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Category Archives: Japanese
Ningen shikaku
(More or less) 四角四面 shi.kaku.shi.men Literally: four – corner – four – face Alternately: Square. Four (equal) angles and four (equal sides), just like it says. By extension, a “square” personality: extremely, perhaps even overly, serious. Meticulous; stiff; formal; lacking … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged 真面目, paladins played this way are boring, serious, square, 四面, 四角, 太宰治
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On the benefits of job security
Or ego security, perhaps. 名人は人を謗らず (Meijin wa hito wo soshirazu; “The master speaks not ill of others”) Definition: True masters of their art do not go out of their way to find fault with others. If you are an expert, … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged 謗る, mastery, self-confidence, Strategies of the Warring States, 名人, 戦国策
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Keep your debrief brief
敗軍の将は兵を語らず (Haigun no shou wa hei wo katarazu; “The defeated commander speaks not of war.”) Definition: Someone who has failed at something has no authority to speak on the topic; a defeated general should not give their opinions on warfare. … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged excuses, 謀る, lessons of defeat, Records of the Grand Historian, sore loser, 兵を語る, 史記, 史记, 敗軍の将
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I have seen tempests
櫛風沐雨 shi-.ppuu.moku.u Literally: comb – wind – wash – rain Alternately: Wind-blasted and rain-drenched. With one’s hair blown about by wind and one’s body washed by rain; by extension, someone who is out struggling in story weather because of work … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged 荘子, 莊子, hard work, Shakespeare, stormy weather, wind and rain, Zhuang Zhou, Zhuangzi, 櫛風, 沐雨
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Dotted Is and red E
用意周到 you.i.shuu.tou Literally: use – mind – circumference – arrive Alternately: Thorough preparations, without any oversights. Being incredibly careful; doing everything possible to get ready for something. A good way to be, if you can manage. Notes: This is a … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged cargo pants, caution, 用意, good advice, preparation, 周到
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Ta’anit umikveh?
斎戒沐浴sai.kai.moku.yoku Literally: purification – admonition / precept – wash – bathe Alternately: Ritual purification in advance of an important holiday, ceremony, or time of prayer; in particular, fasting and bathing. Notes: This is a compound of compounds. 斎戒 refers to … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged bathing, 耳なし芳一, fasting, purification, ritual, 斎戒, 水木しげる, 沐浴, מקווה, תענית
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Darkened minds are worse than darkened eyes
真の闇より無闇が怖い (Shin no yami yori muyami ga kowai; “Thoughtlessness is more frightening than pitch darkness”) Definition: Being caught in utter darkness is scary, because you can’t be sure where everything is, or even what actually is and isn’t there at … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged a clear choice, 無闇, 真の闇, darkness, the value of planning, thoughtless, 怖い
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“Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth”
– FDR 再三再四 sai.san.sai.shi Literally: again – three – again – four Alternately: Repeatedly; over and over; time and time again. It seems that this phrase is often used while chewing someone out, to emphasize how many times they were … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged again and again, たびたび, 紅樓夢, 繰り返し, repetition, repetition of repetition, Roosevelt, 再四, 再三
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A leaf on the wind; watch how it soars
一葉落ちて天下の秋を知る (Ichiyou ochite tenka no aki wo shiru; “A leaf falls, and one knows autumn”) Definition: Sensing something big coming on from a relatively minor hint. Understanding the future from the very first signs. Like realizing that fall is on … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged autumn, 秋を知る, 落ち葉, glimpses of the future, omens and portents, 桐一葉, 淮南子, 一葉
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“It is useless to meet revenge with revenge; it will heal nothing.”
(J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King) 彼方を立てれば此方が立たず (Achira wo tatereba kochira ga tatazu; “If one raises that side, this side will not rise.”) Definition: It’s difficult, almost impossible, to get all sides of something equally accepting and happy about … Continue reading →