Tag Archives: beauty

Fair of skin, unfair of… other things

Posted on May 17, 2020 by

色の白いは七難隠す (Iro no shiroi wa shichinan kakusu; “White skin hides many flaws.”) Definition: There’s all sorts of baggage here! This kotowaza is literally saying that if a woman’s skin is sufficiently pale, then that alone makes her so beautiful that … Continue reading →

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Giving trash the bird?

Posted on November 24, 2019 by

掃き溜めに鶴 (Hakidame ni tsuru; “A crane on a dunghill”) Definition: An especially talented or beautiful person amid mundane folk. A rare gem amid dross; a beautiful crane that has incongruously alit on a midden-heap. Breakdown: We begin with the same … Continue reading →

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