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Category Archives: Japanese
Elbow Grease
Midterms. Already? 切磋琢磨 se-.ssa.taku.ma Literally: cut – scrub/rub – strike – polish/scour/grind (or: cut – polish – polish – polish!) Alternately: Diligent effort. Improving oneself through study. Notes: There’s a fuller phrase, 切磋琢磨し合う (sessa-takuma shiau). The shiau part means “to … Continue reading
Frog, like honey badger, just don’t care
Another frog kotowaza! Because… I don’t know why. Don’t let it bother you. 蛙の面に水 (Kaeru no tsura ni mizu; “Water in a frog’s face”) Definition: Not being bothered by things at all. No matter what happens, keeping one’s composure, or … Continue reading
Maybe just 85%?
十中八九 ji-.chuu.ha-.kku (or ju-.chuu.ha-.kku) Literally: ten – middle – eight – nine Alternately: Eight or nine out of ten; an 80% – 90% probability; “most likely, X” Notes: This is obviously in the same vein as the previous 九分九厘, and … Continue reading
Big frog, small pond
A kotowaza to encourage exploration and growth. 井の中の蛙大海を知らず (I no naka no kawazu taikai wo shirazu; “The frog in the well knows not the great ocean.”) Definition: A frog at the bottom of a well may look up and see … Continue reading
Nine and nine of ten and ten
In honor of September, a yojijukugo with some nines in it! 九分九厘 ku.bu.ku.rin Literally: nine – part – nine – smaller part [1/10 of a bu] Alternately: 99%. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred. Almost certainly. Notes: There is some … Continue reading
On how to make a mountain
A variation on a theme: 塵も積もれば山となる (Chiri mo tsumoreba yama to naru; “Even dust, if it builds up, becomes a mountain”) Definition: Small things, allowed to accumulate, become large. Multiple sources reference the English saying “Many a little makes a … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged accumulate, dust, Iroha karuta, Japanese, mountain, 塵も, 山となる
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When you eat like a horse, you get thirsty
牛飲馬食 gyuu.in.ba.shoku Literally: cow – drink – horse – eat Alternately: To drink like a cow and eat like a horse; to eat and drink a huge amount. Note: The first half can also be 鯨飲 (gei.in; “to drink like … Continue reading
The good kind of erosion?
A kotowaza for students in the new semester: 雨垂れ石を穿つ (Amadare ishi wo ugatsu; “Raindrops drill through stone”) Definition: Mere drips of rainwater, falling from the eaves of a house, again and again in the same spot, will wear a hole in … Continue reading
Godot. Guffman. Superman. The Man.
Hoping for fall – and cooler weather – to come soon. 一日三秋 ichi.jitsu.san.shuu Literally: one – day – three – autumn(s) Alternately: A single day seems like three years. Each moment seems to drag on. Waiting impatiently. Notes: The first … Continue reading
A silver lining, at ground level
雨降って地固まる (Ame futte ji katamaru; “The rain falls, and the earth hardens”) Definition: Before the rain, soil may be loose and crumbly. When the rain falls, it turns the ground soft and muddy. But after the rain has ended and … Continue reading
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