Kodansha's Dictionary of Basic Japanese Idioms 4770027974, 9784770027979

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Kodansha's Dictionary of

Basic Japanese lilioms Jeff Garrison, Kayoko Kimiya, George Wallace, Masahiko Goshi

Kodansha's

Dictionary

Basic Japanese Idioms Jeff

Garrison

Kayoko George Masahiko

Kimiya Wallace Goshi

KODANSHA INTERNATIONAL Tokyo• New York• London

of

SYMBOLS USED IN THIS BOOK related information about the entry under discussion or about a word or phrase appearing in a sample sentence. a cross-reference to a synonym, antonym, or other related word or phrase in this dictionary. Also

variant reading or script for the idiom under discussion.

Based on four titles in Kodansha Intemational's Power Japanese series: ""Body" Language by Jeff Garrison (1990), Communicating with Ki: The ""Spirit" in Japanese Idioms by Jeff Garrison and Kayoko Kimiya (1994), Kanji Idioms by George Wallace and Kayoko Kimiya (1995), and Animal Idioms by Jeff Garrison and Masahiko Goshi (1996 ). Distributed in the United States by Kodansha America, Inc., and in the United Kingdom and continental Europe by Kodansha Europe Ltd. Published by Kodansha International Ltd., 17-14 Otowa 1-chome, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-8652, and Kodansha America, Inc. Copyright © 2002 by Kodansha International Ltd. All rights reserved. Pnnted in Japan. ISBN 978-4-7700-2797-9 First edition, 2002 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3

www.kodansha-intLcom

CONTENTS

Preface------------------------------------------6

DICTIONARY---••UUO•-....-...·---··-9

Index-----------------------------·-············ 643

t,

PREFACE

Kodansha 's Dictionary of Basic Japanese Idioms is based on four previously published books in Kodansha lnternational's Power Japanese series: "Body" Language by Jeff Garrison ( 1990), Communicating with Ki: The "Spirit" in Japanese Idioms by Jeff Garrison and Kayoko Kimiya (1994), Kanji Idioms by George Wallace and Kayoko Kimi ya ( 1995), and Animal Idioms by Jeff Garrison and Masahiko Goshi ( 1996). The content of these books has been rearranged into alphabetical order by Japanese entry word, minor changes have been made in the text, more extensive cross-references have been added, and an index has been appended. It is hoped that the resultant book will make the study of Japanese idioms much more convenient. Students who are approaching idioms for the first time may want to know exactly what an idiom is. The third edition of the American Heritage Dictionary defines the word as "a speech form or an expression of a given language that is peculiar to itself grammatically or cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its elements, as in keep tabs on." This simply means that students of the English language may know the individual meanings of keep, tab, and on, but still not understand what the phrase keep tabs on means. The same applies to the Japanese language. For example, students may know the individual words in the phrase frii ~ t':f~ kata o motsu (kata = shoulder, o = particle indicating a direct object, motsu = hold), but still not understand what the phrase as a whole means ("to side with or support someone"). To learn the meaning, there is no choice but to look the phrase up in a dictionary and commit it to memory. If idioms like this cropped up

PREFACE 7

only occasionally in writing or conversation, they would not represent a problem worth fretting about, but the fact is that idioms are just as widely used in Japanese as they are in English. This is because they are often the most concise, efficient, and pointed way of expressing what one wants to say. Thus students must first learn idioms in order to understand everyday conversation and written material. This can be called a passive use of idioms-to understand them us they are presented by an outside source, so that you can at least grasp the intent of what is being conveyed. The second reason students must study idioms is proactive, since it is only through idioms that students can hope to express their thoughts effectively and avoid awkward paraphrasing. Better to learn them than to be continually stopped in the midst of a paraphrase by your Japanese conversant with a sudden "Oh, you mean kata o motsu," or whatever, providing exactly the right phrase for what you wanted to say. There are many other reasons why idioms must, or should, be learned, not the least of which is the fact that idioms often serve as pivotal points for jokes. For instance, you could play on the Biblical admonition that "you should not cast pearls before swine" ~ /: ~ I;l!;;b11111 n, shinju, meaning, of course, that you shouldn't give something important to a person who cannot understand its value. If a certain Tanaka-san is just that obtuse person, you could say, "Don't cast pearls before Tanaka-san" Hl 9l ~ A,/:~ I;l!;; Tanaka-san ni shinju. Or let us say that in your place of work there is a Bntish person who is known for his crafty political maneuvering. Let us further say that a Japanese, making use of a common expression, refers to him as an "wily old raccoon" t1i" f_oji_f11m-dw111k1. You could play on trns idiom and respond by saying that "the only thing worse than a wily old raccoon is a wily old Brit" t1:i"~!!!. J: ~ t1i"1 -=¥') A A -/R&.7-JL \,,'furu-danuki yorifuru-Igirisu-jin ga osoroshi1. The idioms appearing in this book are basically of two types: idiomatic words and phrases (such as those cited above) and expressions composed of four Chinese characters (commonly called IIY*~~ii yoji-jukugo "fourcharacter compounds"). These compounds are generally not thought of as idioms but either simply as compound nouns or as adages and proverbs.

8

PREFACE

Among the compound nouns might be counted 1f-rJJ/'j; §ij nenk,i-,iort•t.rn ("seniority") and ~ ill .,f r!rj ishikifumei ("unconscious"), which, though they are fairly straightforward, need some interpretation to be understood and therefore can be considered within the idiom bailiwick. The adage or proverb type defimtely need explanation to be understood. Examples are ~~ll,Jjjj- goetsu-diishu ("the Go and the Etsu in the same boat") and i- A & jri11i11-t6iro("ten people, ten colors"). This type can be considered idiomatic in the sense that their exact meaning is not clear from the surface meaning of the ind1v1dualwords. In conclusion, it might be noted that a good number of the idioms involve the character 1n.ki. These words and phrases are extremely important in expressing moods and feelings, and without at least minimal knowledge of them it is nearly impossible to carry on a normal conversation. Starting with 7C~ genki (original ki), as in ;/'37C'Ai:T ii' Ogenki desu ka "How are you?" and going on to heavy, light, long. short, warped, and "?1,, "?'A tJ{L i L f.:. sii iu ki ga crazed ki, and ending perhaps with shimashita "That's the way I felt about it," innumerable ways are provided

+-

-r

for expressing ieelings and thoughts. All in all, idioms are not only useful-in fact, indispensable-to speaking and understanding Japanese, but they can also be a great deal of fun to learn. to explore, and, yes, to play with. Editorial Department, Kodansha International

DICTIONARY

ABUHACHI TORAZU

abi-kyokan

IJi!l'aDJ.J~ "screaming

11

in hell"

pandemonium, like a scene out of hell iitUllO){~O)flfH±, i ~ 1:~iiJ .alUJ-~O)~f.:: 0 t:.o Senta no ato no machi wa, masa ni abi-kyokan no chimata datta. After the battle the town looked like a scene from hell.

:II#:$ Mer:, ItJH± lln1 If.PJ!.Pl 0) ~ t tj: 0 t:. c Bakuhatsu-jiko de, ko10 wa abi-kyokan nu ba to natta. After being hit by that explosion, the factory looked like something out oi Dante's Inferno. ~ Originally flD1 ~ and lllj.IT,lare the names of two of the eight burning hells of Buddhism. In Sanskrit the two hells are called Av1ci and Raurava.

abu

tt

horsefly

Anyone who has been bitten by one knows a little of what horses and cattle must go through and at least one reason they have long tails. The females of this species are bloodsuckers. They'll take a piece out of your hide if you give 'em a chance. Abu are counted 1ppiki ·-1!1=.

Abuhnchi torazu !N'.:UJfi ~-f "catch neither the horsefly nor the bee" try to do two things and fail at both; fall between two stools

r

-f Iv tj: 1: W-~0 -ct !ht!ij:J& t:, i" 1: ;j:- 0 t:. t:, 5c t t ;j:-v, J: o Sonna ni yokubatte mo abuhachi torazu ni nattara moto mo ko mo nai yo. Let your greed get the better of you and you'll end up falling flat on your face.

12 AGO

c

flJil;J:1,,,.i::, 1,,,):.~.!J~l.:cf.t-l±l L,i" ~·-c,t!fr,,i~Ht.l&t,f ~0 f.:.o Kare wa iroiro najigyo ni te o dashisugite, kekkyoku abuhachi torazu to natta. He overextended by branching out into all kinds of businesses and went bust. ii There are several variations of tnis expression: ab11mo hachi mo toraz11 jlt t • t Jfl(I? i', ab11mo torazu hachi mo torazu !ti'.: t lfl{Gi' ~f.t Jfl(I?i', and abu mo torazu hachi m ,a.11111'1'11 !htt Jfl(i; i' !ij; t::JlilJ~ ;h, J.,. The first two are reconfigurations of the idiom as it appears in the entry; the third translates literally as "not only fail to catch the horsefly, but get stung by a bee (in the process)." A similar expression 1s 11i10o ou mono wa illo o (mo) ezu ---:i,li~ia 1 :\lfl;I: -i,li~ ( t) 1ii', precisely the same as (and perhaps derived from) the English "If you run after two hares, you will catch neither." It is effectively the opposite of i.rn•ki 11id111~:fi :.t, or "(killing) two birds with one stone." c;1>

isseki-nicho

ago

-:n=.f-1;

® C::::jaw(s), chin

It means the lower jaw, both upper and lower jaws, or the chin. When you hear ago ga yowai at ringside, you know that some boxer has a "weak" or "glass" jaw. Contrarily, about a guy who can really take a punch, you say ago ga tsuyoi. Figurative meanings of ago include excessive talking or jawing and, less commonly, food or chow. Idioms exemplifying these meanings are included in the following selection.

