ことわざ・四字熟語 of the Week

[Fuga]

ことわざ of the week

This week’s ことわざ is :

頭隠して尻隠さず
あたまかくしてしりかくさず

Translation:

To hide your head, but not your tail.

Meaning:

To try to hide one aspect of a flaw, while leaving every other aspect exposed.

Similar to the English phrase, ‘burying your head in the sand’.

Context:

It is said that this ことわざ comes from another ことわざ ‘雉の草隠れ’, which describes how a pheasant may hide its head in the grass but cannot conceal its long tail.

Both 頭隠して尻隠さず and 雉の草隠れ are used with the same nuance, but it is more common to hear 頭隠して尻隠さず in conversations.

When is it used?

This ことわざ is used to describe a person who is hiding something, but it is obvious that they are hiding something since there are other obvious facts in plain site that contradicts what they are saying.

Example:

彼は僕のケーキを食べていないと言い張っているが頭隠して尻隠さずで、口にクリームがついたままだ。

He claims that he did not eat my cake, but he can’t cover up the truth since he still has some cream on his lips.

[Fuga]

四字熟語 of the week

半信半疑
はんしんはんぎ

Meaning:

Describes the state where a person believes something, but at the same time has the same amount of doubt.

Context:

The origin of this 四字熟語 is from a passage written during the Three Kingdoms period. This passage was written to criticize people who used fortune telling to predict good or bad fortune, but would only believe it half-heartedly.

When is it used?

This 四字熟語 is used whenever someone is doubtful about something, and can be heard quite frequently in daily conversations.

Although this is translated as ‘doubtful’ or ‘skeptical’, 半信半疑 is used when the person’s doubts are equal to the amount they believe in something

Example:

友達に勧められたアニメを半信半疑で見たが、とても面白かった。

While I was doubtful about the anime my friend suggested, it was very interesting.

[Fuga]

ことわざ of the week

This week’s ことわざ is :

雨降って地固まる
あめふってじかたまる

Translation:
When it rains, the soil gets packed.

Meaning:
Hardships can actually help achieve better results or strengthen a relationship.

Context:

This ことわざ explains how the ground softens during rain, but once it clears, the ground settles firmer than before. This is used to simply state that temporary disruption creates lasting stability.

Rain is often seen as a negative thing, but it does result in many good things including solidifying the foundation.

When is it used?
This ことわざ is used to describe how a bad situation could unexpectedly lead to a positive event, or that a bad situation can be used to solidify a situation or a relationship.

Although this emphasizes on a negative event, because the main focus is on the positive result that it brings, it is often heard in wedding speeches.

Example:

あいつら会うたびに喧嘩してたくせに結婚するほど仲が良くなるなんて、まさに雨降って地固まるだね。

Even though they used to fight every time they saw each other, the fact that they’ve become close enough to get married really proves that adversity brings people closer together.

[Fuga]

四字熟語 of the week

四六時中
しろくじちゅう

Meaning:
All day, every day, constantly, 24/7.

Context:
You might be wondering why 4 and 6 are used in this 四字熟語. The reason for this is because 4 times 6 is 24, and that is the number of hours in a day.

The reason that this format is used instead of 二十四時中 is because this 四字熟語 actually was originally 二六時中. Up until 1872, Japan divided the day into 12 sections rather than 24 hours, where day time had 6 sections and night had 6 sections.

After the solar calendar was introduced to Japan, the 四字熟語 二六時中 was changed to 四六時中 to match the solar calendar.

When is it used?
This is used when the speaker wants to indicate that something is being done constantly or that something has been happening over the course of several days.

Example:

彼は四六時中勉強をしている。

He is studying constantly.

[Fuga]

ことわざ of the week

This week’s ことわざ is :

触らぬ神に祟りなし
さわらぬかみにたたりなし

Translation:

If you leave a spirit undisturbed, it will not curse you.

Meaning:

If you know it will cause problems, it’s wiser not to get involved. Similar to the English phrase, ‘Don’t stir up a hornet’s nest’.

Context:

In this ことわざ, 神 does not refer to ‘gods’, but spirits. This originated from the Shinto belief where, when a person dies harboring deep grievance or meets an unfortunate death, they become a 祟り神 to bring misfortune to the living world.

When this belief was widely accepted, people were told not to get involved with these kinds of spirits, because they will only bring misfortune.

When is it used?

This is used when someone wants to avoid getting involved in something (or with someone) because they know that getting involved will only make life harder.

Example:

家の前でお隣さんが誰かともめてたから、仲介に入ろうとしたら、妻に「触らぬ神に祟りなしだよ」って言われた。

My neighbor was having an argument with someone in front of our house, so I tried to step in to calm things down, but my wife said “Don’t get involved in that”.

