light. A previously-hidden, negative truth is revealed. Someone (or everyone) realizes how bad a situation actually is after … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged 皮が剥がれる, folklore, revelation, Taiheiki, truth, 化け, 太平記
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A stitch in time of crisis
一罰百戒 ichi.batsu.hya-.kkai Literally: one – punishment – hundred – warnings Alternately: Making an example of someone. Meting out a punishment not just so one wrongdoer faces consequences, but also so that anyone else considering the same crime is forced to … Continue reading
landofnudotcom 
All times as one, and now
夷険一節 i.ken.i-.ssetsu Literally: barbarian/flatten* – steep/dangerous – one – joint/section/occasion Alternately: You should stand firm to your principles regardless of whether things are calm and easy, or dangerous and hard. Don’t sell out your values, no matter the circumstances. Notes: … Continue reading →