Category Archives: Kotowaza

Paul Ryan’s next plan for American health care

Posted on June 3, 2018 by Confanity

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 →

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Where the money may be sticky

Posted on May 28, 2018 by Confanity

…but where it doesn’t stick 悪銭身に付かず (Akusen mi ni tsukazu; “Ill-gotten money doesn’t stick with you”) Definition: Money acquired by means other than honest work is often spent quickly on trivial things. Easy money is easy come, easy go. People … Continue reading →

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When the juice hits your eye like a tiny pizza-pie…

Posted on May 20, 2018 by Confanity

…that’s-a karma 天に向かって唾を吐く (Ten ni mukatte tsuba wo haku; “To face the heavens and spit”) Definition: To attempt to harm others is to invite misfortune on yourself. What goes around, comes around. If you try to dirty the sky by … Continue reading →

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A useful skill for adulting

Posted on May 13, 2018 by Confanity

It’s easy, there’s a trick to it. 心頭を滅却すれば火もまた涼し (Shintou wo mekkyaku sureba hi mo mata suzushi; “When you empty your mind, even fire is cool.”) Definition: The Buddhist teaching than any kind of pain or hardship can be endured with … Continue reading →

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Can’t squeeze water from a boiling stone

Posted on May 7, 2018 by Confanity

焼け石に水 (Yakeishi ni mizu; “Water on a hot stone”) Definition: A situation where you shouldn’t expect much. A drop in the bucket. A negligible amount of aid or effort, like a little splash of water against a hot stone, which … Continue reading →

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The sunny ant of the high seas

Posted on April 29, 2018 by Confanity

待てば海路の日和あり (Mateba kairo no hiyori ari; “If you wait, there will be ideal weather on the sea-routes”) Definition: Good things come to those who wait. Do your best to endure when things are bad, because they will get better. Even … Continue reading →

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Much less dramatic than “Takekurabe”

Posted on April 22, 2018 by Confanity

(Higuchi Ichiyou) 団栗の背比べ (Donguri no seikurabe; “A height-measuring contest between acorns”) Definition: A group where none of the members particularly stand out from the rest. A collection of average types. Alternately, a pointless competition between people of no special ability; … Continue reading →

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Even the roosters missed the dawn?

Posted on April 16, 2018 by Confanity

Depends on the frogs 春眠暁を覚えず (Shunmin akatsuki wo oboezu; “Spring sleep knows no dawn”) Definition: The air of a night in spring feels good, and the nights themselves are getting shorter, so one ends up sleeping in instead of waking … Continue reading →

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AND I WOULD WALK TWO HUNDRED NINETEEN POINT SIX MILES

Posted on April 8, 2018 by Confanity

AND I WOULD WALK TWENTY FOUR POINT FOUR MORE, JUST TO BE THE MAN WHO WALKED A HUNDRED RI TO FALL DOWN AT YOUR DOOOOOOOOOR 百里を行く者は九十里を半ばとす (Hyakuri wo iku mono wa kujuuri wo nakaba to su; “To one traveling a … Continue reading →

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You want me to shave *what*?

Posted on April 5, 2018 by Confanity

Ohhh, it’s a metaphor. (My deepest apologies to my readers! On Sunday, in place of the regularly-scheduled kotowaza, I instead posted a song as a joke. At the time I promised that the real thing – which had already been almost … Continue reading →

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