[Fuga]

四字熟語 of the week

正正堂堂
せいせいどうどう

Usually written as 正々堂々.

Meaning:
Fair and square.

Context:
This 四字熟語 is actually a combination of two phrases from Chinese literature, 正正の旗 (a military flag that is being displayed in a neat and orderly manner) and 堂堂の陣 (a magnificent formation that exudes dignity and expands with great momentum). The original text advised against attacking an enemy whose flags were orderly and formations were impressive, as victory would be unlikely.

Originally 正々堂々 was used to refer to military magnificence, but when this reached Japan, the meaning changed to ‘to tackle things head on with dignity, without resorting to unfair tactics’.

When is it used?
This is used when the speaker wants to emphasize that something was done/will be done fair and square.

Example:

周りの人たちの意見を気にせずに、正々堂々と自分の意見を言えるようになりたい。

I want to be able to voice my opinions boldly, without worrying about what others think

[Fuga]

ことわざ of the week

This week’s ことわざ is :

あら探しをする
あらさがしをする

Translation:

To look for fish scraps.

Meaning:

To be nitpicky

Context:

This ことわざ actually originates from Japanese fish cooking culture. When fish are filleted, the heads and bones, called あら骨 in Japanese, are rarely wasted in Japanese cooking culture. They’re commonly used to make soup or broth, and any remaining meat is eaten to avoid waste. Because あら骨 represents the least useful part of a fish, the word was abbreviated to あら and came to mean a flaw or useless quality in a person.

Since a person desperately picking meat off bones is scraping for something barely there, あら探しをする describes someone who goes out of their way to find faults in others.

When is it used?

This ことわざ is simply used to refer to someone being unnecessarily nitpicky.

Example:

あいつは私がどんだけ頑張って料理しても、わざわざあら探しするから最近はコンビニ弁当をさらに盛り付けるようにしている。

No matter how much effort I put into cooking, he always finds something to criticize, so recently I’ve just been plating convenience store bento and serving that instead.

Caution

This expression carries a negative nuance. It cannot be used to describe someone who is simply detail-oriented or thorough.

[Fuga]

四字熟語 of the week

三日坊主
みっかぼうず

Meaning:
Someone who gives up or loses interest easily.

Context:
Originally, this phrase described a monk in training who returned home in just a few days after leaving home to become a monk. Becoming a monk requires serious commitment, and the training period is usually long and grueling. Even those who entered with genuine enthusiasm sometimes found themselves longing for their old life after just a few days.

When is it used?
This is used to describe motivated people that try out new things, but have the tendency of not being able to continue to achieve their new goal. Although 三日 is used in this 四字熟語, this just represents a short period of time, not necessarily 3 days.

Example:

日記を始めようとして日記帳を買ってみたものの、三日坊主になり、一年たった今でも、まだ３ページしか使っていない。

I bought a diary with the intention of starting one, but I lost interest after just a few days, and even now, a year later, I’ve only filled three pages.

[Fuga]

ことわざ of the week

This week’s ことわざ is :

鬼に金棒
おににかなぼう

Translation:

Like giving a metal club to an oni.

Meaning:

To make a strong person or thing even stronger.

Similar to ‘adding wings to a tiger’ in English.

Context:

鬼 is a yokai that appears a lot in Japanese folklore and is taught as something to be feared due to their size and strength.

When these already strong creatures are armed with a metal club, they become even stronger.

When is it used?

This ことわざ is used to describe situations where someone who is already strong (not limited to physical strength), gains some sort of advantage to make them even stronger, making them unstoppable.

Example:

コミュニケーション能力が高いだけでなく、四ヶ国語話せるなんて、まさに鬼に金棒だよ。

Not only do you have great communication skills, but being able to speak four languages is like adding wings to a tiger.

[Fuga]

四字熟語 of the week

十人十色
じゅうにんといろ

Meaning:
Everyone is different. Everyone has their own opinions/values.

Context:
This 四字熟語 is relatively new, and although the exact origin of this word is not known, it is thought that this became widely used during the Meiji era. However, the concept acknowledging that different people have different opinions and values was a thing that started to spread during the Edo period.

It is thought by some that this 四字熟語 uses 十 because in Buddhism, 10 is a symbolic number that encompasses the entire world.

Although 色 is usually translated as color, it is a word that can be used to describe emotions, personality, and mindset.

When is it used?
This is used to express that everyone has their own values and beliefs.

Example:

どっちの方が美味しいって聞かれても、味の好みは十人十色だから、俺が美味しいと思っても、さくらちゃんの好みに合うとは限らない。

Even if you ask me which one tastes better, everyone has their own taste, so just because I think it’s delicious doesn’t mean it’ll be to your liking.