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Category Archives: Kotowaza
Ready to go, but never to return
傘と提灯は戻らぬつもりで貸せ (Kasa to chouchin wa modoranu tsumori de kase; “Lend umbrellas and lanterns with the awareness that they will not return”) Definition: People are forgetful. Human nature being what it is, there are certain things that you should expect, such … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged 貸し借り, forgetting, human nature, lending, The Borrowers, Yes: Kashikuma is a real name; I checked., 傘, 戻らない, 提灯
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If the cattle are horny, you shouldn’t care if they’re straight
角を矯めて牛を殺す (Tsuno wo tamete ushi wo korosu; “Straightening the horns, killing the cow”) Definition: A situation where trying to fix a small problem ruins the whole thing. The cure being worse than the disease. Hammering and pulling on a cow’s … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged blue screen of death, cows, cure, errors, 角を直, 角を矯め, horns, snowballing problems, worse than the disease, 地蔵
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The audacity of crime
盗人猛猛しい (Nusubito takedakeshii; “An impudent thief”) Definition: Remaining calm and self-assured even when doing something wrong. Alternately, when you get caught doing something wrong, acting defiant or even becoming aggressive toward the person who caught you, instead of being properly … Continue reading
The ease of TITO
上げ膳据え膳 (Agezen suezen; “Table-clearing; table-setting”) Definition: Not doing anything; having everything done for one. Can be positive, as when describing the service at a luxury resort, or negative, as when describing a friend or family member who isn’t pulling their … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged ease, Japanese culture, lazy, tradition, 宴会, 据え膳, 上げ膳
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Save perhaps Eärendil at the Door of Night
送る月日に関守なし (Okuru tsukihi ni sekimori nashi; “Time has no gatekeeper”) Definition: Time passes quickly. There is no guard blocking the paths of months and days, and they cannot be stopped. “Time and tide wait for no one.” Breakdown: We begin … Continue reading
Making light of parental influence
親の光は七光 (Oya no hikari wa nanahikari; “A parent’s light is seven lights”) Definition: Children benefit from their parents’ fame, fortune, and status. This is less about hereditary succession to a position, or straight-up nepotism, than it is about the fact … Continue reading
Bear little; bee large
小さく生んで大きく育てる (Chiisaku unde ookiku sodateru; “Birth small; raise large”) Definition: It’s wise to bear a small child and then raise it large. A small baby tends to mean an easier birth, and a child who grows well tends to be … Continue reading
Like chopping radishes with Excalibur
大根を正宗で切る (Daikon wo Masamune de kiru; “To cut a daikon with a Masamune”) Definition: Overkill. Bringing force, talent, or material to a job or problem far in excess of what is actually needed; often, assigning a task to someone who … Continue reading
How about when elephants fight?
疾風に勁草を知る (Shippuu ni keisou wo shiru; “In strong wind one learns of the strong grasses”) Definition: It is only after personally encountering hardships or trials that one truly understands the character and value of people who have already withstood those … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged adversity, Book of the Later Han, 疾風, hidden strength, true value, wind, 勁草, 後漢書
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I met a traveller from an antique land
朝顔の花一時 (Asagao no hana hitotoki; “The morning glory flower, a single moment”) Definition: Something’s peak or prime only lasts for a short time. Decline and entropy are all too easy. Like the morning glory flower that blooms at dawn and … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged ひととき, 随筆, 駿台雑話, flowers, impermanence, morning glory, 文選, 朝顔の花, 一時
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