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【No. 2025】Iwanu ga Hana (言わぬが花 - Silence Is Gold)

May 8, 2023 13:52
Iwanu ga Hana

Sometimes it is better to be modest and say less rather than saying everything that comes to mind.

The proverb iwanu ga hana (言わぬが花) describes such a situation.

Since iwa/iu (言わ/言う) means "to say," nu (ぬ) is a negative suffix, and hana (花) means "flower," the literal meaning of iwanu ga hana is "to say nothing is a flower."

In other words, by deliberately not saying anything (or saying less), one can create a modest and graceful atmosphere like a flower.

A similar English proverb is "Speech is silver, silence is golden."
言わぬが花

なんでもかんでも思ったことを言ってしまうより、ときには何も言わないほうが、奥ゆかしく好ましいことがあります。

「言わぬが花」は、そのような状況を表したことわざです。

「言わ/言う」は "to say"、「ぬ」は否定語、「花」は "flower" を意味するので、「言わぬが花」の文字どおりの意味は "to say nothing is a flower" です。

あえて言わない(または口数を減らす)ことで、花のような奥ゆかしい雰囲気を出すことができるというわけです。

よく似た英語のことわざに、"Speech is silver, silence is gold" (雄弁は銀、沈黙は金) があります。

Corrections (1)

No. 1 O-Star
  • Iwanu ga Hana (言わぬが花 - Silence Is Gold)
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • Iwanu ga Hana
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • Sometimes it is better to be modest and say less rather than saying everything that comes to mind.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • The proverb 'iwanu ga hana' (言わぬが花) describes such a situation.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • Since 'iwa/iu' (言わ/言う) means "to say," 'nu' (ぬ) is a negative prefix, and 'hana' (花) means "flower," the literal meaning of 'iwanu ga hana' is "to say nothing is a flower."
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • In other words, by deliberately not saying anything (or saying less), one can create a modest and graceful atmosphere like a flower.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • A similar English proverb is "Speech is silver, silence is golden."
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!

The late Jiang Zemin (China's former leader who succeeded Deng Xiaoping) once said, "say nothing, and you'll make a fortune" in English.

Toru
Thank you for reading my entry and letting me know that!
These sayings are very similar :)
O-Star
You're welcome!

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