Proverbs
Traditional sayings that express a lesson or a truth in a few words.
934 results
- 陰になり日向になりかげになりひなたになりopenly and secretly, helping in all ways
- 蓑になり笠になりみのになりかさになりhelping and protecting in all ways
- 知らぬ仏より馴染みの鬼しらぬほとけよりなじみのおにbetter the devil you know than the devil you don't know
- 知らぬ神より馴染みの鬼しらぬかみよりなじみのおにbetter the devil you know than the devil you don't know
- 良禽は木を択んで棲むりょうきんはきをえらんですむa wise retainer chooses a great lord to serve
- 匹夫も志を奪うべからずひっぷもこころざしをうばうべからずone cannot shake the will of even the lowliest man, a person's will should be respected, even a menial deserves his convictions
- 井蛙は以って海を語る可からずせいあはもってうみをかたるべからずa narrow-minded person cannot understand the ways of the world
- 靴新しと雖も首に加えずくつあたらしといえどもくびにくわえずthere must be a clear distinction between the upper and lower classes
- 孟母断機の教えもうぼだんきのおしえ(the lesson that) one should not leave things unfinished
- 修身斉家治国平天下しゅうしんせいかちこくへいてんかthose who wish to rule the land must first cultivate their own characters, then manage their families, then govern their states; only then can they bring peace to the land
- 挨拶は時の氏神あいさつはときのうじがみblessed are the peacemakers, one should appreciate and follow the advice of a mediator（この語の「挨拶」は「仲裁」の意）争いの時の仲裁人は、時宜を得た氏神と思って、謹んでその意思に従った方が好い、ということ。
- 氷炭相容れずひょうたんあいいれずhaving completely different natures and being incompatible with each other, like oil and water
- 嘉肴ありと雖も食らわずんばその旨きを知らずかこうありといえどもくらわずんばそのうまきをしらずone cannot understand even a holy man's teachings without study, one cannot know the abilities of a great man without putting him to use
- 欲の熊鷹股裂くよくのくまたかまたさくavarice brings doom upon oneself, grasp all, lose all
- 洞ヶ峠を決め込むほらがとうげをきめこむto wait for a good opportunity, to come down on the right side of the fence, to see which way the cat jumps
- 身体髪膚これを父母に受くあえて毀傷せざるは孝の始めなりしんたいはっぷこれをふぼにうくあえてきしょうせざるはこうのはじめなりfilial piety begins with not harming one's own body (as one's entire body was given by one's parents)
- 破鏡再び照らさずはきょうふたたびてらさずa broken relationship can never be repaired, a divorced couple are never reconciled
- 凹き所に水溜まるくぼきところにみずたまるwhen the right conditions are fulfilled, things will turn out well on their own, someone in bad circumstances will continue to accumulate difficulties
- 馬には乗ってみよ人には添うてみようまにはのってみよひとにはそうてみよyou can't judge someone until you've spent time with them, you can't judge something until you've tried it
- 君子は豹変すくんしはひょうへんすa wise man changes his mind, a fool never, the wise adapt themselves to changed circumstances, the wise make no scruple in suddenly changing their demeanor
- 虎は死して皮を留め人は死して名を残すとらはししてかわをとどめひとはししてなをのこすhe has not lived that lives not after death, the great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it
- 損して得取れそんしてとくとれyou must lose a fly to catch a trout, sometimes the best gain is to lose
- 長いものには巻かれろながいものにはまかれろif you can't beat them; join them, you can't fight city hall, if your adversaries are stronger than you, it is better to join their side than to fight them