Ago de (hito oJ tsukau ili, ;:::--c(A a-)fit!'?"Use someone with one's jaw." boss someone around, be bossy

AGO GA OCHIRU

:::-c-

13

-r

;!;:,(l)~U(l)U:ll!:: Ii, ;!;:, A ia:-~-j0)-C-«l:bn 1,, Q a Ano kaisha no shacho wa, ago de hito o tsukau no de kirawarete iru. A lot of people don't like the president of that company because he's such a slave driver.

-r

lltli~ffl A ia:;!;:,:::'-C-151!-:;, 1,,f.:.a Kare wa shiyo-nin o ago de tsukatte ita. He was really cracking the whip. This expression is presumably from the unpopular habit among some Japanese of ordering people around by mouonmg with their chm and a shght flick of the head.

Ago ga deru/ ago o dasu ~ .::~tlf:ll>/~ .::-a:"ff:IT "one's jaw is sticking out" be bushed, worn out, done in, dog tired, dragging ass ~:!i~~"'(, ;!;:,;::'i.)fl±\f.:.a Arukisugi de, ago ga deta. I'm beat (dead tired, burned out) from walking so far./ I'm all walked out.

.:. A,~ :m:#~i.Jt4if B~1,, t.:.;, ~-ti.JtO)lJt-t( 'ii;!;:,::: ia:-1±1-t t..:7=>-j a Konna ju-rodo ga maimchi tsuzuitara, sasuga no kano10 mo ago o dasu daro. If the workload keeps up like this much longer, even she's going to drop m her tracks.

= mhi ga /,,; ni naru I ashi o bo 11irnrn Jii.J(WI.:~ Q / hir11-ko11p111 ~#IE1ll!!;genki

Ji ia:-•1.:-tQ,

Jy;~

Ago ga ochiru ~ ;:::~tfi't;,l> "one's jaw falls" mouthwatering, delicious, succulent, y.ummy, fit for a king .:.O)faO) ~ -1- 0-71i;!;:,:::'i.)tfi~Qlic'-j iv'a Kono mise no mitorofu wa ago ga ochiru hodo umai.

14 AIMAI-MOKO

This place has got some meatloaf that' II get your juices flowing. ~ ~,

.t.;\,) l...\,)C

~

,::-7.1{7i -t::,-t"-j

~

t.: It (: lj: IJ-f '? lj: /v f!.o

c\

*1:1i.P

C::,liY

L~

Karekore hantoshi mo akusen-kut6 no ma1mchi datta kedo, raigetsu kara wa sukoshi raku ni naris6 nan da. For the past six months it's been nose to the gnndstone all the way, but from next month it looks like things'll get easier.

·It L ", 8 ~:,, 1' r (7)-f-1:-f;f;: i tL -1:,~-:::> -c, WJt,,C::i¥~'a'!Mlt!. J:

a

lsogashii hi ni baito no ko ni yasumarechatte, asa kara akusen-kuto da yo. We've been rushed off our feet all morning, thanks to that part-timer taking the day off just when we needed her most.

l¥l 1{ 1 1-(baito) is the shortened form of 7 Jv1{ 1 1- (arul>11i1ol. meaning part-time job. It is a loanword coming from the German word for work (Arbeit).

anchii-mosaku

ffli:pfflffi "searching

in the dark"

~-t ~ to grope blindly in the dark, to be (all) at sea, to be at a (total) loss

c'.::.t,, e:,Mi.lbt.:r:i", p(7)t,,, i t!.llffi:pffl/~t!. J: o Doko kara hajimetara ii no ka, mada anchu-mosaku da yo. I'm still totally in the dark as to where to begin.

16 AOIKI-TOIKI

:k ~ ,j: Q)Ii $ti/• Q iJ{, Ii -SJ: -::>c:III Q ,j: a

1, ,0

i i: 1b1$i:pm*Q)~:RlmiJt;f;,'E 1,, -r Q Q)

Taihen nano wa wako.ruga, irsu made mn anchu-mosaku no jotai ga rsuzuire 'ru no wa chotto komaru na. I reailze things are difficult, but your continued ciuelessness is not making our life any easier.

llll'rJlm*-r

c:

L 1,, Q "?-t:;,1.:, .&>0 fl. 1,,~ ~ iJ{V-t:, ~1,, t.:.A,f!.o Anchii.-mosaku shire iru uchi ni, futto yoi kangae ga hirameira n' da. There I was, wondering what on earth I should do when suddenly I had a great idea.

aoiki-toiki

~l\D±ll

"blue breath, exhaling breath

(i.e., a sigh)" be in great distress, have a hard time oi it jc~ ~.::. ~ il•flj-=f-~1.l. "?t!.lti:w.~.P.±.~Q)4ij: 8 ,j: A,f!.o Gankin dokoro ko. rishi o harau dake de aoiki-toiki no mam1chi nan da. Pay back the initial loan? You've got to be kidding! I'm busting a gut just trying to meet the interest payments.


Iii{>~l, for so much as an ant to crawl out" completely surrounded, sealed off, cordoned off

:\

"without space

smitit.itJZ:r.::ti --.:d.:~*O)m I?,: 1iJl!ll0)~1,,,-c ,Mlltti t:i:1,,,,it· O)!f'§t.it~lfflLt.:a Goto ga tatekomotta minka no mawari ni wa ari no haideru suki mo nai hodo no keikan ga Mi shita. The house where the robber was holed up was sealed off wateni~ht by the police./ Nobody could possibly get through the police cordon around the house where the robber was hiding out.

00il0)-'J2l[J~~&flfljl;t'21.lffl ~ ttitllO):ig1,,,-c 7.il!jJlt t.i:t.i,'c) f.:o Kokuren no heiwa-i]i-butaiwa hoi sare ari no haideru suki mo nakatta. United Nations peacekeepers were completely sealed off from the outside.

i'l Used most commonly of, or by, law enforcement or the military.

Ari"" ikketsu !lft0)-1C "an ant hole" a tiny mistake can lead to disaster

!ft0)-1\'.c ~ t.i ~1,,,J: -j, t 1-/t1-1 ·;.,7 L J: 1 a Ari no ikketsu to naranai yo, mo ich1dochekku sh1yo. I'm going to look this over again to make sure there's nothing in here that could be my undoing.

f'Hl~ O)~ji:f:t.i,Jl!ll0)-1\'. c ~I?, ~

0)Wc ~ ·::d.:a

,f

O).f.Jt:tili-11~1: L -rt.itn

AGEASHIOTORU

19

Sagyo-in no fu-chui ga ari no ikketsu to nari, sono genba wa isshun ni shite gareki no yama to natta. A simple slipup by one of the workers turned the construction site into a mountain of rubble in an instant.

I From an ancient parable about a 10,000-foot dike that collapsed due to a single tunnel dug by an ant, this idiom is often used as an admonition against oversight or omission.

ashi je

leg,foot

People, dogs, insects, tables and c_hairsall have them. Squid have them, too. Ashi can be used to mean either the whole leg or just the foot. Another meaning is mode of transportation, or more colloquially, one's wheels. So ashi ga nai doesn't mean that the speaker has met with some terrible accident, it just means that his car is in the shop or he has no way of getting around. ,h/ri can also mean money or "bread" when preceded by o, presumably because of the way it just seems to run away from you. Finally, for all you scatologists out there, the third or middle leg is the same in Japanese, sanbon-me no ashi. e&

hitoa.1hi-chigai V- C ,l:e_:ii;1,\ni-110 11.1·/11ofumu

="one's feet are sticking out" run over the budget, be in the red

ffi-4:~-eJi!.7.1 *J.i J: -j ~.::. c Ii Lt.: ( ~ 1,,0 Onaji shokuba no ningen no ashi o hipparu yo na koto wa shitaku nai. I don't want to stand in the way of any of my co-workers.

ATAMA

23

A,@)Q)jK~"t" Ii, ff'R:li l~l'5t't'ElJtQ) JEi- 5 I-:,ill-::it.: mH:i;ti,1-> o Konkai no senkyo de wa, yato wa jibun de jibun no ashi o hippatta men moaru. To some extent, the opposition was its own worst enemy in the recent elections.

'1-tnHt Q "point one's feet toward"

Ashi o n111km1 Ji!

(I) go toward, head for (2) [in the phrase ,@_i- roJIt "'Cl;J:DR. :h.~ It' ashi o mukete wa nemurenai] never do anything to hurt someone (l)

JIUt:ttl!.jj'l.:JEi-roJlt--C~.ll.-::i f.:o

Tohoku-chiho ni ashi o mukete tabidatta. We set out on a trip (heacted out) for the Tllhoku area. (2) ;ti,Q) 1H.:,@~ roJlt--CIi IIR.:h. ~ It 'o Ano kata ni ash1 o mukete wa nemurena1. I could never do anything to hurt him (after all he's done for me).

