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【No. 2002】Shunmin Akatsuki wo Oboezu (春眠暁を覚えず - In Spring One Sleeps a Sleep That Knows No Dawn)

Apr 15, 2023 12:10
Shunmin Akatsuki wo Oboezu

The temperature was so pleasant today's morning that I overslept.

It is shunmin akatsuki wo oboezu (春眠暁を覚えず).

Since shun (春) means "spring," min (眠) means "sleep," akatsuki (暁) means "dawn," oboe/oboeru (覚える) means "to memorize/feel," and zu (ず) is a negative suffix, the literal meaning of this proverb is "spring sleep does not let you feel the dawn."

In other words, spring nights are so comfortable for sleeping that you do not notice the dawn and tend to oversleep.

This proverb comes from Chinese poetry.
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【No. 2001】Amai Kao (甘い顔 - Pretty/Handsome Face) Part 2

Apr 14, 2023 21:15
Amai Kao Part 2

In my post yesterday, I introduced the term amai kao (甘い顔), which means "sweet face/handsome."

To tell you the truth, amai kao is not only used to describe people's appearance but also their attitude.

For example, when someone has a lenient attitude to a particular person in a situation where they need to be strict, they are described as amai kao wo suru (甘い顔をする - literally means "to make a sweet face").

This is because amai (甘い) can also mean "lacking in strictness" in addition to "sweet/enchanting."
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【No. 2000】Amai Kao (甘い顔 - Pretty/Handsome Face) Part 1

Apr 13, 2023 11:12
Amai Kao Part 1

When watching an American TV drama yesterday, I found that the line "pretty face" was translated as amai kao (甘い顔) in Japanese subtitles.

Since amai (甘い) means "sweet/enchanting" and kao (顔) means "face," the literal meaning of amai kao is "sweet/enchanting face."

Amai kao may be an appropriate Japanese translation of "pretty face," but amai kao is usually used in Japan to describe a handsome man's face, so the nuance may be slightly different between English and Japanese.

Incidentally, it is also often used as amai masuku (甘いマスク) using masuku (マスク - meaning "mask") instead of kao (顔 - meaning "face").

To be continued in Part 2.
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【No. 1999】Shakkin wo Shichi ni Oku (借金を質に置く - Severe Financial Hardship)

Apr 12, 2023 22:15
Shakkin wo Shichi ni Oku

To come up with the money for something by forcing yourself can be described as shakkin wo shichi ni oku (借金を質に置く) in Japanese.

Since shakkin (借金) means "debt," and shichi ni oku (質に置く) means "to pawn something," the literal meaning of this phrase is "to pawn debt."

As you can imagine, this phrase describes a financially distressed situation where debt is the only thing to be pawned or increased by debt being pawned.

It is often used with the auxiliary verb youda (ようだ), which means "feel like," as shakkin wo shichi ni oku youda (借金を質に置くようだ).
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【No. 1998】Isshin Ittai and Niten Santen (一進一退と二転三転 - Back-and-Forth and Change Again and Again)

Apr 11, 2023 19:51
Isshin Ittai and Niten Santen

The four-character idiom isshin ittai (一進一退) describes that things do not progress smoothly or that things get better and worse repeatedly.

Since i/ichi (一) means "one," shin (進) means "progress," tai (退) means "regression," isshin ittai literally means "one progress and one regression."

Whereas, the four-character idiom niten santen (二転三転) describes that the state of things changes many times.

Since ni (二) means "two," ten (転) means "turn," san (三) means "three," the literal meaning of niten santen is "two turns and three turns."

Both idioms are similar in the sense that the state of things is unstable.
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【No. 1997】Sou wa Tonya ga Orosanai (そうは問屋が卸さない - No Such Luck)

Apr 10, 2023 17:26
Sou wa Tonya ga Orosanai

When things do not work out as expected, you can use the expression sou wa tonya ga orosanai (そうは問屋が卸さない).

Since sou (そう) means "such," tonya (問屋) means "wholesaler," orosu/orosa (卸す/卸さ) means "to distribute," and nai (ない) is a negative prefix, the literal meaning of this phrase is "Wholesalers will not distribute such a thing."

A more precise expression would be, "Wholesalers will not the goods at such a low price."

You can use this when someone has a shallow thought or when things fail contrary to one's expectations.
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【No. 1996】Shōnen Oi Yasuku Gaku Nari Gatashi (少年老い易く学成り難し - Art Is Long, Life Is Short)

Apr 9, 2023 09:56
Shōnen Oi Yasuku Gaku Nari Gatashi

There are several proverbs referring to the fact that time flies, in addition to kōin ya no gotoshi (光陰矢の如し), which was introduced in my post yesterday.

One of them is especially directed to young people is shōnen oi yasuku gaku nari gatashi (少年老い易く学成り難し).