- 長い物には巻かれよながいものにはまかれよif you can't beat them; join them, you can't fight city hall, if your adversaries are stronger than you, it is better to join their side than to fight them
- 無くて七癖有って四十八癖なくてななくせあってしじゅうはっくせevery person has their eccentricities人間には多かれ少なかれ誰にでも癖があるものだ。
- 雪隠で饅頭せんちでまんじゅうif you are hungry, where you eat doesn't matter, hiding something good for oneself alone
- 足るを知る者は富むたるをしるものはとむcontent is the philosopher's stone, that turns all it touches into gold
- 雀の千声鶴の一声すずめのせんこえつるのひとこえthe word of a wise man is worth the words of one thousand fools
- 名馬に癖ありめいばにくせありgreat men have eccentricities
- 山より大きな猪は出ぬやまよりおおきないのししはでぬthings cannot be larger than the things that contain them
- 言葉は身の文ことばはみのあやwords betray one's character
- 知る者は言わず言う者は知らずしるものはいわずいうものはしらずhe who knows, does not speak; he who speaks, does not know, those who know do not talk; those who talk do not know
- 梅は食うとも核食うな、中に天神寝てござるうめはくうともさねくうな、なかにてんじんねてござるdon't eat plum pits (because they are poisonous)
- 人間は万物の尺度であるにんげんはばんぶつのしゃくどであるman is the measure of all things
- 蟻の穴から堤も崩れるありのあなからつつみもくずれるa small leak will sink a great ship
- 君子は周して比せず小人は比して周せずくんしはしゅうしてひせずしょうじんはひしてしゅうせずa wise man keeps wide company; a fool joins a clique
- 馬鹿と天才は紙一重ばかとてんさいはかみひとえthere is but a fine line between genius and insanity
- 牛は牛連れ馬は馬連れうしはうしづれうまはうまづれbirds of a feather flock together, don't mix your horses with your cows
- 近しき仲にも垣を結えちかしきなかにもかきをゆえgood fences make good neighbors, a hedge between keeps friendship green
- 盲千人目明き千人めくらせんにんめあきせんにんsome are wise and some are otherwise
- 悪に強いは善にも強いあくにつよいはぜんにもつよいgreat sinners make great saints (after repenting)
- いつまでもあると思うな親と金いつまでもあるとおもうなおやとかねyou cannot rely on parents and money to stay around forever, money comes and goes; so do parents頼りとなる親もいつかは必ず寿命で死んでしまうし、金も使いすぎればいつかは無くなってしまうものだということ。
- 火を見たら火事と思えひをみたらかじとおもえyou can never be too careful
- 群盲象を撫ずぐんもうぞうをなずthe mediocre have no right to criticize the great
- 悪は延べよあくはのべよdon't hasten into action when you have doubts
- 網の目に風とまらずあみのめにかぜとまらずyou can't catch the wind with a net
- 合わせ物は離れ物あわせものははなれものthings that come together can also come apart, what may be joined may be separated
- 一樹の陰一河の流れも他生の縁いちじゅのかげいちがのながれもたしょうのえんeverything is preordained
- 言わぬは言うにまさるいわぬはいうにまさるspeech is silver, silence is golden
- 馬に乗るまでは牛に乗れうまにのるまではうしにのれlearn to crawl before you learn to walk
- 光は東からひかりはひがしからthe light comes from the East, the light rises from the East, ex oriente lux
- 貧は世界の福の神ひんはせかいのふくのかみpoverty is the greatest motivator, poverty is the mother of invention
- 武士は食わねど高楊枝ぶしはくわねどたかようじthe samurai glories in honourable poverty, keep a stiff upper lip!生活が苦しくてもそれを表に出すことなく、気品を持って生きるべきであるということ。 見栄を張ることややせ我慢をすること。
- 武士に二言なしぶしににごんなしa samurai never goes back on his word
- 豚を盗んで骨を施すぶたをぬすんでほねをほどこすyou cannot excuse a bad deed with a petty act of benevolence
- 知識は力なりちしきはちからなりknowledge is power
- 中流に舟を失えば一壺も千金ちゅうりゅうにふねをうしなえばいっこもせんきんany port will do in a storm
- 八十の手習いはちじゅうのてならいyou're never too old to learn
- 弱き者汝の名は女なりよわきものなんじのなはおんななりfrailty, thy name is woman
- 隣の芝は青いとなりのしばはあおいthe grass is always greener on the other side of the fence