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【No. 1553】'Yōshi Tanrei' and 'Bimoku Shūrei' (「容姿端麗」と「眉目秀麗」 - "Beautiful Features")

Mar 21, 2019 01:03
Yōshi Tanrei and 'Bimoku Shūrei'

Yesterday, I introduced you to the four-character idom saishoku kenbi (才色兼備), which means to be both beautiful and talented.

If you want to talk about only someone's beautiful features, you can use other idioms, yōshi tanrei (容姿端麗) or bimoku shūrei (眉目秀麗).

Since yōshi (容姿) means "features" and tanrei (端麗) means "beauty/beautiful," the literal meaning of yōshi tanrei is "beautiful features."

Since bi (眉) means "eyebrow," moku (目) means "eye," and shūrei means "beauty/beautiful," the literal meaning of bimoku shūrei is "beautiful eyebrows and eyes."

The former can be used to both men and women, whereas the latter is usually used to men.
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【No. 1554】Sihou Happou (四方八方 - Every Direction)

Mar 21, 2019 20:58
Sihou Happou

In my previous post, I introduced the word happou (八方), which means every direction in the surroundings.

Of course, happou itself makes sense, but if you want to emphasize that directions are diverse, you can use the four-character idiom sihou happou (四方八方).

Shi (四) means "four," ha/hachi (八) means "eight," hou/pou (方) means "direction," so the literal meaning of this idioms is "four directions and eight directions."

Both sihou (四方) and happou (八方) mean every direction, but in the narrow sense, the former means north, south, east and west, and the latter means northeast, northwest, southeast and northeast in addition to sihou.
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【No. 1552】Saishoku Kenbi (才色兼備 - Being both Talented and Beautiful)

Mar 20, 2019 21:43
Saishoku Kenbi

Have you ever seen a person with both talent and beautiful features?

Such a person is described as the four-character idiom saishoku kenbi (才色兼備).

Sai (才) means "talent/gift" and shoku (色) means "features," so the combination saishoku (才色) means "talent and beautiful features."

In addition, ken (兼) means "both" and bi (備) means "to have," so the literal meaning of saishoku kenbi is "to have both talent and beautiful features."

It can also mean a person having both brains and beauty.

Note that this idiom is usually used to women.
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【No. 1551】Atama ga Panku (頭がパンク - One's Head is Explode)

Mar 19, 2019 00:20
Atama ga Panku

I am about to atama ga panku (頭がパンク).

Atama (頭) means "head" and panku (パンク) comes from the English "punctured," so the literal meaning of 'atama ga panku (suru)' (頭がパンクする) is "one's head is punctured (flattened)."

I think that it is not difficult to imagine situations where this phrase is used.

You can use this when you have too many jobs or tasks to do and your brain is about to literally be punctured.

In English, it can be translated as "one's head/mind is going to explode" or "to be about to panic."
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【No. 1550】Shucchō (出張 - Business Trip)

Mar 18, 2019 12:54
Shucchō

I am now visiting the US on a business trip.

To visit a different area from one's usual place of work is referred to as shucchō (出張) in Japanese.

Shucchō (出張) comes from the verb debaru (出張る) -- the former is Chinese reading, whereas the latter is Japanese reading.

Since de (出) means "to go out" and baru/haru (張る) means "to set up," the literal meaning of debaru is "to go out and set up something."

Originally, this term was used to mean to go to another area for war.

The two kanji character 出 and 張 imply that you go to the battlefield and set up the camp.
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【No. 1549】Monku (文句 - Complaint/Criticism)

Mar 17, 2019 12:26
Monku

I do not like people who often say monku (文句).

Since mon (文) means "sentence" and ku (句) means "phrase," the literal meaning of monku is "sentences and phrases."

Of course, this term can mean its literal meaning.

However, if you use just monku without adjectives, it will mean "complaint" or "criticism."

[Example 1] Kare wa itsumo monku wo itte iru (彼はいつも文句を言っている - "He always make complains").

[Example 2] Kanojo wa monku nashi no tensai da (彼女は文句なしの天才だ - "She is an undisputed genius").
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【No. 1548】Yō wo Tasu (用を足す - Go to the Bathroom)

Mar 15, 2019 23:56
Yō wo Tasu

I used the expression yō wo tasu (用を足す) in my yesterday's post.

Yō (用) means "errand" and tasu (足す) means "to add" or "to do what is necessary."

Of course, this expression can literally mean "to do a necessary errand," but if you say just yō wo tasu (用を足す), it will mean to go to the bathroom in most cases.