Since shōnen (少年) means "boy," oi (老い) means "to get old," yasuku (易く) means "easy," gaku (学) means "learning," nari (成り) means "to achieve," and gatashi (難し) means "difficult," the literal meaning of this proverb is "boys (and girls) get old easily, and it is difficult to achieve learning."

In other words, this proverb says, "You have to study hard while you are young so that you do not end up learning nothing."
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【No. 1995】Kōin Ya no Gotoshi (光陰矢の如し - Time Flies)

Apr 8, 2023 14:27
Kōin Ya no Gotoshi

I am now 35 years old.

I feel that time has passed very quickly in the last few years.

It is exactly like kōin ya no gotoshi (光陰矢の如し).

Kō (光) means "light" and in (陰) means "shade," but here they are used as metaphors for "sun" and "moon" (or "day" and "night"), respectively.

In addition, ya (矢) means "arrow," and gotoshi (如し) means "like" or "as if."

In other words, this idiom means that time flies as quickly as an arrow.
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【No. 1994】Shachihata (シャチハタ - Self-inking Rubber Stamp)

Apr 7, 2023 21:11
Shachihata

In Japan, seals are still used in many situations.

There are several types of seals, which are used according to the importance of the document, and the least legally effective seal is called shachihata (シヤチハタ).

Shachihata is a mass-produced and useful rubber stamp, but it has no legal validity because it is difficult to authenticate the person's identity and is prone to deterioration.

Shachihata is also the name of the company that sells shachihata, and the name came from the fact that a flag (hata (旗) in Japanese) with a golden dolphin (kin no shachihoko (金のシャチホコ) in Japanese), which is the symbol of Nagoya Castle, was used as the product design.

【No. 1993】Ichibō Senri (一望千里 - Boundless Expanse)

Apr 6, 2023 21:30
Ichibō Senri

Today I went to an onsen and took an open-air bath offering a view of the Pacific Ocean that fills your field of vision.

This scenic view can be described as ichibō senri (一望千里).

Since ichi (一) means "one" and bō (望) means "to look into the distance," ichibō (一望) means "to look out over a wide landscape with a single view."

In addition, sen (千) means "thousand," and ri (里) is the old Japanese unit of distance, which is about 4 km. The literal meaning of senri (千里) is "four thousand kilometers," but it can also be used as a metaphor for a very long distance.

That is to say, ichibō senri means a good view of the landscape where you can see very wide and far distances with a single view.

It was night, but the sea breeze was pleasant, and the full moon was so beautiful that I felt happy!
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【No. 1992】Shitsugen (失言 - Slipping of the Tongue)

Apr 5, 2023 19:17
Shitugen

I said several shitugen (失言) today.

Shitsu (失) often means "to lose something," but here it means "something accidentally gets out."

In addition, since gen (言) means "words," shitsugen literally means "to accidentally say something that should not be said."

This post introduces another term, shisshō (失笑), using the same meaning as shitsu in shitsugen.

Shō (笑) means "laughing."

Shisshō is often misunderstood to mean "something is so silly that you can't laugh at it" (a case where shitsu was mistakenly thought to mean "to lose something"), but it actually means "you can't hold back your laughter where you should not laugh."
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【No. 1991】Sutakora (すたこら - "Leaving in a Hurry")

Apr 4, 2023 18:40
Sutakora

When describing that someone is walking or leaving in a hurry, you can use the Japanese onomatopoeia sutakora (すたこら).

I could not find the etymology of sutakora on the internet, but I think that it came from the onomatopoeia suta suta (すたすた), which means that someone is walking quickly.

You can also say sutakora sassa (すたこらさっさ), by adding the onomatopoeia sassa (さっさ), which means quick movement or action without hesitation.

Many Japanese people learn this phrase from the nursery rhyme Mori no Kuma-san (森のくまさん - "The Other Day, I Met a Bear").
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【No. 1990】Dotabata and Atafuta (「どたばた」と「あたふた」 - Hustle and Bustle)

Apr 3, 2023 21:28
Dotabata and Atafuta

Today I was in a state described with dotabata (どたばた) and atafura (あたふた).

Dotabata is an onomatopoeia representing the state of someone running around in a flurry or making a noisy commotion. This term is a combination of two onomatopoeia, dota dota (どたどた) and bata bata (ばたばた), both of which mean the sound of footsteps or a hectic state.

Atafuta is not an onomatopoeia, but an abbreviation of awate futameku (慌てふためく).

Since awate (慌て) means "to fluster" and futameku (ふためく) means "to make a noisy commotion," the meaning is similar to dotabata.

In my opinion, dotabata sounds noisier than atafuta.
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【No. 1989】Mune ga Odoru (胸が躍る - Exciting)

Apr 2, 2023 17:45
Mune ga Odoru

My current feelings as I imagine my new life starting tomorrow can be described as a Japanese idiom mune ga odoru (胸が躍る).