Ashi o ubc.111Ji!I!-ff'? "steal one's feet or legs"

strand someone, talce away someone's wheels

i" Q) ffl'..q[Q)&iPJinlcIi, 6000AQ) Ji~~ "'.J t.: a Sono densha no dassen-jiko wa, rokusen-nin no ashi o ubatta. The train derailment left 6,000people stranded. *~"t"'

*.,.Q):iffil/J$Q),@i.){~:bnt.:o

Oyuki de, ozei no tsukin-kyaku no ash, ga ubawareta. Many commuters were left without transportation by the snowstorm.

atama ffl head

24

A TAMA DEKKACHI

What better place to start than at the top, which in Japanese is arama kara, or, literally, "from the head"? In addition to its obvious reference to a division of the body, arama shares many other meanings with its English equivalent, including mind, intelligence, and top or beginning. An example of which is atama o hirsuyo ro shinai shigoto, meaning "a job that it doesn't take any smarts or brains to do." Some idioms, such as atama no teppen kara ashi no tsumasaki made (from the top of one's head to the tip of one's toes), are the same both literally and figuratively in English. You can even count cattle, horses, and other large mammals like whales as you would in English, but the pronunciation of the character for atama changes to to, so five head of horses is go-to 11,, 1111111

Atama dekkachi

!ii'°t?-:> 7)\-;

"big (large) headed"

(I) (of the size of a person's head) big-headed, have a big head (2) (of

an institution) top-heavy, too many chiefs and not enough Indians (3) (of a person or way of thinking) academic, intellectual, pointy-headed

t..:

(I) if.> 1,,,0 lil!Jt"t" 0 7),t:, 1j:o Aitsu wa atama dekkachi da na. Look at the size of that guy's head, would you.

(2) if.>-t::.ii::Rr~O){~!Ht·:1.P~"t".iiJt"t"0t•t1j:~Ht..:o Asoko wa amakudari no yakum bakari de, atama dekkach1 na ka1sha aa. That company is top-heavy, with former government officials filling the management ranks.

(3) J!Ji-c."0 7),t:, 1j:~J!limtl:t.H: Xlt ~ o Atama dekkachi na iken wa settoku-ryoku ni kakeru. Pointy-headed (ivory-tower) opmions are unconvincing. if.> 1,,,0 lii/Ji-c."0 7)>-1':, f..:o Aitsu wa atama dekkachi da. He's such a conehead.

ATAMAGA

II

25

Atama ga agaranai !iJ'i:f.)i' l:t,t~ ~\,l "can't lift up one's head" can't stand up to someone, be no match for someone ~ 1,'"'? li"k.00 l:iiJ{t,t__tt,t; f,t.1,' C:iL Pa Aitsu wa n_yoboni atama ga agaranai rashii.

Word is that he's no match for his wife (is henpecked)./ I hear his wife wears the pants in the family.

c'"? L-rt&liU~l:jit,t

l·.t,tt;i t,t.1,,(l)f.:.~ --j a

D,,shire kare wa shacho ni atama ga agara11ai110dare,. Why do you suppose he can't stand up to the boss?

Atama gafurui jjt,to\,l "one's head is old" be behind the times, be of the old school

.-S~ ~ A-liiiJ{t,ii' t;i t.i:1,•

il•t.i:

0

c Ii,

flt Ii -l:.iJ: -::,c ID'{ 7.1; atama ga ii jjj7.1{1,,1,>, atama ga kireru jjj7.1{-IJJ;h.Q, atama no deki ga 0) l11(!z;7.1Hi!, \,,' chigau jjj 0) HB(b){ji '?, atama no kaiten ga hayai VJi

Atama ga sagaru D.tb)ir~i.g "one's head lowers" admire, take one's hat off to someone.

fli.4 ;;fi:tsA.,O)fjJ~ tsl:l;JJJi7.1Cf7.1{1.,o Sasaki-san no kinben-sa ni wa atama ga sagaru. You've really got to hand it (take your hat off) to Sasaki for how hard he works.

~~*0),\1-.'.~~ 1:jjJtO)T~{Q -~,1,,,7.1{ Lf.:o Miid6ken no chitJitsu-.rn ni atama no sagaru omoi ga shira. I was really impressed by how loyal Seeing Eye dogs are.

Atama ga warui iiff~i}.!li l "one's head is bad" be dim-witted, slow, soft in the head, not playing with a full deck

~1,•-::>li:,t;:~ 1:_m7.1, chi no meguri ga warui Ifn.O)~ I') 7.1t~1,,,; atama ga ii BJi1.1t1.,,1,,', atama ga kireru Iffi7.1t{l]h.Q, atama 11,,deki ga , ·l11gauB.H 0) 1::1::B~i.,{ji "?,atama no kaiten ga hayai Bli0) @l~t.)Hp \,' c&

Jij:;>)f~&:>i')ll,l "one's head is soft" be flexible, receptive to new things

Atama ga yawarakai

)l &:>"from the head"

(I) from the start (2) out of hand, right off (I) t 1-/lBJii.1•~~1,, i L, J: "?o Mo ichido atama kara utaimasho. All right, let's sing it again from the top.

(2) iE,!(/{.fO)iE ~t'l 'a:"BJiil• ~ N~i" Q tr~ 1bifJQ c Seifu no seit6-sei o atama kara hitei suru muki mo aru. There are some who dispute the very notion that the government is legitimate at all.

30

ATAMA NJ KURU

Atama ni kum

!iJH:*,l>"come to one's

head"

(l) get mad, get angry, pop one's cork (2) flip one's lid, flip out, freak out (I) iiJil:*t..:, t 1 fJdt-r-~ t;,:1,\ ! Atama ni kita, mo gaman dekinai! Boy, does that bum me up! I'm not taking it any more!

ftQ)flttilit..:~11'.li,~lvt..:~•0.:.1 t L "C tt:kL;tiiJH:*t..:/vt

'I' t;,:1,,\~'0

Anna kakk6 shite, kano10 wa atama n, kitanja nai k.a. She must have gone off her rocker (lost her marbles), the way she's dressed.

Atm,w no deki ga cl1i_t(C114 jj(1) lB*?jfit differently" be (a lot) smarter than someone else

'?

"one's head is made

Jlit::k/:1:1 t:J:iiJi(l) /:H*~{j_i '? tl.c 1odai--de wa atama no deki ga chigau ne. University of Tokyo grads do seem to have more on the ball.

c

1

~ -fl-C-liiiJi(l)/fBl~~tii; J: a Kimi to boku de wa atama no deki ga chigau yo.

You and I are in different leagues, friend . .:. u/111,ru ga ii iiJi ~fl,,\I,,', 111mn11ga kireru iiJi~'-IlltL ~, atama no kaiten atama ga nibui iiJi~fjiJ!1,,'. atama ga warui ii.ff ga hayai jiJi(l)l!!]~~Upl,,>; ~f/!1.-\ chi'"' meguri ga warui Jfil(l)~ I') ~

ATAMA NO KUROI NEZUMI

31

Atama no kaiten ga hayai iii O)@fi?}t!i! l,:\ "one's head turns over fast" smart, quick-witted, quick on the uptake

11Ji3( Iii{ 0) (fil~i)Hj! 1,>0 Kanojo wa atama no kaiten ga hayai. She's as smart as a whip./ She has a mind like a steel trap. C(;> atama ga ii iiJi;>)t1,, I,\ atama ga kir ra11:1\l!b ~ ( "".) -1:j~o Atama wa ikite iru aida ni tsukawanakutcha. I figure that as long as you are alive and kicking you should use your head for something besides a hatrack.

ateuma ~fC!ffi "an applied horse" a plant, decoy; (of a political candidate sent out to test the waters or divide the opposition) a stalking horse, a spoiler ~-C~~'(t"".J-Cffl*O)fl~~~-Chl-jo Ateuma o tsukatte aite no dekata o mite miyo. Let's see if we can draw them out by sending in a decoy.

34

AWABI

~(I)

Ali!lif: ~-r .!MUilH:~ tlt..: t.:lt

~o

Ano hito wa tan ni ateuma koho ni sareta dake sa. That candidate's just a stalking horse. i\(J Metaphoric use derives from the original meaning of a stallion used to

discover or encourage the reaeliness of a mare to mate.

awabi

®bt1 (I@!)

abalone

This increasingly less common shellfish lends its moniker to the lexicon of love from the observation that although it is a true univalve, it appears to be a bivalve missing one of its two shells and is, hence, in search of its other (better?) half. It is otherwise lexically undistinguished. A wabi are counted ichimai ·Yi..

Awabi no karaomoi tijO)l,,\Uli'

"an abalone's one-sided love" unrequited love, one-sided love, carrying a torch for someone

J:>1 .il;J:1,,0 tffif,mJ,.~.1,,f.:~~o c'-j L-C1b-C~1t•lvt.:7:J -j o Omae wa itsumo awabi no kataomoi da nii. D6shite morenai n ' dar6. You're always in love with some chick that doesn't even know you're alive. Wonder why you can't find yourself a woman. Awabi is often deleted from the expression altogether.