It implies that you do what is necessary as a human in the bathroom.

As other indirect expressions, there are ohana tsumi ni iki (お花摘みに行く - "I will go picking flowers") and kiji uchi ni iki (雉撃ちに行く - "I will go pheasant hunting"), though they are now rarely used.
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【No. 1546】Shichiten Hakki (七転八起 - Never Giving Up)

Mar 13, 2019 04:11
Shichiten Hakki

If there is a person who tries many times despite repeated failures, his/her behavior can be described as the four-character idiom shichiten hakki (七転八起).

Shichi (七) means "seven," ten (転) means "to fall down," ha/hachi (八) means "eight," and ki (起) means "to get up," so the literal meaning of this idiom is "fall down seven times, get up eight times."

You might think that the number of getting up must be seven when the number of falling down is seven, but "seven" and "eight" here just imply that the number is large.

Incidentally, you can say it as nanakorobi yaoki (七転び八起き) by using Japanese readings.
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【No. 1545】Gobu Gobu (五分五分 - Half and Half)

Mar 12, 2019 18:20
Gobu Gobu

Yesterday, I introduced you to the four-character idiom kubu kurin (九分九厘), which means that a probability or achievement is almost 100% (literally means 99%).

If you want to express that the probability is about 50%, you can use the four-character idiom gobu gobu (五分五分).

Go (五) means "five," bu (分) is a unit representing ratios, and ichibu (一分 - "one bu") is 10%, so the literal meaning of this idiom is "50% and 50%."

Gobu gobu can mean not only probability but also that there is no priority between two persons (or two things).
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【No. 1544】Kubu Kurin (九分九厘 - A Hundred to One)

Mar 11, 2019 15:14
Kubu Kurin

Yesterday, I introduced you to the four-character idiom jucchū hakku (十中八九), which means that the probability is high.

When interpreting this idiom literally, the probability is 80% to 90%.

If you want to express a higher probability, such as 99%, you can use the four-character idiom kubu kurin (九分九厘).

Ku (九) means "nine," and bu (分) and rin (里) are units representing ratios or probabilities -- they mean "10%" and "1%," respectively.

That is to say, kubu kurin literally means 99%.

This idiom can be used not only for probability but also for progress or completeness of things.
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【No. 1543】Jucchū Hakku (十中八九 - Ten to One)

Mar 10, 2019 22:07
Jucchū Hakku

To express that possibility is high or something is most likely to happen, you can use the four-character idiom jucchū hakku (十中八九)

Ju/jū (十) means "ten," chū (中) means "in" or "inside," ha/hachi (八) means "eight," and ku/kyū (九) means "nine."

That is to say, jucchū hakku means that the possibility is eight or nine when the total of the possibility is ten.

In other words, it means that the possibility is 80% to 90%.

[Example] Ashita wa jucchū hakku hareru (明日は十中八九晴れる - "Ten to one it will be fine tomorrow.")
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【No. 1542】Kan-muryō (感無量 - Deep Emotion)

Mar 9, 2019 15:43
Kan-muryō

Yesterday, I introduced you to the phrase mune ga ippai ni naru (胸が一杯になる), which means that one's heart is filled.

The word kan-muryō (感無量) has a similar meaning to this phrase.

Kan-muryō is short for kangai muryō (感慨無量), and it can be divided into two parts: kangai (感慨) and muryō (無量).

Kan (感) means "feeling," gai (慨) means "emotion" and kangai means "deep emotion."

In addition, mu (無) means "nothing," ryō (量) means "quantity," and muryō means "innumerable."

That is to say, the literal meaning of kan-muryō and kangai muryō is one's innumerable deep emotion.

【No. 1541】Mune ga Ippai ni Naru (胸がいっぱいになる - Overflowing)

Mar 8, 2019 15:44
Mune ga Ippai ni Naru

Yesterday, a farewell party for teachers who would retire or change their jobs at my university was held.

Since I was also one of the teachers who leave the university, my boss paid me a heartfelt compliment, then I was filled with joy.

When you are filled with emotions such as joy or grief, you can describe it as mune ga ippai ni naru (胸がいっぱいになる).

Mune (胸) means "heart," ippai (いっぱい) means "full" or "many," and naru (なる) means "to be," so the literal meaning of this phrase is "one's heart is filled."

[Example] Kanasimi de mune ga ippai ni natta (悲しみで胸がいっぱいになった - "I overflowed with grief").
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【No. 1540】Ōme ni Miru (大目に見る - Overlooking)

Mar 7, 2019 16:57
Ōme ni Miru

Yesterday, I introduced you to the idiom ōmedama wo kuu (大目玉を食う), which means to be scolded harshly.

