Hana wa Oritashi Kozue wa Takashi (花は折りたし梢は高し – So Near and yet So Far)
Hana wa Oritashi Kozue wa Takashi
花は折りたし梢は高し
The Japanese phrase, hana wa oritashi kozue wa takashi (花は折りたし梢は高し), can describe a situation where you want something but have no way to get it or things are not going your way.
欲しいけれど手に入れる方法がないことや、思うようにいかないことを、「花は折りたし梢は高し」と言うことができます。
Since hana (花) means “flower,” ori/oru (折り/折る) means “to break,” tashi/tai (たし/たい) means “want,” kozue (梢) means “treetop,” and takashi/takai (高し/高い) means “high,” the literal meaning of this phrase is “want to break (a branch with) a flower, but the treetop is high.”
「花」は “flower”、「折り/折る」は “to break”、「たし/たい」は “want”、「梢」は “treetop”、「高し/高い」は “hight” を意味するので、「花は折りたし梢は高し」の文字どおりの意味は “want to break (a branch with) a flower, but the treetop is high” となります。
It means you want to break and pick the branch with a flower, but the treetop is too high to reach.
花の咲いている枝をとりたいけれど、梢が高くて手が届かないというわけです。
This phrase carries a similar meaning to takane no hana (高嶺の花 – meaning “out of one’s league”), which was introduced yesterday.
昨日紹介した、「手が届かないような魅力的な女性」を意味する「高嶺の花」と似た意味を持ちます。
Related posts:
Shakkin wo Shichi ni Oku (借金を質に置く – Severe Financial Hardship)
Minoru hodo Kōbe wo Tareru Inaho kana (実るほど頭を垂れる稲穂かな – The Boughs That Bear most Hang Lowest)
Tou ni Ochizu Kataru ni Ochiru (問うに落ちず語るに落ちる – The Tongue Is Ever Turning to the Aching Tooth)
Iegara yori Imogara (家柄より芋がら – Actions Speak Louder than Words.)