Tonton Byōshi (とんとん拍子 – Swimmingly)
Tonton Byōshi
とんとん拍子
I often use the Japanese term “tonton byōshi” (とんとん拍子), when things go as I want them to.
物事が思い通りに進むとき、私はよく「とんとん拍子」という表現を使います。
The “tonton” (とんとん) of “tonton byōshi” is an onomatopoeia that represents the sound of stepping on the floor rhythmically while aligning with clapping of his/her teacher.
「とんとん拍子」の「とんとん」は、舞台で師匠の手拍子に合わせて踊る際に、調子良く床を踏む音を表す擬音語です。
Therefore, just “tonton” can mean that things go well, but this term also has other meanings, such as the sound of hitting something or that profits/losses between two are the same.
このため「とんとん」だけでも、「順調に進む」の意味を有しますが、「とんとん」は「物を叩く音」や「二つの損得がほぼ同じ事」などの意味も有します。
If you add the term “byōshi” (拍子), which means rhythm, it can clearly mean that things go as you expect.
具合や調子を表す「拍子」をつけると、「物事が順調に進む」という意味に限定されます。
For example, you can use it like “Kōshō ga tonton byōshi ni susumu” (交渉がとんとん拍子に進む – The negociation is going along swimmingly).
例えば「交渉がとんとん拍子に進む」のように使います。
