Tag Archives: dog

Or, can a dog be French?

Posted on November 25, 2015 by Confanity

Another yojijukugo using the rare “dog” character that we saw last week: 狗子仏性 ku.shi.bu-.sshou Literally: dog – child / (zodiac) rat – Buddha – nature / gender Alternately: “Does a dog have a Buddha nature?” – a classic zen koan. … Continue reading →

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On canine tautologies

Posted on September 27, 2015 by Confanity

(In other news, water is wet.) 犬が西向きゃ尾は東 (Inu ga nishi mukya o wa higashi; “If a dog faces west, its tail points east.”) Definition: Self-evident. Blatantly matter-of-fact. Something is so obvious that it’s barely worth mentioning. Since a dog’s tail … Continue reading →

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When luck sticks

Posted on December 28, 2014 by Confanity

犬も歩けば棒に当たる (Inu mo arukeba bou ni ataru; “Even a dog on a walk meets a stick.”) Definition: Originally this saying was a warning: a dog, even if it’s just innocently walking along, is likely to be driven off by someone … Continue reading →

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