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Tag Archives: 毛吹草
Maybe that’s why we always wear our hats
夜目遠目笠の内(Yome toome kasa no uchi;“Seen at night; seen from afar; wearing a hat”) Definition: This phrase asserts that women are most beautiful when seen in the dark, or from a distance, or when mostly obscured by something like a large … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged 笠の内, 笠の下, 遠目, imagination versus reality, Iroha karuta, mind's eye, sexism, 夜目, 山越し, 山城の国畜生塚, 毛吹草
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If you want good fruit, sleep on it
果報は寝て待て (Kahou wa nete mate; “For good fortune, sleep, wait.”) Definition: Good fortune will come of its own accord, in its own time, so it’s best to prepare and patiently wait for it rather than fretting or trying to force … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged Buddhism, 音便, Iroha karuta, karma, Kefukigusa, patience, working and waiting, 寝て待て, 果報, 毛吹草
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When your stat spread make you crabby
蟹は甲羅に似せて穴を掘る (Kani wa koura ni nisete ana wo horu; “A crab digs its hole to match its shell”) Definition: People think and act according to their personal circumstances and abilities. Just as a small crab will dig a small burrow … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged appropriate, カニ, crab, 穴を掘る, 蟹, poetry, proportion, self-knowledge, Takuan Soho, 毛吹草, 沢庵宗彭, 澤庵宗彭
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Wagahai wa Sam de aru
馬には乗ってみよ人には添うてみよ (Uma ni wa notte miyo hito ni wa soute miyo; “Try riding a horse; try accompanying a person”) Definition: It’s often difficult to understand the true nature of something without experiencing it firsthand, so don’t criticize or judge until … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged classical grammar, experience, 馬には, Judgment, Kefukigusa, unusual problems, 毛吹草, 添うてみよ, 乗ってみよ
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The fruit of corruption
As opposed to 湯から出た錆? 身から出た錆 (Mi kara deta sabi; “Tarnished from within.”) Definition: Suffering due to one’s own misdeeds, especially the bad things one has done to others. Paying for one’s mistakes; getting one’s just deserts. The image here is … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged 錆, 身から出た, Iroha karuta, just deserts, Kefukigusa, reap what you sow, 毛吹草
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But what does it all MEAN?
論語読みの論語知らず (Rongo yomi no rongo shirazu; “A reader of Confucius; doesn’t know Confucius”) Definition: Use this when someone technically knows the words of a field of knowledge but doesn’t understand the meaning of the words and is unable to act … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged Analects, can't apply, 論語, Kefukigusa, practical application, 毛吹草
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An uncracked egg never omelettilates
蒔かぬ種は生えぬ (Makanu tane wa haenu; “Unsown seeds don’t sprout”) Definition: Nothing happens without a reason for it to happen. Nothing comes of nothing. Plants don’t grow without seeds. Alternately, there is no such thing as a free lunch. Nothing comes … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged 生えぬ, 蒔かぬ種, grow, Kefukigusa, sprout, unsown seeds, 毛吹草
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