Questions tagged [proverbs]
24 questions
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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 become beggars.
Is there such a proverb in Japanese? If…
Second Person Shooter
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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 (only negative ones?) or 楽しい目にあう?
shoryuu
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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 composition.
Is there a Japanese equivalent for the English…
Dania Chatila
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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.
bad things happen to those who attempt things
good luck may…
chausies
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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 back against the wall. The English phrase I have in…
Eddie Kal
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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"?
mjvande
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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 bygones". For context, the two English idioms are:
water under…
Eddie Kal
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3
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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.
However, doing searches in Japanese for this…
Locksleyu
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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?
Alice28
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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 same as 寄れば. But I have no idea about the ら...
Alice28
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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 know what the origins are it would be a great…
Efull
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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, but I can't get this meaning when I analyse…
user3856370
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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 embarking on a great enterprise)Proverb
read…
xavier
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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?
gman
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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 "only halfway there" gives 12,000+ hits and several Instagram-ready…
Patrick Kenny
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