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Category Archives: Japanese
Never bring a gun to a stats fight
Seriously; that’d be a crime. 下手な鉄砲も数撃てば当たる (Heta na teppou mo kazu uteba ataru; “Even an inept gun, fired a number of times, will hit.”) Definition: Even if someone is very bad at something, with enough tries they’ll produce strong results … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged blind luck, clumsy, law of averages, marksmanship, statistics, 当たり, 数撃ちゃ, 数撃てば, 下手な鉄砲
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Kaitenzushi
I certainly prefer it to the pork 行雲流水 kou.un.ryuu.sui Literally: go – cloud – flow – water Alternately: Going where the wind and tides carry you, instead of sticking with one thing or staying in one place. Constantly changing rather … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged ancient China, トンポーロー, 苏轼, 蘇軾, 行雲, go with the flow, peripatetic priest, wandering, 子瞻, 宋史, 東坡肉, 流水
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Hefty fluff
重箱の隅を突く (Juubako no sumi wo tsutsuku; “To poke at the corners of a juubako”) Definition: To fuss over trivial details; to nitpick; to carp endlessly about fine points that don’t actually make a difference. The image is of someone who … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged complain, 穿る, 重箱, hairsplitting, Japanese culture, linguistic trivia, pilpul, traditional food service, 口うるさい
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A life spent just hanging around?
一生懸命 i-.sshou.ken.mei Literally: one – life – hang / depend – life / destiny / decree Alternately: Putting maximum effort into something. Striving as hard as you can; putting your very life on the line. Notes: The original form of … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged hard work, life at stake, semantic evolution, utmost, 懸命, 一生, 一所
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Next verse, same as the first
二の舞を演じる (Ni no mai wo enjiru; “to dance the second dance”) Definition: Committing someone else’s previous errors, even with the awareness of what has happened. Seeing someone fail, and then making the same mistakes. Breakdown: This simple phrase begins three … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged 舞楽, 雅楽, failure to learn from the past, Heian court, repeated errors, song and dance, 二の舞
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If you meet the Buddha on the road, eff him
Is the word “ineffable” a paradox? 不立文字 fu.ryuu.mon.ji Literally: non – stand – sentence – letter Alternately: The Buddhist observation that satori (“understanding,” specifically insight into the true nature of reality) is not something that can be written down or … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged Buddhism, 無門関, description vs experience, the limits of language, Zen koans, 文字, 无门关, 不立
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As you sow, so shall you reap… the opposite!
楽は苦の種苦は楽の種 (Raku wa ku no tane ku wa raku no tane; “Ease is the seed of hardship; hardship is the seed of ease”) Definition: If you spend all your time taking things easy, you’ll fall on hard times later on … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged あればある, いろはカルタ, 苦の種, fruits of labor, Morgen Morgen nur nicht heute, procrastination, taking things easy, Unmitigated Pedantry, work and reward, 楽の種
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Just lions having fun!
And… gin? 獅子奮迅 shi.shi.fun.jin Literally: lion – child – vigorous – quick Alternately: Highly-energetic, even violent activity. Doing things in a furious, intense, or overwhelming way. Ferocious, or at least energetic, like a lion. Notes: This phrase apparently comes to … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged Buddhism, 獅子, energy, ferocity, Large Perfection of Wisdom Sutra, linguistic trivia, lion, Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra, translation, 大般若波羅蜜多経, 奮迅, 師子
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If you want good fruit, sleep on it
果報は寝て待て (Kahou wa nete mate; “For good fortune, sleep, wait.”) Definition: Good fortune will come of its own accord, in its own time, so it’s best to prepare and patiently wait for it rather than fretting or trying to force … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged Buddhism, 音便, Iroha karuta, karma, Kefukigusa, patience, working and waiting, 寝て待て, 果報, 毛吹草
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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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landofnudotcom 