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Author Archives: Confanity
How many grets before they start repeating?
千恨万悔 sen.kon.ban.kai Literally: thousand – regret / resentment – ten thousand – regret / repentance Alternately: Overwhelming feelings of regret about the past. Notes: Some versions may not use 万, but rather the archaic form of the same character, 萬. … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged Bleach, brain bleach, old kanji, regret, repetition, 千恨, 千万, 万悔
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Harding ain’t that easy
そうは問屋が卸さない (Sou wa tonya ga orosanai; “Wholesalers don’t give that kind of discount”) Definition: Things won’t go the way you want. Things aren’t going to be as easy as you expect. A line that you give people when they expect … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged discount, not so easy, semantic evolution, wholesale, 問屋, 江戸弁
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Like, the opposite of Solla Sollew
多事多難 ta.ji.ta.nan Literally: many – thing – many – difficult Alternately: A pile-up of events, especially problematic ones, and especially ones that are difficult to resolve. Unending troubles. More euphemistically, having a lot going on in one’s life.
It makes them inside
天は人の上に人を造らず人の下に人を造らず (Ten wa hito no ue ni hito wo tsukurazu hito to shita ni hito wo tsukurazu; “Heaven does not make people above people, does not make people below people”) Definition: All humans are born equal, and should not be … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged An Encouragement of Learning, 福沢諭吉, equality, heavens, 天は人, 学問のすゝめ
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Odds and tips
枝葉末節 shi.you.ma-.ssetsu Literally: branch – leaf – tip – node/joint Alternately: Peripheral, relatively inconsequential things. The leaves and branches of a matter, rather than the trunk. Notes: Some versions may replace 節 with 端 (tan, “edge”).
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged inconsequential, leaves and branches, small stuff, 末端, 末節, 枝葉
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If brains were bombs
…would it blow your mind? 目から鼻へ抜ける (Me kara hana e nukeru; “From the eyes to the nose”) Definition: Able to understand things or grasp a situation almost immediately. Quick-witted; quick on one’s feet. Highly intelligent. Breakdown: We begin with the … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged clever, 目から鼻へ, eyes and nose, 賢い, folk etymologies, understanding
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Your yore on my mind
旧態依然 kyuu.tai.i.zen Literally: olden times – condition – depend on – “sort of thing” Alternately: Something remains as it was, without any development or progress. Unchanged… or even if it did change, not improved in any way as a result. … Continue reading
Hey, simulation!
麻の中の蓬 (Asa no naka no yomogi; “Mugwort amongst hemp”) Definition: If you spend time with good people you’ll be influenced and inspired by them, and become a better person yourself. This is the positive-oriented counterpart to last week’s 朱に交われば赤くなる. The … Continue reading
Fight fiercely, Harvard
(“Lehrer” means “teacher”) 力戦奮闘 riki.sen.fun.tou Literally: power – battle – invigorated – fight Alternately: Fighting as hard as you can. By extension, working as hard as you can. Strenuous effort.
When birds make you of a feather
Any reference to communism exist solely in the mind of the reader 朱に交われば赤くなる (Shu ni majiwareba akaku naru; “Who associates with vermilion will turn red”) Definition: People change to match their environments, for better or for worse. You grow to … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged bad influence, environment, Fu Xuan, 傳玄, 悪い影響, 朱に交わる
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landofnudotcom 