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Category Archives: Yojijukugo
Cosmic triage
悪人正機 aku.nin.shou.ki Literally: evil – person – correct – loom / machine Alternately: No matter how evil a person is, the Buddha’s wish is for them to be saved. Or perhaps, the worse a person is, the more important it … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged Buddhism, 親鸞, ideals, redemption, 悪人, 歎異抄, 正機, 浄土真宗
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A day for lying in
虚誕妄説 kyo.tan.mou.setsu Literally: empty – birth / arbitrary – delusion – explanation Alternately: Groundless remarks. False statements. Talking nonsense; making irresponsible comments; shooting off at the mouth. Notes: This is another two-two-character-compound-compound: 虚誕 refers to not just falsehoods but exaggerated … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged 虚誕, 語源不明, falsehood, groundless, nonsense, 四月朔日, 妄説
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More likely when the person at the center is rotten
朝蠅暮蚊 chou.you.bo.bun Literally: morning – fly (the insect, not the verb) – evening – mosquito Alternately: A troublesome situation or gloomy atmosphere caused by an assemblage of narrow-minded, trivial people. Like being surrounded by clouds of flies in the morning … Continue reading
A dangerous game when your name starts with “hundred”
I guess birds are illiterate? 百舌勘定 mo.zu.kan.jou Literally: hundred – tongue – compare – determine Alternately: Arranging things so that others end up paying your costs for you. Especially at a restaurant, manipulating the bill in a way that divides … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged bull-headed shrike, 百舌, 百舌鳥, fable, puns, scam, settling a bill, 勘定
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Yes elephant plus no elephant
Equals EVERYTHING 有象無象 u.zou.mu.zou Literally: exist – shape – nothing – shape Alternately: All things; a Buddhist phrase combining “things with physical forms and things without physical forms” to denote the entirety of existence. By extension, “A large number of … Continue reading
A galling surfeit of gall
大胆不敵 dai.tan.fu.teki Literally: big – liver/gallbladder / courage – non – enemy Alternately: Being, or at least acting, completely unafraid. Acting as confident as someone without any (meaningful) enemies. Notes: This is another compound comprising two near-synonyms. 大胆 is “brave(ry),” … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged brashness, courage, Crayon Shin-chan, self-confidence, 大胆, 不敵
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Samazama na arisama
三者三様 san.sha.san.you Literally: three – person – three – manner Alternately: Everybody is different. If you look at three people, you’ll find three different ways of thinking, three different ways of doing things. Notes: The number three may be replaced … Continue reading
The old razzle-dazzle
歌舞音曲 ka.bu.on.kyoku Literally: sing – dance – sound – melody Alternately: Song and dance. Especially, a public performance of singing and dancing. More generally, performance or play using any of the flashy arts.
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged げんない, 音曲, music, performance, song and dance, 劇団, 歌舞
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Work, save, work, go!
More effective but less fun than “eat, pray, love”? Nah, just parallel. 勤倹力行 kin.ken.ri-.kkou Literally: diligence – frugality – power – go / carry out (an action) Alternately: Frugality and hard work. A modest lifestyle supported by copious elbow grease. … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged hard work, modest living, Ninomiya Kinjiro, Ninomiya Sontoku, 力行, 勤倹, 二宮金次郎
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Every stick and blade
一木一草 ichi.boku.i-.ssou Literally: one – tree – one – grass Alternately: Everything in the area; every last tree and blade of grass. In contrast, this phrase can also mean something of which there’s only a very small amount – a … Continue reading
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