Uchi Benkei (内弁慶 – A Lion at Home and a Mouse Abroad)
Uchi Benkei
内弁慶
A person who is strong and domineering inside the house, but cowardly outside, is called uchi Benkei (内弁慶) in Japanese.
家の中では威張り、外に出ると大人しくなる人のことを、「内弁慶」と言います。
Uchi (内) means “inside.”
「内」は “inside” を意味します。
In addition, Benkei (弁慶) refers to Musashibo Benkei (武蔵坊弁慶), a monk in the late Heian period (around the 12th century). He had a large body and monstrous strength, and his name is used as a synonym for a strong man.
「弁慶」は平安時代末期の僧侶「武蔵坊弁慶」のことで、体が大きく怪力であり、豪傑な人の代名詞としても利用されます。
That is to say, uchi Benkei means a person who is strong like Musashibo Benkei only inside the house.
すなわち「内弁慶」とは、家の中でだけは弁慶のように強い態度をとる人、というわけです。
In English, it can be expressed as “(a man who is) a lion at home and a mouse abroad.”
英語では “a lion at home and a mouse abroad”（家ではライオン、外ではネズミ）のように表現されます。