Since mune (胸) means "chest" and odoru (躍る) means "to leap up," the literal meaning of mune ga odoru is "one's chest leaps up."

This phrase is a metaphor for feeling restless due to anticipation, joy, and excitement.

You can also use kokoro (心 - meaning "heart") instead of mune and/or hazumu (弾む - meaning "to bounce") instead of odoru, and say kokoro ga odoru (心が躍る), mune ga hazumu (胸が弾む), or kokoro ga hazumu (心が弾む).

【No. 1988】Kadode (門出 - New Chapter)

Apr 1, 2023 08:49
It's been a very long time since my last post.

Today is my new kadode (門出).

Kado (門) means "gate" and 'de'(出) means "to leave." Since kadode symbolizes leaving the gate of one's own house, it means a "day of departure" or "beginning of a new life."

Kadode is often used for graduation, employment, or marriage, and is frequently referred to as atarashii kadode (新しい門出) or aratana kadode (新たな門出) with the adjective atarashii/aratana (新たな - meaning "new").

Starting this April, I am changing jobs and beginning work as an associate professor at a new university.

I am very excited to finally have my own research lab, which has been a long-held dream of mine.

I will also resume my English studies from now on.

【No. 1987】1987

Oct 4, 2021 21:57
1987

This is my 1987th post on Lang-8.

And, I was born in 1987.

Today, I would like to share with you some of major events in Japan in 1987.

･NTT released the first cell phone for the general public in Japan.

･The first Japanese female AIDS patient was confirmed.

･Yasuda Fire and Marine Insurance Company, Limited made a successful bid of 22.5 million pounds (about 5.3 billion yen) for "Sunflowers" by Van Gogh.

･Capcom Co., Ltd. released the NES software "Mega Man."

･Square Co., Ltd. released the NES software "Final Fantasy."

･Konami Holdings Corporation released the MSX2 software "Metal Gear."

Incidentally, the NES software "Super Mario Bros." and "Dragon Quest" were released in 1985 and 1986, respectively.
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【No. 1986】Itumademo Aru to Omouna Oya to Kane (いつまでもあると思うな親と金 - It's too late to spare when the bottom is bare)

Oct 3, 2021 20:28
Itumademo Aru to Omouna Oya to Kane

As a warning for us to be self-reliant and thrifty, the following proverb is sometimes used:

Itumademo Aru to Omouna Oya to Kane (いつまでもあると思うな親と金).

Since itumademo (いつまでも) means "forever," aru to omouna (あると思うな) means "don't think there is something," oya (親) means "parent," and kane (金) means "money," this proverb literally means "Don't think there will be your parents and money forever."

It can be translated into English as "It's too late to spare when the bottom is bare."
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【No. 1985】Kane ga Mono wo Iu (金が物を言う - Money Talks)

Oct 2, 2021 18:03
Kane ga Mono wo Iu

Sometimes a difficult situation can be solved with much money.

In such situations, you can use the Japanese idiom kane ga mono wo iu (金が物を言う).

Since kane (金) means "money," mono (物) means "thing," and iu (言う) means "to say," the literal meaning of kane ga mono wo iu is "money says something."

This idiom came from the fact that it looks as if money talks or expresses an opinion in situations where money can solve problems.

In addition, when you use much money to control something to your own desires, it can be described as kane ni mono wo iwaseru (金に物を言わせる - literally means "let money talk").

【No. 1984】Torikoshi Kurō (取り越し苦労 - Worrying about Nothing)

Oct 1, 2021 19:48
Torikoshi Kurō

I got the second vaccine of COVID-19 today.

It is said that there are strong vaccine adverse reactions, so I am very worried about that.

However, there may not be any adverse reactions.

As in this situation, concerning unnecessarily about something that no one knows what will happen is called torikoshi kurō (取り越し苦労) in Japanese.

Since torikoshi (取り越し) means "bringing forward something" and kuro (苦労) means "trouble," torikoshi kurō literally means "bringing forward trouble."

This phrase can be translated into English as "worrying about nothing."
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【No. 1983】Issen wo Warau Mono wa Issen ni Naku (一銭を笑う者は一銭に泣く - Take Care of the Penny)

Sep 30, 2021 18:19
Issen wo Warau Mono wa Issen ni Naku

In yesterday's post, I introduced the Japanese proverb, ichi-en wo warau mono wa ichi-en ni naku (一円を笑うものは一円に泣く), which means that you should not treat money carelessly, even if it is a very small amount.

This proverb was originally used sen (銭) instead of en (円), as in issen wo warau mono wa issen ni naku (一銭を笑う者は一銭に泣く).

Sen is the old Japanese currency unit, and one hundred sen equals one yen.

However, following the law enacted in 1953, the currency unit sen was suspended, and the yen became the smallest currency unit in Japan.

It can be considered that the above proverb has changed according to this change in era.