1t-1-~ A.,(l)Jt.\!l,lt•, t .::i3~1: t

~ 1.i1vt.:-::i

-ro

Yoshiko-san no kataomoi, mo sannen ni mo naru n' datte. They say Yoshiko's been carrying the torch for three long years.

BAJI-TOFU 35

baimei-koi

;'c:8fi~

"name-selling activity"

self-advertisement; a publicity stunt; publicity seeking

fl!i-Y.:liI kff(J)n~fi~t.:J

c

,{ 7i5.tJJ~f;clt-C1,>7->n

I,>

·Ht 01: t ~lti\

;f-7::,, -r

Kanojo wa "Joyu no baimei-koi da" to iu kageguchi ni mo makezu, borantia-katsudo o tsuzukete iru. The actress didn't let snide remarks about 11 all bemg a publicity stunt prevent her from contmumg her volunteer work.

~'.l:iJ{~ 7-> ii•$.~ 7->n~fi~il•li, iJ,"'.JLL. i "J~

Jio

1=1 (J)~ 7-> A1:1i-t

J!;B. Here is a free and easy translation of his poem: "After suffering the hardships of the long cold winter, people rejoice at the arrival of the warm winds of spring, but our joy is not shared by the horses of the field." Maybe the horses knew something Rihaku didn't: spring may mean warm winds and pretty flowers for poets, but it also means backbreaking work for farmers and their work animals.

36

BAJI-TOFU

ft Ii ~-!it~~ i- .:.&') "C~ >a:L, t..:ffl b IJt.::it c\

~ 1,, ,"'.)1: li.litl+

Jflffitt.:: •::d..:o Ore wa zenshin-zenrei o komete hanashi o shita tsumori da kedo, aitsu ni wa baji-tofu datta. I put body and soul mto telhng him all about it, but 11seemed to go in one ear and out the other.

001,,, "C1,, \1~ 1,,, Q) t,,, 001,,, "CI,,\

-ct ,m.; l+Jflli\~ Q) t,,,

:Sfii>1:1 ~ I,,\

/vf.::o Kiite inai no ka, kiite ite mo baj1-t6fu na no ka, wakaranai n' da. I don't know whether he simply didn't hear or whether he heard and just coulan't care less.

fUJ.1:~./1:$ L -c1,,,o tilk 1:~~Q)iffii- L.-ct ~li.~l+J!Uilt.::~ o Shigoto ni netchu shire iru kanojo ni endan no hanashi o shite mo ima wa baji-tofu da na. She's so wrapped up in her work right now that if you try to talk to her about mamage, It Just goes m one ear and out the other.

TV7'-A 1:~q:i1:~-=> "Cl.-'oAll!H:fiiJi-•§" 0 "Cb ,m.;lf~~lt.::o Terebi gemu ni muchu ni natte iru ningen ni nani o itte mo baJi-tofu da. You might as well go talk to the wall as to someone engrossed in playing Nintendo.

Iii In fapanese there are several idioms expressing the idea of g1vmg something of value to someone who does not appreciate its worth. One of these .~ (7) lf I: ~fl. (Uirw no mimi m nenbutsu, "A Buddhist prayer in a horse's (both having the characters for "horse's ear" in ear") is similar to .!!i.JfJIOll. common), so care should be taken not to confuse the two expressions. Two (Neko ni koban, "Giving further idioms with a similar meaning are j/lj 1:fJ-'l'IJ gold coins to a cat") and Ill 1: Jui c811111m )hm111. "Casting pearls before and W,;O)Jfl:~f.L.on the one hand swine"). The difference between !fr;lfJILII. and nii:JUt on the other is that the former can only be used and J/lil:fJ,'j!IJ when something intangible is concerned, e.g., advice. The latter can be used for both tangible and intangible things. c(;► m,t,1ni shinju ~l:J!;Ji, 11,•1.,, ni koban nenbutsu .~Q)J+ I: ~11,.

fu'il:1J,?J!IJ, uma

no mimi ni

BANKOKU-KYOTS0

bakyaku o arawasu horse's legs"

~

Bil~ B g

37

"expose the

give oneself away, show one's true colors, reveal one's true character, betray oneself, reveal one's cloven foot (hoot)

ili:i1,'"'.J ff.A~"'.)-r 1,, J.ii,t1,

>"'.J il'.l!illl4l i-B-t-t'

a

Aitsu zennin butte iru ga irsuka bakyaku o arawasu zo. He's faking being a nice guy. Give him some time and he'li give himself away.

llHt

c 1 c 1 .~Jlt4J i-B l,

1#!¥H!,'cl:f-i-~iJMiiJt.:o

Kare wa roro bakyaku o arawashi, mayaku-mitsuba1 m te o .wmeha)lmeta. Eventually he showed his true colors by beginning to sell drugs. ~ From the stage, bakyaku-literally "horse's legs"-meant the person dressed in a horse suit playing the role of the legs. For it to become apparent through some mishap or otherwise that the horse was really played by actors was to "expose the horse's legs," and later, by extension, to inadvertently reveal something one had attempted to conceal.

bankoku-kyotsii tries in common"

JJ!iil~iffi"ten

thousand coun-

universal, the same everywhere ~MliliOO~Jl!iQ)~:W-c:-tb □ Egao wa bankoku-kyorsu no aisatsu desu ne. A smile is a universal greeting the world over.

:1t11.JiQ)Jt:tITT"rnu;1:, 7iOO~i.mQ)6U!t.::.,, 1o Chikvu no kankvii-mondai wa, bankoku-kyotsu no kadai daro. The ~arth's en~ironmental problems are of concern to all people everywhere.

38

BARI-ZOGON

bari-zogon words ..

J.I:=:11L,::::i ..abusive

language. rude

a-

abusive language,cursing and swearing,insults; ~ i§ '(J -tt .Q (abiseru) to shower someone with abuse;to call someone names (every name in the book) /i!!jO)ffl': c l;!:1,,;t, Jt-Wttgt,j§'(J-tt l;!:1,,7.p~t'-?f::.A,f!.o

;;tt "C l'~-?"'Cl.-'obltl:

Sake no seki to wa ie, bari-wgon o abiserarete, damatte iru wake ni wa ikanakatta n ' da. Even cons1aeringthat everyone had had a few drinks,I just couldn't sit thereafterbemg showeredwitn abuse like that.

8 *ilf J: IJ~fili'O)li 1 ttJUfttgO)f_Ui'il;l:~1,, J: 1 ~'A.tti" o

ltc\

t'"Jo

Nihongo yori eigo no ho ga bari ..zogon no shurui wa oi yo na ki ga suru kedo, do. I've got a sneaky feeling there are more ways of insulting someone in English than m Japanese. What do you think?

U~lift~~t::.i:JO)j§'(J-ttt,1to1tit•i§1: l'.,-::,ciit.i -r1.-,f::.o Shacho wa sokaiya-tachi no abisekakeru bari-zogon nijitto taete ita. The president sat there stoically while the hoodlums at the shareholders' meeting rained down invective on him. c&

biji-reiku

~!f li'UJ

bashauma

P.&ili!il§ ..a carriage horse ..

a workhorse, a hard worker

tHtli1Ei.). i 't'.~Jfi.~O) J: 11:ftJJ~ MHtt::.a Kare wa shinu made bashauma no yo m hatarakitsuzuketa.

BOIN-BOSHOKU

39

He worked like a dog until his dying day.

f,t,

~.qi.mQ).t "Jl:f!WJ1,,"( ~ It

c.', -{*1,,0~-C ~ A,f!.?

Kare, bashauma no yo ni hataraite 'ru kedo, ittai itsu nete 'run' da? Wonder when a guy who works like a horse (slaves away) like he does ever gets any sleep? ~ From the way a carnage horse wearing bhnders goes about ns Job smglemindedly. The idiom commonly appears followed by no yo ni hataraku.

biji-reiku ~MIIH:iJ"beautiful language, charming phrasesn pretty words, flowery language, highfaiutin phrases, purple prose

f1-1~'1)i,ffl.* ~ a-~tfR'iiJ"'t".::"i ~•-f "Jl:: L -c1,,~ QJ~f ~.:U! X.~o Naiyo no osomatsusa o biji-re1kude gomakaso to shite iru no ga miemie sa. It's as clear as day that they're trying to cover up for the lack of content by using flowery language.

••a'iiJa-~~-c~~~ ~~~~~~'1)~-~.to Biji-reiku o tsuranete aru ga, yosuru ni kotowari no henji da yo. They've strung together lots of highfalutin phrases, but what they're basically saying is the answer's no. c&

gaiko-jirei

91-3etf1;-, tamamushi-iro =f!I! ~;

boln-boshoku lent eating"

bari-zogon

li~-13

11~111' "violent drinking, vio-

make a pig of oneself, overeat and overdrink, stuff oneself stupid with food and drink

40

BOJAKU-BUJIN

B:f!UUtLt-?.1'67':i:t-v'o 1Hl'ii:Jit(l)ji;JJ t!J:a Boin-boshoku wa yamenasai. "Hara mo mi no uchi" da yo. Stop making such a pig of yourself. Remember, you are what you eat.

&!!Hi t $1'(I) P.l (hara mo mi 111• uchi) is a Japanese saying with no direct equivalent m English. Paraphrased 11means "Your stomach 1s part of your body too, you know, so you'd better take care of it."

