四字熟語. Four-character idiomatic compounds.
Questions tagged [yoji-jukugo]
19 questions
12
votes
1 answer
What's the difference between [電光石火]{でんこうせっか} and [疾風迅雷]{しっぷうじんらい}
They both seem to mean "quick as lightning". What are the nuances between them? In what sort of context would they be used? Are they interchangeable? etc.
istrasci
- 43,365
- 4
- 104
- 251
10
votes
2 answers
恥知らず【はじしらず】 versus 厚顔無恥【こうがんむち】
The lack of examples makes me difficult to understand well the difference between 恥知らず and 厚顔無恥. Both seem to mean "shameless".
For example, can I use both as follows? Are there any differences?
脱いだまま公園で散歩する人は恥知らずだ。
脱いだまま公園で散歩する人は厚顔無恥だ。
Second Person Shooter
- 7,327
- 1
- 25
- 68
9
votes
2 answers
What is the origin of the phrase 一石二鳥?
This particular 四字熟語 is exactly the same as the proverb in English, "kill two birds with one stone." I find it to be a strange coincidence that both would have this phrase independently of each other, unless killing birds by throwing stones was just…
ssb
- 18,213
- 2
- 54
- 95
8
votes
1 answer
What is the etymology of the phrase 隴を得て蜀を望む?
I just came across this phrase, which is listed in the dictionary as:
never being satisfied with what one gets, and always wanting more; giving someone an inch and having them take a mile; taking Gansu only to want Sichuan
It's the last meaning…
Lou
- 2,741
- 3
- 25
- 33
6
votes
1 answer
Does 換骨奪胎 have negative connotation?
In the book ロボット学論集 by 瀬名 秀明, I saw this sentence (not exact since I'm solely depending on my memory)
2004 年公開の映画 "I, Robot" は，Isaac Asimov の同名の小説を換骨奪胎した別物である．
I looked at several online dictionaries, all of which didn't seem to me that the…
IsaacS
- 193
- 1
- 7
5
votes
3 answers
What phrase or yojijukugo can I use for Pyrrhic Victory?
Is there any word or phrase I can use for Pyrrhic Victory, or perhaps empty victory, or both? The first being a case where one wins but suffers such huge damage in some other way that it's victory in name only. The second being a victory but a…
eruciform
- 369
- 1
- 10
5
votes
1 answer
Significance of 「温」 in 「温故知新」
This question came to my mind while playing 漢字読めるカナ for Android to pass time.
温故知新 is a 4-character idiom from the 論語, Confucian Analects, meaning to learn from the past.
It is a Chinese phrase* and its kun-reading is usually given…
blutorange
- 4,451
- 1
- 20
- 38
4
votes
2 answers
the omission of an implied "の" creates the appearance of a 四字熟語{よじじゅくご}?
I believe that www.yojijukugo.com has a pretty thorough list of 四字熟語? Is there a better site?
However, I know that I've seen a lot of 4, or more, adjacent kanji that are not listed as 熟語。An example is "原子発電{げんしはつでん}"。
When I see 4 adjacent kanji…
user312440
- 2,900
- 3
- 19
- 36
4
votes
1 answer
Proper usage of 四字熟語 in Japanese
In Chinese, usage of 四字熟語 a lot usually demonstrates sophistication and things like political announcements etc that want to sounds powerful and sophisticated use a big load of them. What does using them convey in Japanese? They seem a lot less…
ithisa
- 3,025
- 19
- 41
3
votes
1 answer
Meaning/origin of 三寒四温【さんかんしおん】
Recently I was introduced to the 四字熟語【よじじゅくご】:
三寒四温【さんかんしおん】
... to describe the type of changing weather one often experiences around late Winter/early Spring.
As to the literal meaning of this expression (and where it came from):
The 寒 and 温 in…
Dave
- 8,959
- 4
- 37
- 72
3
votes
1 answer
What is the etymology of 森羅万象 and what does it mean?
I have come across this word a few times:
森羅万象{しんらばんしょう}
If you look it up, you usually get something along the lines of:
the creation
the universe
all nature
I would like to know if there's perhaps a deeper meaning to it, and also, could…
Jorge Bucaran
- 1,048
- 8
- 18
2
votes
1 answer
Question about [一騎当千]{いっ・き・とう・せん}
One of my dictionaries defines this (actually, 一騎当千のつわもの) as
a matchless [an extremely mighty] warrior / a warrior who is strong enough to fight against as many as one thousand men.
My question is why was [当]{あ}てる used as the 「とう」 instead of…
istrasci
- 43,365
- 4
- 104
- 251
2
votes
2 answers
About japanese special expressions
暖簾に腕押し
noren ni udeoshi
not worth doing
waste of effort
才色兼備
saishokukenbi
being gifted with both intelligence and beauty
白昼堂々
hakuchūdōdō
openly (unashamedly) in broad daylight
虎視眈々
koshitantan
vigilantly with an opportunity to prey upon
with an…
gz6p
- 1,053
- 7
- 6
1
vote
1 answer
80/20 rule expression (Pareto Principle)
Is there a saying (ことわざ）or 4 character phrase (四字熟語) in Japanese for the 80-20 rule (i.e. the Pareto Principle)? i.e. it takes 20% of the effort to get 80% of the results but to get the last 20% of the results takes 80% of the effort.
paullb
- 3,966
- 13
- 34
1
vote
2 answers
Difference between 七転び八起き and 七転八起
I really need someones help and PRONTO!!
So I have finally decided my next Japanese Kanji tattoo! :)
BUT I got one problem when I was doing some research on "Fall down seven times, stand up eight." I have found at lest two different ways of writing…
Natalia Bobek
- 11
- 2