Idioms

Fixed expressions whose meaning is not the sum of their parts.

• Four-character idioms
• Proverbs
• Idioms

1,283 results

• 元も子もないもともこもないlosing everything, suffering a total loss, coming to nothing何にもない。欲張りすぎた結果全部を失う例えに使用する。
• 腹をくくるはらをくくるto prepare oneself for the worst, to strengthen one's resolve, to accept one's fate, to prepare oneself
• 目くじらを立てるめくじらをたてるto find fault (with trivial matters), to scold over minor things, to get angry over trifles, to raise one's eyebrows
• 腕が鳴るうでがなるto be itching to put one's skills to use
• 隴を得て蜀を望むろうをえてしょくをのぞむnever being satisfied with what one gets, and always wanting more, giving someone an inch and having them take a mileある望みを叶えていながら、更なる望みを持つこと。望蜀。
• 九仞の功を一簣に虧くきゅうじんのこうをいっきにかくto fail one step short of great success, to fall at the last hurdleそれまで積み上げてきた成果や功績が、最後の些細なものが足らずに未完成となり台無しになることのたとえ。
• ミイラ取りがミイラになるミイラとりがミイラになるintending to persuade someone and instead being persuaded oneself, going for wool and coming home shorn, the biter bit翻心させようと説得を試みる人が却って相手の主張に同調してしまうこと。
• 手に乗るてにのるto fall for a trick, to be taken in, to play into the hands (of)
• 立錐の余地もないりっすいのよちもないtightly packed, full to capacity, jam-packed
• 口をきくくちをきくto speak, to talk, to mediate, to act as a go-between
• 棚に上げるたなにあげるto shut one's eyes to (one's own faults, etc.), to pretend not to see, to pay no attention to, to forget
• 波に乗るなみにのるto go with the flow, to go with the times
• 帯に短し襷に長しおびにみじかしたすきにながしneither one thing nor the other
• あごで使うあごでつかうto set someone to work in an arrogant fashion, to push someone around, to chatter, to jaw
• 逆鱗に触れるげきりんにふれるto infuriate one's superior, to incur the anger of one's boss, to bring (a superior's) wrath down upon one, to incur the Imperial wrath天子、君主を激しく怒らせる。 1より派生して、上司など、目上の人を激しく怒らせる。
• 暗礁に乗り上げるあんしょうにのりあげるto run aground, to strike a rock, to be stranded on a reef, to reach a deadlock思わぬ障害にぶつかり物事が行き詰まる。
• 手玉に取るてだまにとるto lead (someone) by the nose, to twist (someone) around one's little finger思いのままに操り翻弄すること。
• 手がかかるてがかかるto take a lot of dealing with, to be a handful
• 手が早いてがはやいbeing a fast worker, fast in forming relationships with women, quick to resort to violence, quick to turn violent
• うだつが上がらないうだつがあがらないno hope of getting ahead
• 親のすねをかじるおやのすねをかじるto depend on one's parents' (financial) support
• 手が空くてがあくto be free, to be available
• 紺屋の白袴こうやのしろばかまthe shoemaker's children go barefoot, specialists often fail to apply their skills to themselves他人に手を回しすぎて自分には手が回らないこと。
• 胡麻を擂るごまをするto flatter, to toady (to), to curry favor (with), to butter up
• 釈迦に説法しゃかにせっぽうteaching your grandmother to suck eggs, teaching something to someone who knows more than you, preaching to the choir釈迦に対して仏教の教えを説こうとするように、本来は教えてもらうべき側が教えようとする様子。
• 敵は本能寺にありてきはほんのうじにありhis true objective lies elsewhere, there are ulterior motives at play
• 対岸の火事たいがんのかじsomeone else's problem（他者にとっては大問題であっても）自分には関係なく、何の苦痛もないこと。
• 気をもむきをもむto worry, to fret, to get anxious
• 息を引き取るいきをひきとるto die, to draw one's last breath, to breathe one's last
• 波風が立つなみかぜがたつto be discordant, to have discord
• 波風を立てるなみかぜをたてるto make trouble, to make waves, to cause discord
• 味を占めるあじをしめるto be encouraged by initial success, to get a taste for, to yearn for more
• 足を運ぶあしをはこぶto go (to), to make one's way (to), to visit
• 後足で砂をかけるあとあしですなをかけるto do something spiteful as one leaves, to take a parting shot at
• 危ない橋を渡るあぶないはしをわたるto tread on thin ice, to go out on a limb, to walk a tightrope, to take risks危険を知った上で、その方法で物事を行うことの例え。
• 生き馬の目を抜くいきうまのめをぬくto be shrewd, to be sharp, to keep your wits about you
• 一世を風靡するいっせいをふうびするtake the world by storm, to hold sway over the minds of the people
• 芋を洗うよういもをあらうようwith people jostling against one another, teeming, heaving, jam-packed
• 引導を渡すいんどうをわたすto perform the last rites over the deceased, to give someone their final notice (e.g. when firing them), to give someone the final word
• 後ろ髪を引かれるうしろがみをひかれるto do something with painful reluctance
• うまい汁を吸ううまいしるをすうto be onto a good thing, to make money without working, to line one's pockets
• 江戸の敵を長崎で討つえどのかたきをながさきでうつto hit someone where they least expect it, to take revenge on someone in an unlikely place, to get revenge on someone in a different contest意外な所、時または筋違いなことで、過去の仕返しをすること。
• 大鉈を振るうおおなたをふるうto make drastic cuts, to take an axe to
• お株を奪うおかぶをうばうto beat someone at their own game, to outdo someone in their specialty
• 灸を据えるきゅうをすえるto rake over the coals, to scold, to chastise, to roast灸で治療する。 きつく注意したり処罰したりして懲らしめる。
• お先棒を担ぐおさきぼうをかつぐto be a willing cats-paw, to willingly act as someone's tool
• お茶を濁すおちゃをにごすto evade (questions), to reply evasively, to beat around the bush, to throw up a smoke screen物事をおざなりにしてその場をしのぐ。ごまかす。はぐらかす。
• 同じ釜の飯を食うおなじかまのめしをくうto live together, to be close friends同じ共同体が同じものを食べることによって、同体としての帰属意識を持つこと。あるいはそれを強化すること。 ある程度の期間、他人同士が同じ家で起居を共にする、ないし、学校や職場・軍隊で生活を共にする。
• 尾ひれをつけるおひれをつけるto exaggerate, to embellish (a story, rumor, etc.)
• 飼い犬に手をかまれるかいいぬにてをかまれるto be betrayed by a trusted follower
• 舵を取るかじをとるto steer a ship, to manage, to take command, to take the helm
• 肩透かしを食わせるかたすかしをくわせるto dodge (an attack, question, etc.), to sidestep, to evade
• 肩で風を切るかたでかぜをきるto swagger, to strut, to be confident, to have no worries
• 火中の栗を拾うかちゅうのくりをひろうto take a risk for someone, to endanger oneself for someone他人の利益のために、自ら危険を冒すこと。
• 仮面をかぶるかめんをかぶるto wear a mask, to hide one's true intentions
• 鴨が葱を背負って来るかもがねぎをしょってくるalong comes a sucker just begging to be parted from his moneyとても都合の良い事。
• 看板を下ろすかんばんをおろすto close one's business
• 木で鼻をくくるきではなをくくるto be blunt, to be curt
• 木に縁りて魚を求むきによりてうおをもとむto be unable to accomplish something because one has chosen the wrong method, to ask for the impossible
• 肝をつぶすきもをつぶすto be flabbergasted, to be amazed, to be astounded, to be stunned