J3Jruh-t.:1,,1:m8 B:M:.B:fti-~lt-Co c, 1,,i: I:~ i-.:. :bi"'J: a Omae mitai ni mainichi boin-boshoku o tsuzukete 'ru to, imam Io kowasu yo. If you go on stuffing yourself full of food and drink, you'll ruin your stomach.

bojaku-bujin ffl:isfflA"as if there were no one around" (in old Japanese :ismeans "as if'1 arrogance, audacity, insolence, defiance, recklessness

{//i(l)m;a~At:i: § c.J:.~:fH:(;!:,ijb{.l["'.) J: I'.):Sti:*n "(Li "J0 Kare 110 bo1aku-bujin najiko-shuchiJ ni wa, hara ga tatsu yori saki ni akirete shimau_ I'm not so much angry at his outrageous selfishness as simply amazed.

a;,A,~ m;fi~ A (l) ~ ,Q i: I,'

;>)f;ij ,Q (l) 'b'

U:R(l)~ C *i1f Al} L "( Q

i?'C:,f!_o Anna bojaku-bujin no furumai ga toru no mo, shacho no musume to kekkon shite 'ru kara da. The reason he can get away with such outrageous behavior 1s that he's mamed to the boss's daughter.

buta

,3i'ft(Jjj) pig, swine

BUTA 41

The three hundred or so varieties of swine known to Japan are reviled as filthy, ugly beasts, a reputation these descendants of wild boars have been encumbered with, perhaps due to the conditions of their domesticity, i.e., living in sties. Although cops don't get called buta by protestors, jails do earn the unofficial appellation butabako, or pig box, presumably for the unsanitary conditions encountered inside. The pig's oink is bu.bu7- 7• (the same as a fart), and it is counted ippiki !ILor itt" un.

Buta

ff

"pig"

1. (someone ugly) a pig, two-bagger; (dirty or slovenly) a pig, slob, scuzzball; (someone who is fat or overeats) a pig, a chow hound; (someone stupid) a dumbell, fool, dimwit, knucklehead, airhead

.::.o:>HJ ! Konobuta ! You swine (pig, fat ass, dimwit)! ~~~~~;~~t.~~~~.

~(7)~~~-

Ano buta yaro, kondo attara tada ja okane. That mother! He's gonna get what's coming to him next time. ~ Used to revile someone, it is often followed by yaro fffl~. when describing a man, or,'""""''"" t;J:. X, when refemng to a woman wno 1san obJector scorn.

2. (of such things as a bad hand in cards or a losing lottery ticket) a loser; nothing; come up short

i t.:.7' 7 t!. ! Mata buta da! Not another shitty hand!


ria'i: t.27.fP3ti R ~ t.: o:>i::~&~ 7' 7 t!.-0 t.:.J;. Kono aida takarakuji niman-en mo katta no ni zenbu buta datta yo.

42

BUTA MO ODATERYA KI NI NOBORU

I shelled out 20,000 yen for lottery tickets a while ago, and damned if every last one of them wasn't a loser.

:at.:"C tJ~ *l.:ff .g

Buta mo odaterya ki ni noboru IJit(> a pig will climb a tree if you flatter it." flattery will get you a long way

"Even

r.:l-,

~Q)Ai.)t~Q)flh~:Q)iffiffll~o-::, -c*~ 1:f..J:iR L.f.:Q)oJ "E,ano hito ga sono shakkin no mendo miru tte honttJni yakusoku shita no."

"No way! He really promised he'd loan you the money?"

r~ 1b.tot.:-cI?~ *1:::Q o-::,-c1,, 1 t.:~ 1 oJ "Buta mo odaterya ki ni noboru tte iu dar6." "Like they say, a little flattery goes a long way."

ff 1b.tot.:-cI?~ *l:i:o-::, mifPt· ~ -tt t.: Q) ?

*~

-C1,, -j

It t', t· -j

{>-::, -C~Q)°kfl1:

Buta mo odaterya ki ni noboru tte iu kedo, dtJ yatte ano joyii ni shutsuen o shodaku saseta no? I know a httle flattery will go a long way, but just how did you talk that actress mto agreeing to appear m the production?

