Category Archives: Japanese

Forget little spoon; do you want to be the lid?

Posted on September 13, 2020 by Confanity

割れ鍋に綴じ蓋 (Warenabe ni tojibuta; “A mended lid on a cracked pot”) Definition: Everybody has their match; no matter how out-of-place a person may feel, there is someone out there who would make a good spouse, friend, or other sort of … Continue reading →

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When you write the right rite

Posted on September 9, 2020 by Confanity

温柔敦厚 on.juu.ton.kou Literally: warm – soft – kind – thick / kind Alternately: Kind and gentle, considerate and loving. Notes: This is a compound of compounds. 温柔 expresses a warm, mild disposition; 敦厚 is humanity and kindness. Similar terms include … Continue reading →

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The taste of a beetle

Posted on September 6, 2020 by Confanity

蓼食う虫も好き好き (Tade kuu mushi mo sukizuki; “Even the bug who eats knotweed likes it”) Definition: Yet again, “different people have different tastes.” A person can like a thing that you don’t (or vice-versa), and that’s okay. Even spicy plants have … Continue reading →

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Fly, cow, fly; cow, fly, cow

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Confanity

蚊虻走牛 bun.bou.sou.gyuu Literally: mosquito – horsefly – run – cow Alternately: Something powerful being defeated by something weak; the great overthrown by the small. Literally, a cow being driven to run away by the onslaught of tiny biting flies. Alternatively, … Continue reading →

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Any shape other than the actual shape, really

Posted on August 30, 2020 by Confanity

四角な座敷を丸く掃く (Shikaku na zashiki wo maruku haku; “To sweep a circle in a square room”) Definition: To shirk; to cut corners; to do a bad job at something because you put in the bare minimum of thought and effort. Like … Continue reading →

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I know why the caged monkey sings

Posted on August 26, 2020 by Confanity

籠鳥檻猿 rou.chou.kan.en Literally: cage – bird – (jail) cell/pen – monkey Alternately: Unfree; specifically, having had one’s freedom taken away. Living like a bird – or monkey – in a cage, unable to do what you want. Notes: This phrase … Continue reading →

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It ain’t no thing

Posted on August 23, 2020 by Confanity

– but an unfelt sting 鹿の角を蜂が刺す (Shika no tsuno wo hachi ga sasu; “A wasp stings a deer’s antler”) Definition: In literal terms, this phrase refers to something that doesn’t even tickle or itch, much less hurt; something that elicits … Continue reading →

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Wild horses could, in fact, drag it out of me

Posted on August 19, 2020 by Confanity

意馬心猿 i.ba.shin.en Literally: mind – horse – heart – monkey Alternately: This Buddhist phrase expresses how it is difficult to control oneself and detach from the illusory material world because worldly desires, false beliefs, and mental pollution such as hatred … Continue reading →

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Hasty digging in the Mines of Morai

Posted on August 16, 2020 by Confanity

慌てる乞食は貰いが少ない (Awateru kojiki wa morai ga sukunai; “A beggar in a hurry receives little alms”) Definition: Haste makes waste; slow and steady wins the race. Rushing about or fighting to get in the door first, especially in pursuit of profit, … Continue reading →

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Spear-spine spirit

Posted on August 12, 2020 by Confanity

首尾一貫 shu.bi.i-.kkan Literally: neck / head – tail – one – pierce Alternately: Seeing something through from beginning to end without any change in attitude. Consistency in principles, execution of a project, etc. Although the idea might seem negative to … Continue reading →

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