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【No. 2275】Oni no Inu Ma ni Sentaku (鬼の居ぬ間に洗濯 - When the Cat Is Away, the Mice Will Play)

Jan 13, 2024 21:41
Oni no Inu Ma ni Sentaku

While there are no scary or annoying people around, you can forget about daily hardships and relax.

Such a situation can be described as the Japanese proverb oni no inu ma ni sentaku (鬼の居ぬ間に洗濯).

Oni (鬼) means "ogre."
I/iru (居/居る) means "to exist."
Nu (ぬ) is a negative suffix.
Ma (間) means "while."
Sentaku (洗濯) means "washing."

Therefore, the literal meaning of this proverb is "washing while ogres are away."

In this context, oni is used as a metaphor for "scary person," and sentaku implies "cleansing one's life."

In English, there is a similar phrase, "When the cat is away, the mice will play."
鬼の居ぬ間に洗濯

こわい人や気兼ねする人がいない間は、日ごろの苦労を忘れてゆっくりとくつろぎたくなるものです。

そのような状況は、「鬼の居ぬ間に洗濯」ということわざで表現されます。

「鬼」・・・"ogre"
「居/居る」・・・"to exist"
「ぬ」・・・否定の接尾辞
「間」・・・"while"
「洗濯」・・・"washing"

したがって「鬼の居ぬ間に洗濯」の文字どおりの意味は、"washing while ogres are away" となります。

ここで、「鬼」は「こわい人」の比喩として、「洗濯」は「命の洗濯」の意味で使われています。

英語にも、「猫がいないとき、ネズミは遊ぶ ("When the cat is away, the mice will play.")」という似た表現があります。

Corrections (1)

No. 1 O-Star
  • Oni no Inu Ma ni Sentaku (鬼の居ぬ間に洗濯 - When the Cat Is Away, the Mice Will Play)
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • Oni no Inu Ma ni Sentaku
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • While there are no scary or annoying people around, you can forget about daily hardships and relax.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • Such a situation can be described as the Japanese proverb 'oni no inu ma ni sentaku' (鬼の居ぬ間に洗濯).
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • ・'Oni' (鬼) means "ogre."
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • ・'I/iru' (居/居る) means "to exist."
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • ・'Nu' (ぬ) is a negative suffix.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • ・'Ma' (間) means "while."
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • ・'Sentaku' (洗濯) means "washing."
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • Therefore, the literal meaning of this proverb is "washing while ogres are away."
  • Therefore, the literal meaning of this proverb is "washing while the ogres are away."
  • In this context, 'oni' is used as a metaphor for "scary person," and 'sentaku' implies "cleansing one's life."
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • In English, there is a similar phrase, "When the cat is away, the mice will play."
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
Toru
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