Buta ni shinju IMt i.: -~ "pearls to pigs" casting pearls before swine; a waste

~~~~~~~Y/R-::,~-::,-C,

ff~&-~J::o

Sonna kdkyu na piano katta tte, buta ni shinju da yo. Buying an expensive piano like that for him is like casting pearls before swine .

.::~~~~ tJi.)HJ-7"o*-::,

-citi, ff1:a•-r--t:

o

Konna toshiyori ga wtipuro motte mo, buta ni shinju desu yo. What a waste it is for an old guy like me to have a word processor. ~ A linguistic import, this comes from the New Testament. Although there

BYOKI 43

is no consensus, some feel this expression is used exclusively about material objects rather than abstractions. c:;,

baji-tofii .~l!'.Jk./11., neko ni koban m1:,J,!j!IJ, uma no mimi ni nenbut.rn ll 1.:~ 11.

-~ (I)

Butabako lllffi "pig box" a jail, the clink, the cooler, the slammer

:s

ft, 1, ,ta.fiii L --C l!Jffi}..tLi; tit.:.:.t ~ -1.,A, t.:o Ore, wakai koro gokudo shite butabako irerareta koto aru n' da. I went astray when I was young and ended up domg time. ii fflI~A-~ .:. t L --c_,., t l!Jffi1:.J; ~ :i6i tL _,.,-t"o Omae sonna koto shite 'ru to butabako ni buchikomareru zo. Keep it up and you'll be cooling your heels in jail.

i'l From the filthy crowded conditions associated with such places.

8111,Jgo_\'CJO,tJ'.~ "pigpen" (a small filthy house, apartment, or room) a pigpen, pigsty ~ A-t.:.:.(1)$~1i i -1.,"t"IIJ1J,~t.:~~. -t.:. L.lifi~ L ~ J: o Nan da kono heya wa maru de butagoya da nii, sukoshi wa soji shiro yo. God, what a pigsty! Ever thought about cleaning it up a little?

.:.A,~IIJ,J,~i.l•t:>!i! I,\ atama ga kireru it tJl-l;/J;ft.1.,, atama no deki ga chigau iiJi0) *t,i'"a Ji kagen ni shinai to chi o miru zo. You' re cruisin' for a bruisin', buddy. / Keep it up if you want your ass kicked.


hf.:Q.>l:,S~t..,"(, I..,~ 1t>16fft I:~-:> f_:o

:fllllt¥!l~hb

Wakai koro "daikon-yakusha" to iwareta no nifunki shite, oshi mo osare mo shinai meiyu ni natta. Called "a ham actor" while young, he was inspired to become one of the best actors around.

1t,~ii{ N. ;>j:~I:7JL ;>j:1,,' J:.a Anna dani no yo na yatsu, roku na shinikata shinai yo. A punk like that's gonna end up face down in some alley. ~

By extension from the fact that ticks are parasites sucking the lifeblood of others, this expression is usually used of those involved in underworld activities or the likes.

54 DANSON-JOH!

danson-johi despised"

~-~-

amen respected, women

the custom of treating women as inferiorto men; male chauvinism ~(A]~

•

l;l:~3(~~~A,·(~-:i

~ A,t!.-/J> C:> 0

·c-cb'

::k{E:~£i c'*irli!JUJ3(

Omotemuki wa danjo-byodo nante itte 'te mo, dai-kigyo hodo honne wa danson-johi nan da kara. Although in public they like to talk about sexual equality, in truth big corporations are deeply chauvmisuc. ~~~A,~~•3(•~~~h~Lt~~-

~A,7.p\,>~\,•J::o

M~Lt(h~3(tt

Jmadoki sonna danson-johi no kangaekata o shite 'tara, kekkon shite kureru josei nanka inai yo. With a chauvinistic attitude like yours, you'll never find a woman to marry you m this day and age.

dasoku

le~

usnake's feetn

unnecessary, extraneous; tits on a boar ~ A,~ffilHEJEt.:a

Sonna hanashi wa dasoku da. That's completely unnecessary. ■ 3(~~~~M"t'fta~~L~=c~~JE~-:i~a Kano10 ga sono koen de sa1go m hanashita koto wa dasoku datta. What she said at the very end of the lecture amounted more and less to flogging a dead horse.

~JE"t'-t1.1f, fJ.1i.rt.!U~•1.1{m~"t'-t c Dasoku desu ga, watashi wa konchu-saishu ga shumi desu. Needless to say, collecting insects is my hobby.

DOJO 55

.: (7,)].,, )f,-

r ,±t£JE(1)$:fr1.1t~-t~-.Q

a

Kono repoto wa dasoku no bubun ga osugiru. There's too much padding in this paper./ This report has got a lot of fluff in it. 11!1Can

be used ooth of obJects and of behavior. from an ancient Chmese tale of some friends who bet a round of drinks on who among them could paint a snake the fastest. One of the men was much quicker at the task than his friends and decided in his leisure to add legs to his creation. Upon seeing this, another painter asked how he could put legs on a reptile that originally had none, and he relieved the man of his prize before he could quaff his victory libation.

dobunezumi

c ,Jilmla sewer rat" u

a rat, a scoundrel

,±c·J::,IM.(7.)-lt\,, t.:o

~ (7,)~trff1.1t1:fttLt.: (7,)

Ano shinise ga tsubureta no wa dobunezumi no sei da. That long-established business went under thanks to the skulduggery of one of its employees .

c•

c

c "catch a sea bream with a shrimp" do things the easy way; get a lot of bang for your buck, maximize returns and minimize effort, profit handsomely from a small investment, make a killing; throw a sprat to catch a mackerel

r1~7 (1);(E]R7j: A-1H#0-C c'"? Lt.:/2-t.:1,,oJ "Bara no hanataba nanka motte do shita n' dai." "What're you up to, carrying a bouquet of roses and all?"

r4'-Bli, ~lffi(l)fei~c~JJ-r-J-,j:A,f.:o "t"ilJa-f~;h.j -:J-CoJ

J:(1,,"?f.:~-j

rilii:~

"Kyo wa, nengan no kanojo to hatsu deto nan da. Yoku iu daro 'ebi de tai o tsure' tte. " "Today's my first time out with that chick I've had my eye on, and I'm just trymg to make the most of it."

*Lt.:M-11t

t..,7j:1,,-c:,i&.i:~"t"iH:-f.J~"?c L "t t t.:.iot.:7j:o

Taishita doryoku mo shinai de, ebi de tai o tsuro to shite mo dame da na. Trying to make a killing without making much of an effort just isn't going to work. I Possibly from the plentifulness of shrimp and their diminutive size compared to sea bream. Used of attempts to spend little time, money, or effort to ("t') j/,ij, attain one's grandiose goals. Often shortened to ebi tdt'J tai ifu:::t!:

eiko-seisui ~i!il!a per and perish"

"flourish and wither, pros-

the rise and fall of human affairs; the ups and downs of life; the many vicissitudes of life

60

FUGEN-JIKKO

*M ~i.l: lii!!:O)'lf1,, c .\!;!.-:> --cif.>~ ~ ~ 7-> Ii 7.l'~ 1,,~ □ Eiko-seisui wa yo no narai to omotte akirameru hoka nai zo. Son, you have to take the fortunes and misfortunes of life as the way of the world and learn to live with them.

r-'¥*~~-it J 1i >¥* 0) *fti!dll:i.\: ~ ria", --c,.,, 1.io

"Heike monogatari" wa Heike no eiko-se1su1 o egaite iru. The Heike Monogatart is a story dep1ctmgthe rise and fall of the Heike clan.

fugen-Jlkko 1';;;~fi

"silent action" action speaks louder than words; ~ (I) A a quiet man of action f.l.liti1,,Arstl.P, U1 ..~ 1,,i.)t, 1' a •trtt~f

~

t.:o

Watash1 waJuru1 mngen ka mo shirenai ga,Jugen-jikko ga suki da. I may be old-fashioned, but I like gettmg thmgs done without a lot of fuss.

~--fi~.

c,~h~~31'•fi~~-:>--CLi1~~h~if.>

,Q J: 0 Fugen-jikko wa, tomosurebafugen-fujikko ni natte shimau osore ga aru yo.

If you are not careful, getting things done without a lot of fuss can end up meaning getting nothing done at all.

iiJ Japanese who are articulate and good at expressing their ideas are not always popular. Getting on with things without talking about them Cf--g~ ff) is seen as a virtue. Many people have commented on how the Japanese prefer intu1t1veways of communicating over verbal ones. There is "the art of the belly" ()JI~ haragei; the intuitive way of guessing what the other means), and "the transferal of one's true intent from one heart to another" (,l.:J.,(.,f~•C.• ishin-den,/11111.This is not altogether a wholly Japanese phenomenon; after all, we do say in English "Actions speak louder than words," and a fair number of Hollywood's biggest male stars are more famous for their action-packed performances than their mastery of the English language. The

FUHEN-FUTO

61

saying "Silence is golden" exists in both languages (the Japanese being i:t ~i±fri, ,·l11rrm11l.11 wa kin).

fugu-taiten same sky"

::,q112~

"cannot bear (carry) the

irreconciiable (foes) ~

1,,01;l:f(t0)1,,t,1t~f~ilt~O)itt~

A,f.:.o

Aitsu wa ore no iwabafugu-taiten no teki nan da. That J(uy's what you might call a monal enemy.

#W~A,t$-~A,~.

-~~~-ilt~O)~M~.

Aoyama-san to Akasaka-san wa, mukashi kara fugu-ta1ten no aidagara da. Aoyama and Akasaka have been at each other's throats for as long as I can remember.

fuhen-fut6 1'fliP1'~ "without bias and free from party affiliation n impartial, neutral, non-partisan, fair, unbiased, independent ~~ Mlii&mt'l":J 1: li1'W1''R:7.l~~oot.:.o Komu-in wa seiji-teki ni wafuhen-futo ga tatemae da. Civil servants are supposed to be free of political bias.

·~mt.:..

~B:1¥Utli~IY¾I 1:,1,!lt ~ ~ 1,•"t'~ffiii~"R:O),1,,t, l;fNagata-kyiiju wa gakubatsu ni wkusanai de fuhen-futo no, iwaba 1ppik1okami da. Professor Nagata is what you might call a lone wolf, not aligning himself with any academic chque.

62 FUKO-MEIBI

fiiko-meibi beautiful."

11,;'tBJ.lm"The scenery is clear and

beautiful scenery, picturesque

c .:

.: A,~ J!l,J'c;IIJH/il~ ~ '"t", ~ft a""T.:·Lt.::'-''1b0) t.::r.>.o Konnafako-meibi na tokoro de, rogo o sugoshitai mono da ne. I would love to spend my retirement in a place as picturesque as this.

1/fl;l:/!l,j'{;IIJH/iit.: "'.)t.::.: O)ifij:$ 1b, T "'.)iJ, tJM1c1tL -r~n i "'.)t.::J:

-r L

0

Mukashi wa fuko-meibi datta kono kaigan mo, sukkari kanko-ka shite yogorete shimatta yo. In the old days this beach used to be so beautiful, but now it's been totally spoilt by tounsm.

fukuro

i3, I;,: a Furugitsune to yobarete ita kanojo mo ima de wa sono omokage mo naku hissori to kurashite iru. Everybody used to call her a wily old bat, but you sure couldn't tell from how quietly she's iiving now. ~ Used almost exclusively of women.

• ju, 11d111111ki 't1ii!(of men), kitusne

fusho-fuzui wife obeys"

~Dlflilll

Wl.., megitsune 4tWJ.

"the husband speaks, the

a loving couple (where the wife is happy to play second fiddle to her husband)

66 FUYO-FUKYU

", i t· ~ :1C~ ~ ll'ititJI l! t..: ~ A, -c-g-:>-r o tJ,t:, , t'i fl\HO-¥ ti 1 J! -:>tJ•t:,~1,,,.4,t."t>~l,,\(7)0

lmadoki fushi5-fuzui ga riso da nante itte 'ru kara, kekkon-aite ga mitsukaranai n 'ja nai no. It's precisely because you say you·re looking for a woman to be at your beck and call that you can't find anyone to marry you!

.:. (7)~ ~ i:li~~~ID!~ i: l J:: -j ii•o

l?Nd~~:1Cll.li(7)~J;H>~1,,,.4, t. "t>~"'

Konogoro de wa fusho-fuzui naranu fusho-fuzui no katei mo oi n 'ja nai desho ka. These days there seem to be a good many families in which the wife not only washes her husband's pants but wears them, too.

fuy6-fukyii

1' ~ 1' 111 "unnecessary

and not

urgent" not pressing, not vital

@~tJJ!~bi:-t~t:,, 1:litJ•lt~1,,,1;1 "?1)-c.' l J:: "?o

~~~-(7)ffl·(7)~~~

Gogo kara oyuki ni naru mikomi desu kara, fuyo-fukyu no yoji no btii wa dekakenai ho ga ii desho. The outlook 1s for heavy snow from the afternoon, so unless you have urgent busmess, you'd be better off staymg m.

GAIJO-NAIGO 67

gaden-insui water"

B83sl7.I< "(to)

my ricefield mdraw

self-seeking, promoting one's own interests, turning every argument in one's own favor, every miller draws water to his own mill

3-,1,,0 t ii1iL -r J.it 1,,0 'ii ftmiJ IJJ(-r:JlliJ{-JL0 J: o Aitsu to hanashite 'ru to itsumo gaden-insui de hara ga tatsu yo. Talking with him drives me up the wall; he's only concerned with looking after his own interests.

i

~

t.:.li 1,,1,,t:.. ~t!.o

Mattaku gaden-insui mo ii tokoro da. I've had more than enough of his enlightened self-interest.

