Mago nimo Isho (Clothes Make the Man)
Mago nimo Isho
馬子にも衣装
Today, I will talk about the proverb “mago nimo isho.”
今日は「馬子にも衣装」ということわざを紹介します。
“Mago” means a person who carries people and luggage while leading a horse, and “isho” means dress clothes.
(Currently in Japan, there is almost no people who work as mago.)
(Currently in Japan, there is almost no people who work as mago.)
「馬子」とは馬をひいて人や荷物を運ぶことを職業とした人を意味します。
This proverb expresses that everyone will look good by wearing dress clothes, even if he/she is a low ranked person like mago.
このことわざは、馬子のような身分の低い人でも、身なりを整えれば立派に見えることを表します。
Note that if you say this proverb to others, it can be rude.
無下に他人に使うと失礼にあたりますので、注意して下さい。
Also, since the reading “mago” can mean “grandchild”, some people think that “mago nimo isho” means “any cloth suits a grandchild,” but this thought is wrong.
「馬子」と「孫」の読みが同じであることから、「孫にも衣装（孫はどんな服を着てもかわいい）」と思っている人もいますが、これは間違いです。
