Questions tagged [proverbs]
The proverbs tag has no usage guidance.
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Is there any Japanese saying, proverb or idiom equivalent to the meaning of the biblical parable "The Mote and the Beam"?
I think I've come across the Japanese version of this teaching in the Bible as a saying (proverb?) but I'm having a hard time recalling and searching it.
The key takeaway in the parable is:
One can ...
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A proverb about it's a sin not to take what's you catch
I may have dreamed this but I remember my Japanese teacher telling our class (23yr ago) about a Japanese proverb that went something like:
It's sin not to take the fish you catch
The teacher ...
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Conflicting meanings for "犬も歩けば" expression?
The expression 犬も歩けば棒に当たる (Inu mo arukeba bou ni ataru [lit. "even a dog will run into a stick if goes walking"]) is given two definitions on jisho.org, both of which seem to be at odds.
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て Ending, Short Phrase, and Possibly Fake Saying
In this anime clip: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4iN2N8KgAw4
Gabriel uses poor Japanese to convey that Japanese is difficult and mentions a saying.
As for the first sentence, what is the purpose of ...
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About 大事の前の小事 proverb
I came across the following expression
大事の前の小事
jisho.org says the following about it
don't put the trivial ahead of the important; don't sweat the small stuff; don't bother with the details (before ...
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諺/熟語 for "paint oneself into a corner"
I am trying to find an idiom that describes someone setting hurdles for themself or putting themself in a more difficult position every step of the way, eventually trapping oneself or forcing one's ...
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諺(ことわざ): Get rid of your sickness by giving it to someone else?
A long time ago in Japanese school I was told there is a old Japanese saying/諺 that meant "You can get rid of your cold by giving it to someone else."
Does anyone know what that 諺 is?
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Is there a ことわざ similar to "water under the bridge" and "let bygones be bygones"?
Earlier today in a comment I tried to explain to a community member that they should put whatever happened in the past behind them. I used "water behind the bridge" and "let bygones be ...
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How do you translate "A person who admits ignorance shows it once; the one who tries to hide it shows it often." to Japanese?
I have read that this proverb is of Japanese origin (correct me if I'm wrong), but was unable to find its Japanese form. Thank you in advance.
user40770
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世の中は三日見ぬ間の桜かな - How to interpret the かな in this proverb? How to interpret this proverb?
I came across this proverb 世の中は三日見ぬ間の桜かな。
Actually just this part 三日見ぬ間の桜かな。
Now 見ぬ is an ancient form of 見ない。
I found some sides in French, which I don't speak. There is a translation on ...
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Normal is the most difficult" -- origin in Japanese?
I'm looking for the Japanese origin of the saying
Normal is the most difficult.
I believe the longhand version would be
Normality in life is the most difficult state/condition to attain/sustain.
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Proverb? "When you have completed 95 percent of your journey, you are only halfway there."
Around the Internet, "When you have completed 95 percent of your journey, you are only halfway there" is floating around as a Japanese proverb.
A Google search for Japanese proverb "...
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What's a natural way to say "If I can do it so can you!"?
I would translate it as
わたしが出来るとあなたも出来るよ！
Could someone help explain what a more natural translation would be, or even better if there's a saying or a common idiom to express the same idea?
P.s. ...
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What form is 急がば in 急がば回れ? [duplicate]
What form is this. how do you use it and is it only used for proverbs? The closest I know for the verb Isogu is Isoganai or Isogeba, but not Isogaba.
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About a proverb students have on their diaries
The students I have keep a diary. The two sentences below are written on those diaries.
小さな積み重ねが、大きな差となる
Small stacking makes big difference.
That English sounds awkward to me. It is absolutely ...
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What is the English proverb equivalent of 腹八分目{はらはちぶんめ}に[医者]{いしゃ}いらず and the history behind the proverb?
Context:
I encountered this in a compulsory book about moral education for elementary school student by MEXT "私たちの道徳"
Source
My question:
What is the best equivalent proverb in English of: ...
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痛い目にあう Is this literally meant to mean "You're gonna get a hurt/black eye?
Does the 目 mean 'eye' in this case?
What does Au mean in this case? The pain and the 目 coming together to experience the hurt?
Is this a one-off sentence or can I use other variations like 苦しい目にあう (...
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meaning and authenticity of Japanese proverb about shrimp and jellyfish
On this page, I see the following listed as a Japanese proverb:
クラゲはエビと踊ることは決してありません 。
The jellyfish never dances with the shrimp.
Meaning: Enmity is inborn and natural, it can never be eliminated.
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About 借りてきた猫 proverb
借りてきた猫 was translated as a borrowed cat. In that case, why 借りてきた is used instead of just 借りた猫? What additional meaning does it want to imply?
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寄らば from 寄らば大樹の陰
I have trouble understanding the 寄らば from:
寄{よ}らば大樹{たいじゅ}の陰{かげ}.
I know it comes from 寄る (to approach/to come near). But how does it becomes 寄らば and what meaning it implies?
The ば should be the ...
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What are the origins of the Japanese idiom ななころびやおき (nanakorobiyaoki)?
I have an assignment on this quote but I just can't seem to find any of the origins of the quote. Its' English translation is "Fall down seven times, stand up eight". If anybody could help and let me ...
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"Don't judge a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes"
What is the Japanese equivalent of "Don't judge a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes"?
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Looking for the proverb "Parents work hard, our life is so comfortable that children become beggar"
I heard the following proverb that was said from Japanese (if not Chinese).
If our parents are working too hard, our life becomes very convenient up to a point that causes their grandchildren ...
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Understanding ただより高いものはない
「むかしっからなァ、ただより高いものはないっていうことわざがあるんだぞっ。」
From the old days there's a saying that "nothing costs as much as what is given to us".
I've taken the translation of ただより高いものはない straight from the dictionary,...
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equivalent version of 'The daily grind'
I'm writing a composition about my daily routine & so clearly the content of the composition won't be particularly interesting.
So I'd like to try and use a more creative title for the ...
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none of us is as smart as all of us
This proverb is attributed to an unknown Japanese author (http://thinkexist.com/quotation/none_of_us_are_as_smart_as_all_of/160488.html). However I could not find any mention of its actual origin.
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