1,,0 'ii @l,J-l:i~*Q:)1,,1,,J:-:, 1: Lipe t:Jf.t.1,,Jvf!.f.t.oftilliJl;,J( 'ii 1,,1,,1.Jaiitl: L~ J:a ltsumo jibun ni tsugo no II yo ni shika toranai n' da na. Gaden-insui mo ii kagen ni shiro yo. You only see things in the best possible light for yourself. Stop bemg so self-centered. • jiga-jisan § iOO §

Jt, shiri-shiloA" f.l.fiJfAW-

gaijii-naigo ~~r~Jll!jg "soft on the outside, hard on the inside" gentle on the outside, tough on the inside; gentle in appearance, but sturdy in spirit (often used to describe people who are hard on themselves but easy on others)

.t:>tt.t.L-f-:,1:J!x.J.iQ)I:, Jijj!mf.t.lvt.:.J:tl.a!,IIHf!a'-Jt.t.~*f;f;J IMJIJf.:. J: a

68

GAIKO-JIREI

Otonashiso ni mieru no ni, ganko nan da yo ne. Tenkei-teki na gaiju-naig6 dayo. She looks like the quiet type, but she's stubborn as hell. She's one of those people who has an easygoing manner but is actually as tough as nails.

1\:;1:.li$'1-~P-Jl/4ll"L°, A 1: 1±11L 1,,t,(13:frl: lilNtL "'a Sensei wa gaiju-naigo de, hito ni wa yasashii ga jibun ni wa kibishii. Our teacher's kind to others, but he really comes down hard on himself. ~ The opposite to this four-character compound is i.l.J)t91l'lltl11,1iju-gaig6,

which 1s only different from the above entry in that the first and third characters have changed places.

gaiko-jirei

~3lM~

"diplomatic language"

just being polite (diplomatic) ~A.,~~:Xff~i-1

ct 1:-:iltl.i~ll,t,tiJ;,1.,iPa

Sonna gaiko-jirei o matomo ni ukeru yatsu ga aru ka. Anyone with half a brain could see he was just being diplomatic (polite).

•~1.i$'1-~ff~~0t~~0~~~~

~n~~#ib1.icm0~

L1t,A.,"L°i"a

Tannaru gaiko-Jirei no tsumori datta no ni, senpo wa myaku ga aru to omotta rashu n' desu. It was only meant as a pohte formality, but it seems the other guy took it as meaning he has a cnance. • biji-reiku ~ifl§'.1i], tamamushi-iro :=i;=_!l{~

gaiko-shuwan diplomacy

~3l~nft

"diplomatic talent (skill)"

GAMAGUCHJ

69

c

{1.Htit1i1,,1t .!:::'~$,.:91-jC-f-/lJiPi·~M; L -C, ~f.J >a:i NJ_Uft.:a Kare wa wakai kedo migoto ni gaiko-shuwan o hakki shite, joyaku o matomeageta. Though still young, he showed great diplomacy in concluding (drawing up) the treaty.

1J!i 0) ~jC f Jlli.H: Ii, i -::d.: .:l ·c ,j,j11,,,"'('titlt.:IJ 1::;!U.:Q)i.Po Nan da, kyodai sannin gankubi soroete, kozukai de mo nedari ni kita no ka. What's this? The three of you all lined up, thinking you're gonna get

GASHIN-SHOTAN

71

your old dad to cough up some money? A,-$:N:~tllQA,/!f§°,t-".,

f.:(J)~•-/:t.i/;)?

.z-n±~~,:J,.-::i

-Cfi-::it.:lt t'fPJt,pi/;J-::i

Ima bucho ga yonin gankubi soroete shacho-shitsu ni haitte itta kedo nani ka atta no ka nii? I wonder what's up. All four department heads Just marched mto the president's office. ~

Possibly from the unique diagonal or "V" flying fonnations of these migratory birds in which they line up their outstretched necks with near perfection. A slang expression for head or neck, gankubi now appears almost exclusively in gankubi o soroeru, an often derogatory and sometimes jocular expression used of a limited number of people (as few as two qualify) lining up for some specific purpose.

gashin-shotan ing livern

IP.lrRJffl "lying on firewood,

lick-

sustained determination and perseverance; struggling against difficulties for the sake of vengeance; going through thick and thin (fire and water) to avenge oneself against one's enemies In ancient China the Go and the Etsu were at war. After fifteen years of conflict, Kosen, the Etsu king, led his troops to victory over the Go, whose leader Koryo was slain in battle. Koryo's son, Fusa, was detennined to avenge his father. Every night he slept on a pile of firewood, to inflame his desire for revenge. It obviously did the trick as within three years he won the Battle of Kaikei, where he defeated the Etsu king Kosen. Kosen pleaded for mercy and was allowed to return home after a period oi imprisonment. His shame at having surrendered to his fallen foe's son weighed heavily upon him and he resolved to restore his pride the only way he knew how-by beating Fusa in battle. To give himself courage to carry out this endeavor, he covered the

72

GEJIGE.11

floor of his bedroom with the livers of wild animals (in Japanese the character for liver also means courage). He licked up all the liver to give him courage, and thus fortified, set out with his faithful retainer Hanrei to wreak terrible revenge upon Fusa. It took them twenty-two years, but eventually they did it.

fflI@Q)jK~""t"litijK L t.:tit, 31!=-rdJQ)W-,.flr-a:n!!Q)*I: ~ ~T .Q ;:_ C i}{""t" 21f.:o Zenkai no senkyo de wa rakusen shita ga, sannen-kan no gashin-sht'Jtan no sue ni tosen suru koto ga dekita. I was a loser m the last election, but I managed to iet elected this time after three years of keeping my nose to the grindstone.

W-..~~mQ)MA~mQ)*,~~~~~-L~a Gashin-shotan no ronin seikatsu no sue, shibo-ko ni gokaku shita. Taking a year out to resit my entrance exams was tough, but it paid off in the end when I got accepted by the university I wanted to go to.

e

ill A tronin): In feudal Japan a samurai without a lord and master was called a ?JilA("a wave-person," being someone condemned to wander about by himself, belonging to no group, a virtual outcast from society). Nowadays this tenn is used to describe students who are unsuccessful in entering university at the first attempt. Those rOnin who fail their exams two (or three) iillt .mnrti 1. years running are called --:ilil (niro) or ::=.:

gepgeji

1:fljlfl_j

UdllU

house centipede

Just why this and other caterpillar-like critters are so despicable is unclear. One suggestion is that they have fifteen pairs of legs, not the fifty it would take to make them full-fledged centipedes. They are counted ippiki -11);.

GEJIGEJI-MA YUGE 73

Gejigeji Cft&f t (!l!dl!II@) "house centipede" a creep, jerk, rat, skunk, bastard

a,(7)1ftlf

t~~

-j ~0

Ano gej1geji yaro me! That creepy son of a bitch!

illJ:1], ~ 1,,1j1f tlf t

c p;p-1::tt -C~ ,f.:.o

Boku wa chiisai koro gejigeji to yobarete ita. They used to call me "creep" when I was little. ~

Of a strongly disliked person. Used most commonly by children.

" kemushi 1:;!.ll

Gejigeji-mayuge CftCf tlf ~ "millipede eyebrows" bushy (thick and shaggy) eyebrows

a,(7)If t If ti§ :f.(7)J3~~ A.,ffi~~ 1flliU~ l...,._,J: a Ano gejigeji-mayuge no oj1isan soto na shisan-ka rash1i yo. That old guy with the bushy eyebrows is supposed to be filthy rich.

;f:81/11 ~ A, c.:.(7)JJ(7)Aitli.t3~~ A.,-/pC:,~ i "t"Jj.A.,~lf tlf t 1§:f.f,:~o Hosokawa-san toko no otoko no hitotachi wa oJiisan kara mago made minna gej1gej1-mayuge da ne. All the men in the Hosokawa clan, from grandfather to grandson, have thick, snaggy eyebrows. ~ From the resemblance of such eyebrows to caterpillars. Can be pejora-

tive. Seldom used of women.

74 GENKI

genki

~~

noriginal kin

energy, vitality; (good) health

:,-a iJf.:o Ano daigi-shi gorioshi shire kyuko o jibun no eki ni rinji-teisha sasete mondai ni natta. He's the representative that caused all the fuss when he forced an express train to make an unscheduled stop at his s1a11on.

-f:tt~.:"tJ;flj!L.~-tla ~~~-~~. &~!A,~A~!-tto :b It I: 1,:1:1..' aii-tt A,a Sore wa gorioshi desu yo. Ano seiseki de wa, musuko-san o nyugaku saseru wake ni wa ikimasen. You are asking far too much. There is no way your son can be accepted at the school with those grades. ~ From the tremendous efforts expended by these tiny fish 10 swim long distances upstream to spawn.

gori-muchu

n~DcJ:1°five riin the fog"

in a fog, all at sea, bewildered, at a total loss (what to do); to not have the foggiest idea what to do, to not have a clue

~JJbl'J t 7 '7 :., A "-fl'?

mlfl~Lt.:la

t.:~

,;1:.~~N•1.1t~1.1';

1j:

,which means to become engrossed/absorbed in (something).

.

gyokuseki-konko mixed together"

3i:ti1Uff "jewels

and stones

a mixture of the good and the bad

ffi J..UR 1b, J.,Y.Jiiili~t)tfnii-? "(1,\/.:lt t\

rtt.:.1:

::..(7);::~ t. ~ ~:fiil

o

Shinnyti-shain mo, izen wa tsubu ga soroae ita kedo, kono goro ja gyokusekikonko dayo. We always used to get a well-balanced crop of new recruits in the old days, but of late it's been a mixed bag.

