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Tag Archives: experience
What you don’t know CAN kill you
夏虫疑氷 ka.chuu.gi.hyou Literally: summer – insect – doubt – ice Alternately: A person of extremely limited experience, knowledge, and discernment. Someone ignorant, doubtful, or distrustful of everything that falls outside of their own (meager) personal experience. Like an insect that … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged bugs, 疑冰, 疑氷, experience, 荘子, ignorance, limits, Zhuangzi, 夏虫
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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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Challenge Accepted: The Museum Experience
Once again I’ve found inspiration in a passing comment on someone’s blog; in this case the source is a list of movies the writer found inspiring (for their tabletop RPG play), and the comment is in response to Indiana Jones and … Continue reading
Posted in Miscellaneous, Rules
Tagged brainstorming, experience, museum, sources of inspiration, XP
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Someone who can see through the shell game
亀の甲より年の劫 (Kame no kou yori toshi no kou; “Better the wisdom of years than a tortoise-shell”) Definition: Pun time! Japanese is actually full of puns, and here’s one that made it into a kotowaza. The phrase itself means that one … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged こっくりさん, divination, experience, Kokkuri, wisdom, 年の劫, 亀の甲
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I learn by going where I have to go
習うより慣れよ (Narau yori nareyo; “Experience over learning”) Definition: It’s easier to acquire knowledge or learn a skill by practicing it firsthand than through simply being taught. Hands-on study beats abstract learning methods like lectures or book-reading. Breakdown: We have two … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged classical grammar, 習うより, experience, learn by doing, 慣れよ, 慣れろ
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A post a long time in the making
海千山千 umi.sen.yama.sen Literally: ocean – thousand – mountain – thousand Alternately: The pinnacle of cunning. A sly old fox. Someone who, though long experience, has developed an almost-unbeatable level of cleverness. Notes: First, keep in mind that this is about … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged clever, cunning, dragon, experience, snake, 山千, 海千
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Four Realms: The Complete Experience
Preamble In some ways the heart of role-playing games is that they are success-and-improvement simulators. (There are other hearts, of course, so RPGs are similar in that way to how certain dinosaurs are said to have been, but let’s … Continue reading