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【No. 1584】Amet o Muchi (飴と鞭 - Carrot and Stick)

Apr 20, 2019 22:03
Ame to Muchi

To control someone by giving reward and punishment alternately is called ame to muchi (飴と鞭 or アメとムチ) in Japanese.

Since ame (飴/アメ) means "candy" and muchi (鞭/ムチ) means "stick/whip," so the literal meaning of ame to muchi is "candy and stick."

The origin of this phrase is the policies of suppression and concession, conducted by Otto von Bismarck, Chancellor of the German Empire.

It is "zuckerbrot und peitsche" in German, and "carrot and stick" in English -- the Japanese version use "candy" instead of "carrot."
飴と鞭

時には厳しく叱り、時には甘やかすことで、人を思い通りに動かすことを「飴と鞭」と言います。

「飴」は "candy"、「鞭」は "stick/whip" を意味するので、「飴と鞭」の文字どおりの意味は "candy and stick" となります。

この言葉は、ドイツの宰相ビスマルクが行った弾圧と譲歩の政策に由来します。

ドイツ語では "zuckerbrot und peitsche," 英語では "carrot and stick" と言い、「飴」ではなく「ニンジン」が使われています。

Corrections (1)

No. 1 sjstrauss
  • Amet o Muchi (飴と鞭 - Carrot and Stick)
  • Ame t o Muchi (飴と鞭 - Carrot and Stick)

    Just a typo :)

  • Ame to Muchi
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • To control someone by giving reward and punishment alternately is called 'ame to muchi' (飴と鞭 or アメとムチ) in Japanese.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • Since 'ame' (飴/アメ) means "candy" and 'muchi' (鞭/ムチ) means "stick/whip," so the literal meaning of 'ame to muchi' is "candy and stick."
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • The origin of this phrase is the policies of suppression and concession, conducted by Otto von Bismarck, Chancellor of the German Empire.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • It is "zuckerbrot und peitsche" in German, and "carrot and stick" in English -- the Japanese version use "candy" instead of "carrot."
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!

It's interesting how phrases have minor changes like that in different languages.

Toru
Thank you so much for the correction!
Yes, it is interesting that phrases change (are born) depending on the characteristics of the country. :)

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