~1vtt•~~•(7)~&"t"1b, ii"hn

~~~~~tt~~~~~m~tt~

Do1111ayumei-sakka no sakuhin de mo, yahari aru teido wa gyokusekiko11k6ni narimasu ne.

GY0HO

81

It doesn't matter how famous the writer is, there will always be some second-rate work mixed in with the masterpieces. ~

This expression can also be written as .1:fii.lt3c.

gyiiho (ushino ayumi)

*~ (*©~#)

"a cow's

gait" a very slow walk; last-ditch stalling (slowdown) tactics [in parliament]

ll!-f'5tli-t"O) i!~l.:&:MO)JL.~i.PI?, -ttffl 1.:4~1ji;1Uf~"t"M#c Lt.:o Yatd wa sono hoan ni hantai no tachiba kara, tohyo ni gyuho-senjutsu de taiko shita. The opposition party resorted to plodding up to cast its ballots when the bill it opposed came to (up ior) a vote.

~t;lij~ 0) {-j-JIJl;l:: fl: 0) ~ h. t.:-:> t.: o Bijutsu-kan no gyoretsu wa ushi no ayumi datra. The line at the art museum was moving at a snail's pace. ~ This expression is most commonly used to describe one of the more sense-

less if amusing tactics employed by an outnumbered oppos1t1onparty in the lower house of Japan's Diet. Facing certain defeat, members of the minority party line up to cast their ballots against a bill and proceed to plod toward the ballot box in the chamber by walking more slowly than the beasts of burden from which the expression takes its inspiration. Hours can pass, seasons come and go, and mountains tumble into the sea before the foregone conclusion, defeat, is official. It's a great argument for live coverage of the Diet, and gives new meaning to voting with your feet.

82 GYUJIRU

gyiijiru

q:g,l> "grasp a cow's ear"

control, dominate, hold sway over; take charge of, lead, run (the show), shepherd, steer

Jlff,

8 ::,$:Q).if3cWa-lf::J+1.i A#.Jt,{1,,~1,,0 Genzai, Nihon no seikai o gyii.jirujinbutsu ga inai. No single person ndes herd over the Japanese political world right now. -$Q)ArdJ1:lf::J+ i?tit..:~Q)~f±I: 1;t:FHIHt~s'J~1t•t.:h'?o /ch1buno ningen m gyii.Jirareta ano ka1shani wa shorai wa nozomena1daro. Controlled by a small group of people, a company like that doesn't have much of a future. o toru !j:!J'. -i" I Shortened and made into a verb from the expression _f!_vii.ji f)l,Q, literally "grasp a cow's ear," this is exactly what the fabled feudal rulers of ancient China are said to have done at a meeting where they swore allegiance to one another at the behest of the leading member of the alliance, who then cut off the ear of a sacrificial cow, divided it up among those in attendance, and each of them sucked blood from their share of the dismembered ear. Sort of a different twist to a blood oath, less painful for all except the cow.

ha

ti

tooth, teeth

As a part of the mouth and therefore associated with speech, ha figures in many expressions concerning how things are said, whether deviously or straightforwardly. The most graphic of the idioms, though, is one that likens an empty space to a mouth missing some teeth, perhaps from the fact that an unfilled theater seat or vacant house is dark like the gap left by a missing tooth.

HA GA UKU (YO NA)

Haga nuketa yii sparse

Nin'Uf Ctt.:J; ')

83

"like missing teeth"

~)$1;1:, ~ilttaJtt.: J: '?1.:~)fGi)f.:o Kyakuseki wa, ha ga nuketa yii ni kuseki ga dekite ita. There were empty seats all around the hall. / The audience was conspicuous by its absence.

*

Jil.:# tJ{1 tr Ail{!fflx.-C, ~Q)H°'"C.'I±itfil1tilt t.: J: '?1.: ~ -C1,>-:d.:a

4 i)t

Machi ni utsurisumu hito ga fuete, sono mura de wa ha ga nuketa yii ni ie-ie ga nakunatte itta. With so many people moving into town, the village seems like a graveyard.

Haga tatanai ilfni~f.:~t.~ "one's teeth don't stand up" be too difficult for one, one is no match for something or someone .i,Q)!J,J1.:I±~< Jtfil{.ll.f.: ~ 1,,0 Ano otoko ni wa mattaku ha ga tatanai. I'm no match for him./ He's way out ofmy league./ I can't hold a candle to him .:. A,~

1.:1tL 1,,r.,,a1;1:,fl.1.:1;1: c -Ct ~il{'fi.f.:. ~1,,0

Konna ni muzukashii mondai wa, watashi ni wa totemo ha ga tatanai. A problem like this is way over my head.

Haga uku (yo na)

tlinff.f. "hang something on one's nose" be proud of, boast about, go on and on about

flili ~

r, 1±1t.:c 1,>"?.::c a-.1.:il•lt-C1,,t.: ~

o

Kare wa meimon no de da to iu koto o hana ni kakete ita.

HANA NO SHITA GA NAGAI

91

He was bragging about graduating from a famous college.

f/l°t(Ii, .~ r

~ fl~

t.d1.J~1111.: im:b-tt-r I,\ 1->.:: c

~

._ 1.:n•lt-r

1,,f:.o

Kanojo wa, musuko o yumei na yochi-en ni kayowasete iru koto o hana ni kakete ita. She prided herself on sending her son to some famous kindergarten. ··• harm II rak,iku suru •

i- ~


-r~ L-r J-J.-C*~1:l il•0 t.:.a Hara o watte hanashite mite hontiJni _vokatta. I sure did the right thing by having a heart-to-heart with him about it.

98

HARAN-BANJO

haran-banjo iBl. ii 'Jj :st usmall waves and big waves rise 10,000 feet." eventful, stonny, full of ups and downs, checkered

itilUij:(l) A1:."t'l t.:tit, fiiJ1b1i11ilil -r 1,, i-tt A-o Haran-banjo no Jinsei deshita ga, nani mo kokai wa shite imasen. I've led a checkered life, but I regret nothing.

m~(l)-~~i~~-~~k"l',

I,>

~~~%#~n~. ~m~~

f!.o

Sofa 110 issho wa masa ni haran-banjo de, boku ni bunsai ga areba, shosetsu ni kakitai kurai da. Granddad's life was tull of incident, and if I had any talent as a writer, I'd wnte a novel about it.

hatarakibachi

fl~it

,,worker been

someonewho works like a dog, a workhorse,a hard worker,a workaholic, a grind ffb ~

n c Uif'-lihJ.i 8 ;$:A 1b1,•l i'-?#IJ~r.1Jm;$1H:·§ ffi ltzaclb

"(l,>,oo

Hatarakibachi to yobareru Nihon-jin mo sukoshi zutsu rodo-jikan tanshuku o mezashihaj1mete iru. Even the hard-worKmg Japanese are gradually beginning to cut back on the number of hours they work.

~~#-bJ.ic••~-~A"t'&h~~~r~~-J

~~#*

7 -1 Al:~~-c~t.:o Renkyu ga owaru to kawku-sabisu de tsukarekitta "hatarakibachi"-tachi ga ofisu ni modotte kita. The nation's workhorses returned to harness today completely exhausted irom a long weekend of quality time with their families.

HATO GA VIAMEDEPPO O KUTTA YO NA

99

~

It's difficult to think of an example for this expression which isn't about the Japanese. The nuance of being a grind is strong, though there is also a sense of industriousness and, perhaps, a slight tinge of resignation as one takes one's place in the traces.

hato It c:(NU pigeon or dove This municipal scourge is as prevalent in Japanese cities as anywhere else, especially around train stations, under overpasses, and in parks. The far more beautiful wild dove is, unfortunately, far less common. Still, it symbolizes peace and prosperity in Japan as elsewhere. And yes, those peace-loving folks who are always willing to try to see the other guy's side of things are doves in Japanese, too. And as with their natural enemies the hawks, -ha ~ 1sattached to describe them as a faction. The coo of doves and pigeons is fl"flf"' ;f- ·;1 ;f-_ In baby talk, both pigeons and their coo are poppo. They are counted ichiwa -~I. c:$

kyiishu 11/1; §

a-

Hato ga mamedeppo o kutta yo na lllb)"li'-"il! jt ,-:,t::.J:-j t,: "like a pigeon that has just been hit by a pea shooter"

astounded, astonished, blown away, floored

t.:i- A-~ /\i~tJH.H?li- ft-:d..: J: '? ~ML -r

~ A-

a

Nan da sonna hato ga mamedeppo o kutta yo na kao sh1te. What are you looking so flabbergasted about?

x~t~

JEA-t.: Ii -f (l.) 0 -C ~ t.:.(l.) "'T:, • Ii 11/!;~t.R~li?l >a:ft '? f.i:&i--C§~t/:1:i-fJL:~~JZ1Kt.i:/Jli i L "(1,, J.io

Yube no koto nado nakatta ka no yo ni heiki na kao o shite iru. She's acting as if nothing happened at all last night.

HEIKI (NA)

I 03

A~(J)~1,,~1,•iit!."J -CSV:1"."t"~lt ,Q b J: a Hitoke no nai kurai michi datte heiki de arukeru wa yo. I don't think anything of walking down dark, deserted streets.

W~~~L-Ctif~~~L-Ci~~n-r