ことわざ・四字熟語 of the Week

Japanese
#61

四字熟語 of the week :memo:

自由自在
じゆうじざい

Meaning:

To be able to control something as one pleases.

Context:

This is a very common 四字熟語 that you will hear in many kinds of situations. This is another 四字熟語 that has Buddhist origin. Although 自由 is usually translated as freedom, the nuance this carries here is closer to liberty, since the original meaning of 自由 in Buddhism was used to describe a state where a person could rely on oneself without being swayed by the opinions of the people around them.

When is it used?

This is used in so many different situations to describe that some one is controlling something as they pleased. This could range from a person using a tool usefully, to a person being in control of a big group of people.

Example:

師匠は使う道具全て自由自在に使いこなすから、見ていてきもちい。

The master wields every tool with such mastery that it’s a pleasure to watch.

9 Likes
#62

ことわざ of the week :memo:

This week’s ことわざ is :

餓鬼の断食
がきのだんじき

Translation:
A hungry spirit fasting.

Meaning:
A person who brags about doing something normal, to make them seem like they are doing something great.

Context:

This is another ことわざ with a Buddhist background. 餓鬼（がき）are hungry spirits born in the hungry ghost realm of Buddhism. In Buddhism, it is said that spirits born in this realm are constantly hungry because they don’t have actual food to eat, or because their food bursts into flames before they are able to put it in their mouths.

A person bragging about doing something that is considered as a normal behavior, is like a hungry spirit in the hungry spirit realm bragging that they are on a fast.

When is it used?
This is used to describe people that try to make themselves look good by bragging about doing something that is considered normal by societal standards.

Example:

あいつ交番に拾った携帯を届けたとか自慢してるけど、餓鬼に断食だな。

He is bragging about bringing a cellphone he found to the police, but that’s what you are supposed to do.

10 Likes
#63

四字熟語 of the week :memo:

鬼面仏心
きめんぶっしん

Meaning:

Scary looking, but has the heart of a saint.

Context:

It is said that 鬼面仏心 is a concept mentioned in the Buddhist scripture. This is used to describe a person who looks as terrifying as a demon, but has a heart of Buddha. It is also said that this 四字熟語 was used as a base for another 四字熟語, 鬼手仏心. This one means, ‘hand of a demon, heart of Buddha’, and it is a 四字熟語 that is used to describe surgeons, since their hands are used to do cut people open, but the reason they do it is to save lives.

When is it used?

This one is quite straight forward and it is used to simply state that a person looks scary/bad, but they are actually nice and will do anything to put others before them.

Example:

昨日の夜一人で歩いてたら、後ろからめっちゃ危なそうな人に声をかけられて、「ヤベ、終わったわ」って思ったら、俺が落とした財布を渡しに来てくれただけだった。結局、鬼面仏心でただの優しい人だった。

Last night, I was walking alone, and someone who looked really sketchy called out to me from behind. I thought, “Shoot, I’m done for,” but it turned out they were just bringing back the wallet I’d dropped. Turns out they were just a kind person with a heart of gold.

10 Likes
#64

ことわざ of the week :memo:

This week’s ことわざ is :

兎の毛で突く
うのけでつく

Translation:
To poke with a rabbit’s fur

Meaning:
For something to be extremely small or insignificant.

Context:

Rabbits have very soft fur, and poking someone with one strand of rabbit fur would not do anything to the person being poked.

It is most commonly seen in the form of 兎の毛で突いたほど.

When is it used?
This is used when someone wants to express that there is a very small amount of something, or when someone wants to emphasize that an action is so insignificant that it would not affect anything.

Example:

兎の毛で突いたほどの傷でスマホの画面を交換するのはお金の無駄だよ。

It’s such a waste of money to replace your smartphone screen over such a tiny scratch.

6 Likes
#65

I’m especially sad not to find this one in Bunpro’s system, because I wanted to add it to the deck for this thread and to my rabbit deck too :joy: :rabbit2:

3 Likes
#66

おはようございます、Fugaさん!

As always, thank you so much for these ことわざ. 勉強になりました！

This particular one has reminded me of a French one, ‘tuer un âne à coups de figues molles’, to kill a donkey with soft figs. This is used to say that something may take forever and, thus, its achievement is quite hard or even impossible.

良い一日を

3 Likes
#67

Is it read うさぎのけ or うのけ in this case?

4 Likes
#68

You are correct! Thank you for pointing this out! I have just made an edit!

3 Likes
#69

四字熟語 of the week :memo:

電光石火
でんこうせっか

Meaning:

For something to be as fast as lightning. For time to pass by really quickly.

Context:

電光 here refers to lightning, and 石火 refers to the sparks that appear when flints are struck with steel.

When is it used?

This is used to emphasize that something happened in an instant and to describe fast movement.

Example:

妻が一日早く帰ってくることになったから、電光石火の速さで家事を済ませた。

My wife was coming home a day early, so I finished the housework at lightning speed.

9 Likes