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Category Archives: Japanese
‘Tis the season
…and the age. 私利私欲 shi.ri.shi.yoku Literally: me/private – benefit/profit – me/private – desire/greed Alternately: One’s own profit; one’s own greed. The self-centered attitude or behavior of someone who is motivated by avarice over all else. Notes: 欲 may also be … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged Buddhism, commercialism, 私利, 私慾, 私欲, greed, selfishness, 我利
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When True Seeing exfoliates
化けの皮が剥がれる (Bake no kawa ga hagareru; “The changeling skin is stripped away”) Definition: Someone’s wrongdoings, flaws, or malicious true nature come to light. A previously-hidden, negative truth is revealed. Someone (or everyone) realizes how bad a situation actually is after … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged 皮が剥がれる, folklore, revelation, Taiheiki, truth, 化け, 太平記
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A stitch in time of crisis
一罰百戒 ichi.batsu.hya-.kkai Literally: one – punishment – hundred – warnings Alternately: Making an example of someone. Meting out a punishment not just so one wrongdoer faces consequences, but also so that anyone else considering the same crime is forced to … Continue reading
The hobbit of peppers
山椒は小粒でもぴりりと辛い (Sanshou wa kotsubu de mo piriri to karai; “Japanese peppers are small but painfully spicy”) Definition: This saying metaphorically describes someone who is physically small, but still formidable due to well-honed talents and a fierce spirit, surprising strength, or … Continue reading
What about Stitch Seizen?
理路整然 ri.ro.sei.zen Literally: logic/truth – road – organize – “in that way” Alternately: Of someone’s thoughts or speech: coherent, cogent, rational; following a coherent thread or throughline from premise to conclusion. The nuance in modern usage seems to be of … Continue reading
Sometimes the baby poops when you want to nap
月に叢雲花に風 (Tsuki ni murakumo hana ni kaze; “clouds to the moon; wind to the flower”) Definition: Good things are all too vulnerable to disruptions. The moon is covered by clouds; flower petals are scattered by the wind; what you thought … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged disappointment, 花に風, 花見, flower-viewing, moon-viewing, 叢雲, 月見
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When the bones are bad
…the rest is needed 骨折り損の草臥れ儲け (Honeori zon no kutabire mouke; “Bone-breaking loss and a profit of weariness”) Definition: Working hard without any reward. Bone-breaking labor with no fruits but exhaustion. A wasted effort or thankless task. Breakdown: It turns out … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged くたびれ, Classic of Poetry, exhaustion, 詩経, 骨折り, 诗经, Iroha karuta, Maren Morris, waste
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What was I saying? Ah, yes.
閑話休題 kan.wa.kyuu.dai Literally: leisure – talk – rest – topic Alternately: “But setting that aside….” A phrase used to put an end to a digression, aside, or idle chatter, and return the listener’s attention to the main topic or thread … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged Chinese literature, digression, 閑話, 間話, setting aside, Water Margin, 水滸伝, 休題
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landofnudotcom 
When Debate Club has fewer rules than Fight Club
喧々諤々 ken.ken.gaku.gaku Literally: noisy – [doubling mark] – outspoken – [doubling mark] Alternately: A furious uproar; large numbers of people voicing their opinion without restraint or consideration for others. Notes: Naturally, this may be written with repeated characters instead of … Continue reading →