Fugen Jikkō and Yūgen Jikkō (不言実行と有言実行 - Action before Words / Walking the Talk)

Jul 9, 2021 08:54
Fugen Jikkō and Yūgen Jikkō

To do what you have to do without saying a word is described as a four-character idiom, 'fugen jikkō' (不言実行).

Since 'fu' (不) is a negative prefix, 'gen' (言) means "saying," and 'jikkō' means "doing," 'fugen jikkō' literally means "doing without saying."

On the other hand, if you use a positive prefix 'yū' (有) instead of 'fu' and say 'yūgen jikkō' (有言実行), it can means "walking the talk."

In the past, in Japan, 'fugen zikkō' was considered good, but in recent years, 'yūgen zikkō' tends to be considered better.
不言実行と有言実行

あれこれ言わず、だまってやるべきことをやることを、「不言実行」といいます。

「不」は否定語、「言」は "saying"、「実行」は "doing" を意味するので、「不言実行」は文字どおり "doing without saying" という意味になります。

一方、「不」の代わりに肯定を意味する「有」を使うと、「有言実行」となり、"walking the talk" という意味になります。

かつての日本では「不言実行」がよいとされてきましたが、近年では「有言実行」のほうがよいものであると考えられる傾向にあるようです。
No. 1 Kiersten

Thank you for this lesson!

I knew about 有言実行 but I didn't know about 不言実行。

I wonder why 有言実行 has become more popular than 不言実行 in recent years.

Toru
Thank you for the comment!
Maybe that's because 有言実行 is easier to understand and cooler than 不言実行 for recent Japanese people. :)
No. 2 
  • Fugen Jikkō and Yūgen Jikkō (不言実行と有言実行 - Action before Words / Walking the Talk)
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • Fugen Jikkō and Yūgen Jikkō
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • To do what you have to do without saying a word is described as a four-character idiom, 'fugen jikkō' (不言実行).
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • Since 'fu' (不) is a negative prefix, 'gen' (言) means "saying," and 'jikkō' means "doing," 'fugen jikkō' literally means "doing without saying."
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • On the other hand, if you use a positive prefix 'yū' (有) instead of 'fu' and say 'yūgen jikkō' (有言実行), it can means "walking the talk."
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • In the past, in Japan, 'fugen zikkō' was considered good, but in recent years, 'yūgen zikkō' tends to be considered better.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
Toru
Thank you for checking my post! :)
No. 3 hakuame
  • Fugen Jikkō and Yūgen Jikkō
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • To do what you have to do without saying a word is described as a four-character idiom, 'fugen jikkō' (不言実行).
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • Since 'fu' (不) is a negative prefix, 'gen' (言) means "saying," and 'jikkō' means "doing," 'fugen jikkō' literally means "doing without saying."
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • On the other hand, if you use a positive prefix 'yū' (有) instead of 'fu' and say 'yūgen jikkō' (有言実行), it can means "walking the talk."
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • In the past, in Japan, 'fugen zikkō' was considered good, but in recent years, 'yūgen zikkō' tends to be considered better.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!

Does Yugen zikko also imply that you should talk about what you are doing? Either before or after the act.....

Toru
Thank you for reading my post!
> Does Yugen zikko also imply that you should talk about what you are doing?
Probably no, but sometimes yes. I think 有言実行 just represents human's character/nature of declaring an act before taking it and always carrying it out. :)