Ame to Muchi (飴と鞭 – Carrot and Stick)
Ame to Muchi 飴と鞭 To control someone by giving reward and punishment alternately is called ‘ame to muchi‘ (飴と鞭 or
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Learning English and Japanese
For everyone learning English/Japanese
History
Shigo (死語 – Dead Language/Word)
Shigo 死語 In my post yesterday, I used the Japanese word ‘shigo‘ (死語). 昨日の投稿の中で、「死語」という言葉を使いました。 Since ‘shi‘ (死) means “death/dead” and
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Shucchō (出張 – Business Trip)
Shucchō 出張 I am now visiting the US on a business trip. 私は今、出張 (business trip)でアメリカに来ています。 To visit a different area
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Nami no Hana (波の花)
Nami no Hana 波の花 Today, I would like to introduce the term ‘nami no hana‘ (波の花), which even Japanese people
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Doro no You ni Nemuru (泥のように眠る – Sleeping like a Log)
Doro no You ni Nemuru 泥のように眠る I will ‘doro no you ni nemuru‘ (泥のように眠る) tonight. 私は今晩、「泥のように眠る」と思います。 ‘Do ro no you
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Hokusoemu (ほくそ笑む – Smiling Inwardly)
Hokusoemu ほくそ笑む Have you ever smiled inwardly as a result of something going well as expected? 何かがうまくいき、一人ひそかに笑ったことはありますか？ Such an act
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Gishin Anki (疑心暗鬼 – Doubts Beget Doubts)
Gishin Anki 疑心暗鬼 Today, I saw a person who has a mind called ‘gishin anki‘ (疑心暗鬼). 私は今日、「疑心暗鬼」になっている人を見ました。 This four-character idiom
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Hara wo Yomu/Hara wo Saguru (腹を読む/腹を探る – Reading One’s Mind/Sounding out One’s Mind)
Hara wo Yomu/Hara wo Saguru 腹を読む/腹を探る In Japan, long ago it was thought that the stomach contains one’s feelings or
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Tsukeyakiba (付け焼き刃 – Borrowed Wisdom)
Tsukeyakiba 付け焼き刃 Have you ever been hastily acquired knowledge or skill as a stopgap measure? その場しのぎのために、間に合わせで一時的な知識や技術を身に着けたことはありますか？ Such a not-so-great measure
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