This is mainly aimed at more advanced learners, since these generally come up around the tail end of N2 and in N1, but of course it would be cool for anyone to share their ideas. Let’s use this thread to share any four-character compounds we know. There are so many of them and they WILL come up in the exam!
3 Likes
大同小異
This is one I learned a couple of weeks ago. Pretty simply, it means something that is almost the same. Large, same, small, different. I think this is a pretty easy one to understand. 
5 Likes
Recently learned this one from an online game of Shiratori:
類推推理: analogical inference
What I like about this compound is that:
- the sound is so repetitive that it sticks (so many “i” sounds)
- It shows that analogical reasoning is an exercise in inductive reasoning (推理)
- It’s just plug and play of two words put together (I love it when that happens)
3 Likes
十人十色
lit. “Ten people, ten colors”
Everyone has their own ideas and interests.
Different strokes for different folks.
Good topic!
5 Likes
This might be a useful link here… How to add furigana:
How do you add ruby text? - #5 by Pushindawood
2 Likes
中途半端
halfway done, half-baked, half-assed
(a little confusing because “halfway” in regular conversation is reversed: 途中）
2 Likes
Unless I’m mistaken, 推理 is just reasoning. 帰納推理 is inductive reasoning.
1 Like
I’ve heard this one before but I’d forgotten it until now. You hear people say it semi-regularly.
3 Likes
一件落着 - Case closed
一網打尽 - Catching a group of criminals all at once
事情聴取 - An inquiry or police questioning
満身創痍 - Covered in wounds
縁故採用 - Getting a job through personal connections.
3 Likes
I can tell you like gritty dramas haha
2 Likes
Definitely have a guilty pleasure for those melodramas where every character has a secret child or decades old grudge or an affair with their brother.
1 Like
I like 正真正銘 because it sounds nice
𝙸̶𝚝̶’̶𝚜̶ ̶𝚊̶𝚕̶𝚜̶𝚘̶ ̶ 𝚙̶𝚛̶𝚘̶𝚋̶𝚊̶𝚋̶𝚕̶𝚢̶ 𝚝̶𝚑̶𝚎̶ ̶𝚘̶𝚗̶𝚕̶𝚢̶ ̶𝚘̶𝚗̶𝚎̶ ̶𝙸̶ ̶𝚔̶𝚗̶𝚘̶𝚠̶
1 Like
以心伝心
telepathic understanding, “You read my mind”, “I get what you’re saying”
My cousin likes saying that one.
朝三墓四
lit. morning three, evening four
“six of one, half dozen of another”, differences where there’s no real difference – I don’t get how the yojijukugo gets the same meaning.
And not really yojijukugo but interesting…
両手に花
lit. flowers in both hands
two blessings at once
I got teased with this at a dinner party one time because I had two women sitting on either side of me. Apparently this expression also means a man who is juggling two girlfriends at the same time. 
2 Likes
I was very interested when I read this too, so I just asked the Japanese 国語 teacher who’s currently sat next to me. He talks very fast so I couldn’t understand 100%, but it’s something to do with an old story of having to give things away. If you need to give one thing away every day and every night for three days and four nights, it works out exactly the same as if it is for three nights and four days… you’re still down by seven. So in the story, someone was angry when they had to do the former, but then was happy when they were asked to do the latter.
DISCLAIMER: I may well have misunderstood a key part of that story, so if so I’m sorry. But it’s interesting anyway.
1 Like
At least now I know that there’s a story that goes with it! Thanks!
2 Likes
From a dictionary entry on 朝三暮四:
中国の狙公が手飼いの猿に芧とちの実を与えるのに朝三つ暮れに四つとしたところ、少ないと猿が怒ったので、朝四つ暮れに三つとしたら喜んだという「荘子−斉物論」などの故事。
荘子 = Zhuangzi
2 Likes
On the theme of flower based euphemisms, I recently heard お花摘みに行く to mean going to the toilet.
2 Likes
This one is pretty straight-forward, it describes waiting for new lessons on bunpro:
一日千秋 (いちにちせんしゅう / いちじつせんしゅう)
1 Like
One of my favorites is 一石二鳥 which is literally just two birds one stone, even though it is reversed. And another one I really like is 春夏秋冬 and 東西南北 The four seasons, and the four directions respectively.
1 Like
弱肉強食 - Literally, weak meat strong eat. Basically just the concept of survival of the fittest.
5 Likes