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Author Archives: Confanity
Waft your way to a win?
身を捨ててこそ浮かぶ瀬もあれ (Mi wo sutete koso ukabu se mo are; “There are rivers that you cross by throwing away your body”) Definition: Sometimes facing danger head-on is the only way to escape it. There are times when you need to be … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged classical Japanese grammar, combat training, danger, 身を捨てる, safety, taking risks, 尤双紙, 浮かぶ瀬, 仮名草子
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Cosmic triage
悪人正機 aku.nin.shou.ki Literally: evil – person – correct – loom / machine Alternately: No matter how evil a person is, the Buddha’s wish is for them to be saved. Or perhaps, the worse a person is, the more important it … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged Buddhism, 親鸞, ideals, redemption, 悪人, 歎異抄, 正機, 浄土真宗
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Not just hermits
Buddhist tzaddikim? 仏千人神千人 (Hotoke sennin kami sennin; “A thousand Buddhas, a thousand gods”) Definition: The world may be full of bad people, but there are also many good people as well, including people good enough to be compared to bodhisattvas … Continue reading
A day for lying in
虚誕妄説 kyo.tan.mou.setsu Literally: empty – birth / arbitrary – delusion – explanation Alternately: Groundless remarks. False statements. Talking nonsense; making irresponsible comments; shooting off at the mouth. Notes: This is another two-two-character-compound-compound: 虚誕 refers to not just falsehoods but exaggerated … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged 虚誕, 語源不明, falsehood, groundless, nonsense, 四月朔日, 妄説
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Wer anderen eine Grube gräbt
fällt zusammen hinein? 人を呪わば穴二つ (Hito wo norowaba ana futatsu; “If you place a curse, [dig] two holes”) Definition: If you try to harm others, harm will come (back) to you. More literally, if you curse someone to death, their dying … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged curses, 穴二つ, forgiveness, revenge, Tale of Ise, tit for tat, 呪えば, 呪わば, 伊勢物語
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More likely when the person at the center is rotten
朝蠅暮蚊 chou.you.bo.bun Literally: morning – fly (the insect, not the verb) – evening – mosquito Alternately: A troublesome situation or gloomy atmosphere caused by an assemblage of narrow-minded, trivial people. Like being surrounded by clouds of flies in the morning … Continue reading
Has, shoots, and leaves
雨後の筍 (Ugo no takenoko; “Bamboo shoots after the rain”) Definition: The same thing, or similar things, popping up one after another. Repetition. Recurrence. Like a profusion of bamboo shoots sprouting after the rain. Like mushrooms after the rain, in Western … Continue reading
A dangerous game when your name starts with “hundred”
I guess birds are illiterate? 百舌勘定 mo.zu.kan.jou Literally: hundred – tongue – compare – determine Alternately: Arranging things so that others end up paying your costs for you. Especially at a restaurant, manipulating the bill in a way that divides … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged bull-headed shrike, 百舌, 百舌鳥, fable, puns, scam, settling a bill, 勘定
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Paul Ryan’s next plan for American health care
Nah, it would still cost rich people a bit of money. 二階から目薬 (Nikai kara megusuri; “Eye medicine from the second floor”) Definition: A frustrating situation where things don’t go as you want. Alternately, a roundabout way of doing things that … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged 目薬, eye drops, frustration, Iroha karuta, useless, 尻炙る
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