There is another idiom having a common part with this, ōme ni miru (大目に見る).

Ō (大) means "big," and me (目) usually means "eye," but it can also mean gaps in an object, and especially here it means "gaps of a sieve."

In addition, miru (見る) means "to look," so the literal meaning of ōme ni miru is "to look at something using a big sieve."

Since such a sieve with big gaps passes through anything, ōme ni miru means to overlook someone's failure or shortcomings.
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【No. 1539】Ōmedama wo Kuu (大目玉を食う - Getting a Rocket)

Mar 6, 2019 20:38
Ōmedama wo Kuu

To be scolded very harshly can be described as ōmedama wo kuu (大目玉を食う) in Japanese.

Ō (大) means "big," me (目) means "eye," and dama/tama (玉) means "ball," so the combination ōmedama means "big eyeballs."

In addition, kuu (食う) usually means "to eat," but it can also mean "to receive an undesirable deed."

Therefore, the literal meaning of this idiom is "to receive big eyeballs."

Here, big eyeballs stand for the wide eyes of a person who scold someone very harshly.
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【No. 1538】Temae Miso (手前味噌 - Self-Praise)

Mar 5, 2019 22:15
Temae Miso

I think that everyone sometimes wants to compliment oneself.

Such an action can be described as temae miso (手前味噌) in Japanese.

Te (手) means "hand," mae (前) means "front," and the combination temae (手前) means "at hand" or "oneself."

In addition, miso (味噌) means "fermented soybean paste," but it can also mean "an ingenuity point" or "a claim to fame" because miso was made by each house's unique formula.

Therefore, temae miso came to have the meaning of "pride" or "self-praise."

[Example] Temae miso desuga, musuko wa kasikoi desu (手前味噌ですが、息子は賢いです - "I don't mean to brag, but my son is clever").
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【No. 1537】Kubittake (首ったけ - Being Head-Over-Heels in Love)

Mar 4, 2019 16:50
Kubittake

Today, I found the term kubittake (首ったけ) when I was listening to Japanese music.

Kubittake means that someone is hooked about something, especially someone is madly in love with another person.

This term comes from kubitake (首丈) -- kubi (首) means "neck" and take (丈) means "length."

Originally, kubitake literally meant the length from someone's foot to the neck.

Since we said that you plunged into something from your foot to neck for describing that you are hooked about it, kubittake came to have its current meaning.
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【No. 1536】Waki ga Amai (脇が甘い - Vulnerable)

Mar 3, 2019 14:06
Waki ga Amai

To describe that someone's defenses are weak or someone is vulnerable, you can say the Japanese idiom waki ga amai (脇が甘い).

Waki (脇) means "armpit" and amai (甘い) means "sweet" or "lax," so the literal meaning of waki ga amai is "one's armpit is sweet" or "one's armpit is lax."

Of course, it does not literally mean that someone's armpit is sweet.

This idiom comes from a traditional Japanese sport, sumō (相撲).

In sumō, if you do not close tightly your armpits, you will be thrown and defeated.

Because of this, waki ga amai came to have its current meaning.
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【No. 1535】Yubi wo Kuwaeru (指をくわえる - Enviously)

Mar 2, 2019 23:53
Yubi wo Kuwaeru

When you can't do anything while feeling envious of something, it can be described as yubi wo kuwaeru (指をくわえる) in Japanese.

Yubi (指) means "finger" and kuwaeru (くわえる) means "to suck" or "to put in," the literal meaning of "yubi wo kuwaeru" is "to suck one's finger."

Here, in particular, the finger means "index finger."

This phrase comes from the fact that children suck their index finger when they can't get what they want.

[Example] Kare wa yubi wo kuwaete sono shouhin wo miteita (彼は指をくわえてその商品を見ていた - "He looked enviously at that product.")
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【No. 1534】 Fude ga Tatsu (筆が立つ - Skillful Writer)

Mar 1, 2019 19:53
Fude ga Tatsu

The Japanese phrase fude ga tasu (筆が立つ) can be used to people who have good writing skills.

Fude (筆) is a kind of writing instrument used from old times, and it can be translated as "ink brush" in English.

In addition, tatsu (立つ) usually means "to stand," but it has also several meanings, and here it means "to have a good skill."

That is to say, the literal meaning of fude ga tatsu is that someone has a good skill about an ink brush.

However, note that it does not means that someone can write beautiful characters, but means that someone can write good sentences.