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Category Archives: Yojijukugo
If you want to get away from it all but hate cabbages
羊裘垂釣 you.kyuu.sui.chou Literally: sheep – [clothing made of animal skin and/or fur] – dangle – fishing Alternately: To avoid the vulgar world of common society and live as a hermit. To live wearing animal skins and fish in streams for … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged Book of the Later Han, 羊裘, fishing, hermit, sheepskin, 垂釣
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You could go with this, or you could go with that
Or you could go with this. Or you could go with that. Or you could go with us! 優柔不断 yuu.juu.fu.dan Literally: gentle – soft – non – sever / judge / decide Alternately: Waffling. Vacillating. Hesitating to choose. Lacking resolve … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged Fatboy Slim, indecisive, vacillating, Weapon of Choice, 優柔, 不断
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He’s dead, Jim
Should have tried the Power of Rock. 薬石無効 yaku.seki.mu.kou Literally: medicine – stone – nothing – efficacy Alternately: Neither medicine nor treatment were effective. The 石 in 薬石 refers to traditional Chinese treatments making use of stones, such as bian … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged Chinese medicine, 無効, dead, 薬石, power of rock, treatment ineffective
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Deep, deep turtle
盲亀浮木 mou.ki.fu.boku Literally: blind – turtle – float – tree Alternately: An incredibly rare event; something nigh-impossibly difficult to find. By implication, something you really should take advantage of while you have the chance. Notes: 盲亀 is, as the characters … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged blind turtle, Buddhism, 盲亀, driftwood, opportunity, 浮木
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Back to back they faced each other
面従腹背 men.juu.fuku.hai Literally: face/mask – obey – belly – back/defy Alternately: Putting on a show of obeying or going along with someone while secretly opposing or resisting them, at least mentally. This defiance will likely manifest eventually, but as long … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged 腹背, 面従, literalism, pretend to obey, secretly oppose
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Take a breather and call me in the morning
Kaynahara. 無病息災 mu.byou.soku.sai Literally: not – sick – stop – disaster Alternately: To be healthy. Notes: 息 primarily refers to “breath,” but has been associated a variety of words (cf. 息子 – musuko – “son”), and in this case refers … Continue reading
Better than “Six days a sacrifice”
And on the morning of the third day, he said, “Ugh.” 三日坊主 mi-.kka.bou.zu Literally: three – day – priest – master Alternately: Giving up on something after only trying it out for a little while. Alternately, someone who has trouble … Continue reading
‘Tis but a flesh wound. Okay, twenty flesh wounds.
満身創痍 man.shin.sou.i Literally: full – person – start/injury – injury Alternately: One’s entire body is covered in wounds. (The specific image is having been cut many times by bladed weapons.) Hurt through and through. By extension, being in a psychic … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged entire body, injury, Man of Wounds, wounded, 創痍, 満身
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LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
…Whatever that means. 捧腹絶倒 hou.fuku.ze-.ttou Literally: lift up – belly – sever – fall Alternately: Something is incredibly funny. Laughing so hard that one needs to hold one’s sides to avoid hurting oneself. Notes: Replacing 捧 with homophone 抱 (“to … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged 絶倒, horse racing, laughing out loud, Shǐjì, very funny, 捧腹
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More genuine than genuflection?
For more pointers, watch this video. These guys are absolutely amazing when it comes to explaining Japanese culture. 平身低頭 hei.shin.tei.tou Literally: flat – body – low – head Alternately: Extreme apology or gratitude. From the literal image of kowtowing; kneeling … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged apology, bowing, Chinese grasshopper, kowtow, The Ramens, 平身, 低頭
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